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The Nest
A shared framework for every child to thrive
The Nest is Australia’s national wellbeing framework for children and young people — a practical, evidence-based tool for understanding what every child needs to flourish.
WHAT IS THE NEST?
The Nest Wellbeing Framework describes what a good life looks like for children and young people in Australia. Developed through a national consensus process involving researchers, practitioners, community members and young people themselves, it provides a shared language for talking about, and taking action on, child and youth wellbeing.
The name came from a young person at the national summit held in 2013 to finalise the framework. They described the areas of wellbeing as a nest, explaining that if every area is supported, children are able to be happy, healthy, and fly from the nest. The idea that wellbeing is holistic, interconnected, and best understood together remains at the heart of everything The Nest represents.
THE SIX DOMAINS
The Nest identifies six interconnected domains that together shape a child’s wellbeing. No single domain exists in isolation; strength in one area supports the others.
Valued, Loved and Safe
Stable, nurturing relationships and freedom from harm are the foundation of a child’s wellbeing.
Material Basics
Every child deserves access to food, shelter, clothing and the resources needed to participate fully in life.
Healthy
Physical, mental and emotional health. Support from the earliest years enables children to thrive.
Learning
Access to quality education and opportunities to develop skills, curiosity and confidence.
Participating
Children and young people are active members of their families, communities and society.
Positive Sense of Identity and culture
A strong, positive sense of who you are, including cultural identity, heritage and belonging.
HOW THE NEST IS USED
The Nest is used across Australia by governments, researchers, educators, practitioners and community organisations to plan, deliver and evaluate work that supports child and youth wellbeing.
Explore the framework
Read the full Nest Wellbeing Framework, including the evidence base behind each domain and guidance on how to apply it in policy and practice.
The Nest Wellbeing Framework
The Nest in action
See how organisations across Australia are putting The Nest to work through projects that improve outcomes for children and young people.
Our Nest Projects
LICENSING
The Nest Wellbeing Framework is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
This means you are free to share and adapt The Nest for non-commercial purposes, provided you give appropriate attribution to ARACY and share any adapted material under the same licence. Commercial use requires prior written permission from ARACY.
If you are unsure whether your intended use is permitted or would like to discuss licensing for a specific purpose, please contact us.
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