Enhancing wellbeing over the family life course. This project aims to investigate the impact of family life transitions, such as relationship formation and dissolution or births, on wellbeing over the life course. It will do this by analysing data following people over time and will provide information about the negative and positive effects of family transitions for wellbeing, track changes in wellbeing before, during and after transitions, and highlight the intersections of the family life cou ....Enhancing wellbeing over the family life course. This project aims to investigate the impact of family life transitions, such as relationship formation and dissolution or births, on wellbeing over the life course. It will do this by analysing data following people over time and will provide information about the negative and positive effects of family transitions for wellbeing, track changes in wellbeing before, during and after transitions, and highlight the intersections of the family life course with gender, age and socioeconomic status. This will considerably enhance understandings of wellbeing over the family life course, providing insights for targeted policies and interventions to improve health and wellbeing.Read moreRead less
Living Alone in Australia Project (LAAP). This study investigates one aspect of the changing nature of Australia's social fabric. It asks whether the sharp rise in living alone reflects a breakdown in Australia's social fabric or simply marks a change in the way in which the fabric is woven. Living alone has important implications for social policy, service provision and housing. But before these implications are identified we need a much better understanding of who lives alone and what living ....Living Alone in Australia Project (LAAP). This study investigates one aspect of the changing nature of Australia's social fabric. It asks whether the sharp rise in living alone reflects a breakdown in Australia's social fabric or simply marks a change in the way in which the fabric is woven. Living alone has important implications for social policy, service provision and housing. But before these implications are identified we need a much better understanding of who lives alone and what living alone means for people in terms of their social ties. By understanding the causes and consequences of the increasing popularity of living alone the study will help identify those who are at ?risk? and thus assist with effective targeting of supports and interventions.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
Impact of parents' employment on children's well-being: The influence of employment quality, time and activities with children, and parenting practices. Most Australian children now grow-up in families where both their mother and their father are employed. Using a new national dataset, this research examines how parents' working conditions are related to children's well-being. It is proposed that parents' availability, resources, and family functioning mediate between parental employment and chi ....Impact of parents' employment on children's well-being: The influence of employment quality, time and activities with children, and parenting practices. Most Australian children now grow-up in families where both their mother and their father are employed. Using a new national dataset, this research examines how parents' working conditions are related to children's well-being. It is proposed that parents' availability, resources, and family functioning mediate between parental employment and child outcomes. The Growing-Up in Australia study (available in 2005) surveys 10,000 children, combining measures of child well-being, existing validated measures of work conditions and family functioning, with a new child-focused diary that measures time and activities undertaken with children. New knowledge generated will inform future policy development.Read moreRead less
Job quality and the mental health and well-being of working parents and their children. Maximizing workforce participation is a national priority, essential to support an ageing population. Also critical is the full development of children's capabilities; part of a healthy start to life. Jobs, parents, children and family life lie at the centre of these priorities. Although employment supports families financially, this may come at a cost if aspects of the job affect parent well-being, or strain ....Job quality and the mental health and well-being of working parents and their children. Maximizing workforce participation is a national priority, essential to support an ageing population. Also critical is the full development of children's capabilities; part of a healthy start to life. Jobs, parents, children and family life lie at the centre of these priorities. Although employment supports families financially, this may come at a cost if aspects of the job affect parent well-being, or strains family relationships, which are critical to children's development and well-being. As well as informing industrial relations changes, this project will benefit the twin economic and social policy goals of workforce participation while at the same time supporting the health and well-being of parents and their children.Read moreRead less
Young injecting drug users, embodied identities and social worlds: an ethnographic study. This research explores the social experience of young injecting drug users, mapping processes of initiation, the hidden drug experience, and modes of maturing out of drug use. It analyses and compares the trajectories of young drug users in both rural and urban contexts, focusing on the experience of embodied selfhood, social worlds and identities, exploring injecting use as a medium of relationship with t ....Young injecting drug users, embodied identities and social worlds: an ethnographic study. This research explores the social experience of young injecting drug users, mapping processes of initiation, the hidden drug experience, and modes of maturing out of drug use. It analyses and compares the trajectories of young drug users in both rural and urban contexts, focusing on the experience of embodied selfhood, social worlds and identities, exploring injecting use as a medium of relationship with the self and the other, and mapping social networks and cultures of risk. It will develop key implications for national and local drug policy in three critical areas: prevention, harm minimisation and withdrawal.Read moreRead less
Young people negotiating risk and opportunity: A reassessment of transition pathways. The research will make a direct contribution to the development of more integrated policies that impact on young people across the domains of education, youth affairs, health and community. The depth and breadth of the analysis addresses the need for evidence-based policy to change chronic patterns of inequality in young people's transitions during their post-school years, broadening the focus from study and em ....Young people negotiating risk and opportunity: A reassessment of transition pathways. The research will make a direct contribution to the development of more integrated policies that impact on young people across the domains of education, youth affairs, health and community. The depth and breadth of the analysis addresses the need for evidence-based policy to change chronic patterns of inequality in young people's transitions during their post-school years, broadening the focus from study and employment to include health and wellbeing. It relates directly to strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric .Read moreRead less
Learning to make it work: education, work and wellbeing in young adulthood. The project plans to analyse young adults’ transitions from education to work from ages 27 to 31 (2016–20). This period is crucial for economic and social integration, however unemployment and insecure work are increasing, creating challenges. The longitudinal design includes a cross-generational analysis with a cohort of young Australians who were 27 in 2001 and 31 in 2005, to analyse changes in economic and social inte ....Learning to make it work: education, work and wellbeing in young adulthood. The project plans to analyse young adults’ transitions from education to work from ages 27 to 31 (2016–20). This period is crucial for economic and social integration, however unemployment and insecure work are increasing, creating challenges. The longitudinal design includes a cross-generational analysis with a cohort of young Australians who were 27 in 2001 and 31 in 2005, to analyse changes in economic and social integration since the global financial crisis. It plans to extend current policy frameworks of youth transitions to explore the relationship between education, work and wellbeing, and contribute new knowledge about changing forms of vulnerability and the factors that support integration and resilience for young adults. Expected project outcomes are an evidence base about the resources that enable young adults to maximise their social and economic participation in society.Read moreRead less
Towards improved communication for medication safety: addressing the complexities of managing medications in hospitalised children. This study considers how health professionals, children and family members communicate about the management of medications in hospital. Comprehensive insights into the complexities involving communication processes will inform policies and programs directed at promoting and maintaining optimal management of medications in hospitalised children.
The Wellbeing of Communities: Cultural Activities, Social Health and Community Sustainability. This project will examine the full impact of cultural activities such as arts events, festivals and commemorations on the sustainability of communities. Most contemporary evaluation of community activities tends to assess single events out of context. By contrast, this project will comparatively examine specific communities in depth, and across multiple activities. The project will generate a broad emp ....The Wellbeing of Communities: Cultural Activities, Social Health and Community Sustainability. This project will examine the full impact of cultural activities such as arts events, festivals and commemorations on the sustainability of communities. Most contemporary evaluation of community activities tends to assess single events out of context. By contrast, this project will comparatively examine specific communities in depth, and across multiple activities. The project will generate a broad empirical foundation, hitherto unavailable, for developing an analytical understanding of the relationship between community building and individual wellbeing. It will develop a model for understanding the real effects of cultural practices, enabling governments and funding bodies to assess how best to support communities.Read moreRead less