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
The production, use and effect of social work research. This project aims to reform social work research to improve the quality and effectiveness of human services. The human services industry is vital to many people’s quality of life, but lacks innovation and struggles to demonstrate its effectiveness. Crucially for social work, research expands thinking about how to respond to social disadvantage. This project intends to examine the scope and quality of Australian social work research in child ....The production, use and effect of social work research. This project aims to reform social work research to improve the quality and effectiveness of human services. The human services industry is vital to many people’s quality of life, but lacks innovation and struggles to demonstrate its effectiveness. Crucially for social work, research expands thinking about how to respond to social disadvantage. This project intends to examine the scope and quality of Australian social work research in child protection, disability services, and aged care; assess the use of this research to the human services sector and its effect on generating innovation; and develop strategies to advance the production, uptake, and effect of social work research.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101177
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$456,607.00
Summary
Beyond Inclusion: Belonging and Racial dignity for Africans in Australia . This project aims to investigate why Black Africans in Australia experience significant challenges of integration in comparison to other migrant groups. This issue of national concern, exacerbated by ongoing negative public and media discourse, has prompted calls for deportations of community members due to failed integration. Applying a unique and innovative Afrocentric methodology, this project expects to generate a ne ....Beyond Inclusion: Belonging and Racial dignity for Africans in Australia . This project aims to investigate why Black Africans in Australia experience significant challenges of integration in comparison to other migrant groups. This issue of national concern, exacerbated by ongoing negative public and media discourse, has prompted calls for deportations of community members due to failed integration. Applying a unique and innovative Afrocentric methodology, this project expects to generate a new understanding of racial dignity as key to belonging for Black Africans in Australia. By linking racial dignity as core to integration and belonging, the project should expand cross-cultural understandings that may inform culturally appropriate practice approaches with members of this community. Read moreRead less
Enhancing outcomes for young people in out-of-home care who self-place. This project aims to enhance the safety and well-being of young people in out-of-home care who leave formal placements to stay in unapproved locations. The significance lies in the development of new knowledge with this group of young people about their needs and of factors shaping effective responses to them. Expected outcomes include the generation of policies and practices to reduce the drivers of young people leaving a ....Enhancing outcomes for young people in out-of-home care who self-place. This project aims to enhance the safety and well-being of young people in out-of-home care who leave formal placements to stay in unapproved locations. The significance lies in the development of new knowledge with this group of young people about their needs and of factors shaping effective responses to them. Expected outcomes include the generation of policies and practices to reduce the drivers of young people leaving approved placements and to address the support and protective needs of young people when staying in unapproved locations. The benefits include improved social and economic inclusion of young people in out-of-home care and reduced socio-economic burdens on health and justice systems associated with placement breakdown. Read moreRead less
Fostering lifelong connections for children in permanent care. The out-of-home care sector in Australia is undergoing transformation to ensure children who cannot be restored to birth families exit care to permanent families. New South Wales is leading the way on these reforms. The emerging Australian policy model, permanency with lifelong connection to birth families, is distinctly different from the policy models in similar Western nations. While the Australian policy goal is clear, practices ....Fostering lifelong connections for children in permanent care. The out-of-home care sector in Australia is undergoing transformation to ensure children who cannot be restored to birth families exit care to permanent families. New South Wales is leading the way on these reforms. The emerging Australian policy model, permanency with lifelong connection to birth families, is distinctly different from the policy models in similar Western nations. While the Australian policy goal is clear, practices for achieving this goal are under-developed. This action research project will engage the New South Wales out-of-home care sector to design and trial relationship-building practices that promote positive relationships between children and their birth families.Read moreRead less
Optimal Fundraising Design in a Competitive Market: A Unifying Framework. Increased competition from over 57,000 registered charities and a recent 6% decrease in individual donations, have increased the need for charities to improve their fundraising strategies. This project aims to develop a comprehensive framework – based on theories from marketing, psychology, economics, sociology, and philanthropy— and develop novel methodologies to determine effective charitable fundraising strategies in ....Optimal Fundraising Design in a Competitive Market: A Unifying Framework. Increased competition from over 57,000 registered charities and a recent 6% decrease in individual donations, have increased the need for charities to improve their fundraising strategies. This project aims to develop a comprehensive framework – based on theories from marketing, psychology, economics, sociology, and philanthropy— and develop novel methodologies to determine effective charitable fundraising strategies in a competitive marketplace. Key outcomes will include the theoretical model, and tests using conjoint choice-experiments, controlled field experiments and 10 years of giving data from 4 million Australian donors. These outcomes will enhance fundraising practice, ensuring charities can better serve the Australian public.Read moreRead less
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: DE220100903
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$451,885.00
Summary
Charitable triad: How donors, beneficiaries, & fundraisers influence giving. This project aims to test a new model of charitable giving to examine how donors, beneficiaries, and fundraisers together influence donor decisions. Until now, no holistic model has existed to explain donor behaviour: past research has focused on donors but neglected beneficiaries and fundraisers. This project is expected to provide evidence for a new bedrock theory of philanthropy. Findings can also inform practitioner ....Charitable triad: How donors, beneficiaries, & fundraisers influence giving. This project aims to test a new model of charitable giving to examine how donors, beneficiaries, and fundraisers together influence donor decisions. Until now, no holistic model has existed to explain donor behaviour: past research has focused on donors but neglected beneficiaries and fundraisers. This project is expected to provide evidence for a new bedrock theory of philanthropy. Findings can also inform practitioner toolkits, offering advice to nonprofits on how to raise money effectively by understanding how the particular organisation and its beneficiaries can influence donor decisions. By helping ensure the survival of charities, this research will contribute to the delivery of essential social services that benefit many Australians.Read moreRead less
Activating social connection to address isolation in Australia. Surveys of wellbeing repeatedly emphasise social isolation, but there is a gap in positive approaches that can be used to grow connection. This research aims to design an approach to activate social connection for people and communities. Using a pre-tested evidence-based framework, experiences of vulnerable cohorts, and affordances of ways to connect on and offline, this project takes a strengths focus to develop a joined-up place-b ....Activating social connection to address isolation in Australia. Surveys of wellbeing repeatedly emphasise social isolation, but there is a gap in positive approaches that can be used to grow connection. This research aims to design an approach to activate social connection for people and communities. Using a pre-tested evidence-based framework, experiences of vulnerable cohorts, and affordances of ways to connect on and offline, this project takes a strengths focus to develop a joined-up place-based strategy. Expected outcomes include world-first practical tools and guidance for local social connection activation and new knowledge about how interwoven on/offline services assist social connection. Increasing social connection is expected to improve individuals’ mental wellbeing and community resilience.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