Australian Bureau of Statistics
Celebrating the International Year of Statistics 2013

---

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY

This article is part of a comprehensive series released as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Wellbeing: A focus on children and youth.

---

Note: In this section, the term 'children' refers to people aged 0–14 years. The terms 'youth' and 'young people' refer to people aged 15–24 years. Data presented are from the ABS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2008 (cat. no. 4714.0) and the National Health Survey, 2007–08 (cat. no. 4364.0).

KEY MESSAGES In 2008: 52% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0–14 years lived in couple families and just over one-third (34%) lived in single parent families most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged 15–24 years were living with either a parent or a guardian (55%) or a partner (20%) 21% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people were parents or guardians four in ten (41%) young parents were single parents 88% of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were able to get support from someone outside their household in times of crisis.

Family and community relationships are a fundamental source of support for individuals. As children and youth comprise more than half (57%) of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, their place within their family and community is important for the ongoing wellbeing of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Young people can have changing roles within their family, household and community, as they move from being supported to providing support to others.

The Framework for Measuring Wellbeing: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 2010 (cat. no. 4703.0) identifies family and community as a major domain that contributes to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander wellbeing.

The topics covered in this article include: Family structure Young parents Connections with family and friends Other resources

This section contains the following subsection :

Family structure

Young parents

Connections with family and friends

Other resources about family and community

Previous Page

Next Page