That may be true for most kids but sadly it is way off the mark for many others.

In the past month we have seen six children die through violence or neglect in NSW and Queensland.

We have seen 21 children in South Australia and four in the ACT removed from homes in squalid conditions. Add to that the almost 30,000 Australian children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect.

I doubt these kids would say they are better adjusted or have fewer concerns.

The Federal Government's proposal for a national framework on child protection by December is welcome as is the commitment by the states and territories to the idea. But it can't just paper over what is, in every state and territory, already a broken system.

We need to change our whole approach to child protection in Australia in action and in attitude. For starters, while acknowledging the need for urgent action in protecting our kids, we must broaden our thinking beyond just ''child safety'' to ''child wellbeing''.

Surely our aspirations and efforts on behalf of our children go beyond just their safety and should include a much broader and more ambitious set of targets in areas such as health, education and development?

So in 20 years we can say not only did we reduce the rate of child abuse, but we improved a range of social outcomes as well. Without investing in all areas of our children's wellbeing, throwing money at isolated efforts including child protection is likely to have limited or non-sustainable impact. We need to stop with the ''short-termism'' with simply trying to mop up the symptoms of our problem.

That means not simply reaching for the quick response, such as quarantining welfare payments or flooding the streets with child protection officers.

We must start addressing the root causes of why there were 58,000 proven cases of child abuse or neglect in Australia last year, an increase of 45 per cent over the previous five years.

Much of the change we need is societal building child-friendly communities, recognising we have a joint responsibility to do something about it.

We need no more evidence of that than the fact that in nearly every recent case of child death or abuse neighbours or state agencies were aware that problems existed and yet did nothing.

Another way of substantially addressing the wellbeing of our kids is through early intervention programs giving early and ongoing assistance to parents and children who are vulnerable and most at risk.

Mission Australia's own early intervention programs, such as the Pathways Project (which operates in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth), help parents get to grips with the challenges and responsibilities of their role and create an environment in which their kids can thrive.

Comprehensive early intervention should include providing a suite of universal and targeted services such as maternal nurse home- and centre-based visits for children at three, six and 18 months; support services for families experiencing mental ill-health, substance abuse and domestic violence; and case management support for families with a complex range of high needs.

Australian governments at all levels and of all persuasions are fond of talking about early intervention. Despite this, action has been thin on the ground over the past decade.

It's therefore great to see COAG commit itself to the development of a broad national strategy for early childhood development by October 2008.

Similarly, I think there are senior members of the Rudd Government like Julia Gillard who understand the importance of what we're talking about.

But commitment must be backed up with significant investment in early intervention as in countries like Britain and New Zealand.

Britain has been investing massively in early intervention for the past decade because it knows it works, it's cost effective and delivers social inclusion.

The frustrating thing about watching what's happening in Britain is that, in comparison, many of the smaller, independent early intervention programs in Australia get significantly better results.

Our challenge is to encourage governments to incorporate these program models into their own early intervention plans.

The irony is that, in contrast with the prohibitive costs associated with the short-term fixes commentators seem to put forward when child abuse hits the headlines, early intervention programs save the community dramatically in terms of future spending on health, welfare, justice and yes child protection. Up to $17 for every $1 spent.

We're on the bridge of a very large ship and it's going to take a long time to turn it round. To do it, we need to start thinking about these issues completely differently.

Let's start with committing ourselves to an early intervention revolution. It needs to be more than a fringe consideration funded by philanthropists. It must lie at the heart of a national response if we are to reduce the level of child abuse in this country.

Toby Hall is chief executive of Mission Australia.