A study of the prevalence, experience and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographical area. Child-to-mother violence is an under acknowledged but serious problem in the Australian and international contexts. This four phased study will measure the extent, scope and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographic area of Sydney. It will provide insights into the perspectives of mothers, health and welfare workers. Data will be generated from population survey and ....A study of the prevalence, experience and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographical area. Child-to-mother violence is an under acknowledged but serious problem in the Australian and international contexts. This four phased study will measure the extent, scope and nature of child-to-mother violence in a high risk geographic area of Sydney. It will provide insights into the perspectives of mothers, health and welfare workers. Data will be generated from population survey and in-depth interviews. Synthesised data will provide a framework for sustainable and supportive interventions for affected families. The findings can be utilised by policy makers and the community to expose and address this complex problem of family violence.Read moreRead less
Enhancing mothers' engagement with the workforce in the preschool years. Increasing the workforce participation of mothers is a key national policy agenda. This project will produce unique data that provides insights into how leave arrangements, childcare, flexibility, job characteristics and individual circumstances interact to influence mothers' workforce engagement and how this varies for different groups of mothers.
Trends in Time: Work, Family and Social Policy in Australia 1992-2006. This project will contribute to the national priority goal of 'strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric to help families and individuals live healthy, productive, and fulfilling lives', within the National Research Priority of 'promoting good health and well being for all Australians'. It will provide sound new evidence for effective strategies fostering the policy goals of reducing stress on families, maintaining ....Trends in Time: Work, Family and Social Policy in Australia 1992-2006. This project will contribute to the national priority goal of 'strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric to help families and individuals live healthy, productive, and fulfilling lives', within the National Research Priority of 'promoting good health and well being for all Australians'. It will provide sound new evidence for effective strategies fostering the policy goals of reducing stress on families, maintaining fertility and encouraging women into paid work. Identifying measures that most support men and women to balance work-family commitments, to spend adequate time with their children and social networks, and most facilitate female workforce participation, will promote national wellbeing. Read moreRead less
Cohabitation in Australia: Trends and Implications for Family Outcomes. The project will contribute to improvements in the economic and social well-being of Australian families and communities by increasing our understanding of changing pathways into relationships and the implications of these choices for later family outcomes. The national benefit from this will be realised in terms of more effective policies that promote relationship quality and stability. This will help reduce the social and ....Cohabitation in Australia: Trends and Implications for Family Outcomes. The project will contribute to improvements in the economic and social well-being of Australian families and communities by increasing our understanding of changing pathways into relationships and the implications of these choices for later family outcomes. The national benefit from this will be realised in terms of more effective policies that promote relationship quality and stability. This will help reduce the social and economic costs to the government and the community from poor relationship quality and relationship breakdown.Read moreRead less
Carers and social inclusion: new frameworks, evidence and policy lessons. This project aims to improve our understanding of informal carers' social inclusion through new conceptual frameworks, geographical and longitudinal analysis and lessons from international best practice. The outcomes of the project will inform Australia policies fostering social inclusion and the social and economic wellbeing of Australian carers.
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
The Young Learners' Project: Identifying personalised teaching strategies for early literacy in children in preschool and the first year of school. High quality learning experiences coupled with personalised, evidence-based adult support in the preschool years shape children's life-long attitudes and motivation for learning, and form the basis of strong outcomes in adulthood. Of particular importance is the development of literacy. Not all children, however, have such experiences and some need ....The Young Learners' Project: Identifying personalised teaching strategies for early literacy in children in preschool and the first year of school. High quality learning experiences coupled with personalised, evidence-based adult support in the preschool years shape children's life-long attitudes and motivation for learning, and form the basis of strong outcomes in adulthood. Of particular importance is the development of literacy. Not all children, however, have such experiences and some need extra support from their families and teachers. From this study knowledge will be gained that will assist teachers and parents to support children before beginning school so that they are prepared for formal literacy learning. This will lead to greater prospects of financial and social benefits in adulthood. Read moreRead less
Fluctuating demands and unexpected events: An action research approach to improving work-family interaction in project-based construction work. Construction workers, who comprise 8.5% of Australia's workforce, are a high risk group for work-family conflict (WFC), which is linked to negative outcomes for individuals, families and organizations. The construction industry is facing a skills shortage but remains unattractive to young workers and those with family/care responsibilities. The research ....Fluctuating demands and unexpected events: An action research approach to improving work-family interaction in project-based construction work. Construction workers, who comprise 8.5% of Australia's workforce, are a high risk group for work-family conflict (WFC), which is linked to negative outcomes for individuals, families and organizations. The construction industry is facing a skills shortage but remains unattractive to young workers and those with family/care responsibilities. The research will help the construction industry to re-think cultural expectations about work hours and design jobs that reduce WFC and promote work-family interaction. The research will help the industry improve its ability to attract and retain a diverse workforce and contribute to a reduction in the social and economic costs of WFC.Read moreRead less
Work, Love and Play: Understanding resilience in same-sex parented families. This research will provide information about the experiences of same-sex parented families in accessing health and community services in Australia and New Zealand. This will inform policy development aimed at improving access to services and reducing discrimination for same-sex attracted people and other minority groups. Additionally the research will increase knowledge about the impact of limited social or community su ....Work, Love and Play: Understanding resilience in same-sex parented families. This research will provide information about the experiences of same-sex parented families in accessing health and community services in Australia and New Zealand. This will inform policy development aimed at improving access to services and reducing discrimination for same-sex attracted people and other minority groups. Additionally the research will increase knowledge about the impact of limited social or community support on the health and wellbeing of families. Families are a key unit in society, and supporting strong and healthy families - in all their forms - is an important part of supporting the overall economic and social and physical wellbeing of society (National Research Priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health).Read moreRead less
Work, care, retirement and health: ageing agendas. This project will undertake a gendered analysis of how Australians can retire well, taking account of their key resources (such as work, superannuation, the aged pension, and other assets) and key demands (such as to work longer and to care for others in the context of an ageing population and a more feminised workforce).