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
Are the kids alright? Understanding the wellbeing of Australian children in their middle years. This project will produce the first comprehensive national stock-take of wellbeing among Australian children in their middle years, with a special focus on children who experience disadvantage. Findings will reflect children's views and experiences, have direct policy relevance and lay the groundwork for comparing and monitoring of child wellbeing.
Re-conceptualising services from the perspectives of young people. This project aims to contribute the perspectives and voices of vulnerable young people to debates on the need for service reform. It will actively engage children and teens who have complex support needs in service re-design and decision making, and will trial child-led service initiatives. It will also explore organisational barriers to including young people in policy debate and service decision-making. Expected outcomes includ ....Re-conceptualising services from the perspectives of young people. This project aims to contribute the perspectives and voices of vulnerable young people to debates on the need for service reform. It will actively engage children and teens who have complex support needs in service re-design and decision making, and will trial child-led service initiatives. It will also explore organisational barriers to including young people in policy debate and service decision-making. Expected outcomes include increased knowledge of how to effectively engage young people, and understanding of the impact of their participation both for young people and for services. Read moreRead less
Beyond global discourses of data: Storying learning in marginalised schools. Globally, Australian school education is seen as under-performing. Consequently, attention to data, particularly numeric and standardised test data, in schools have become pervasive. This project aims to understand how teachers and educators in schools and school systems actually engage with a broader conception of data for enhanced learning, on a truly global scale, particularly in schools serving struggling communiti ....Beyond global discourses of data: Storying learning in marginalised schools. Globally, Australian school education is seen as under-performing. Consequently, attention to data, particularly numeric and standardised test data, in schools have become pervasive. This project aims to understand how teachers and educators in schools and school systems actually engage with a broader conception of data for enhanced learning, on a truly global scale, particularly in schools serving struggling communities. This project will reveal the myriad ways educators in diverse settings - England, Australia, Singapore and Bangladesh - engage with data. The project will re-conceptualise how data are understood globally, and will provide significant benefits including informing education policy-making and improving teaching practices.Read moreRead less
How do teachers learn to enact the Australian Curriculum? A question of policy in practice. This project aims to show how teachers learn to engage with the new curriculum in the context of increasingly standardised national and international educational reforms. This is significant for determining whether the 'Australian Curriculum' will result in its projected benefits. This project aims to reveal how policy support for the new curriculum influences teacher learning in diverse schooling setting ....How do teachers learn to enact the Australian Curriculum? A question of policy in practice. This project aims to show how teachers learn to engage with the new curriculum in the context of increasingly standardised national and international educational reforms. This is significant for determining whether the 'Australian Curriculum' will result in its projected benefits. This project aims to reveal how policy support for the new curriculum influences teacher learning in diverse schooling settings in a broadly neoliberal, global context.Read moreRead less
Ten Thousand Homeless People. Effective interventions to assist homeless people depend upon understanding the reasons why households become homeless. This research will investigate people's pathways into and out of the homeless population, and explain why some households experience a short period of homelessness, whereas others remain homeless for a sustained period of time. The research will also investigate why some 'at risk' households become homeless. This will be the largest data base ev ....Ten Thousand Homeless People. Effective interventions to assist homeless people depend upon understanding the reasons why households become homeless. This research will investigate people's pathways into and out of the homeless population, and explain why some households experience a short period of homelessness, whereas others remain homeless for a sustained period of time. The research will also investigate why some 'at risk' households become homeless. This will be the largest data base ever analysed on homeless pathways in Australia (N=10,000). The research will provide guidance for policy makers and service providers for some years to come.Read moreRead less
Childhood poverty in Indonesia. This project aims to offer solutions to childhood poverty in Indonesia, where over half the child population live on less than $2 per day. More effective responses to childhood poverty, one of the greatest challenges facing the world, are needed. This project will extend theories of multidimensional poverty to children, reflecting their experience and priorities; analyse similarities and differences between child- and adult-centred conceptualisations of childhood ....Childhood poverty in Indonesia. This project aims to offer solutions to childhood poverty in Indonesia, where over half the child population live on less than $2 per day. More effective responses to childhood poverty, one of the greatest challenges facing the world, are needed. This project will extend theories of multidimensional poverty to children, reflecting their experience and priorities; analyse similarities and differences between child- and adult-centred conceptualisations of childhood poverty; and develop a replicable child-centred methodology for assessing childhood poverty. The project expects to produce policy-relevant findings that move beyond adult-centric definitions and contribute to more effective responses to child poverty.Read moreRead less
Educating for healthy citizens: the health work of teachers in Australian schools. Teachers promote students health every day in many ways, such as performing periodic health checks, teaching health education lessons, or leading pastoral care. This project looks at what, and how much, health work teachers undertake and how prepared they are to do this work.
Improving wellbeing through student participation at school. Current evidence suggests child and youth participation in matters affecting their lives has many benefits, but little is known about how this is perceived and practiced in education. This research aims to improve knowledge about processes and outcomes of student participation at school, particularly in relation to improving wellbeing. The project is timely and significant because recent reforms in education now require a greater empha ....Improving wellbeing through student participation at school. Current evidence suggests child and youth participation in matters affecting their lives has many benefits, but little is known about how this is perceived and practiced in education. This research aims to improve knowledge about processes and outcomes of student participation at school, particularly in relation to improving wellbeing. The project is timely and significant because recent reforms in education now require a greater emphasis on engaging students more directly in decisions about their education, including those with special needs. Schools urgently require knowledge about the key elements of participation that impact on wellbeing and a tool for measuring and monitoring their performance in facilitating these elements.Read moreRead less
Developing the capacity to model the impact of interventions that target high-risk drinking among young Australians. Alcohol use is a major contributing factor to social and health problems among young Australians. The project will inform the development of effective policy by providing multidisciplinary research evidence and the capacity to model how various interventions impact on the prevalence of alcohol-related problems.