The Costs of Foster Care in Australia. The aim of the study is to determine adequate and appropriate levels of reimbursement for carers by undertaking empirical research on the economic and social costs associated with fostering. For the first time in Australia the indirect costs to carers will be examined and a model developed for reimbursing foster carers similar to other paid carers in the community. In collaboration with the Industry Partner it will explore the feasibility of using budget st ....The Costs of Foster Care in Australia. The aim of the study is to determine adequate and appropriate levels of reimbursement for carers by undertaking empirical research on the economic and social costs associated with fostering. For the first time in Australia the indirect costs to carers will be examined and a model developed for reimbursing foster carers similar to other paid carers in the community. In collaboration with the Industry Partner it will explore the feasibility of using budget standards methodology to estimate the direct costs of care of children by refining and adapting budgets to reflect costs specific to different types of foster care.Read moreRead less
Advocacy in the age of compacts: Strengthening the policy development dimension of partnership agreements between government and community organisations. The proposed research will be the first attempt to evaluate the roll-out of compacts in Australia. In order to ensure that the new compacts continue to be responsive to the needs of both government and community organisations it is crucial that their early operation be evaluated and the findings used to create ongoing mechanisms for monitoring, ....Advocacy in the age of compacts: Strengthening the policy development dimension of partnership agreements between government and community organisations. The proposed research will be the first attempt to evaluate the roll-out of compacts in Australia. In order to ensure that the new compacts continue to be responsive to the needs of both government and community organisations it is crucial that their early operation be evaluated and the findings used to create ongoing mechanisms for monitoring, outcome evaluation, and skill-building. The proposed project will assist Austraian governments to identify performance indicators for outcomes in the context of the compacts, particularly those that lead to the effective contribution of community organisations in policy development.Read moreRead less
The role of community connectedness in retaining skilled migrant women in Australia. Australia faces a severe skills shortage in areas central to its social fabric and that are traditionally dominated by women: nursing, childcare and teaching. While we are successful in attracting skilled migrants to fill these gaps, one third choose to leave Australia within 5 years. This is a very unfavourable outcome in view of the continuing skills shortage and the unrecoverable costs associated with attract ....The role of community connectedness in retaining skilled migrant women in Australia. Australia faces a severe skills shortage in areas central to its social fabric and that are traditionally dominated by women: nursing, childcare and teaching. While we are successful in attracting skilled migrants to fill these gaps, one third choose to leave Australia within 5 years. This is a very unfavourable outcome in view of the continuing skills shortage and the unrecoverable costs associated with attracting skilled migrants. The project will gain insight into factors that influence the retention rates of skilled female migrants and, in doing so, enable government agencies to develop targeted retention measures.Read moreRead less
Social Capital and Sustainable Development: An International Study. A collaborative international study of social capital and sustainability in local communities will address the following objectives: 1. to characterize the properties of networks that generate social capital and of network formation; and 2. to analyze the mechanisms by which social capital contributes to sustainable development. The project will involve intensive comparative case studies of five communities, three in Canada and ....Social Capital and Sustainable Development: An International Study. A collaborative international study of social capital and sustainability in local communities will address the following objectives: 1. to characterize the properties of networks that generate social capital and of network formation; and 2. to analyze the mechanisms by which social capital contributes to sustainable development. The project will involve intensive comparative case studies of five communities, three in Canada and two in Australia. Within each case community, an intensive qualitative and quantitative analysis will be conducted of the theorized mechanisms for the development of social capital and its mobilization for reconciliation of the ecological, economic and social imperatives required for sustainable development.
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An investigation into the contribution of the national adult education system to the post-conflict reconstruction and development of East Timor. This project will improve our understanding of the society and culture of our closest neighbour, East Timor, and of the dynamics of aid and development in our region. The Australian adult education community will learn to interact more effectively with the development process in Timor, as we pilot an approach which may be applicable in other communities ....An investigation into the contribution of the national adult education system to the post-conflict reconstruction and development of East Timor. This project will improve our understanding of the society and culture of our closest neighbour, East Timor, and of the dynamics of aid and development in our region. The Australian adult education community will learn to interact more effectively with the development process in Timor, as we pilot an approach which may be applicable in other communities, particularly ones with histories of conflict and where poverty is a major issue. Funding agencies will benefit from understanding better how to target adult education aid to achieve poverty reduction and democratic development. The project will strengthen the capacity of the government of East Timor to use adult education policy to raise living standards in their country.Read moreRead less
The costs of youth homelessness in Australia. This three-year research project will provide a detailed picture of the cost of youth homelessness in Australia, the use of services by young homeless people and the costs and benefits of providing support services to young homeless people. The study will extend the evidence base on the cost-effectiveness of programs attempting to alleviate youth homelessness, and enable Australian governments, community groups and agencies involved in the provision ....The costs of youth homelessness in Australia. This three-year research project will provide a detailed picture of the cost of youth homelessness in Australia, the use of services by young homeless people and the costs and benefits of providing support services to young homeless people. The study will extend the evidence base on the cost-effectiveness of programs attempting to alleviate youth homelessness, and enable Australian governments, community groups and agencies involved in the provision of support services to homeless youth to understand better the pathways followed by young homeless people and the impact of service provision on the lives of young homeless people.Read moreRead less
Negotiating caring and employment - the impact on carers' wellbeing. Work and caring compete for carers? time. Little is known about the difficulties of combining work with the care of adults or children with disabilities. Between 40 and 60 percent of Australian carers combine employment with caring responsibilities. The project proposes to adopt a life-course perspective to study the effect of caring on income security, social participation and the health of employed carers. It makes innovative ....Negotiating caring and employment - the impact on carers' wellbeing. Work and caring compete for carers? time. Little is known about the difficulties of combining work with the care of adults or children with disabilities. Between 40 and 60 percent of Australian carers combine employment with caring responsibilities. The project proposes to adopt a life-course perspective to study the effect of caring on income security, social participation and the health of employed carers. It makes innovative use of existing data sources, including new longitudinal survey data, supported by a specially designed program of qualitative research to study key transitions, possible workplace solutions and the effective provision of human services.Read moreRead less
The role of a national human rights inquiry: impact on attitudes, research, policy and community development. This project will investigate the social impact of a Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Inquiry in Australia: The Inquiry into Remote and Rural Education. It will seek to identify the processes and mechanisms through which such inquiries mediate between rural, state, national and international community expectations and demands and the extent to which they contribute to social ....The role of a national human rights inquiry: impact on attitudes, research, policy and community development. This project will investigate the social impact of a Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Inquiry in Australia: The Inquiry into Remote and Rural Education. It will seek to identify the processes and mechanisms through which such inquiries mediate between rural, state, national and international community expectations and demands and the extent to which they contribute to social change. This is an innovative project that is attempting for the first time to evaluate whether and how such inquiries have been able to influence subsequent research in the area and contribute to changes in policy at national, state and local levels.Read moreRead less
Inclusion of young children with disabilities in mainstream early childhood services. The aim of this APAI doctoral project is to investigage the barriers to, and factors which facilitate effective inclusion of young children with disabilities in mainstream early childhood services in the Australian funding, policy and practice context. The proposed project combines quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the process and outcomes of inclusion in long day care, preschool and family day ca ....Inclusion of young children with disabilities in mainstream early childhood services. The aim of this APAI doctoral project is to investigage the barriers to, and factors which facilitate effective inclusion of young children with disabilities in mainstream early childhood services in the Australian funding, policy and practice context. The proposed project combines quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the process and outcomes of inclusion in long day care, preschool and family day care. The findings will inform policy and practice by enabling early childhood agencies to be more responsive and to better tailor their services to individual child and family needs.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354698
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$40,000.00
Summary
Future Generation: New Knowledge for Better Outcomes for Children and Young People. Australia is a prosperous country, yet over recent decades many indices of the health and wellbeing of children and young people have deteriorated. Reasons for this are not well understood, and the nation is poorly equipped to devise effective, sustainable responses. Our vision is to create new ways of thinking and acting through new collaborations across disciplines, sectors and levels of government, with non-re ....Future Generation: New Knowledge for Better Outcomes for Children and Young People. Australia is a prosperous country, yet over recent decades many indices of the health and wellbeing of children and young people have deteriorated. Reasons for this are not well understood, and the nation is poorly equipped to devise effective, sustainable responses. Our vision is to create new ways of thinking and acting through new collaborations across disciplines, sectors and levels of government, with non-research communities of interest as full partners. The aim is to generate and apply new concepts and forms of knowledge, undergirded by comprehensive, better integrated data. Expected outcomes are enriched life chances for children and young people.Read moreRead less