The Extent and Cost of Kinship Foster Care of Orphans in Rural China. This project will explore the extent of kinship foster care provided to orphaned children in rural China. It will also, for the first time, estimate the costs of kinship care, by modifying Australian budget standards research to suit conditions in rural China. The project will combine a strong research team with a leading international non-government agency working in China and will draw on support from government officials fr ....The Extent and Cost of Kinship Foster Care of Orphans in Rural China. This project will explore the extent of kinship foster care provided to orphaned children in rural China. It will also, for the first time, estimate the costs of kinship care, by modifying Australian budget standards research to suit conditions in rural China. The project will combine a strong research team with a leading international non-government agency working in China and will draw on support from government officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The results will be used to estimate child poverty among the target group and will provide a knowledge base for future research in the area.Read moreRead less
Families on the Edge: Lived Experiences of Citizenship of Homeless Families. Families on the Edge will provide an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of homeless families, comprising predominantly women and children, who are one of the most marginalised and under-researched groups in Australian society. The findings will enable governments and not-for-profit agencies to improve services for homeless families to improve their health and well being. They will also inform policy debates ....Families on the Edge: Lived Experiences of Citizenship of Homeless Families. Families on the Edge will provide an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of homeless families, comprising predominantly women and children, who are one of the most marginalised and under-researched groups in Australian society. The findings will enable governments and not-for-profit agencies to improve services for homeless families to improve their health and well being. They will also inform policy debates about other approaches which draw on human rights and the rights/responsibilities of citizenship. The projects findings will provide a sound framework and empirical basis for improvements to legislation, policy and practice across a range of areas.Read moreRead less
Supporting families: Horizontal and vertical equity in the Australian tax-benefit system in historical and comparative perspectives. Tax benefit reform and equity between different groups are key policy concerns currently and for the foreseeable future. The tax-benefit system is under review, and the Global Financial Crisis has prompted debate on how tax-benefit policy can stimulate the economy while maintaining equity and promoting social inclusion. This project will put debate about tax-benef ....Supporting families: Horizontal and vertical equity in the Australian tax-benefit system in historical and comparative perspectives. Tax benefit reform and equity between different groups are key policy concerns currently and for the foreseeable future. The tax-benefit system is under review, and the Global Financial Crisis has prompted debate on how tax-benefit policy can stimulate the economy while maintaining equity and promoting social inclusion. This project will put debate about tax-benefit reforms and deficit reduction strategies in historical and an international comparative context. Results generated will provide a rich and comprehensive framework for assessing current and future policy options in areas that are closely aligned with the designated national research priority goals of a healthy start to life and strengthening Australia's economic and social fabric.Read moreRead less
'Digital Natives': Growing up with new and old media in Australia. Developing a sophisticated digital literacy is important for both the future of children, the cultural, social and economic well-being of the nation. Digital literacy requires not only communications infrastructure but targeted investment in human skills. Investing in the development of a digitally literate Australian population has become an explicit means for promoting the future economic and social well-being of the nation. Th ....'Digital Natives': Growing up with new and old media in Australia. Developing a sophisticated digital literacy is important for both the future of children, the cultural, social and economic well-being of the nation. Digital literacy requires not only communications infrastructure but targeted investment in human skills. Investing in the development of a digitally literate Australian population has become an explicit means for promoting the future economic and social well-being of the nation. The information provided by this project has the potential to contribute significantly to giving children 'a healthy start to life' in their early years. Read moreRead less
Sailing into the Future: Training Australia's digital generation for the future demands of the new economy. The Young Endeavour tall ship in association with the Department of Navy provides a team-building and skill development training scheme for all Australian youth. The purpose of the training is to provide young people with life-long skills; to provide a positive experience that will resonate through the adult life of those who sail on the ship, and to prepare these individuals for a future ....Sailing into the Future: Training Australia's digital generation for the future demands of the new economy. The Young Endeavour tall ship in association with the Department of Navy provides a team-building and skill development training scheme for all Australian youth. The purpose of the training is to provide young people with life-long skills; to provide a positive experience that will resonate through the adult life of those who sail on the ship, and to prepare these individuals for a future that is always and already undergoing changes both enconomic and social. The purpose of this research project is to ensure that the aims of the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme are met, and to create a long-term planning strategy that will improve and expand the work of the training scheme in anticipation of the next 10 years.
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Transformative arts education partnerships: a creative approach to whole school renewal. This project investigates a school transformation and curriculum initiative through an arts partnership between a culturally diverse inner city secondary school, a community performing arts company and arts education researchers. The project will explore how the arts can offer multiple and alternative routes to academic achievement and personal well-being for disempowered and disenfranchised teenagers at sch ....Transformative arts education partnerships: a creative approach to whole school renewal. This project investigates a school transformation and curriculum initiative through an arts partnership between a culturally diverse inner city secondary school, a community performing arts company and arts education researchers. The project will explore how the arts can offer multiple and alternative routes to academic achievement and personal well-being for disempowered and disenfranchised teenagers at school. An adjunct to individual empowerment is community strengthening through enhanced citizenship and community connectedness. The study focuses on a single complex ethnically diverse research site and offers the opportunity for innovative research collaboration between students, teachers, academic researchers and the community.Read moreRead less
Developing a Community Partnership for supporting Aboriginal and remote students in nursing through distance education. Remote and Aboriginal students are culturally isolated in the distance education (DE) environment. With the critical need to increase numbers of registered nurses in isolated communities, Area Health and Aboriginal Health are collaborating with CSU to identify problems faced by nursing students under DE conditions. The study will use a critical theoretical approach to identifyi ....Developing a Community Partnership for supporting Aboriginal and remote students in nursing through distance education. Remote and Aboriginal students are culturally isolated in the distance education (DE) environment. With the critical need to increase numbers of registered nurses in isolated communities, Area Health and Aboriginal Health are collaborating with CSU to identify problems faced by nursing students under DE conditions. The study will use a critical theoretical approach to identifying resource (including social capital) deficits to this group. It will develop and evaluate a partnership model involving health services, university and local community. This partnership will construct a network of support to systematically address these deficits. This model would be transferable to all remote learning.Read moreRead less
Growing Old in a Rapidly Changing World: Living Conditions and Inequalities Amongst the Aged in China. China is set to dominate the world stage in the current millennium and ageing will present challenges to all nations. This research will benefit understanding of these issues by enriching our understanding of how older people in China cope with rapid change by documenting the factors that produce improved living conditions, including strong family and community relations. A component of the res ....Growing Old in a Rapidly Changing World: Living Conditions and Inequalities Amongst the Aged in China. China is set to dominate the world stage in the current millennium and ageing will present challenges to all nations. This research will benefit understanding of these issues by enriching our understanding of how older people in China cope with rapid change by documenting the factors that produce improved living conditions, including strong family and community relations. A component of the research will draw comparisons with Australia in order to increase the relevance of the study which will build ageing research capacity in both China and Australia.Read moreRead less
Negotiating alternative economic strategies for regional development in Indonesia and the Philippines. In the context of recent decentralization of government functions in Indonesia and the Philippines this action research project will test an innovative model of partnership between four communities and local government units aimed at generating new pathways for regional development. Community-based researchers and local government workers will map the social and economic transactions and assets ....Negotiating alternative economic strategies for regional development in Indonesia and the Philippines. In the context of recent decentralization of government functions in Indonesia and the Philippines this action research project will test an innovative model of partnership between four communities and local government units aimed at generating new pathways for regional development. Community-based researchers and local government workers will map the social and economic transactions and assets of each local region as a step towards mobilizing these people-centred resources in alternative livelihood projects. Innovative strategies that build upon indigenous and local capacities for sustainable development of a diverse community economy will be explored and implemented.Read moreRead less
Appropriate Development Interventions to Violent and Hateful Extremism. This project investigates how the international development/humanitarian activities of Plan International should best address violent and hateful extremism (VHE). VHE impacts about 70% of Plan’s $1bn global activity, and around USD80bn foreign aid globally. This project thoroughly examines VHE impacts on their work in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Philippines and Indonesia, to develop new situation assessment tools and indicators, in ....Appropriate Development Interventions to Violent and Hateful Extremism. This project investigates how the international development/humanitarian activities of Plan International should best address violent and hateful extremism (VHE). VHE impacts about 70% of Plan’s $1bn global activity, and around USD80bn foreign aid globally. This project thoroughly examines VHE impacts on their work in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Philippines and Indonesia, to develop new situation assessment tools and indicators, in order to facilitate mainstreaming VHE into project planning and design and offer recommendations for primary (population), secondary (at-risk) and tertiary (those involved) interventions. Reduced VHE will benefit not only individuals participating in programs, but societies in those countries plus regional stability.Read moreRead less