Communities, trust, governance and partnerships: The role of Local Government in community management and development in areas of social disadvantage. This project is significant as much contemporary social policy is predicated on normative assumptions of 'community' 'trust' 'collective efficacy' 'social capital', which are contested, contextual concepts. Importantly there are differences in meaning and practice of 'community' between areas of advantage and disadvantage. In being based on thes ....Communities, trust, governance and partnerships: The role of Local Government in community management and development in areas of social disadvantage. This project is significant as much contemporary social policy is predicated on normative assumptions of 'community' 'trust' 'collective efficacy' 'social capital', which are contested, contextual concepts. Importantly there are differences in meaning and practice of 'community' between areas of advantage and disadvantage. In being based on these assumptions policy implementation, which increasingly relies on community capacity, infrastructure and human resources, may have the unintended outcome of exacerbating disadvantage. This project examines these contested concepts and explores Local Government's role in creating local partnership options and modes of governance to facilitate equitable outcomes for disadvantaged communitiesRead moreRead less
Building connections: schools as community hubs. This project aims to support school systems and planning authorities enhance engagement between schools and local communities. The key objective is to advance the cost-effective development of the infrastructure required to deliver community programs and services from school sites, in addition to education programs for school-aged students. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how best to plan, design, govern and manage facilities a ....Building connections: schools as community hubs. This project aims to support school systems and planning authorities enhance engagement between schools and local communities. The key objective is to advance the cost-effective development of the infrastructure required to deliver community programs and services from school sites, in addition to education programs for school-aged students. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how best to plan, design, govern and manage facilities and infrastructure to enable schools to operate successfully as more than a school, encouraging the development of resilient and connected communities. The outcomes are expected to include a development framework for maximising schools as community hubs.Read moreRead less
Understanding vicarious trauma in Australian foster care. This project aims to investigate experiences of vicarious trauma in Australian foster care. This project expects to generate new knowledge about antecedents and mitigators of vicarious trauma, and will do so by using interdisciplinary approaches to understand the specific contexts in which vicarious trauma may occur. Expected outcomes of this project includes the generation of national data about vicarious trauma in foster care through th ....Understanding vicarious trauma in Australian foster care. This project aims to investigate experiences of vicarious trauma in Australian foster care. This project expects to generate new knowledge about antecedents and mitigators of vicarious trauma, and will do so by using interdisciplinary approaches to understand the specific contexts in which vicarious trauma may occur. Expected outcomes of this project includes the generation of national data about vicarious trauma in foster care through the development of a new measure of vicarious trauma. This should provide significant benefits, such as providing a clear means to assessing vicarious trauma, and through the development of a mobile app that will enable foster families in Australia to monitor and report experiences of vicarious trauma.Read moreRead less
Theoretical and policy implications of changing work/life patterns and preferences of Australian women, men and children, households and communities. This project establishes a Research Fellowship for Ass. Prof. Barbara Pocock, that will principally analyse and investigate, over five years, the relationship of changing patterns of work (broadly defined) in Australia, and the changing nature of Australian households, communities and workplaces. The study explores the effects of work upon househol ....Theoretical and policy implications of changing work/life patterns and preferences of Australian women, men and children, households and communities. This project establishes a Research Fellowship for Ass. Prof. Barbara Pocock, that will principally analyse and investigate, over five years, the relationship of changing patterns of work (broadly defined) in Australia, and the changing nature of Australian households, communities and workplaces. The study explores the effects of work upon households, along with individual preferences and household, community and workplace structures (and their interaction), drawing out implications for social theory and policy. It will analyse policy, quantitative data, and collect and analyse new qualitative data at Australian sites, within an international context.Read moreRead less
Australian Global Identities: Images of Globalization, Transnationalism and Individualism among New Expatriates. Globalization is dramatically transforming Australian society. By exploring the neglected terrain of emergent 'Australian global identities', this research will benefit policy analysts, government and the public they serve. Research findings on how globalization influences the decisions of Australians to live and work abroad, promoting new lifestyles and international careers, will ....Australian Global Identities: Images of Globalization, Transnationalism and Individualism among New Expatriates. Globalization is dramatically transforming Australian society. By exploring the neglected terrain of emergent 'Australian global identities', this research will benefit policy analysts, government and the public they serve. Research findings on how globalization influences the decisions of Australians to live and work abroad, promoting new lifestyles and international careers, will be used by organizations and government to shape policy in employment, education and professional development. The research will shed new light on the rising numbers of Australians working abroad, as well as detail ways Australia might better adapt to global institutional networking in order to attract expatriates back to Australia.Read moreRead less
Towards an understanding of the relationship between creative capital and regional economic and employment development. The project aims to investigate the role of creative capital and creative industries in regional economic and employment development. It will critically examine strategies designed to foster innovation and creativity: developing and attracting the ?creative classes?, and fostering the connection of creative capacity across industry, business and cultural realms.
Creating better pathways into civic participation for young homeless people through sustainable accommodation and support program models. A sustained independent living environment is a significant contributor to health and well being. This project will offer new insights into how young homeless people use and experience supported accommodation and programs. It will recommend practical models for policy development, practice and service delivery.
Parent involvement goes online: New ecologies of school-home relations. This project aims to: identify forms of digital exclusion and inclusion impacting on parents’ ability to support their children’s education; produce a new conceptual model of technologically mediated school-home relationships; and provide a comprehensive map of school-home connected digital tools and services. Combining a detailed survey of 500 school leaders with innovative networked case studies across three schools and 18 ....Parent involvement goes online: New ecologies of school-home relations. This project aims to: identify forms of digital exclusion and inclusion impacting on parents’ ability to support their children’s education; produce a new conceptual model of technologically mediated school-home relationships; and provide a comprehensive map of school-home connected digital tools and services. Combining a detailed survey of 500 school leaders with innovative networked case studies across three schools and 18 families, this will be the first national study to comprehensively describe and analyse home-school partnerships in the digital age. It will provide policy and educational leadership with a roadmap for addressing barriers to digital inclusion, as schools advance their integration of digital platforms. Read moreRead less
Residents’ voices: advantage, disadvantage, community and place. Community renewal and redevelopment of concentrated public housing areas represents a significant public investment aimed at improving the life chances of residents, yet the way in which place factors influence social outcomes is not well understood. This research will enhance the potential for successful outcomes by creating opportunities for residents to develop and express their own knowledge and understanding of the links betwe ....Residents’ voices: advantage, disadvantage, community and place. Community renewal and redevelopment of concentrated public housing areas represents a significant public investment aimed at improving the life chances of residents, yet the way in which place factors influence social outcomes is not well understood. This research will enhance the potential for successful outcomes by creating opportunities for residents to develop and express their own knowledge and understanding of the links between place and disadvantage, in an international context. The emergence of a theorised, contextualised and well articulated set of explanations about poverty and place from the tenant perspective will also improve public understanding and reduce the social division and stigma currently associated with public housing.Read moreRead less
An exploration of the frequency, outcomes, enablers and constraints of bystander anti-racism. Bystander anti-racism involves ordinary people speaking up and taking prosocial action when witnessing racism. This project will develop empirical understandings of this underexplored, yet potentially powerful, form of anti-racism, including its frequency, the outcome of action, and factors that enable and constrain bystander anti-racism.