Breaking the cycle of intergenerational child maltreatment using 'big data'. This project aims to provide the first comprehensive investigation of inter-generational child maltreatment using over 50 years of linked data for a population cohort of children and their parents in New South Wales. The project will generate new knowledge about the prevalence and characteristics of families in which child maltreatment is initiated, maintained across generations, or in which the trauma cycle is broken, ....Breaking the cycle of intergenerational child maltreatment using 'big data'. This project aims to provide the first comprehensive investigation of inter-generational child maltreatment using over 50 years of linked data for a population cohort of children and their parents in New South Wales. The project will generate new knowledge about the prevalence and characteristics of families in which child maltreatment is initiated, maintained across generations, or in which the trauma cycle is broken, using innovative statistical techniques. Expected outcomes include new knowledge of the true prevalence of inter-generational family trauma that can only be known from combining inter-agency data, and enhanced capacity to identify cross-agency levers in an effort to break the cycle of inter-generational disadvantage.Read moreRead less
A home-centred approach to support children and young people in state care. This project aims to determine how conceptions of home can enhance an understanding of and responsiveness to young people’s needs in state care. It expects to generate novel data on home for young people in state care and for the first time develop a home-centred approach to supporting young people across multiple care contexts. Expected outcomes include developing and evaluating home-centred care principles, practice gu ....A home-centred approach to support children and young people in state care. This project aims to determine how conceptions of home can enhance an understanding of and responsiveness to young people’s needs in state care. It expects to generate novel data on home for young people in state care and for the first time develop a home-centred approach to supporting young people across multiple care contexts. Expected outcomes include developing and evaluating home-centred care principles, practice guidelines and an online training module. These should provide benefits including better experiences and placement stability for young people, effective training for carers and evidence-informed strategies guiding the work of service providers and governments, with the potential to improve young people's life chances. Read moreRead less
Families at the centre: negotiating Australia's mixed market in early education and care. Despite a surge of policy reforms and Australian government investment in early childhood education and care (ECEC), little is known in Australia about how local ECEC markets function and how low-income families make decisions about the use or non-use of child care services. This project will provide evidence for policy-making and service provision that aims to encourage child care use by low-income familie ....Families at the centre: negotiating Australia's mixed market in early education and care. Despite a surge of policy reforms and Australian government investment in early childhood education and care (ECEC), little is known in Australia about how local ECEC markets function and how low-income families make decisions about the use or non-use of child care services. This project will provide evidence for policy-making and service provision that aims to encourage child care use by low-income families. The direct involvement of child care providers in the research will strengthen its relevance and impact. This research will place Australia at the forefront of international research on local child care markets, and resulting improvements in ECEC policy and services will generate substantial economic and social benefits.Read moreRead less
Farming 4 Care: Using nature to cultivate resilience in young people. This project aims to explore how passive and active engagement with nature might influence outcomes for young people who have experienced trauma, maltreatment and disrupted families. These people are extremely vulnerable, but often slip through the system. As they rarely engage in traditional therapy, non-traditional interventions may offer a viable alternative that should be explored and harnessed for this population. In addi ....Farming 4 Care: Using nature to cultivate resilience in young people. This project aims to explore how passive and active engagement with nature might influence outcomes for young people who have experienced trauma, maltreatment and disrupted families. These people are extremely vulnerable, but often slip through the system. As they rarely engage in traditional therapy, non-traditional interventions may offer a viable alternative that should be explored and harnessed for this population. In addition, traditional interventions are delivered at enormous cost and with minimal success for this group. Using an innovative multidisciplinary design, the project plans to test four hypotheses about nature engagement to contribute to the growing field of nature-based interventions. Our approach offers an alternative that draws on existing community resources and benefits local organisations, young people and farmers.Read moreRead less
DIsrupting Child Exploitation - the DICE project. Child sexual exploitation is an insidious social problem which impacts the most vulnerable children and young people in Australia. The DICE project (Disrupting Child Sexual Exploitation) aims to develop a multi-agency response which pivots the focus of intervention to the sexual exploitation predators who target vulnerable young people in statutory care. Previous interventions have prioritised protecting (and controlling) the young people, with l ....DIsrupting Child Exploitation - the DICE project. Child sexual exploitation is an insidious social problem which impacts the most vulnerable children and young people in Australia. The DICE project (Disrupting Child Sexual Exploitation) aims to develop a multi-agency response which pivots the focus of intervention to the sexual exploitation predators who target vulnerable young people in statutory care. Previous interventions have prioritised protecting (and controlling) the young people, with limited success. Through a trauma informed approach which supports young people, combined with disruptive police strategies targeting perpetrators, and co-ordinated multiagency working, it is anticipated that there will be measurable changes to the protection of vulnerable young people. Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102003
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
More foster carers for children in need: understanding heterogeneity among Australian foster carers to increase recruitment and placement success. This project improves the ability of foster care organisations to attract the particular types of carers best suited to the children needing homes. More suitable carers will give foster children a healthier start to life, reduce the chances of developing antisocial behaviours and increase the chances of become contributing members of society.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190100329
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$361,357.00
Summary
Adult drinking and child maltreatment in families, communities and societies. This project aims to measure how adult drinking is linked to child maltreatment within families, communities and societies. The project will use data from 20 countries, including Australia, and expects to develop new knowledge about links between adult drinking, fathering, community-level alcohol availability, societal drinking patterns and harms to children. Expected outcomes include national and cross-national policy ....Adult drinking and child maltreatment in families, communities and societies. This project aims to measure how adult drinking is linked to child maltreatment within families, communities and societies. The project will use data from 20 countries, including Australia, and expects to develop new knowledge about links between adult drinking, fathering, community-level alcohol availability, societal drinking patterns and harms to children. Expected outcomes include national and cross-national policy-relevant data and analysis that will inform prevention of alcohol-related child maltreatment and alcohol policy globally. This project should support reductions in the economic and human costs of alcohol-related child abuse and neglect for children, families and societies.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120101206
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Offending across the life-course: testing developmental and life-course theories of crime. There are many different explanations for why people start and stop offending. This project will draw on a range of Australian and international data to determine which explanations provide the most accurate description of why people engage in offending and the processes which lead offenders to stop offending.
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
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101104
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$335,700.00
Summary
Dual child protection and youth justice clients: expanding the evidence base. This project investigates the phenomenon of children who cross over from statutory child protection systems into youth justice systems. The analysis will be draw data from Children’s Court files and international policy. It expects to generate new knowledge regarding the characteristics and trajectories of crossover children, and to improve understandings of how this group differs from children only involved with child ....Dual child protection and youth justice clients: expanding the evidence base. This project investigates the phenomenon of children who cross over from statutory child protection systems into youth justice systems. The analysis will be draw data from Children’s Court files and international policy. It expects to generate new knowledge regarding the characteristics and trajectories of crossover children, and to improve understandings of how this group differs from children only involved with child protection or youth justice systems. The findings will inform novel and effective approaches to preventing and responding to the drift of children from child protection into youth justice systems which will improve social and economic outcomes for young people and the broader community.Read moreRead less