Currencies of Care: Establishing the scope of performance indicators in child and family welfare services. This project aims to establish the scope of performance indicators for assessing outcomes in welfare services in urban, regional and rural contexts. Its significance lies in the analysis of outcomes, in addition to service outputs, and in advancing understanding of performance assessment beyond a narrow focus on urban service delivery environments. The project combines UnitingCare Burnside' ....Currencies of Care: Establishing the scope of performance indicators in child and family welfare services. This project aims to establish the scope of performance indicators for assessing outcomes in welfare services in urban, regional and rural contexts. Its significance lies in the analysis of outcomes, in addition to service outputs, and in advancing understanding of performance assessment beyond a narrow focus on urban service delivery environments. The project combines UnitingCare Burnside's experience in and commitment to delivery of high quality services with the CIs' interdisciplinary expertise in evaluation of caring work. Anticipated outcomes include development of a conceptual framework for performance assessment which will be used by the industry partner in managing and delivering services.Read moreRead less
Pathways to Permanency: A Study of Foster Care Reunification Outcomes. Internationally Child Welfare Services emphasise intensive work with biological families to prevent abuse, to shorten the length of placements when protective care is needed, and to increase rates of reunification with of children with parents. In a three year follow up study the research will undertake a systematic analysis of the process and circumstances in which family reunification is likely to lead to safety and posit ....Pathways to Permanency: A Study of Foster Care Reunification Outcomes. Internationally Child Welfare Services emphasise intensive work with biological families to prevent abuse, to shorten the length of placements when protective care is needed, and to increase rates of reunification with of children with parents. In a three year follow up study the research will undertake a systematic analysis of the process and circumstances in which family reunification is likely to lead to safety and positive outcomes for children and those in which success is less likely. It will generate evidence-based knowledge about reunification decision making and identify policy implications of responding effectively to children in need of short term foster care.Read moreRead less
Stopping domestic violence in urban and rural areas: evaluating and improving the effectiveness of domestic violence perpetrator programs. Domestic violence affects up to 36% of women (Mouzos et.al 2004). Its annual economic cost is $8.1b (Access Economics 2004). In 66% of cases children are present (Bagshaw et.al 1999). Effects on women and children are poor mental health, homelessness and impaired work/education performance (VicHealth 2004). As male perpetrators tend to be serial offenders (Ha ....Stopping domestic violence in urban and rural areas: evaluating and improving the effectiveness of domestic violence perpetrator programs. Domestic violence affects up to 36% of women (Mouzos et.al 2004). Its annual economic cost is $8.1b (Access Economics 2004). In 66% of cases children are present (Bagshaw et.al 1999). Effects on women and children are poor mental health, homelessness and impaired work/education performance (VicHealth 2004). As male perpetrators tend to be serial offenders (Hansen et al 2004), there are Australian programs to stop the violence. There are limited and contentious findings about their value and no published evaluation of programs in rural Australia. This research addresses these significant knowledge gaps and is nationally beneficial as the knowledge can ultimately reduce domestic violence prevalence.Read moreRead less
Research Utilisation in Child Protection Policy: Understanding and Conceptualising the Role of Research in Social Policy Development. The findings of this project will have significant benefits for vulnerable children and families by enhancing the capacity for research-informed policy in child protection. In this way, the project will also have significant flow-on economic benefits for Local, State and Federal Governments by decreasing the social and economic costs associated with child abuse an ....Research Utilisation in Child Protection Policy: Understanding and Conceptualising the Role of Research in Social Policy Development. The findings of this project will have significant benefits for vulnerable children and families by enhancing the capacity for research-informed policy in child protection. In this way, the project will also have significant flow-on economic benefits for Local, State and Federal Governments by decreasing the social and economic costs associated with child abuse and neglect. Research funding will have a greater impact by the increased understanding this study will provide about how research can be more effectively used in policy.Read moreRead less
Disruptive children in alternative care: new approaches to the prevention of placement breakdown. Recent evidence suggests that many of the widely publicised problems in Australian foster care are due to the inability of foster families to care for children with challenging behaviours. Our own research suggests that such children typically experience 10 - 20 placement changes annually and display very poor developmental outcomes. The aim of this project, then, is to undertake a comprehensive int ....Disruptive children in alternative care: new approaches to the prevention of placement breakdown. Recent evidence suggests that many of the widely publicised problems in Australian foster care are due to the inability of foster families to care for children with challenging behaviours. Our own research suggests that such children typically experience 10 - 20 placement changes annually and display very poor developmental outcomes. The aim of this project, then, is to undertake a comprehensive international review and national trial of programmes for the reduction of placement breakdown. The project will provide insights into the social histories of the target population, assist in the design of interventions, and inform foster care policy.
Read moreRead less
Developing child-centred family and community practice: Listening to boys aged 9-12 with behaviour problems about their social contexts and needs. Children's and family services seek to reduce risks to children and ensure their well-being through holistic, strengths-based, collaborative family and community practice. Yet services remain adult-centric; children are often seen as recipients rather than informants, as targets rather than shapers of change. This study with Anglicare Victoria will ex ....Developing child-centred family and community practice: Listening to boys aged 9-12 with behaviour problems about their social contexts and needs. Children's and family services seek to reduce risks to children and ensure their well-being through holistic, strengths-based, collaborative family and community practice. Yet services remain adult-centric; children are often seen as recipients rather than informants, as targets rather than shapers of change. This study with Anglicare Victoria will examine the contexts, content and effects of professional responses to boys aged 9-12 years with challenging, aggressive behaviour, chiefly through the voices of the boys themselves. Adapting participatory enquiry methods for an unusually young and troubled population, the study aims to better understand their experiences and also to demonstrate opportunities and methods for enhancing children's participation.Read moreRead less
Participatory Decision Making and Policy Production in Child Welfare. Our research focuses on one of the most sensitive and complex areas of citizen participation - the participation of families in child welfare decision making and policy production. The project will build practical models for participatory practices with families with young children who are engaged with child welfare services. By enhancing family members' participation in decision making and policy production this project wil ....Participatory Decision Making and Policy Production in Child Welfare. Our research focuses on one of the most sensitive and complex areas of citizen participation - the participation of families in child welfare decision making and policy production. The project will build practical models for participatory practices with families with young children who are engaged with child welfare services. By enhancing family members' participation in decision making and policy production this project will contribute to strengthening the family safety net for young vulnerable children and to the creation of policies that better recognise the diverse concerns of young families engaged in child welfare systems. Read moreRead less
A study of best practice in workplace support and development of newly qualified community services workers. Community service systems are under strain, leaving many vulnerable Australians at risk. Between 2001 and 2006, the Australian community services workforce increased by 35.6%, making it one of the fastest growing sectors of employment in the country. The combination of workforce growth, ageing and turnover in this sector hampers its capacity to respond to the growing demand for, and co ....A study of best practice in workplace support and development of newly qualified community services workers. Community service systems are under strain, leaving many vulnerable Australians at risk. Between 2001 and 2006, the Australian community services workforce increased by 35.6%, making it one of the fastest growing sectors of employment in the country. The combination of workforce growth, ageing and turnover in this sector hampers its capacity to respond to the growing demand for, and complexity of, service delivery. Our project will contribute to the sustainability of the Australian community services workforce by building a practical knowledge base for workplace support and development of newly qualified workers entering the sector.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
Attracting and Retaining Practitioners in Child and Family Services in Rural Queensland: Generating a Model for Improved Practice. This study examines the problem of recruitment and retention of practitioners working in child and family welfare in rural Queensland. The study has two phases: first to determine the views and experiences of final year social work and human services students about rural practice and second to explore issues for existing child and family practitioners in rural commun ....Attracting and Retaining Practitioners in Child and Family Services in Rural Queensland: Generating a Model for Improved Practice. This study examines the problem of recruitment and retention of practitioners working in child and family welfare in rural Queensland. The study has two phases: first to determine the views and experiences of final year social work and human services students about rural practice and second to explore issues for existing child and family practitioners in rural communities. The study seeks to generate strategies to increase recruitment and retention rates to these positions and to develop a theory of child and family rural practice.Read moreRead less