What We Do
Child Friendly Alice
Child Friendly Alice: Applying The Nest to Understand and Promote Child Wellbeing
The Child Friendly Alice report draws on ARACY’s Nest framework to understand how children and young people in Alice Springs are faring. Developed through national collaboration and research, The Nest provides a holistic view of child and youth wellbeing across six interconnected outcome areas, also known as Areas of Wellbeing:
Loved and safe
Material basics
Healthy
Learning
Participating
Positive sense of identity and culture
These areas reflect what children and young people need to thrive—not just now, but across their lifetimes. The report presents local data using this framework, enabling a consistent, strengths-based picture of wellbeing that can be used to drive collective action.
The Child Friendly Alice initiative adapted The Nest to reflect the unique context of Alice Springs. The framework helped visualise how support systems—starting with family and extending through community services and broader social structures—interact to shape children’s lives. This layered understanding supports the development of place-based strategies that prioritise what matters most to children and families in Central Australia.
The report recognises that children’s wellbeing is not only a foundation for a strong economy—it is also a goal in its own right. Thriving children and young people are at the heart of strong, connected communities. As highlighted in the report, wellbeing includes resilience, empowerment, cultural identity, agency, and freedom from discrimination, alongside physical, emotional, spiritual and mental health.
While many wellbeing frameworks exist, the Child Friendly Alice report demonstrates the value of tailoring ARACY’s Nest to local needs—ensuring the voices, cultures, and experiences of children and families in Alice Springs remain central.
Child Friendly Alice is a community collaboration facilitated by Communities for Children – Anglicare NT, Strong Kids Strong Centre – Red Cross, Connected Beginnings and Larapinta Child and Family Centre – NT Department of Education, which aims to ensure every child has the best possible chance in life to grow up healthy and strong. The collaboration led to the development of this Community Profile.
WHAT WE DO
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ARACY's The Nest
What's in The Nest?
With six connected areas, The Nest ensures young Australians have everything they need for the best start in life, helping them reach their highest potential.
Our Nest projects
Using The Nest, has helped ARACY to be at the forefront of disease prevention and the promotion of holistic health for young Australians.
The Nest initiatives
Here you’ll see some examples of how The Nest has been used in organisations outside of ARACY across Australia.
