Community Foundations of Resilience of Young People. Understanding and promoting resilience in young people is one of the most important health priorities of the Federal Government. The proposed project advances resilience research in a new direction. It is highly innovative in bringing together a research team from disciplines and professional knowledge domains that generally do not inform each other, to fill the conceptual gap in current knowledge around care, control and social resilience usi ....Community Foundations of Resilience of Young People. Understanding and promoting resilience in young people is one of the most important health priorities of the Federal Government. The proposed project advances resilience research in a new direction. It is highly innovative in bringing together a research team from disciplines and professional knowledge domains that generally do not inform each other, to fill the conceptual gap in current knowledge around care, control and social resilience using an applied community development project and a methodology of engagement with young people, to bring about social change.Read moreRead less
Pathways to better practice: developing human resources in child protection services for Indigenous communities in Western Australia and Queensland. This study addresses the serious and escalating problem of providing child protection services to Indigenous children and their families in rural and remote areas. Service delivery to rural and remote environments in Australia is a high cost exercise and, to date, little research has been conducted to understanding the complex nature of professiona ....Pathways to better practice: developing human resources in child protection services for Indigenous communities in Western Australia and Queensland. This study addresses the serious and escalating problem of providing child protection services to Indigenous children and their families in rural and remote areas. Service delivery to rural and remote environments in Australia is a high cost exercise and, to date, little research has been conducted to understanding the complex nature of professional (non-medical) interventions in communities with high proportions of Indigenous families and children. The study, conducted across two states, will contribute to national benefit in 3 key areas: the health and wellbeing of Indigenous children; skills shortage in rural areas and intergenerational change in professional disciplines.Read moreRead less
The Evaluation of Stuctures and Processes for Effective Client, Carer and Community Outcomes: A Model for Rural Mental Health Services. The South West Healthcare Area Mental Health Service ( Warnambool) has demonstrated according to key performance indicators, an effective system of service delivery. This evaluative research project seeks to identify key components within the organisational structures and processes of a rural mental health service that contribute to these effective outcomes fo ....The Evaluation of Stuctures and Processes for Effective Client, Carer and Community Outcomes: A Model for Rural Mental Health Services. The South West Healthcare Area Mental Health Service ( Warnambool) has demonstrated according to key performance indicators, an effective system of service delivery. This evaluative research project seeks to identify key components within the organisational structures and processes of a rural mental health service that contribute to these effective outcomes for clients. The research process will test these key components against other rural and urban mental health services in Victoria and will result in the development of a model for rural mental health service delivery of both local and national significance.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
Identifying Models of Personal and Community Resilience that enhance Psychological Wellness: A Stanthorpe Study. There are significant mental health problems in rural and remote Australia. Researchers in Australia are only just beginning to investigate mental health, and prevention is identified as a primary focus. A new innovative approach to mental health prevention is identifying and using characteristics that will enhance individual and community psychological wellness. Resilience has been i ....Identifying Models of Personal and Community Resilience that enhance Psychological Wellness: A Stanthorpe Study. There are significant mental health problems in rural and remote Australia. Researchers in Australia are only just beginning to investigate mental health, and prevention is identified as a primary focus. A new innovative approach to mental health prevention is identifying and using characteristics that will enhance individual and community psychological wellness. Resilience has been identified as one of those characteristics. The aim of this project is to work collaboratively with key stakeholders from a rural community (Stanthorpe in South East Queensland) to develop, implement, and evaluate a model that enhances psychological wellness in rural people and communities.Read moreRead less
Health, Freedom and Independent Contracting. The project will offer significant insights into the effects of independent contracts on the key area of rural health. The project will be able to gauge whether independent contracts offer significant improvements to the health and well being of those who use them, as well as the advantages to industry. In addition, the project will also consider the important ethical issue of whether independent contracts enhance the freedom of individual workers and ....Health, Freedom and Independent Contracting. The project will offer significant insights into the effects of independent contracts on the key area of rural health. The project will be able to gauge whether independent contracts offer significant improvements to the health and well being of those who use them, as well as the advantages to industry. In addition, the project will also consider the important ethical issue of whether independent contracts enhance the freedom of individual workers and in what ways.Read moreRead less
The Impact of the Introduction of Electronic Gaming Machines on Communities: Health and Wellbeing Consequences. The long-term economic and social impact of EGMs is of great importance to Australia. Gambling is a major industry in Australia, with over 7,000 businesses generating profits in excess of $16 billion annually. Poker machines account for more than half the total revenue collected from all gambling. On the other hand, there are over 290,000 adults in Australia who are experiencing signif ....The Impact of the Introduction of Electronic Gaming Machines on Communities: Health and Wellbeing Consequences. The long-term economic and social impact of EGMs is of great importance to Australia. Gambling is a major industry in Australia, with over 7,000 businesses generating profits in excess of $16 billion annually. Poker machines account for more than half the total revenue collected from all gambling. On the other hand, there are over 290,000 adults in Australia who are experiencing significant problems with their gambling, and on average, the lives of six other people are adversely affected by every problem gambler. This project will inform regulatory frameworks to balance the costs and benefits of gambling. The findings will be used by local governments and regulatory authorities.Read moreRead less
Unequal futures: A critical investigation of regional and sociocultural variations in teenage pregnancy. The overarching aim of this project is to investigate geographical and sociocultural variations in teenage pregnancy in Australia, encompassing the over-representation of young Indigenous teenage mothers. It considers the implications of these differences for government policy.
The project aims to:
- define the parameters of teenage pregnancy
- map the complex social context in whic ....Unequal futures: A critical investigation of regional and sociocultural variations in teenage pregnancy. The overarching aim of this project is to investigate geographical and sociocultural variations in teenage pregnancy in Australia, encompassing the over-representation of young Indigenous teenage mothers. It considers the implications of these differences for government policy.
The project aims to:
- define the parameters of teenage pregnancy
- map the complex social context in which to understand teenage pregnancy
- identify the information, support, and services most likely to ensure that young women have options for pregnancy and motherhood which maximise their health and wellbeing
- identify factors which account for unintentional teenage pregnancy and strategies for prevention or amelioration.
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Recruitment and Retention of the Australian Medical Practitioner Workforce - a Longitudinal Electronic Cohort Study. Identifying and acknowledging the significant personal and professional influences on the career decisions of doctors, including the choice to leave the profession for several years and factors driving the decision to return or not return, will provide not only the major public employers of doctors, but also government, community and private practice groups with reliable current e ....Recruitment and Retention of the Australian Medical Practitioner Workforce - a Longitudinal Electronic Cohort Study. Identifying and acknowledging the significant personal and professional influences on the career decisions of doctors, including the choice to leave the profession for several years and factors driving the decision to return or not return, will provide not only the major public employers of doctors, but also government, community and private practice groups with reliable current evidence to inform medical workforce planning and design, and ensure quality health care. Read moreRead less
Combining Community Based Social Marketing and Technological Innovation to Combat Wood-Smoke Pollution in Regional Australia. There is considerable evidence to suggest that wood smoke pollution represents a serious health threat. This project will provide valuable information about the relative effectiveness of social marketing and technology-based interventions to reduce wood smoke pollution, and how these interventions may be combined to maximise their impact. The resulting improvements in ai ....Combining Community Based Social Marketing and Technological Innovation to Combat Wood-Smoke Pollution in Regional Australia. There is considerable evidence to suggest that wood smoke pollution represents a serious health threat. This project will provide valuable information about the relative effectiveness of social marketing and technology-based interventions to reduce wood smoke pollution, and how these interventions may be combined to maximise their impact. The resulting improvements in air quality may produce substantial health benefits for the residents of Australian communities that depend heavily on wood as a domestic heating fuel during winter months. Read moreRead less