Information for Parents & Carers

Thanks for your interest! Unfortunately,  you can’t sign up to participate unless you are invited. It’s important that we survey a random group of Australians not just people who are particularly interested in mental health and wellbeing. To make sure we include a diverse group of children, young people and families across Australia, we randomly select geographical areas for the survey. This ensures our data is reliable and represents all Australians.

If you live in one of these selected geographical  areas, someone may visit your home to invite you to take part.

No. Participation in the survey is completely voluntary.

If you agree to participate, you can also stop the survey at any time or choose not to answer any specific questions.

By taking part in the survey, you’re helping build a better understanding of the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people across Australia.

The information collected will be used to improve services and programs to support children, young people, and their families.

Your participation can make a real difference in shaping support for young Australians.

As a thank you for your time, you will receive a $100 EFTPOS gift card.

Families are randomly selected from different geographical locations across Australia – including metropolitan and regional areas in every state and territory.

This approach means the voices of all types of families are included.

No. The study will invite a wide range of families with children aged 4 to 17, regardless of their experiences. This approach helps build a more complete picture of children’s mental health and wellbeing across Australia.

Families are not selected based on mental health or wellbeing.  The research team, including those who will conduct the interviews, have no knowledge of the individual circumstances of the invited families.

All data collected during the interview process will be kept strictly confidential and anonymised. This means your personal information—such as your name and address—will be stored separately from your survey responses.

Once your data is stored, we will assign a unique combination of random letters and numbers to it. These unique numbers and letters will allow us to locate and delete your data should you choose to withdraw it at a later time.

Yes, you can still participate. However, you will be asked to answer the questions about only one of your children. Which child is selected is determined randomly using a computer program. This approach ensures the survey is unbiased.

For parents/carers: The mental health, social and emotional development, other health and illnesses, use of mental health and other support services, educational performance, and behaviour at school and at home regarding the chosen child/young person.

For young people (if selected): Health and wellbeing, smoking, alcohol and drug use, any difficulties they faced during childhood as well as some questions regarding positive childhood experiences.

This survey should not cause distress to you or your child. This survey has been conducted twice before in Australia, and similar surveys overseas show that neither parents nor teenagers usually find participation upsetting.

Some questions about mental health might be uncomfortable but this feeling is usually temporary.  Parents and teenagers are welcome to skip any questions they prefer not to answer.

Other surveys show that teenagers don’t typically find answering questions about their mental health or difficult childhood experiences upsetting, and if distress is experienced, it is usually temporary.

All families will be left a support services card, so if you or your child does become distressed, you can easily access support if needed.

A downloadable PDF of these support cards can be found below in the Resources section.

No, all survey responses are fully confidential.

The survey will not provide you with any diagnosis about your child.  Your child’s data will be combined with others for analysis.

Once the final report is completed in late 2027, we will be able to provide a summary of our key findings. If you wish to receive a copy of this report, please inform your interviewer or contact us via email.

If you are concerned about your child’s mental health, please contact your GP, paediatrician or one of the support services provided. These people are better placed to provide personalised support and advice.

Please visit the following Department of Health, Ageing and Disability as well as university websites that further showcase their partnership with Young Minds: Our Future.

Department of Health, Ageing and Disability

Curtin University

The University of Queensland 

Roy Morgan

All Young Minds: Our Future interviews are conducted by trained Roy Morgan Interviewers. You can ask to see their Roy Morgan ID, which will include the Roy Morgan logo, and the interviewer’s name and employee number.

If still unsure, you can call Roy Morgan on 1800 456 806 or email youngminds@roymorgan.com.

Yes, all Roy Morgan interviewers have relevant clearances to speak to people of all ages.

Your names and addresses will be removed (or de-identified) before researchers analyse the data. The research team will use the data to write reports, publish scientific papers, and share summarised results with the government and other important organisations.

Once de-identified, your data will be stored securely at Curtin University and The University of Queensland and later stored in a secure storage (or data archive) approved by the government.

Yes.

If you decide you no longer want your survey data included, please contact the survey team on or before 31 December 2026 or within three months of your interview date (whichever comes later). All your information will be destroyed and not used in any analyses. To withdraw, send a written request to:

• Mail: Young Minds: Our Future Survey, School of Population Health, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth WA 6845
• Email: youngminds@curtin.edu.au
• (08) 9266 4590