Smart Population Foundation (SPF)

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• SPF is working with the top early childhood experts in Australia to make the science of child development, health, behaviour, communication and early learning practically accessible to all Australian parents, right at the beginning, when it can bring the most benefit,
• via DVD, television, internet and print,
• distributed nationally and at no cost to the user,
• with the support of the Government, state governments, philanthropists, charitable organisations, select corporations, media partners and individuals all over Australia. 

Following a rigorous tender process, SPF was pleased to have been selected along with its consortium partners, the Parenting Research Centre and the Centre for Community Child Health, to design, build, manage and promote the national Raising Children website for the Australian Government.

SPF has been responsible for setting up the consortium structure, bringing in content and media partners and negotiating long term sponsorships and other relationships.  SPF has also been responsible for the website design and navigation, web build and testing, and optimising the communication value of content by applying instructional design principles, especially in designing interactive elements.  In addition, SPF is responsible for developing and implementing the national promotion and media strategy.

As part of the initiative, SPF produced the companion Raising Children DVD, covering the basic essentials on child development, sleep, nutrition, health, safety, behaviour and communication divided into three main age ranges, newborn, baby and child, plus a section called “What About Me?”. The Raising Children DVD will be distributed to each family when their baby is born over the next two years, and beyond. (See smartpopulation.org for more information and to contact us to find out how you can be involved.)

The Foundation’s expert advisors include Prof Fiona Stanley (WA), Prof Frank Oberklaid (VIC), Prof June Wangmann (NSW), Prof Lesley Barclay (NT), and Prof Graham Vimpani (NSW).  The Foundation’s Advisory Panel also includes David Coe, Russell Crowe, Elaine Henry and Tim Fischer, who serve in a voluntary capacity as general business advisors.

The SPF Team includes Divonne Holmes à Court (CEO), Fiona Wicks (Foundation Coordinator), Jane Kielb (Corporate Development), Susanna Eckersley (Research & Communications), and Melanie Chen (Accounting).

See a full list of all the amazing Australians involved in making the Raising Children DVD possible.

SPF is very pleased to have been able to work with some of the most innovative and understanding web developers, designers, builders, photographers, illustrators, publicists, advisors, producers, performers, writers and thinkers in Australia, including Edward Breslin, Ben Noblet, Susan Beck, Rowan Cooke, Todd Baker (Lateral Systems – CMS and build), Andrew Boddy (Design), Hothouse (Preproduction), Chris Welch (Illustrator), Adrian Brown (Brown Box Photography), Tom Evangelidis (photographer), Carla Knight (photo shoot stylist), Simon Maggs (Flash designer), Brett Fusedale (extra design), Karen Eck and Kym Druitt (Eck Factor Publicity), Mel Simmons (volunteer - promotions), Danielle Stewart (webmaster), Perry Westwood (aht.cc – CSA production director), Stuart Goodman (EPK producer),  Emily Lipthay and Rebecca Scott (Mallesons – pro bono legal advisors), Don Spencer (Australian Children’s Music Foundation), Roy Hill and Malcolm McEwan (Mapshed).

It has been a pleasure, especially, working with Anna Crook, our own web project guru master, without whom this website would not have been possible.