'I don't know how I survived it': the untold stories of teenage carers
Her older brother by two years had ongoing mental health problems combined with a hereditary joint and muscle condition, while her mother began battling type 2 diabetes and liver disease.
She was 14, living in a single parent household in regional Victoria, and unaware of where to turn for help.
"Looking back on it now, I don't know how I survived it," Ms McAuliffe, now 25, said.
"A lot of it was teachers, schools [not] understanding or being a little bit more nicer about things and not just judgmental, or putting it down to that everything's behavioral."
Ms McAuliffe's experience is not uncommon.
The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed the number of carers aged 25 and under increased by 156,000 to 391,300 over the four years to 2022.
And that caring, while sometimes rewarding, takes a toll.
Carers aged 14 to 15 were more likely to fall behind at school and struggle financially, new research drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children has found.
Boys who cared for someone in their home for at least five hours a week were one and a half years behind their peers with no caring responsibilities in year 9 NAPLAN reading results and almost the same in numeracy.
For girls in a similar boat, they were nearly 10 months behind in reading, according to the Young carers: impacts of caring on children's learning and wellbeing report.
The study, released on June 19, also found teenage carers were more likely to live in a jobless, lower income household with parents relying on government assistance and more likely to experience financial hardship.
"Policies aimed at improving school readiness and early school outcomes of those children with household members with a restrictive health condition or disability will improve the future prosperity of young carers," the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) report said.
Ms McAuliffe, from Shepparton in northern Victoria, said she wished her school had been more understanding when she was adjusting to responsibilities at home.
"It's hard when schools don't understand or don't make referrals for younger children [and] teenagers to get extra resources or additional help," she said.
"Normally they just put it down to behavior as being, 'Oh they've got ADHD' or 'They're just acting out'.
"They don't see the whole story, or they don't ask for it until sometimes it's too late."
In between grocery shopping and medical appointments she finished year 12 and went on to get TAFE qualifications as a teacher's aide and in early childhood education - and now works at a before and after school care service.
But there were many days when she spent school class time drawing because she lacked the energy for anything else.
"Other days I was able to focus and get the school work done and it was just exhausting," Ms McAuliffe said.
Since then her mother has been through a life-threatening health scare which involved trips back and forth to Melbourne.
"All the experts are down in Melbourne so, unless you've got private health insurance or can access privately, you don't get that opportunity in your own home or in your own city," she said.
With help from organisations like Little Dreamers, which supports young people caring for family members, Ms McAuliffe is doing her best to look after her mum with cooking, cleaning and "reminding her to sit down" when she gets tired.
This is something the young woman sees continuing in her future.
"Probably still living with Mum and still working, still taking care of her for as long as she needs it," she said.
Maddie McAuliffe was just trying to keep up with school work and deal with puberty when she began caring for both her mum and brother in earnest.
Her older brother by two years had ongoing mental health problems combined with a hereditary joint and muscle condition, while her mother began battling type 2 diabetes and liver disease.
She was 14, living in a single parent household in regional Victoria, and unaware of where to turn for help.
"Looking back on it now, I don't know how I survived it," Ms McAuliffe, now 25, said.
"A lot of it was teachers, schools [not] understanding or being a little bit more nicer about things and not just judgmental, or putting it down to that everything's behavioral."
Ms McAuliffe's experience is not uncommon.
The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed the number of carers aged 25 and under increased by 156,000 to 391,300 over the four years to 2022.
And that caring, while sometimes rewarding, takes a toll.
Carers aged 14 to 15 were more likely to fall behind at school and struggle financially, new research drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children has found.
Boys who cared for someone in their home for at least five hours a week were one and a half years behind their peers with no caring responsibilities in year 9 NAPLAN reading results and almost the same in numeracy.
For girls in a similar boat, they were nearly 10 months behind in reading, according to the Young carers: impacts of caring on children's learning and wellbeing report.
The study, released on June 19, also found teenage carers were more likely to live in a jobless, lower income household with parents relying on government assistance and more likely to experience financial hardship.
"Policies aimed at improving school readiness and early school outcomes of those children with household members with a restrictive health condition or disability will improve the future prosperity of young carers," the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) report said.
Ms McAuliffe, from Shepparton in northern Victoria, said she wished her school had been more understanding when she was adjusting to responsibilities at home.
"It's hard when schools don't understand or don't make referrals for younger children [and] teenagers to get extra resources or additional help," she said.
"Normally they just put it down to behavior as being, 'Oh they've got ADHD' or 'They're just acting out'.
"They don't see the whole story, or they don't ask for it until sometimes it's too late."
In between grocery shopping and medical appointments she finished year 12 and went on to get TAFE qualifications as a teacher's aide and in early childhood education - and now works at a before and after school care service.
But there were many days when she spent school class time drawing because she lacked the energy for anything else.
"Other days I was able to focus and get the school work done and it was just exhausting," Ms McAuliffe said.
Since then her mother has been through a life-threatening health scare which involved trips back and forth to Melbourne.
"All the experts are down in Melbourne so, unless you've got private health insurance or can access privately, you don't get that opportunity in your own home or in your own city," she said.
With help from organisations like Little Dreamers, which supports young people caring for family members, Ms McAuliffe is doing her best to look after her mum with cooking, cleaning and "reminding her to sit down" when she gets tired.
This is something the young woman sees continuing in her future.
"Probably still living with Mum and still working, still taking care of her for as long as she needs it," she said.
Maddie McAuliffe was just trying to keep up with school work and deal with puberty when she began caring for both her mum and brother in earnest.
Her older brother by two years had ongoing mental health problems combined with a hereditary joint and muscle condition, while her mother began battling type 2 diabetes and liver disease.
She was 14, living in a single parent household in regional Victoria, and unaware of where to turn for help.
"Looking back on it now, I don't know how I survived it," Ms McAuliffe, now 25, said.
"A lot of it was teachers, schools [not] understanding or being a little bit more nicer about things and not just judgmental, or putting it down to that everything's behavioral."
Ms McAuliffe's experience is not uncommon.
The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed the number of carers aged 25 and under increased by 156,000 to 391,300 over the four years to 2022.
And that caring, while sometimes rewarding, takes a toll.
Carers aged 14 to 15 were more likely to fall behind at school and struggle financially, new research drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children has found.
Boys who cared for someone in their home for at least five hours a week were one and a half years behind their peers with no caring responsibilities in year 9 NAPLAN reading results and almost the same in numeracy.
For girls in a similar boat, they were nearly 10 months behind in reading, according to the Young carers: impacts of caring on children's learning and wellbeing report.
The study, released on June 19, also found teenage carers were more likely to live in a jobless, lower income household with parents relying on government assistance and more likely to experience financial hardship.
"Policies aimed at improving school readiness and early school outcomes of those children with household members with a restrictive health condition or disability will improve the future prosperity of young carers," the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) report said.
Ms McAuliffe, from Shepparton in northern Victoria, said she wished her school had been more understanding when she was adjusting to responsibilities at home.
"It's hard when schools don't understand or don't make referrals for younger children [and] teenagers to get extra resources or additional help," she said.
"Normally they just put it down to behavior as being, 'Oh they've got ADHD' or 'They're just acting out'.
"They don't see the whole story, or they don't ask for it until sometimes it's too late."
In between grocery shopping and medical appointments she finished year 12 and went on to get TAFE qualifications as a teacher's aide and in early childhood education - and now works at a before and after school care service.
But there were many days when she spent school class time drawing because she lacked the energy for anything else.
"Other days I was able to focus and get the school work done and it was just exhausting," Ms McAuliffe said.
Since then her mother has been through a life-threatening health scare which involved trips back and forth to Melbourne.
"All the experts are down in Melbourne so, unless you've got private health insurance or can access privately, you don't get that opportunity in your own home or in your own city," she said.
With help from organisations like Little Dreamers, which supports young people caring for family members, Ms McAuliffe is doing her best to look after her mum with cooking, cleaning and "reminding her to sit down" when she gets tired.
This is something the young woman sees continuing in her future.
"Probably still living with Mum and still working, still taking care of her for as long as she needs it," she said.
Maddie McAuliffe was just trying to keep up with school work and deal with puberty when she began caring for both her mum and brother in earnest.
Her older brother by two years had ongoing mental health problems combined with a hereditary joint and muscle condition, while her mother began battling type 2 diabetes and liver disease.
She was 14, living in a single parent household in regional Victoria, and unaware of where to turn for help.
"Looking back on it now, I don't know how I survived it," Ms McAuliffe, now 25, said.
"A lot of it was teachers, schools [not] understanding or being a little bit more nicer about things and not just judgmental, or putting it down to that everything's behavioral."
Ms McAuliffe's experience is not uncommon.
The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) revealed the number of carers aged 25 and under increased by 156,000 to 391,300 over the four years to 2022.
And that caring, while sometimes rewarding, takes a toll.
Carers aged 14 to 15 were more likely to fall behind at school and struggle financially, new research drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children has found.
Boys who cared for someone in their home for at least five hours a week were one and a half years behind their peers with no caring responsibilities in year 9 NAPLAN reading results and almost the same in numeracy.
For girls in a similar boat, they were nearly 10 months behind in reading, according to the Young carers: impacts of caring on children's learning and wellbeing report.
The study, released on June 19, also found teenage carers were more likely to live in a jobless, lower income household with parents relying on government assistance and more likely to experience financial hardship.
"Policies aimed at improving school readiness and early school outcomes of those children with household members with a restrictive health condition or disability will improve the future prosperity of young carers," the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) report said.
Ms McAuliffe, from Shepparton in northern Victoria, said she wished her school had been more understanding when she was adjusting to responsibilities at home.
"It's hard when schools don't understand or don't make referrals for younger children [and] teenagers to get extra resources or additional help," she said.
"Normally they just put it down to behavior as being, 'Oh they've got ADHD' or 'They're just acting out'.
"They don't see the whole story, or they don't ask for it until sometimes it's too late."
In between grocery shopping and medical appointments she finished year 12 and went on to get TAFE qualifications as a teacher's aide and in early childhood education - and now works at a before and after school care service.
But there were many days when she spent school class time drawing because she lacked the energy for anything else.
"Other days I was able to focus and get the school work done and it was just exhausting," Ms McAuliffe said.
Since then her mother has been through a life-threatening health scare which involved trips back and forth to Melbourne.
"All the experts are down in Melbourne so, unless you've got private health insurance or can access privately, you don't get that opportunity in your own home or in your own city," she said.
With help from organisations like Little Dreamers, which supports young people caring for family members, Ms McAuliffe is doing her best to look after her mum with cooking, cleaning and "reminding her to sit down" when she gets tired.
This is something the young woman sees continuing in her future.
"Probably still living with Mum and still working, still taking care of her for as long as she needs it," she said.
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05-08-2025
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Hunter was 2 and couldn't speak. Getting him help became his mum's ‘living nightmare'
'Disadvantaged children are starting preschool and school on an unequal footing compared to their peers. That does not mean that they can't catch up, but unfortunately, research shows that children who start behind tend to stay behind. 'Ultimately, we need an early childhood education and care system where equity is baked in from the first three years – this is when our research showed that the gaps were appearing,' she said. The research was taken from a longitudinal study of Australian children, which assesses 10,000 children and their families and measures early cognitive and developmental differences from children aged birth to five years as well as NAPLAN results. Tham recommended the federal government provide more Child Care Subsidy funding to childcare centres that enrolled more disadvantaged children. Researchers said some areas still had poor or no access to childcare, and in some cases quality remained an issue, as did price. 'We know that the first years of life are crucial to the development of children. We also know that, without the right supports in place, disadvantages in early life can have a profound impact on a child's educational journey,' said Tham. When Belinda's son started at kinder, Our Place - which acts as a glue for families and support services - linked her up with a pediatrician, who she saw within the month. She says the wraparound services changed Hunter's life. He now sees a speech therapist and Belinda has received parenting support to help manage his behaviour. 'I'm actually enjoying being a parent again,' she said. She said if parents knew something was wrong, they should ask the right people for help. 'And don't stop at the first stop, don't give up,' Belinda said. Our Place director Elfie Taylor said their end game was better educational outcomes for children. She said 'trajectories are really quite set and locked in from six [years old] onwards', when prevention was no longer an option. 'Identifying gaps early and working on them earlier would actually lead to changing trajectories,' Taylor said.
The Age
05-08-2025
- The Age
Hunter was 2 and couldn't speak. Getting him help became his mum's ‘living nightmare'
'Disadvantaged children are starting preschool and school on an unequal footing compared to their peers. That does not mean that they can't catch up, but unfortunately, research shows that children who start behind tend to stay behind. 'Ultimately, we need an early childhood education and care system where equity is baked in from the first three years – this is when our research showed that the gaps were appearing,' she said. The research was taken from a longitudinal study of Australian children, which assesses 10,000 children and their families and measures early cognitive and developmental differences from children aged birth to five years as well as NAPLAN results. Tham recommended the federal government provide more Child Care Subsidy funding to childcare centres that enrolled more disadvantaged children. Researchers said some areas still had poor or no access to childcare, and in some cases quality remained an issue, as did price. 'We know that the first years of life are crucial to the development of children. We also know that, without the right supports in place, disadvantages in early life can have a profound impact on a child's educational journey,' said Tham. When Belinda's son started at kinder, Our Place - which acts as a glue for families and support services - linked her up with a pediatrician, who she saw within the month. She says the wraparound services changed Hunter's life. He now sees a speech therapist and Belinda has received parenting support to help manage his behaviour. 'I'm actually enjoying being a parent again,' she said. She said if parents knew something was wrong, they should ask the right people for help. 'And don't stop at the first stop, don't give up,' Belinda said. Our Place director Elfie Taylor said their end game was better educational outcomes for children. She said 'trajectories are really quite set and locked in from six [years old] onwards', when prevention was no longer an option. 'Identifying gaps early and working on them earlier would actually lead to changing trajectories,' Taylor said.
The Advertiser
03-08-2025
- The Advertiser
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Lizzy is a proud mother of two rambunctious boys who love playing with their friends, kicking the footy and swimming. It was during COVID-19 lockdowns that she began noticing her kindergarten son struggling with reading and literacy. When he returned to normal lessons at school he was getting top marks for effort, but his learning difficulties were discouraging him by year 3. "We had a lot of pushback about attending school and not wanting to be there, but when he was there he was wonderful and his teachers loved him," said Lizzy, a mum from rural NSW who asked not to use her surname. "Then he'd come home and he'd just completely implode. "They couldn't see the frustration and pressure because he was masking it during the day." Lizzy's son falls into what rural psychologist Tanya Forster describes as "the missing middle". These are the often compliant and quiet children whose learning difficulties may go unnoticed in under-resourced public schools, particularly in rural and regional areas. Their delays also often don't fall into the narrow diagnostic eligibility for further learning support in the education system. "The pressure on (teachers) in the classroom is really considerable and the way that the school system is designed, it's still quite a traditional model," says Ms Forster, who leads the Macquarie Health Collective in Dubbo. "Unfortunately, at the moment, it's not necessarily meeting the inclusive needs of modern-day students." The situation is likely borne out in the recent NAPLAN results, which show one-in-10 Australian students need more help to meet basic education standards. NAPLAN also confirmed an enduring regional divide with just 20 per cent of students in very remote areas exceeding expectations, compared to 70 per cent of their city peers. "The results tell us a lot about what we probably already know: that there are lots of kids at school that are struggling," Ms Forster told AAP. "Unfortunately, many of those kids can't access the support that they really need." Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says while there are some encouraging signs of improvement in numeracy and literacy, the results show there is more work to do. All states and territories have signed agreements with the government to fix public school funding, Mr Clare says. "This funding is tied to real and practical reforms," he said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "Phonics checks and numeracy checks to identify students who need additional support, and evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring to help them keep up and catch up." But regional families come up against other deeply entrenched problems, such as poor access to specialist services. There were 53 specialists per 100,000 people in remote areas in 2022, compared to 160 in the cities, with years-long public waitlists for developmental assessments with pediatricians in the regions. Disasters such as floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed regional kids out of school, with the non-attendance rate at 14.6 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic level of 10.6 per cent, according to a Jobs and Skills Australia report. The report recommended a suite of changes to re-engage and motivate young people, including linking them with local mentors and employers outside schools. While health and education reforms slowly work away in the background, former high school teacher Shannon Chapman says families can look at NAPLAN results as an opportunity to explore children's strengths. "NAPLAN results do not capture valuable skills and knowledge, such as a student's resilience, confidence, their creativity, their leadership," said Ms Chapman, a teaching and learning facilitator at the Dubbo clinic. "You probably do have this incredibly well-rounded child that may have below the standard NAPLAN results, but that does not capture a lot of skills and knowledge." Like many rural parents, Lizzy went to the private health system to receive a formal diagnosis for her son. That has opened up valuable learning and support programs, sparking a change in her son that's like "night and day". "I am grateful for the team we were able to eventually access, but I'm more worried about the people that don't have that or it's not accessible," she said. "You have to fight really hard to get it and to be seen and heard." Lizzy is a proud mother of two rambunctious boys who love playing with their friends, kicking the footy and swimming. It was during COVID-19 lockdowns that she began noticing her kindergarten son struggling with reading and literacy. When he returned to normal lessons at school he was getting top marks for effort, but his learning difficulties were discouraging him by year 3. "We had a lot of pushback about attending school and not wanting to be there, but when he was there he was wonderful and his teachers loved him," said Lizzy, a mum from rural NSW who asked not to use her surname. "Then he'd come home and he'd just completely implode. "They couldn't see the frustration and pressure because he was masking it during the day." Lizzy's son falls into what rural psychologist Tanya Forster describes as "the missing middle". These are the often compliant and quiet children whose learning difficulties may go unnoticed in under-resourced public schools, particularly in rural and regional areas. Their delays also often don't fall into the narrow diagnostic eligibility for further learning support in the education system. "The pressure on (teachers) in the classroom is really considerable and the way that the school system is designed, it's still quite a traditional model," says Ms Forster, who leads the Macquarie Health Collective in Dubbo. "Unfortunately, at the moment, it's not necessarily meeting the inclusive needs of modern-day students." The situation is likely borne out in the recent NAPLAN results, which show one-in-10 Australian students need more help to meet basic education standards. NAPLAN also confirmed an enduring regional divide with just 20 per cent of students in very remote areas exceeding expectations, compared to 70 per cent of their city peers. "The results tell us a lot about what we probably already know: that there are lots of kids at school that are struggling," Ms Forster told AAP. "Unfortunately, many of those kids can't access the support that they really need." Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says while there are some encouraging signs of improvement in numeracy and literacy, the results show there is more work to do. All states and territories have signed agreements with the government to fix public school funding, Mr Clare says. "This funding is tied to real and practical reforms," he said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "Phonics checks and numeracy checks to identify students who need additional support, and evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring to help them keep up and catch up." But regional families come up against other deeply entrenched problems, such as poor access to specialist services. There were 53 specialists per 100,000 people in remote areas in 2022, compared to 160 in the cities, with years-long public waitlists for developmental assessments with pediatricians in the regions. Disasters such as floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed regional kids out of school, with the non-attendance rate at 14.6 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic level of 10.6 per cent, according to a Jobs and Skills Australia report. The report recommended a suite of changes to re-engage and motivate young people, including linking them with local mentors and employers outside schools. While health and education reforms slowly work away in the background, former high school teacher Shannon Chapman says families can look at NAPLAN results as an opportunity to explore children's strengths. "NAPLAN results do not capture valuable skills and knowledge, such as a student's resilience, confidence, their creativity, their leadership," said Ms Chapman, a teaching and learning facilitator at the Dubbo clinic. "You probably do have this incredibly well-rounded child that may have below the standard NAPLAN results, but that does not capture a lot of skills and knowledge." Like many rural parents, Lizzy went to the private health system to receive a formal diagnosis for her son. That has opened up valuable learning and support programs, sparking a change in her son that's like "night and day". "I am grateful for the team we were able to eventually access, but I'm more worried about the people that don't have that or it's not accessible," she said. "You have to fight really hard to get it and to be seen and heard." Lizzy is a proud mother of two rambunctious boys who love playing with their friends, kicking the footy and swimming. It was during COVID-19 lockdowns that she began noticing her kindergarten son struggling with reading and literacy. When he returned to normal lessons at school he was getting top marks for effort, but his learning difficulties were discouraging him by year 3. "We had a lot of pushback about attending school and not wanting to be there, but when he was there he was wonderful and his teachers loved him," said Lizzy, a mum from rural NSW who asked not to use her surname. "Then he'd come home and he'd just completely implode. "They couldn't see the frustration and pressure because he was masking it during the day." Lizzy's son falls into what rural psychologist Tanya Forster describes as "the missing middle". These are the often compliant and quiet children whose learning difficulties may go unnoticed in under-resourced public schools, particularly in rural and regional areas. Their delays also often don't fall into the narrow diagnostic eligibility for further learning support in the education system. "The pressure on (teachers) in the classroom is really considerable and the way that the school system is designed, it's still quite a traditional model," says Ms Forster, who leads the Macquarie Health Collective in Dubbo. "Unfortunately, at the moment, it's not necessarily meeting the inclusive needs of modern-day students." The situation is likely borne out in the recent NAPLAN results, which show one-in-10 Australian students need more help to meet basic education standards. NAPLAN also confirmed an enduring regional divide with just 20 per cent of students in very remote areas exceeding expectations, compared to 70 per cent of their city peers. "The results tell us a lot about what we probably already know: that there are lots of kids at school that are struggling," Ms Forster told AAP. "Unfortunately, many of those kids can't access the support that they really need." Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says while there are some encouraging signs of improvement in numeracy and literacy, the results show there is more work to do. All states and territories have signed agreements with the government to fix public school funding, Mr Clare says. "This funding is tied to real and practical reforms," he said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "Phonics checks and numeracy checks to identify students who need additional support, and evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring to help them keep up and catch up." But regional families come up against other deeply entrenched problems, such as poor access to specialist services. There were 53 specialists per 100,000 people in remote areas in 2022, compared to 160 in the cities, with years-long public waitlists for developmental assessments with pediatricians in the regions. Disasters such as floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed regional kids out of school, with the non-attendance rate at 14.6 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic level of 10.6 per cent, according to a Jobs and Skills Australia report. The report recommended a suite of changes to re-engage and motivate young people, including linking them with local mentors and employers outside schools. While health and education reforms slowly work away in the background, former high school teacher Shannon Chapman says families can look at NAPLAN results as an opportunity to explore children's strengths. "NAPLAN results do not capture valuable skills and knowledge, such as a student's resilience, confidence, their creativity, their leadership," said Ms Chapman, a teaching and learning facilitator at the Dubbo clinic. "You probably do have this incredibly well-rounded child that may have below the standard NAPLAN results, but that does not capture a lot of skills and knowledge." Like many rural parents, Lizzy went to the private health system to receive a formal diagnosis for her son. That has opened up valuable learning and support programs, sparking a change in her son that's like "night and day". "I am grateful for the team we were able to eventually access, but I'm more worried about the people that don't have that or it's not accessible," she said. "You have to fight really hard to get it and to be seen and heard." Lizzy is a proud mother of two rambunctious boys who love playing with their friends, kicking the footy and swimming. It was during COVID-19 lockdowns that she began noticing her kindergarten son struggling with reading and literacy. When he returned to normal lessons at school he was getting top marks for effort, but his learning difficulties were discouraging him by year 3. "We had a lot of pushback about attending school and not wanting to be there, but when he was there he was wonderful and his teachers loved him," said Lizzy, a mum from rural NSW who asked not to use her surname. "Then he'd come home and he'd just completely implode. "They couldn't see the frustration and pressure because he was masking it during the day." Lizzy's son falls into what rural psychologist Tanya Forster describes as "the missing middle". These are the often compliant and quiet children whose learning difficulties may go unnoticed in under-resourced public schools, particularly in rural and regional areas. Their delays also often don't fall into the narrow diagnostic eligibility for further learning support in the education system. "The pressure on (teachers) in the classroom is really considerable and the way that the school system is designed, it's still quite a traditional model," says Ms Forster, who leads the Macquarie Health Collective in Dubbo. "Unfortunately, at the moment, it's not necessarily meeting the inclusive needs of modern-day students." The situation is likely borne out in the recent NAPLAN results, which show one-in-10 Australian students need more help to meet basic education standards. NAPLAN also confirmed an enduring regional divide with just 20 per cent of students in very remote areas exceeding expectations, compared to 70 per cent of their city peers. "The results tell us a lot about what we probably already know: that there are lots of kids at school that are struggling," Ms Forster told AAP. "Unfortunately, many of those kids can't access the support that they really need." Federal Education Minister Jason Clare says while there are some encouraging signs of improvement in numeracy and literacy, the results show there is more work to do. All states and territories have signed agreements with the government to fix public school funding, Mr Clare says. "This funding is tied to real and practical reforms," he said in a statement issued on Wednesday. "Phonics checks and numeracy checks to identify students who need additional support, and evidence-based teaching and catch-up tutoring to help them keep up and catch up." But regional families come up against other deeply entrenched problems, such as poor access to specialist services. There were 53 specialists per 100,000 people in remote areas in 2022, compared to 160 in the cities, with years-long public waitlists for developmental assessments with pediatricians in the regions. Disasters such as floods, fires and COVID-19 may have pushed regional kids out of school, with the non-attendance rate at 14.6 per cent compared to the pre-pandemic level of 10.6 per cent, according to a Jobs and Skills Australia report. The report recommended a suite of changes to re-engage and motivate young people, including linking them with local mentors and employers outside schools. While health and education reforms slowly work away in the background, former high school teacher Shannon Chapman says families can look at NAPLAN results as an opportunity to explore children's strengths. "NAPLAN results do not capture valuable skills and knowledge, such as a student's resilience, confidence, their creativity, their leadership," said Ms Chapman, a teaching and learning facilitator at the Dubbo clinic. "You probably do have this incredibly well-rounded child that may have below the standard NAPLAN results, but that does not capture a lot of skills and knowledge." Like many rural parents, Lizzy went to the private health system to receive a formal diagnosis for her son. That has opened up valuable learning and support programs, sparking a change in her son that's like "night and day". "I am grateful for the team we were able to eventually access, but I'm more worried about the people that don't have that or it's not accessible," she said. "You have to fight really hard to get it and to be seen and heard."
