Early childhood sustained home visiting: outcomes at 4 years and the transition to school

In the first Australian randomised trial of sustained professional home visiting (SPHV) commencing antenatally in a population group living in an area of known disadvantage currently being conducted by the investigators, parents and children receiving SPHV show superior health and developmental outcomes compared to those receiving routine care at 15 months. This study proposes to follow-up these families to the first school year to determine longer-term impacts of this early intervention. Since such interventions are both costly and labour intensive, it is critical to provide Australian evidence of longer-term impacts as a basis for ongoing policy on investment in early childhood interventions.