ORCID Profile
0000-0001-7645-3469
Current Organisations
Monash University
,
Monash University - Caulfield Campus
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Social Work | Counselling, Welfare and Community Services | Social Program Evaluation | Correctional Theory, Offender Treatment and Rehabilitation | Causes and Prevention of Crime
Children's/Youth Services and Childcare | Families and Family Services | Criminal Justice | Structure, Delivery and Financing of Community Services | Crime Prevention | Rehabilitation and Correctional Services |
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 06-11-2012
DOI: 10.1017/CHA.2012.38
Abstract: This article describes the experiences of four young people aged 18 to 25 years whose fathers were absent during their adolescent years. The study, located in regional Western Australia, sought to investigate how young people experience father absence, their needs and preferences in regard to any help seeking, and their evaluation of the effectiveness of supports used. Participants were found to share a combination of risk factors which were linked to negative psychosocial outcomes. Problems identified by young people included no one to talk to about problems and a lack of available services. Participants disclosed involvement in substance use, school misconduct and anti-social behaviour, and all reported early home leaving. Male and female participants reported using similar coping styles and a hierarchy of preference in help-seeking was found with friends and family preferred over counselling. Counselling was considered helpful when offered online or via drop-in services not requiring an appointment. Ethical constraints, however, were found to limit young people's participation in research.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 26-04-2021
DOI: 10.1111/CFS.12846
Abstract: Despite the widespread utilization of residential care in the Philippines, little is known about the lives and circumstances of children living within these contexts. In response, this article presents an analysis of children and young people's experiences of living in residential care, specifically focusing on their social networks, relationships and the relationship‐based practices of their caregivers. Drawing on 50 qualitative interviews with children and young people currently or previously living in residential care, as well as a range of social workers and programme staff, this study identifies the highly relational lives of children and young people who cite extensive and close relationships with residential care staff, peers and family. Analysis reveals that children conceptualize ‘family’ as embodied in their residential care programme, drawing attention to the collective support and security offered, while also detailing the role of their spirituality as an important support. Relationship‐based practices are utilized by caregivers who offer long‐term, emotionally close and stable relationships with children to support their well‐being. These findings highlight the centrality of relationship‐based interventions and the maintenance of children's relational lives as a core practice, offering insights into the development of practice in these settings.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-04-2016
DOI: 10.1080/01634372.2016.1197353
Abstract: This study investigates relationships between older prisoners' social experiences and their levels of distress. One hundred and seventy-three older prisoners (aged ≥ 50 years) from 8 Australian prisons were administered the Kessler Psychological Distress (K10) Scale, with additional information collected via in idual interviews. Psychological distress scores were significantly associated with measures of self-reported safety (p < .001), prison victimization (p < .05), perceived social support from staff (p < .01) and inmates (p < .001), current employment (p < .05), and level of exercise (p < .001) among older inmates. Findings suggest that strategies for improving sense of safety, social support and level of exercise may ameliorate distress among older prisoners.
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2017
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 21-06-2022
DOI: 10.1177/08861099221108381
Abstract: Young women in Australia experience serious risks from intimate partner violence (IPV) as a form of family violence. However, there has been a lack of attention to the impact of this on young women and, as a result, these risks are not well understood. This article critically examines existing literature, policy and research and in doing so, specifically explores the ways in which young women aged between 10 and 20 years old are represented and positioned in contemporary family violence discourses. Framed by a review of socio-political and cultural history, the paper highlights the early colonial, patriarchal foundations of Australia, which have specific implications for the challenges that contemporary young women experience in situations of IPV. With a particular emphasis on the Australian context, this article employs both an intersectional and critical feminist lens, with a key focus on the dimensions of adolescent development and youth social geographies. Focusing specifically on these dimensions, including development, gender and age, highlights the important role that feminist social work perspectives and practices can contribute to uncovering, understanding and responding to young women's experiences of intimate partner violence through policy and advocacy.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 03-2013
Abstract: Maternal imprisonment can disrupt the mother–child relationship, resulting in social, emotional and physical consequences for both mothers and their children. There are a number of programmes that seek to foster this relationship during imprisonment. However, research to date can only comment on any short term impact of these programmes. On the basis of a review of the existing research, this article argues that a much stronger evidence base is needed, particularly in relation to the longer term impact of prison programmes that support the mother–child relationship. With many mothers typically resuming their parenting responsibilities post-release, we must be clear that these programmes provide women with the foundation, knowledge and skills to support and strengthen their family relationships upon release.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-06-2022
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 20-10-2019
Abstract: In Australia, the female prisoner population is expanding, with the majority also being mothers of dependent children. Research has demonstrated that witnessing the arrest of a family member, particularly a parent, can have both an immediate and long-term impact on children’s well-being. Yet, little is known about what causes these outcomes and how children are responded to by police during the arrest process. The aim of this study is to investigate incarcerated primary carer mothers’ perspectives on their arrest circumstances, its impact on their children, and police responses to their children during the arrest process. This study draws on secondary data from 36 primary carer mothers arrested in Victoria, which were originally gathered for an Australian Research Council-funded project. Results show that in around one-half of cases children are present at their mothers’ arrest. The location and time of the arrest can mediate children’s involvement in the arrest scene. Overall, police do not respond well to these children, with discussion between police officers and the mothers about suitable care for children occurring in less than two-thirds of cases. It can be concluded that children’s needs are not fully addressed at the arrest process. More child-sensitive arrest practices are recommended.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 24-08-2022
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 12-09-2014
Abstract: In late 2009 staff from the Department of Social Work at Monash University in Australia responded to a call for expression of interest in becoming volunteers in a program sponsored by the Australian Group of Eight Universities that sought to strengthen teaching and curriculum development activities with the University of Papua New Guinea. The presenting request was for volunteers to conduct short teaching stints in Papua New Guinea. The discussion that follows considers some of the issues, challenges and opportunities involved in forging this international collaboration in social work education.
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 02-08-2022
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 27-07-2016
Abstract: The prison population in most jurisdictions is escalating. As many prisoners are also parents, more children will inevitably be affected by the experience of having a parent incarcerated. Police and the lower courts are the gatekeepers of the criminal justice system and make urgent and vital decisions about arrest, remand and sentencing which have critical consequences for the children of those arrested, remanded and sentenced. To better understand how these children are responded to by this adult system, this paper draws on data collected from a purposive s le (N = 16) of Victorian magistrates, legal representatives and police, as part of a broader ARC funded study. Findings indicate that the consideration of these children by police and magistrates is largely ad hoc and depends on good will and the exercise of discretion. The balancing of justice issues and the interests of children is also complex and currently under-researched and under-informed. The authors argue that until the agencies dealing with adults incorporate child-focused practices, children, who have a primary carer in prison, will continue to be disadvantaged by a system which considers them only as collateral damage in the exercise of justice.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 11-2013
Abstract: This exploratory study sought to investigate how a small s le of self-selected women attending hospital for a miscarriage in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy experienced the treatment they received. Six women who had a miscarriage between June 2006 and December 2007, and sought treatment at six Melbourne metropolitan hospitals, participated in semi-structured interviews during August–September 2008. Thematic analysis revealed that participants perceived hospital responses to miscarriage to be inadequate. Findings suggested that there was no consistent response, there was little compassion or acknowledgement of the miscarriage and that information provision was largely absent social workers were rarely involved. Participants indicated that they wanted a more consistent and specialized hospital response, with timely access to diagnostic testing equipment as necessary, the offer of social work, information provision and staff to be compassionate in their care and to acknowledge their pregnancy loss.
Publisher: Willan
Date: 13-05-2013
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-08-2016
DOI: 10.1111/CFS.12315
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 22-08-2022
DOI: 10.1111/CFS.12873
Abstract: Most of the research examining children visiting a parent in prison indicates that visits have a positive impact on children's well‐being, their connection to the imprisoned parent and the parent themselves. However, the COVID‐19 pandemic brought about a significant change to prison visits worldwide, with limits or bans on face‐to‐face contact. Understanding the experiences and needs of children during this period remains limited. This paper presents the findings of a survey of 84 carers of 184 children across Australia, investigating children's experiences of contact with their imprisoned parent both before and during COVID‐19 restrictions. Although most carers reported maintaining contact during restrictions, a range of difficulties were noted: reduced availability the effect of prison‐based issues, including lockdowns and the suitability of video/telephone visits for young children. Some described the benefits of videoconferencing, including reduced travel time and cost, and not needing to take children into a prison environment. Despite this, respondents typically described the negative impact of restrictions, and lack of physical contact, on children's emotional well‐being. Our findings suggest that, for video visiting to be successful, it should be complementary to in‐person visits, tailored to the needs of children, with support offered to families.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 29-03-2017
Abstract: Intergenerational offending refers to the observed phenomenon that offending tends to run in families. As small groups of families have been shown to be responsible for a considerable proportion of crime, there has been a substantial amount of effort expended in researching both the prevalence and patterns of such crime. The mechanisms by which intergenerational continuity of offending is generated, however, are not well understood. Perhaps more importantly, there is even less understanding about those factors that may prevent intergenerational offending. Given the strong focus on examining risk factors for offending, the observation that the majority of children in families where there is parental offending do not go on to become offenders themselves seems to have become lost in the discussion. This article presents a brief overview of research that aims to understand the intergenerational transmission of offending, but then goes on to argue that we need to develop our understanding of protective factors and resistance as well if we are to improve our efforts at prevention. An understanding of the internal and external resources and strategies utilized by those who resist criminal behaviour will enable researchers and policy-makers to rigorously examine and verify these, and implement relevant supportive strategies.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 13-11-2020
Abstract: Incarceration of a parent has been shown to have significant negative impacts on children’s development, with poorer educational outcomes and engagement in anti-social behaviours. However, the experiences of children who do well, despite parental incarceration, have been largely ignored in scholarly research. This study therefore sought to bring a strengths-orientation to this area, investigating the protective processes described as important by non-offending, ‘resilient’, young adults with lived experience of parental incarceration. Data from in idual semi-structured interviews conducted with five university students/graduates demonstrate the role of family support. Family-related protective processes, including positive caregiving characteristics, perceived closeness with non-incarcerated caregivers and multi-faceted family support, are the most important in helping the participants cope well and develop resilience. These findings provide important initial knowledge in this area and propose core areas for further investigation. These preliminary findings suggest that assisting families, through the provision of resources and parenting supports, would be helpful in facilitating the development of resilience for children with incarcerated parents.
Publisher: Queensland University of Technology
Date: 03-2018
Abstract: This exploratory study investigates the various factors to be considered when developing and implementing consumer participation in community-based criminal justice settings. The study uses the Victorian Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (VACRO), based in Melbourne, Australia, as its case study site as this organisation is in the process of formally introducing consumer participation. The study is informed by previous research in key areas related to criminal justice, focusing on the perspectives of various stakeholders: staff, volunteers, and consumers. A mixed method approach offered a range of opportunities for participants to engage with the research. Thematic analysis identified multi-layered issues need to be considered when implementing consumer participation. Poor in idual understanding was noted as a barrier, alongside a limited shared vision of the concept. These were seen to be influenced by practical issues such as high staff turnover and conceptual challenges, notably the existing discourse around offenders. The implications of these findings for further research on consumer participation in the criminal justice setting are explored.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 29-12-2021
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-02-2018
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-2023
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 26-09-2018
Abstract: Findings in social work research are often disseminated in a manner that excludes the subjects of that research. In the SHINE for Kids – MyLifeNow research collaboration between a social work researcher, a communication design researcher and communication design students, research findings were animated in a variety of styles for distribution by the charitable organization. SHINE for Kids is a non-profit organization that assists and advocates for children with parents in prison. Transcripts of social work interviews with the children were modified into screenplays to be animated by communication design students. The animated documentary has advantages over the expository documentary mode, including protecting the identity of the subject and creating an affective video that constitutes a dual-process model of entertainment providing for a more socially connected pleasure.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 11-04-2012
DOI: 10.1002/CAR.1206
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 28-05-2019
Abstract: With increasing student mobility to and from western host-universities, newly qualified social workers are more likely to enter the field in an unfamiliar context. To examine whether current knowledge appropriately informs education and support for a ersifying cohort of newly qualified social workers in the Australian context, a scoping review was conducted on 53 articles investigating the transition to social work practice. Research conducted over a 45-year period from a broad range of international contexts was included in the review. Findings suggest that current understandings do not reflect the needs or experiences of the present cohort of newly qualified social workers as they transition to social work practice. Rather, study s les, mostly derived from western contexts, are notably homogenous, with most participants described by researchers, as ‘white’. Additionally, there is an assumption that students transition to practice within the same context as their education. Current knowledge therefore does not capture the various ways internationally mobile, newly graduated social workers may transition to practice, or how it is experienced. Findings suggest that further examination is urgently needed on the pathways navigated to practice by erse and mobile early career social workers. Further consideration of the influences of ersity and mobility on experience is needed, using more inclusive research methods, to capture the variability and complexity of the transition to practice as the profession ersifies and mobilises.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 31-03-2016
Abstract: Australia has an established history of migration from the Middle East. In recent years, however, the emergence of international terrorism has defined those from that area as the new enemy yet we do not fully understand the impact of this on the settlement experiences of migrants from that region. Given Australia’s migration pattern is dominated by skilled migration, this exploratory study sought to investigate how a small s le of self-selected skilled migrants from the Middle East experienced job seeking and settlement in Melbourne, Australia. Seven in iduals participated in semi-structured interviews during July–August 2009. Thematic analysis revealed that participants had high, but ultimately unfulfilled, expectations for life and employment in Australia. Those immigrating with families experienced initial difficulties securing stable and suitable housing. The majority of participants struggled to find equivalent employment. This was seen to be influenced by their lack of both local qualifications and experience differing cultural expectations about behaviour in job interviews was also an issue raised as influential. These challenges, combined with lack of government support, led to social isolation, psychological vulnerability and financial hardship.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 23-09-2023
DOI: 10.1177/00208728211031974
Abstract: Despite historical and current connections between the Catholic Church and social work in the Philippines, studies investigating these connections have been limited. Using an exploratory research design, this study examined this relationship by drawing on existing documents: legislation curricula and minimum standards for social work programmes course syllabi the Code of Ethics and textbooks. Three themes emerged in the analysis, offering tentative explanations for the Church’s widespread influence: religion as embedded in Filipino life the Catholic Church and Catholic-based organisations as key partners in the delivery of social services and the intersection of Catholic teachings, social work principles and Filipino values.
Publisher: Universidad de Alicante Servicio de Publicaciones
Date: 05-11-2013
DOI: 10.14198/ALTERN2013.20.02
Abstract: The introduction of compulsory income management – sometimes called welfare quarantining – for sub-groups of income security recipients within Australia has provoked considerable contention. This paper examines the specific introduction of the Place-Based trial in the rural Victorian region of Greater Shepparton from July 2012. Utilizing key community development principles, we critically analyse processes of implementation and evaluation, and argue that placebased income management has involved a centralized top-down process. In contrast, we recommend a bottom-up approach which would allow the local community to play a key role in defining the problem, and identifying policy solutions.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2013
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 21-06-2023
DOI: 10.1177/00208728211020071
Abstract: While the environment is fundamental to humankind’s wellbeing, to date, social work has been largely focused on the social, rather than the physical, environment. To map how the broader environment is captured in the profession’s foundational documents, an exploratory sequential mixed methods study (QUAL → quan) analysed data from 64 social work codes of ethics. Findings indicate that although the environment is mentioned in the majority of these, there is a continued focus on the social, overlooking to some degree the physical, predominantly the built, environment. A more holistic understanding of the environment would enable social work to better fulfil its commitment to human rights and social justice.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 22-06-2023
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-11-2014
DOI: 10.1111/IJSW.12066
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 28-01-2014
Abstract: Maintaining mother−child contact when a parent is imprisoned is accepted as important the benefits of visiting are seen to extend beyond that relationship, to other members of the family and to the prison itself. This article discusses research findings about the extent and nature of visiting engaged in by adolescent children while their mothers were in prison, in Victoria, Australia, from the perspectives of the children and their mothers. In the current study, while findings confirm much of what is already known about barriers to prison visiting, the study extends this knowledge. Findings support the need to engage children’s views on this topic to examine the current methodologies used to measure prison visitation and to more fully understand the impact of arrest and imprisonment circumstances on arranging children’s care, including plans for visitation.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 03-07-2015
DOI: 10.1017/CHA.2015.15
Abstract: This paper reports on one aspect of data gathered in an Australian Research Council (ARC) funded project which sought to uncover how children are responded to when their parents are arrested and imprisoned. This paper presents initial specific insights into how Victorian schools understand and respond to these children. Due to the limited research previously conducted in this area of study, a flexible and exploratory approach was implemented. Data were obtained from eight Victorian education staff members, from a variety of professional domains, and were analysed using thematic analysis. Results indicate that a school's ability to respond appropriately to this group of students is shaped by the general and specific knowledge of parental imprisonment held by schools. Access to such knowledge is limited, however, by both the stigmatised nature of the problem and the current, fragmented, service system. More optimistically, it seems that when schools have greater awareness, positive responses can be implemented. Implications for this are discussed, with a particular focus on the need for clear channels of communication and collaborative work.
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 31-08-2020
Abstract: Social work is observing an increasing awareness of geographical inequity in knowledge creation and dissemination, an interest in research by scholars from the global South, and debates about the extent to which the multiple contexts of social work are recognised. This article extends understandings of these research dynamics through reviewing recent articles authored in the global South and published in the 10 largest social work journals, subjecting them to analysis across institutional affiliation, author order and research type. Findings highlight an absence of knowledge from the global South, identifying major gaps in social work theorising, research and knowledge.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 06-09-2023
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 02-08-2022
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 13-09-2014
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 02-08-2022
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 02-08-2022
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 02-08-2022
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 02-08-2022
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 2013
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 30-04-2014
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 08-02-2018
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 28-10-2023
Publisher: SensePublishers
Date: 2015
Start Date: 01-2011
End Date: 12-2014
Amount: $286,188.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityStart Date: 08-2022
End Date: 08-2025
Amount: $204,307.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity