ISAC's aim is to improve health and developmental outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia through improvements in health services.

1. Objectives
2. Themes
3. ISAC Plan-on-a-Page and Flyer

Objectives (where we want to be in five years)

• Generate new knowledge that leads to improved health and developmental outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
• Ensure effective transfer of research outcomes into health policy and practice.
• Develop the health and medical research workforce by providing opportunities to advance the training of new researchers.
• Facilitate collaboration across ISAC and national and international networks.
• Work across primary, secondary and tertiary level health services with a specific focus on improving pathways within primary community care.

Themes

Knowledge

• Understand the effectiveness of current primary, secondary and tertiary child health services.
• Develop and implement a rigorous economic framework and evaluation including costs and efficiency of services provided by government and Aboriginal community controlled health organisations.
• Conduct in-depth qualitative research into barriers, facilitators and perspectives of families and service providers.
• Test new health service models that focus on improving health outcomes, health service quality (clinical governance and key performance indicators) and access (precall systems, home visiting and care for development for neonates and young infants).
• Develop robust qualitative and quantitative evidence synthesis pathways including a centre of excellence in evidence synthesis and primary care for disadvantaged children.

Co-leads: Prof Karen Edmond, Dr Daniel McAullay and Prof Ross Bailie

Transfer

• Ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, end-users and the wider community are driving all ISAC phases including planning and implementation.
• Improve existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child health training programs, courses and curricula and develop new models.
• Share knowledge outputs including programs, guidelines and tools across collaborators and externally.
  
• Develop a robust feedback and communication strategy including website, share points, newsletters and meetings.

Co-leads: Associate Prof Alan Ruben, Prof Fiona Stanley and Prof Victor Nossar

Training

• Utilise and improve existing institutional supportive training structures.
• Develop a robust training and capacity building governance structure.
• Provide a dedicated mentoring structure sensitive to the needs of new and Aboriginal researchers.
• Develop dedicated research training pathways for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health professionals.

Co-leads: Prof Rhonda Marriott and Prof David Atkinson

Collaboration

• Develop effective internal structure and governance.
• Share research methodology and tools.
• Facilitate and extend national collaborations.
• Grow external international collaborations.

Co-leads: Associate Prof Mark Wenitong and Prof Betty Kirkwood

ISAC Plan-on-a-Page and Flyer