New AIC research examines the impact of a preschool communication program and comprehensive family support on serious youth crime

New reports by researchers from Griffith University demonstrate the benefits of a communication program to improve children’s language skills, when combined with family support.

  • Family support was associated overall with a heightened risk of offending, reflecting the high level of need in these families, particularly in the later primary years.
  • However, family support combined with a communication program corresponded to a very low offending rate. 
  • This suggests that family support should be combined with both high-quality, early-childhood preventive initiatives and evidence-based child and parent programs in late primary school.

Summary paper: Family support, enriched preschool and serious youth offending

Full report: The impact of a preschool communication program and comprehensive family support on serious youth offending: New findings from the Pathways to Prevention Project