ORCID Profile
0000-0002-7550-8007
Current Organisation
University of South Australia
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Counselling, Welfare and Community Services | Public Health and Health Services | Health and Community Services
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Community Service (excl. Work) not elsewhere classified | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Development and Welfare | Social Class and Inequalities |
Related Links
Publications
Identifying and dismantling racism in Australian perinatal settings: Reframing the narrative from a risk lens to intentionally prioritise connectedness and strengths in providing care to First Nations families
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
Thelma Perso and Colleen Hayward, Teaching Indigenous Students: Cultural awareness and classroom strategies for improving learning outcomes
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 12-10-2015
The Family Matters report 2020: Measuring trends to turn the tide on the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care in Australia
Publisher: La Trobe
Date: 2020
Exploring the lived experiences of Indigenous Australians within the context of alcohol and other drugs treatment services: A scoping review.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-08-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13528
Abstract: Substance use among Indigenous peoples has been extensively researched in the Australian context. However, syntheses of existing research focused on Indigenous Australian peoples' experiences of alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment are limited. This review sought to fill this gap. A scoping review using three databases, and the Google search engine, examined empirical and grey literature relating to Indigenous Australian peoples' lived experiences of accessing and undergoing AOD treatment. The review was not restricted to intervention type, treatment setting, substance, or in idual characteristics (e.g., age or gender). The experiences of staff of Indigenous Australian service providers were excluded. Twenty-seven articles were reviewed, with most research (n = 12) conducted in New South Wales. Our secondary analysis of existing research found three themes: the role of culture, the value of holistic strength-based services, and the influence of organisational components for Indigenous Australian service users in AOD treatment settings. Despite ersity of experiences, our review highlights the importance of integrating culture and facilitating holistic strength-based approaches to AOD treatment for Indigenous Australian peoples. While our review is limited by the findings and biases contained within the literature reviewed, the paucity of literature relating to the experiences of Indigenous Australian peoples within AOD treatment settings warrants further attention.
Resistance to Assimilation: Expanding Understandings of First Nations Cultural Connection in Child Protection and Out-of-home Care
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 15-08-2022
Supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families to Stay Together from the Start (SAFeST Start): Urgent call to action to address crisis in infant removals
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-01-2022
DOI: 10.1002/AJS4.200
Abstract: Reducing the rate of over‐representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out‐of‐home care (OOHC) is a key Closing the Gap target committed to by all Australian governments. Current strategies are failing. The “gap” is widening, with the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in OOHC at 30 June 2020 being 11 times that of non‐Indigenous children. Approximately, one in five Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children entering OOHC each year are younger than one year. These figures represent compounding intergenerational trauma and institutional harm to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities. This article outlines systemic failures to address the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents during pregnancy and following birth, causing cumulative harm and trauma to families, communities and cultures. Major reform to child and family notification and service systems, and significant investment to address this crisis, is urgently needed. The Family Matters Building Blocks and five elements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (Prevention, Participation, Partnership, Placement and Connection) provide a transformative foundation to address historical, institutional, well‐being and socioeconomic drivers of current catastrophic trajectories. The time for action is now.
First Nations children are still being removed at disproportionate rates. Cultural assumptions about parenting need to change
Publisher: La Trobe
Date: 2022
DOI: 10.26181/19085429.V1
Who is analysing what? The opportunities, risks and implications of using predictive risk modelling with Indigenous Australians in child protection: A scoping review
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-03-2021
DOI: 10.1002/AJS4.155
Abstract: Predictive risk modelling using administrative data is increasingly being promoted to tackle complex social policy issues, including the risk of child maltreatment and recurring involvement with child protection systems. This paper discusses opportunities and risks concerning predictive risk modelling with administrative datasets to address Indigenous Australian overrepresentation in Australian child protection systems. A scoping review using five databases, and the Google search engine, examined peer‐reviewed and grey literature on risks associated with predictive risk models (PRMs) for racial and ethnic populations in child protection systems, such as Indigenous Australians. The findings revealed a dearth of research, especially considering Indigenous populations. Although PRMs have been developed for Australian child protection systems, no empirical research was found in relation to Indigenous Australians. The implications for utilising administrative data to address Indigenous Australian overrepresentation are discussed, focusing on methodological limitations of predictive analytics, and notions of fairness and bias. Participatory model development, transparency and Indigenous data sovereignty are crucial to ensure the development of fair and unbiased PRMs in Australian child protection systems. Yet, while PRMs may offer substantial benefits as decision support tools, significant developments – which fully include Indigenous Australians – are needed before they can be used with Indigenous Australians.
Journeys of culturally connecting: Aboriginal young people's experiences of cultural connection in and beyond out‐of‐home care
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-02-2023
DOI: 10.1111/CFS.13007
Abstract: With growing overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people in out‐of‐home care (OOHC), cultural disconnection is an omnipresent threat. Despite research and inquiries that have highlighted the risk of cultural disconnection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living in OOHC, limited research has explored Indigenous children and young people's experiences of cultural connection in the Australian context. Informed by Indigenous Standpoint Theory, this Aboriginal‐led qualitative study sought to understand 10 OOHC‐experienced Aboriginal young people's experiences of cultural connection over time, including after exit from OOHC, through retrospective interviews that employed a phenomenological lens. It was found that Aboriginal young people experienced cultural connection as a heterogenous process involving identity formation and the practice of culture, enacted as a choice over time. The complexity of Aboriginal young people's experiences of cultural connection over time gives rise to a new understanding of cultural connection as a journey of culturally connecting , wherein the risk of cultural disconnection is complicated by intergenerational child removals, dominant discourse about what constitutes Aboriginal culture, and removal from an Aboriginal cultural milieu.
“We Live and Breathe Through Culture”: Conceptualising Cultural Connection for Indigenous Australian Children in Out-of-home Care
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-05-2018
Community‐based models of alcohol and other drug support for First Nations peoples in Australia: A systematic review
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-05-2022
DOI: 10.1111/DAR.13477
Abstract: The transgenerational impacts of colonisation—inclusive of dispossession, intergenerational trauma, racism, social and economic exclusion and marginalisation—places First Nations peoples in Australia at significant risk of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use and its associated harms. However, knowledge and evidence supporting community‐based AOD treatment for First Nations adults is limited. Therefore, this review aimed to examine the impact and acceptability of community‐based models of AOD support for First Nations adults in Australia. A systematic search of the empirical literature from the past 20 years was conducted. Seventeen studies were included. Nine studies evaluated the program's impact on substance use and 10 studies assessed program acceptability (two studies evaluated both). Only three out of nine studies yielded a statistically significant reduction in substance use. Acceptable components included cultural safety, First Nations AOD workers, inclusion of family and kin, outreach and group support. Areas for improvement included greater focus on holistic wrap‐around psychosocial support, increased local community participation and engagement, funding and breaking down silos. Culturally safe, holistic and integrated AOD outreach support led by First Nations peoples and organisations that involves local community members may support First Nations peoples experiencing AOD concerns. These findings may inform the (re)design and (re)development of community‐based AOD services for First Nations peoples. There is a limited evidence‐base for community‐based AOD programs for First Nations peoples. First Nations‐led research that is controlled by and co‐produced with First Nations peoples is necessary to extend our understanding of community‐based programs within First Nations communities.
Community views on ‘Can perinatal services safely identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents experiencing complex trauma?’
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-04-2022
DOI: 10.1002/CAR.2760
Abstract: Family and extended kinship systems which nurture healthy, happy children are central to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Since colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have been impacted by intergenerational cycles of trauma, stemming from colonial violence, genocidal policies and discrimination, including the forced removal of children from their families. Becoming a parent offers a unique life‐course opportunity for trauma recovery and preventing intergenerational trauma. However, identifying or ‘recognising’ complex trauma carries significant risk of harm for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents due to reactive prenatal child protection involvement potentially compounding experiences of trauma, and limited benefits due to lack of culturally appropriate support. The Aboriginal‐led participatory Healing the Past by Nurturing the Future project aims to co‐design safe, accessible and feasible perinatal awareness, recognition, assessment and support strategies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents experiencing complex trauma. This paper presents views of 38 workshop participants to determine prerequisites for ensuring benefits outweigh risks of assessment to safely recognise parents experiencing complex trauma, consistent with screening criteria. Six essential elements were identified from thematic analysis: high‐quality holistic care cultural, social and emotional safety empowerment, choice and control flexible person‐centred approaches trusting relationships and sensitive, skilled communication. The impacts of colonisation and rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait children in out‐of‐home care mean that there can be a myriad of issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents with regard to perinatal child protection involvement. The benefits must outweigh the risks of identifying parents experiencing complex trauma. Assessment must be offered within foundations of supportive relationships and holistic care in culturally‐safe, empowering settings, where choices are respected and skilled communication approaches are used.
Related Organisations
Related Funding Activities
Improving Outcomes For Young People Transitioning From Out-of-home Care
Start Date: 2022
End Date: 2025
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityReplanting The Birthing Trees To Support First Nations Parents And Babies
Start Date: 2022
End Date: 2026
Funder: Department of Health
View Funded ActivityLinkage Projects - Grant ID: LP210300791
Start Date: 06-2023
End Date: 06-2027
Amount: $554,188.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity