Success in social policy must be measured in longer term improvements in the lives of people, particularly the most vulnerable. The best policies are ineffective if they do not translate to changes in practice. Getting and maintaining attention is crucial as evidence alone is rarely sufficient to drive policy change.

Evidence is also often contradictory – what solves one problem may exacerbate another – this requires compromise.

The impetus for policy change comes from many directions, often from personal experiences that resonate with a larger public. Both agility and persistence are required to get and maintain political attention in an environment of competing agendas and media scrutiny.

Both the National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2009-2020 and the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Their Children have a strong focus on early intervention through families and addressing risks including the impact of mental health and alcohol and other drugs on the wellbeing of children. Each acknowledges that change takes time.

The challenge is to continually refresh the sense of urgency and actions to maintain momentum.

Participants in this policy think tank will have an opportunity to reflect on opportunities for Advancing children’s development and wellbeing in the first 1000 days through a policy development lens. In doing so, it will build on the lessons learnt by the Queensland Mental Health Commission in its first three years of operation in driving reform at a whole of government level.