Increasing innovation and flexibility in social service delivery. This project will use a comparative methodology to investigate how contracted social services require careful regulation to ensure service effectiveness and improved organisational capacity. The outcome will include a practice model for understanding the relationship between regulation, contract structure and forms of service delivery innovation.
Learned Academies Special Projects - Grant ID: LA170100011
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$170,000.00
Summary
The use of big data for social policy: benefits and risks. This project aims to investigate the benefits and risks of using ‘big data’ and analytics for social policy. Drawing on documentary sources and interviews with experts and stakeholders, the project will use five case studies to examine the capability, underlying assumptions and possible impacts of such techniques. The project will bring together a multi-disciplinary team of social and data scientists to identify the infrastructural, tech ....The use of big data for social policy: benefits and risks. This project aims to investigate the benefits and risks of using ‘big data’ and analytics for social policy. Drawing on documentary sources and interviews with experts and stakeholders, the project will use five case studies to examine the capability, underlying assumptions and possible impacts of such techniques. The project will bring together a multi-disciplinary team of social and data scientists to identify the infrastructural, technical, and social, ethical and legal issues that need to be addressed. The project will define key issues for future research, promote collaboration between the social sciences and big data disciplines, while creating opportunities for building capability for researchers in the social sciences. Read moreRead less
Young people with cognitive disability: relationships and paid support. This project aims to improve the rights and wellbeing of young people with cognitive disability by exploring their relationship and interaction with paid support workers. The introduction of national individualised funding and support is a watershed in Australian disability policy. Understanding the role that paid support plays in the ongoing identity development of these young people is urgently needed to realise national p ....Young people with cognitive disability: relationships and paid support. This project aims to improve the rights and wellbeing of young people with cognitive disability by exploring their relationship and interaction with paid support workers. The introduction of national individualised funding and support is a watershed in Australian disability policy. Understanding the role that paid support plays in the ongoing identity development of these young people is urgently needed to realise national policy aspirations for people with disability of rights, choice, inclusion and independence. Using social geography and recognition theory, the project expects to deliver new understanding and improved practice around how paid support relationships can foster mutual care, respect and value at a critically important time in young people’s lives.Read moreRead less
Meals on Wheels: building towards a new social experiment for our times. This project contributes directly to the National Research Priority, promoting and maintaining good health: ageing well, ageing productively, through developing evidence-based knowledge on which to build future volunteer business models. With the rapid ageing of the Australian population, it is imperative that volunteer-based organisations, such as Meals on Wheels, innovate to continue to deliver essential community service ....Meals on Wheels: building towards a new social experiment for our times. This project contributes directly to the National Research Priority, promoting and maintaining good health: ageing well, ageing productively, through developing evidence-based knowledge on which to build future volunteer business models. With the rapid ageing of the Australian population, it is imperative that volunteer-based organisations, such as Meals on Wheels, innovate to continue to deliver essential community services in a sustainable and cost-effective way. Meals on Wheels is integral within community care for frail, older people and those with disabilities, keeping people in their own homes and out of institutional care. Using national and international examples, the research has the potential to be adopted by the broad community services sector in Australia.Read moreRead less
Community capacity building for healthy lifestyles (CBHL) initiative: engaging communities in childhood obesity prevention in disadvantaged areas. This project will develop and focus-test a new community engagement model for engaging disadvantaged communities in childhood obesity prevention programs. The community engagement model will overcome disadvantaged communities' non-participation in prevention programs, and inform culturally tailored childhood obesity prevention strategies.
Mental health, job quality and workforce participation: evidence from population health research to address complex problems and conflicting policies. Mental disorders such as depression are a major cause of disability. Improving mental health can increase productivity and workforce participation. However, the psychosocial quality of work is a factor that overlays the relationship between work and health. Poor quality work (for example, unreasonable time pressure, insecurity) increases the risk ....Mental health, job quality and workforce participation: evidence from population health research to address complex problems and conflicting policies. Mental disorders such as depression are a major cause of disability. Improving mental health can increase productivity and workforce participation. However, the psychosocial quality of work is a factor that overlays the relationship between work and health. Poor quality work (for example, unreasonable time pressure, insecurity) increases the risk of poor mental health, absenteeism, and exit from the workforce. This project will analyse data following people over time to investigate the long-term health and employment consequences of poor psychosocial job quality, and consider the special case of mature age workers. It will identify those individuals at greatest risk, and factors that can buffer against the adverse effects of poor quality work.Read moreRead less
Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. This project aims to develop a policy suite to respond to an older workforce. By 2060, nearly half of Australians aged 64 or older will be employed. Failure to address their health problems could threaten Australia’s economy, tax base and provision of health and care services. This collaboration between national policy portfolios (employment, social services, workplace health and socia ....Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. Working longer, staying healthy and keeping productive. This project aims to develop a policy suite to respond to an older workforce. By 2060, nearly half of Australians aged 64 or older will be employed. Failure to address their health problems could threaten Australia’s economy, tax base and provision of health and care services. This collaboration between national policy portfolios (employment, social services, workplace health and social equity) and expert scientists in work, health, social equality and policy process intends to reveal the diversity of older workers’ work-health dilemmas and effective ways for national policies to solve them. The policy suite will promote financial independence and meet social goals of equity and healthy ageing.Read moreRead less
Welfare receipt, demoralisation and mental health: how can welfare reform promote personal wellbeing and social inclusion? Welfare recipients are more likely to experience mental disorders and have poor wellbeing than non-recipients, and this can be a barrier to employment. This project examines the factors that may improve their mental health, promote employment outcomes, and help the Commonwealth Government develop effective welfare reform policies.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100543
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$308,260.00
Summary
Paid work in cash-for-care: Australia in comparative perspective. The project seeks to build an evidence base to address the public policy problem of how to develop a sustainable workforce in the publicly-funded disability sector based on quality jobs for care workers and flexible high-quality care. Under new social care arrangements, money for care is allocated directly to vulnerable people to purchase their own services. Cash-for-care changes the organisation of paid care work in ways that pos ....Paid work in cash-for-care: Australia in comparative perspective. The project seeks to build an evidence base to address the public policy problem of how to develop a sustainable workforce in the publicly-funded disability sector based on quality jobs for care workers and flexible high-quality care. Under new social care arrangements, money for care is allocated directly to vulnerable people to purchase their own services. Cash-for-care changes the organisation of paid care work in ways that pose significant risks for workers and for the development of sustainable social care workforces. This project intends to examine outcomes for care workers under cash-for-care and to identify regulatory strategies for creating quality work for paid care workers in flexible, high-quality care systems.Read moreRead less
Taking Time: Work-family time pressure, time quality and healthy activities. Australian families report very high time stress. This project explores links between parental time pressure, health and wellbeing, innovatively capturing individual, family and social perspectives. Using new measures, it analyses time diary data from ten countries to discover how amount, composition and gender share of work-family time affect parents' time quality and healthy activities across different societal contex ....Taking Time: Work-family time pressure, time quality and healthy activities. Australian families report very high time stress. This project explores links between parental time pressure, health and wellbeing, innovatively capturing individual, family and social perspectives. Using new measures, it analyses time diary data from ten countries to discover how amount, composition and gender share of work-family time affect parents' time quality and healthy activities across different societal contexts. It also examines whether there are differences in outcomes by socio-economic status and family structure, in Australia and cross-nationally. The results are expected to inform policy, to promote health and wellbeing, and to encourage sustainable employment-childcare practices.Read moreRead less