Summary of findings - mobile and toy libraries

Mobile and Toy Library children's services (MOBs) visit remote areas to provide occasional care, school holiday care, playgroups, and story telling, games and toy library services. They also provide broader information and support for parents.

The following summarises the key findings of the 2001 Census, relating to MOBs, and compares them with the results of the Census in 1999.

Services

Of the 32 MOBs asked to participate in the 2001 Census 31 (97%) responded. In 1999 only 77% of MOBs responded to the Census.
The majority of MOBs (71%) operated for between 46 and 52 weeks per year. A similar operational pattern of mobile services was evident in 1999.
42% of MOBs travelled fewer than 20,000 km in the 2000/01 financial year, compared with only 24% in 1999-2000. However, the proportion of services travelling 40,000 km or more is about the same. This represents a substantial decrease in the number of services that travelled between 20,000 and 40,000 km (40% in 1999 to 2000 down to 23% in 2000-2001).
The proportion of services (74%) providing toy/book libraries and playgroups in 2001 was similar to 1999, however, the proportion of some of the other types of services provided changed substantially between censuses. There were decreases in the number of services providing advice on services available, from 74% in 1999 to 52% in 2001, and in the number of services providing advice on child development, from 63% in 1999 to 45% in 2001.
There were increases in the proportion of services providing early intervention, from 22% in 1999 to 32% in 2001, and in the proportion of services providing health support and advice, from 26% in 1999 to 42% in 2001. The number of MOBs providing other services not identified in the Census also increased substantially, from 15% in 1999 to 39% in 2001, thus indicating a possible increase in the range of services offered by MOBs.

Children

In May 2001, an estimated 3133 children attended MOBs. In the 1999 Census an estimated 3296 children attended (both the 1999 and 2001 figures include an estimate for non-responding services). This represents a slight (5%) decrease in the number of children attending these services.
In May 2001, 78% of all children attending MOBs were aged 0-4 years. This is similar to the 1999 Census where 82% of children were aged 0-4 years.
There was an increase in the proportion of children with additional needs attending MOBs, from around 13% in 1999 to 24% in 2001. A large part of this was an increase in the reported number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

Staff

In May 2001, an estimated 149 staff (128 paid, 21 unpaid) were involved in providing care in MOBs. The figure is comparable to the 1999 Census, when there was an estimated 153 staff (136 paid, 17 unpaid). Both the 1999 and 2001 figures include estimates for non-responding services.
Around 78% of MOBs staff had formal qualifications or relevant experience in 2001, compared with 72% in 1999.
In 2001, 62% of all staff undertook some form of in-service training in the 12 months preceding the Census, compared with 70% in 1999.