References
DSS (Department of Social Services) (2014) A safe and supportive family environment for children: key components and links to child outcomes, DSS, Australian Government.
Indicator technical specifications
The information below provides technical specifications for the summary indicator data presented in the quick reference guide.
National Framework Indicator 1.1 Family functioning: Proportion of families who report 'good', 'very good' or 'excellent' family cohesion
|
Definition |
Data source |
Numerator |
Number of families with children in the reference period who report good, very good or excellent family cohesion
|
Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC)
|
Denominator |
Number of families with children in the reference period |
Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC)
|
Explanatory notes
Family functioning is not easily measured and lacks easily defined concepts. Family cohesion reflects the ability of the family to get along with each other—it only partially captures the concept of family functioning, but national data are available.
The cohort nature of the LSAC limits the usefulness of the data as an indicator over time. LSAC is a longitudinal study of two age-based cohorts (i.e. children aged either 0–1 or 4–5 at wave 1), rather than a longitudinal panel study sampling a cross-section of the population. LSAC is therefore capturing the same families at each wave as the children grow older, rather than providing a more representative cross-section of the population over time. LSAC is a child-based collection, and as such, families with no children are excluded.
Family cohesion data are collected for both LSAC cohorts—the birth cohort (children aged 0–1 years at wave 1) and the child cohort (children aged 4–5 years at wave 1). As such, the reportable age groups will vary across each wave of family cohesion data as the children grow older. Each wave is two years apart.
LSAC captures parent self-reported family cohesion. Parents rate their family's ability to get along with each other against five response categories: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor.