Cultural responsiveness: measuring and evaluating social work practice. This project aims to develop tools for use by social workers that measure and evaluate culturally responsive practices with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The tools have potential application across numerous sectors in social work practices with clients and families. The project will benefit social workers who can measure, evaluate and improve their culturally responsive practice, and in turn, the health and ....Cultural responsiveness: measuring and evaluating social work practice. This project aims to develop tools for use by social workers that measure and evaluate culturally responsive practices with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The tools have potential application across numerous sectors in social work practices with clients and families. The project will benefit social workers who can measure, evaluate and improve their culturally responsive practice, and in turn, the health and well-being outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.Read moreRead less
Researching an all-of-family program in family violence & substance misuse. Family violence services and drug and alcohol services have been inappropriately siloed given co-occurrence of these problems is common. This project aims to evaluate an innovative program which integrates these services, focuses on fathering to ensure recognition of the needs of children (50% of family violence victims) and provides all-of-family support to ensure the safety and well-being of women and children. Expect ....Researching an all-of-family program in family violence & substance misuse. Family violence services and drug and alcohol services have been inappropriately siloed given co-occurrence of these problems is common. This project aims to evaluate an innovative program which integrates these services, focuses on fathering to ensure recognition of the needs of children (50% of family violence victims) and provides all-of-family support to ensure the safety and well-being of women and children. Expected outcomes include better evidence for countering family violence, and policy frameworks for integrated service provision. Changing the behaviour of men who use violence is a significant social challenge and the outcomes of this targeted approach should have ramifications nationally and internationally. Read moreRead less
Transitioning from out-of-home care: a longitudinal population-based study. This project aims to use a population-based method to examine the pathways of young people in, and transitioning from, out-of-home care in Western Australia. Young people in, and transitioning out of, out-of-home care experience many challenges. Care leavers, including a disproportionate number of Aboriginal young people, experience adverse outcomes across a range of domains leading to high social and economic costs for ....Transitioning from out-of-home care: a longitudinal population-based study. This project aims to use a population-based method to examine the pathways of young people in, and transitioning from, out-of-home care in Western Australia. Young people in, and transitioning out of, out-of-home care experience many challenges. Care leavers, including a disproportionate number of Aboriginal young people, experience adverse outcomes across a range of domains leading to high social and economic costs for the Australian community. The findings from the population-based data, together with an in-depth understanding of their lived experiences will identify a best practice model for improving their transition from care experiences to facilitate improved outcomes.Read moreRead less
Towards an effective practice model for youth detention. This project aims to examine the effectiveness of an innovative government program, which seeks to enhance the safety and rehabilitative culture of juvenile detention centres by increasing staff interpersonal skills through specialist training, coaching and supervision. The project is expected to identify best practice principles, allowing government departments to focus efforts on training and staff support to provide a higher quality wor ....Towards an effective practice model for youth detention. This project aims to examine the effectiveness of an innovative government program, which seeks to enhance the safety and rehabilitative culture of juvenile detention centres by increasing staff interpersonal skills through specialist training, coaching and supervision. The project is expected to identify best practice principles, allowing government departments to focus efforts on training and staff support to provide a higher quality work force. An evidence based framework will be developed in consultation with juvenile justice agencies across Australia. This will potentially improve outcomes for young people in custody and the wider community.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100391
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$418,228.00
Summary
Reducing Gendered Harm in Involuntary Mental Health Service Provision. Involuntary mental health treatment is often traumatising, with women reporting additional gendered dimensions of harm. Using an action research framework that draws upon the voices of service users, families and professionals, this study aims to develop improved strategies for responding to acute mental distress in women, with a focus on reducing coercion. Expected outcomes include enhanced understandings of the experiences ....Reducing Gendered Harm in Involuntary Mental Health Service Provision. Involuntary mental health treatment is often traumatising, with women reporting additional gendered dimensions of harm. Using an action research framework that draws upon the voices of service users, families and professionals, this study aims to develop improved strategies for responding to acute mental distress in women, with a focus on reducing coercion. Expected outcomes include enhanced understandings of the experiences and impacts of compulsory mental health treatment on women and a co-designed online resource that will support the development of effective, realistic and non-coercive practices in frontline mental healthcare. The project will provide substantial benefits to mental health reform at a national and international level.Read moreRead less
The production, use and effect of social work research. This project aims to reform social work research to improve the quality and effectiveness of human services. The human services industry is vital to many people’s quality of life, but lacks innovation and struggles to demonstrate its effectiveness. Crucially for social work, research expands thinking about how to respond to social disadvantage. This project intends to examine the scope and quality of Australian social work research in child ....The production, use and effect of social work research. This project aims to reform social work research to improve the quality and effectiveness of human services. The human services industry is vital to many people’s quality of life, but lacks innovation and struggles to demonstrate its effectiveness. Crucially for social work, research expands thinking about how to respond to social disadvantage. This project intends to examine the scope and quality of Australian social work research in child protection, disability services, and aged care; assess the use of this research to the human services sector and its effect on generating innovation; and develop strategies to advance the production, uptake, and effect of social work research.Read moreRead less
A theoretical framework for elder abuse to guide social work practice. This project aims to develop a theoretical framework to assist health social workers to effectively assess and intervene in elder abuse. Social workers have responsibility in health settings to respond when abuse is noticed. Elder abuse damages trust, increases health costs and hastens death. Improving practice to assist older people who are abused relies on the knowledge, experiences and wishes of older people, social worker ....A theoretical framework for elder abuse to guide social work practice. This project aims to develop a theoretical framework to assist health social workers to effectively assess and intervene in elder abuse. Social workers have responsibility in health settings to respond when abuse is noticed. Elder abuse damages trust, increases health costs and hastens death. Improving practice to assist older people who are abused relies on the knowledge, experiences and wishes of older people, social workers and international experts to provide an effective and efficient theoretical model to address elder abuse.
A new framework will allow practitioners to assist vulnerable older people and improve the quality of their lives. Further, this information will assist the government to address elder abuse in Australia.Read moreRead less
Strengthening Relationships for Young People in Residential Care. Young people in residential care face major challenges in forming positive relationships, many having experienced adults as a source of threat rather than safety. This project aims to investigate practices within therapeutic residential care that enable or limit young people’s identity formation, positive social connections, safety and wellbeing. This research will generate nuanced knowledge informing interpersonal and institution ....Strengthening Relationships for Young People in Residential Care. Young people in residential care face major challenges in forming positive relationships, many having experienced adults as a source of threat rather than safety. This project aims to investigate practices within therapeutic residential care that enable or limit young people’s identity formation, positive social connections, safety and wellbeing. This research will generate nuanced knowledge informing interpersonal and institutional change. Expected outcomes include improved approaches to therapeutic care and to methods for enabling the participation of young people in care in matters that may change their life trajectory on exiting care. Expected benefits include more responsive policies and frameworks for practice.Read moreRead less
Fostering lifelong connections for children in permanent care. The out-of-home care sector in Australia is undergoing transformation to ensure children who cannot be restored to birth families exit care to permanent families. New South Wales is leading the way on these reforms. The emerging Australian policy model, permanency with lifelong connection to birth families, is distinctly different from the policy models in similar Western nations. While the Australian policy goal is clear, practices ....Fostering lifelong connections for children in permanent care. The out-of-home care sector in Australia is undergoing transformation to ensure children who cannot be restored to birth families exit care to permanent families. New South Wales is leading the way on these reforms. The emerging Australian policy model, permanency with lifelong connection to birth families, is distinctly different from the policy models in similar Western nations. While the Australian policy goal is clear, practices for achieving this goal are under-developed. This action research project will engage the New South Wales out-of-home care sector to design and trial relationship-building practices that promote positive relationships between children and their birth families.Read moreRead less
Young people bereaved by domestic homicide. Far-reaching decisions are made about the future of a child bereaved by domestic homicide, including where they should live and whether they should have contact with the perpetrator. Practitioners and policymakers lack empirical and theoretical input to guide these decisions. This fellowship draws upon young people's, caregivers' and professionals' perspectives on children's living arrangements, relationships and identity development post-homicide. It ....Young people bereaved by domestic homicide. Far-reaching decisions are made about the future of a child bereaved by domestic homicide, including where they should live and whether they should have contact with the perpetrator. Practitioners and policymakers lack empirical and theoretical input to guide these decisions. This fellowship draws upon young people's, caregivers' and professionals' perspectives on children's living arrangements, relationships and identity development post-homicide. It expects to generate a theoretical model of children's outcomes as well as actionable advice for policymakers and practitioners. The main benefit will be enhanced capacity to support children, families and professionals in the context of domestic homicide in Australia and abroad. Read moreRead less