The neglected dimension of community liveability: Impact on social connectedness and active ageing. Quality of life and well being are essential to maintaining a healthy and socially-engaged population. This project takes an innovative trans-disciplinary approach in addressing the national research priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and the associated goal, Ageing well, ageing productively through research that identifies the attributes of communities that foster or inhibit social ....The neglected dimension of community liveability: Impact on social connectedness and active ageing. Quality of life and well being are essential to maintaining a healthy and socially-engaged population. This project takes an innovative trans-disciplinary approach in addressing the national research priority of Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and the associated goal, Ageing well, ageing productively through research that identifies the attributes of communities that foster or inhibit social engagement. The outcomes of the project will inform policy makers, planners and service deliver organisations about ways to identify, improve or maintain safe housing, transport and community environments for the benefit of all Australians.Read moreRead less
Mapping the effect of social enterprise on regional city disadvantage. This project aims to explore how social enterprises affect wellbeing and community capacity in disadvantaged areas of regional cities. Governments increasingly invest in social enterprise to benefit individuals and places. This project will use a spatial methodology to map where and how benefits are realised. To date, robust evidence about how social enterprise affects disadvantage is lacking, partly due to inadequate researc ....Mapping the effect of social enterprise on regional city disadvantage. This project aims to explore how social enterprises affect wellbeing and community capacity in disadvantaged areas of regional cities. Governments increasingly invest in social enterprise to benefit individuals and places. This project will use a spatial methodology to map where and how benefits are realised. To date, robust evidence about how social enterprise affects disadvantage is lacking, partly due to inadequate research methodology. This project expects to provide web-based design tools and applications to assist regional city communities and councils in the development of social enterprises that can help disadvantaged people and places.Read moreRead less
Measuring and mapping the experience of racism in Australia. This is the first empirical assessment of the circumstances and frequency of the experience of racism in Australia. A telephone survey, 12000 respondents, and fieldwork in ten localities, are the major method. Spatial and social variations in the experience of racism will be analysed. Social construction theory will be tested as an explanation of such variations. Regional anti-racism packages will be developed and tested in the field. ....Measuring and mapping the experience of racism in Australia. This is the first empirical assessment of the circumstances and frequency of the experience of racism in Australia. A telephone survey, 12000 respondents, and fieldwork in ten localities, are the major method. Spatial and social variations in the experience of racism will be analysed. Social construction theory will be tested as an explanation of such variations. Regional anti-racism packages will be developed and tested in the field. Decision-support tools for local authorities and communities to combat racism will be provided. A unique racism database will underpin a scholarly monograph, doctoral dissertation and a series of refereed articles.Read moreRead less
Comparing racism in Australian and Canada. Surveys of racist attitudes in Australia and Canada present a unique opportunity for comparative analysis. This project will demonstrate the central influence of place and context to attitudes to and experiences of racism. International comparative assessments of racism are rare. Comparable key concepts will be agreed, e.g.: attitudes towards cultural diversity and national identity; extent and experience of racism; multicultural policies. Overall findi ....Comparing racism in Australian and Canada. Surveys of racist attitudes in Australia and Canada present a unique opportunity for comparative analysis. This project will demonstrate the central influence of place and context to attitudes to and experiences of racism. International comparative assessments of racism are rare. Comparable key concepts will be agreed, e.g.: attitudes towards cultural diversity and national identity; extent and experience of racism; multicultural policies. Overall findings and spatial variations will be compared, aiming at publication in international journals. It will strengthen a significant relationship between geographers in Sydney and Vancouver. International recognition of the Sydney-based research cluster on racism will be enhanced.Read moreRead less
Finding the pathways to crime prevention for socially disadvantaged communities: theory, evidence and practice. Long-term scientific evaluations of interventions that 'get in early' before crime problems emerge or become entrenched have consistently shown that such approaches work. However, governments and community agencies struggle to use this evidence to mount effective programs in areas of concentrated disadvantage because the evidence comes in the form of 'program packages' rather than mode ....Finding the pathways to crime prevention for socially disadvantaged communities: theory, evidence and practice. Long-term scientific evaluations of interventions that 'get in early' before crime problems emerge or become entrenched have consistently shown that such approaches work. However, governments and community agencies struggle to use this evidence to mount effective programs in areas of concentrated disadvantage because the evidence comes in the form of 'program packages' rather than models of practice that take account of local contexts and the challenges involved in achieving effective and sustainable engagement with local people and institutions. This project will show how models of effective crime prevention practice for disadvantaged communities can be developed, tested and implemented on a large scale in an economically efficient way.Read moreRead less
Care Matters: Capturing Outcomes for Children in Foster Care. The issue of child protection is high on the national agenda. Research on outcomes of children placed in protective care has considerable potential to yield important national benefit given that failures in this system result in social breakdown and emotional and financial cost. The ability of children and young people in care to form subsequent interpersonal relationships and achieve healthy developmental outcomes is important to soc ....Care Matters: Capturing Outcomes for Children in Foster Care. The issue of child protection is high on the national agenda. Research on outcomes of children placed in protective care has considerable potential to yield important national benefit given that failures in this system result in social breakdown and emotional and financial cost. The ability of children and young people in care to form subsequent interpersonal relationships and achieve healthy developmental outcomes is important to social stability in Australian Society and elsewhere. Major outcomes of the research will be the advancement of the scientific knowledge base on the dynamics of children's experience of reattachment with new families and the factors that promote or inhibit resilient outcomes for children.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101257
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$432,573.00
Summary
Understanding how community characteristics shape suicidal behaviour. This project aims to fill a critical knowledge gap in our understanding of the social determinants that give rise to suicide in Australian communities. Using an innovative, theory-driven approach, this project is expected to establish new insights into what, and how, social and economic inequalities create variation in suicide risk, and illuminate new opportunities for intervention and monitoring. Expected outcomes include evi ....Understanding how community characteristics shape suicidal behaviour. This project aims to fill a critical knowledge gap in our understanding of the social determinants that give rise to suicide in Australian communities. Using an innovative, theory-driven approach, this project is expected to establish new insights into what, and how, social and economic inequalities create variation in suicide risk, and illuminate new opportunities for intervention and monitoring. Expected outcomes include evidence-based policy recommendations for the actions that are likely to be most effective in reducing suicide risk at the population-level. This new knowledge should provide significant benefits in shaping the development of national suicide prevention responses to reduce social and economic disadvantage into the future.Read moreRead less
The Extent and Cost of Kinship Foster Care of Orphans in Rural China. This project will explore the extent of kinship foster care provided to orphaned children in rural China. It will also, for the first time, estimate the costs of kinship care, by modifying Australian budget standards research to suit conditions in rural China. The project will combine a strong research team with a leading international non-government agency working in China and will draw on support from government officials fr ....The Extent and Cost of Kinship Foster Care of Orphans in Rural China. This project will explore the extent of kinship foster care provided to orphaned children in rural China. It will also, for the first time, estimate the costs of kinship care, by modifying Australian budget standards research to suit conditions in rural China. The project will combine a strong research team with a leading international non-government agency working in China and will draw on support from government officials from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The results will be used to estimate child poverty among the target group and will provide a knowledge base for future research in the area.Read moreRead less
Transition to adulthood of young people with disabilities from state care in China. The project has implications for the national priority of safeguarding Australia through supporting the government strategy of engaging in our region. Disability is an AusAid priority in the Asia Pacific. The project demonstrates Australia's commitment to using our research and policy to improve social inclusion in China and to generalise to other developing countries. It contributes to developing Australian soci ....Transition to adulthood of young people with disabilities from state care in China. The project has implications for the national priority of safeguarding Australia through supporting the government strategy of engaging in our region. Disability is an AusAid priority in the Asia Pacific. The project demonstrates Australia's commitment to using our research and policy to improve social inclusion in China and to generalise to other developing countries. It contributes to developing Australian social policy, research and training in a way that is relevant to child and disability state care practices in Australia and China. The project facilitates future connections between researchers and policy officials in Australia and China, the Chinese Social Welfare Centre and the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs.Read moreRead less
An examination of issues around the support and supervision of Kinship Carers, with a particular focus on NSW. This project will be the first in-depth exploration of issues around provisions of support for and supervision of, kinship carers. The exploration will include an analysis of paradigms influencing child welfare provisions. It will also include a study of characteristics and experiences of formal kinship carers, informal kinship carers and foster carers in NSW. The findings of this stu ....An examination of issues around the support and supervision of Kinship Carers, with a particular focus on NSW. This project will be the first in-depth exploration of issues around provisions of support for and supervision of, kinship carers. The exploration will include an analysis of paradigms influencing child welfare provisions. It will also include a study of characteristics and experiences of formal kinship carers, informal kinship carers and foster carers in NSW. The findings of this study will be examined in the context of the paradigm analysis. The findings will contribute to knowledge for policy development on kinship care generally, and in particular, enable ACWA to contribute to the development of kinship care policy in NSW.Read moreRead less