The Costs of Foster Care in Australia. The aim of the study is to determine adequate and appropriate levels of reimbursement for carers by undertaking empirical research on the economic and social costs associated with fostering. For the first time in Australia the indirect costs to carers will be examined and a model developed for reimbursing foster carers similar to other paid carers in the community. In collaboration with the Industry Partner it will explore the feasibility of using budget st ....The Costs of Foster Care in Australia. The aim of the study is to determine adequate and appropriate levels of reimbursement for carers by undertaking empirical research on the economic and social costs associated with fostering. For the first time in Australia the indirect costs to carers will be examined and a model developed for reimbursing foster carers similar to other paid carers in the community. In collaboration with the Industry Partner it will explore the feasibility of using budget standards methodology to estimate the direct costs of care of children by refining and adapting budgets to reflect costs specific to different types of foster care.Read moreRead less
Genetic Identity Testing and the Family: the articulation between biotechnology and family relationships, politics and policy. Genetic identity testing cuts to the very nature of the family itself. For the first time in human history, it is possible to identify paternity - and misattributed paternity - with reasonable certainty. Parentage testing has become a vehicle for the fathers? rights movement, and is influencing the management of child support policy. Governments are currently developing ....Genetic Identity Testing and the Family: the articulation between biotechnology and family relationships, politics and policy. Genetic identity testing cuts to the very nature of the family itself. For the first time in human history, it is possible to identify paternity - and misattributed paternity - with reasonable certainty. Parentage testing has become a vehicle for the fathers? rights movement, and is influencing the management of child support policy. Governments are currently developing broad policy frameworks on this issue. Yet there is almost no social research on parentage testing. This study will provide scope for Australian leadership in an area of study that will become progressively more important with the rapid development of DNA chip technology. Read moreRead less
WHY CONTACT ORDERS FAIL: ASSUMPTIONS AND REALITY. This project addresses the growing problem of Family Court litigation to enforce orders for parent-child contact after separation. Recent policy responses to this significant problem have been based on assumptions and anecdotal evidence about why parents fail to comply with contact orders. As the first empirical study of the issue, the project's central aim is to analyse data collected from Family Court files to obtain a clear understanding of th ....WHY CONTACT ORDERS FAIL: ASSUMPTIONS AND REALITY. This project addresses the growing problem of Family Court litigation to enforce orders for parent-child contact after separation. Recent policy responses to this significant problem have been based on assumptions and anecdotal evidence about why parents fail to comply with contact orders. As the first empirical study of the issue, the project's central aim is to analyse data collected from Family Court files to obtain a clear understanding of the causes and effectiveness of enforcement proceedings. The research findings will provide a sound basis for assessing the current approach to contraventions of contact orders, and for designing any necessary reforms.Read moreRead less
Men on the home front: spatialities of domesticity and masculinity. This project promotes 'good health and well being for all Australians'. Case studies 1 and 2 investigate the factors underpinning self-reliance and family support in a time of changing household structures. They seek to understand how the domestic lives of men both living alone, and in families, can better contribute to social well-being and wider community interaction and cohesion. Case study 3 focuses on a group of men margina ....Men on the home front: spatialities of domesticity and masculinity. This project promotes 'good health and well being for all Australians'. Case studies 1 and 2 investigate the factors underpinning self-reliance and family support in a time of changing household structures. They seek to understand how the domestic lives of men both living alone, and in families, can better contribute to social well-being and wider community interaction and cohesion. Case study 3 focuses on a group of men marginalised from wider society and the care networks servicing the aged community, thus providing knowledge that will improve the mental and physical capacities of older gay men.Read moreRead less
Marital separation and divorce: social correlates, gender differences and initiation. For most couples, although not all, separation and divorce eventually lead to more positive life experiences and outcomes, even so for all couples marriage breakdown has significant social, emotional and financial consequences (at least in the short term). Billions of dollars in direct (i.e. social security, family court system) and indirect costs (i.e. ill health, absenteeism) are incurred by the Australian c ....Marital separation and divorce: social correlates, gender differences and initiation. For most couples, although not all, separation and divorce eventually lead to more positive life experiences and outcomes, even so for all couples marriage breakdown has significant social, emotional and financial consequences (at least in the short term). Billions of dollars in direct (i.e. social security, family court system) and indirect costs (i.e. ill health, absenteeism) are incurred by the Australian community each year due to marriage breakdown. This research will help us to understand why some marriages breakdown while others remain intact, and in doing so, will add to the evidence base that informs policies concerning marriage and divorce.Read moreRead less
The causes and consequences of marital separation and divorce in Australia. This project will use longitudinal Australian data to investigate the causes and consequences of marriage breakdown. Most previous Australian divorce research has concentrated on describing overall trends, or has used samples of separated and divorced populations only. This study will use data from representative population samples to first develop a conceptual framework for understanding the structural and demographic ....The causes and consequences of marital separation and divorce in Australia. This project will use longitudinal Australian data to investigate the causes and consequences of marriage breakdown. Most previous Australian divorce research has concentrated on describing overall trends, or has used samples of separated and divorced populations only. This study will use data from representative population samples to first develop a conceptual framework for understanding the structural and demographic determinants of marriage breakdown in Australia, second gain a greater understanding of the financial and health implications of separation and divorce over time, and third identify issues that arise from the research that are relevant for informing social policy relating to marital breakdown. The main outcomes will be a significant advance in our understanding of the factors contributing to divorce and the consequences of divorce in Australia and the provision of essential knowledge to better inform policies relating to marital separation and divorce.Read moreRead less
Resilience and coping: Predicting positive well-being following life transitions and major life events among young Australian women. The project addresses a major issue for the well-being of Australians. It examines positive well-being and resilience, which provides an important complement to other work on diagnosed mental illness. Mental health problems are a major problem in Australia, contributing to unemployment, family problems, and risky life choices. By identifying people who maintain goo ....Resilience and coping: Predicting positive well-being following life transitions and major life events among young Australian women. The project addresses a major issue for the well-being of Australians. It examines positive well-being and resilience, which provides an important complement to other work on diagnosed mental illness. Mental health problems are a major problem in Australia, contributing to unemployment, family problems, and risky life choices. By identifying people who maintain good psychological health despite life stress, it can help in prevention and early intervention. It focuses on the important years of early adulthood, when people are dealing with new relationships, employment, and family formation. Its focus on women reflects the fact that women and men experience different life courses, often diverging markedly when the first child arrives.Read moreRead less
The limited promise of 'equality biographies': Young Australians negotiate modern gendered identities, family and citizenship engagements in a divided society. Apart from its contribution to the international sociological debate concerning the individualization thesis, the project will contribute to pressing policy issues, ie. declining fertility, accessibility of abortion, appropriate childcare, humane immigration policies in a world with millions of refugees and reconciliation. Based on an em ....The limited promise of 'equality biographies': Young Australians negotiate modern gendered identities, family and citizenship engagements in a divided society. Apart from its contribution to the international sociological debate concerning the individualization thesis, the project will contribute to pressing policy issues, ie. declining fertility, accessibility of abortion, appropriate childcare, humane immigration policies in a world with millions of refugees and reconciliation. Based on an empirically grounded analysis in a rich qualitative data set revealing how young Australians see themselves negotiating family, work and citizenship, the project will construct the vocabularies by which young people locate themselves in the community. The results will make contributions to policy debates by suggesting changes that are responsive to the needs and aspirations of the citizens of the future.Read moreRead less
Negotiating the Life Course: Education, Work, Family and Lifestyle Behaviour in Australia. The Negotiating the Life Course Project is a leading Australian social science resource accessible to and widely used by university researchers and students, especially PhD students. Beyond its major academic contributions, its results have been extensively reported in the media and have greatly increased community understanding of Australian society. It has an important and on-going role in several areas ....Negotiating the Life Course: Education, Work, Family and Lifestyle Behaviour in Australia. The Negotiating the Life Course Project is a leading Australian social science resource accessible to and widely used by university researchers and students, especially PhD students. Beyond its major academic contributions, its results have been extensively reported in the media and have greatly increased community understanding of Australian society. It has an important and on-going role in several areas of policy formulation especially in the development of policies related to the balance of work and family. Its principals are leading social commentators in these policy areas because, in large part, they are able to draw upon this significant national resource. Read moreRead less
Evaluation of Integrated Programs for men who perpetrate domestic violence: an examination of the effectiveness of intervention process and systems. This research will investigate the effectiveness of integrated programs for men who perpetrate domestic violence. The project will address the unpredictable nature of domestic violence by administering behaviour, attitudinal, and risk assessment instruments at each point of intervention and beyond. Central to this process is the collection of data f ....Evaluation of Integrated Programs for men who perpetrate domestic violence: an examination of the effectiveness of intervention process and systems. This research will investigate the effectiveness of integrated programs for men who perpetrate domestic violence. The project will address the unpredictable nature of domestic violence by administering behaviour, attitudinal, and risk assessment instruments at each point of intervention and beyond. Central to this process is the collection of data from women partners and other stakeholders (child protection, police, courts) for the purpose of comparison. The project outcomes will allow for an analysis that gives an overview of changes during and after the intervention process. In this way, integrated programs will be able to better conceptualise and respond to behaviour, attitudinal and risk assessment variations.Read moreRead less