Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews is looking at ways to boost "parental competence" and make sure Australians adapt smoothly to key "life points" – from going to school to having children and retiring.
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In an address to a national conference on families and relationships on Tuesday, Mr Andrews will talk of the importance of early intervention and prevention to avoid family breakups which he says increases the risks of child neglect and self-harm, and alcohol abuse and unwanted sex among young people.
The Social Services Minister has tasked his department with developing a framework to "embed" early intervention and prevention into social services' policies and programs.
"I believe the most effective assistance for families – and individuals – is to focus interventions on key transition or readiness points across the whole of life," he will say.
"Maximising the capacity of people to deal with these life points can help improve the lifetime wellbeing of people and families."
Mr Andrews will argue that people need to be "relationship-ready", "child-ready", "school-ready", "life-ready" (in terms of emotional and financial skills), "work-ready" and "ageing-ready" (to ensure a productive and meaningful later life).
The Social Services Minister has been talking to academics and expert practitioners to get their advice on how to implement these ideas.
Mr Andrews' signature policy of $200 vouchers for couples to seek relationship counselling is almost halfway through a 12-month trial. So far, about 5000 people have signed up for one of the 100,000 available vouchers.
In his address, he will also argue that "parental break-up does not automatically spell adversity for children, but we do know that the risk is greater and that an intact family is the best environment in which to nurture children".
The Social Services Minister, who has also worked as a marriage educator, will tell the Family and Relationship Services Australia national conference that children in jobless families have poorer learning and health outcomes and yet one in seven children live in families where neither parent has a job.
"Obviously we need a new approach, one that encourages workforce participation and increased parental competence."
