Integrated Kids Hubs - Ensuring Equity of Access for Children. The Integrated Kids Hubs - Ensuring Equity of Access for Children project aims to determine if integrated Hubs are effective in increasing access to child and family services for disadvantaged urban and regional families with children aged 3 years and under, thus improving early identification of developmental vulnerability, parental wellbeing and capacity, and addressing unmet psychosocial needs. If these issues are not identified a ....Integrated Kids Hubs - Ensuring Equity of Access for Children. The Integrated Kids Hubs - Ensuring Equity of Access for Children project aims to determine if integrated Hubs are effective in increasing access to child and family services for disadvantaged urban and regional families with children aged 3 years and under, thus improving early identification of developmental vulnerability, parental wellbeing and capacity, and addressing unmet psychosocial needs. If these issues are not identified and addressed early, these children will go on to struggle in school and life. We will use a pragmatic trial design (meaning the research is embedded in our usual practice), determine the social return on investment, and establish what is needed to scale up the Hubs across NSW and Australia.Read moreRead less
The impact of gambling advertising, promotions, and sponsorship on children. This project aims to provide new and informative qualitative data aimed at preventing and reducing children’s exposure to gambling advertising, promotion and sponsorship (GAPS) in sport. It uses a Commercial Determinants of Health Framework which investigates the impact of industry mechanisms on health outcomes. It explores this issue from three perspectives - children; sporting organisations; and policy makers. The pro ....The impact of gambling advertising, promotions, and sponsorship on children. This project aims to provide new and informative qualitative data aimed at preventing and reducing children’s exposure to gambling advertising, promotion and sponsorship (GAPS) in sport. It uses a Commercial Determinants of Health Framework which investigates the impact of industry mechanisms on health outcomes. It explores this issue from three perspectives - children; sporting organisations; and policy makers. The project will have significant policy benefits by providing important evidence about the impact of gambling industry marketing strategies within sport, the decision making processes associated with gambling policy, and identifying leverage points for improving strategies to prevent GAPS from having a negative impact on children. Read moreRead less
Creating and sustaining a strong future for volunteering in Australia. This project seeks to answer the question of how to increase social participation by converting non-volunteers to the benefits of volunteering. In Australia today, communities and governments are increasingly dependent on volunteers to build social capital and deliver an increasing range of services. A world first, this project aims to create new theory by examining three levels of analysis: the micro level of the individual ....Creating and sustaining a strong future for volunteering in Australia. This project seeks to answer the question of how to increase social participation by converting non-volunteers to the benefits of volunteering. In Australia today, communities and governments are increasingly dependent on volunteers to build social capital and deliver an increasing range of services. A world first, this project aims to create new theory by examining three levels of analysis: the micro level of the individual volunteer or non-volunteer; the mezzo level of the volunteer-involving organisation; and the macro level of society. This innovative approach aims to identify, analyse and develop a tool to help organisations build Australia’s civil society and develop policy to create a sustainable volunteer sector into the future.Read moreRead less
Meals on Wheels: building towards a new social experiment for our times. This project contributes directly to the National Research Priority, promoting and maintaining good health: ageing well, ageing productively, through developing evidence-based knowledge on which to build future volunteer business models. With the rapid ageing of the Australian population, it is imperative that volunteer-based organisations, such as Meals on Wheels, innovate to continue to deliver essential community service ....Meals on Wheels: building towards a new social experiment for our times. This project contributes directly to the National Research Priority, promoting and maintaining good health: ageing well, ageing productively, through developing evidence-based knowledge on which to build future volunteer business models. With the rapid ageing of the Australian population, it is imperative that volunteer-based organisations, such as Meals on Wheels, innovate to continue to deliver essential community services in a sustainable and cost-effective way. Meals on Wheels is integral within community care for frail, older people and those with disabilities, keeping people in their own homes and out of institutional care. Using national and international examples, the research has the potential to be adopted by the broad community services sector in Australia.Read moreRead less
Community capacity building for healthy lifestyles (CBHL) initiative: engaging communities in childhood obesity prevention in disadvantaged areas. This project will develop and focus-test a new community engagement model for engaging disadvantaged communities in childhood obesity prevention programs. The community engagement model will overcome disadvantaged communities' non-participation in prevention programs, and inform culturally tailored childhood obesity prevention strategies.
Mental health, job quality and workforce participation: evidence from population health research to address complex problems and conflicting policies. Mental disorders such as depression are a major cause of disability. Improving mental health can increase productivity and workforce participation. However, the psychosocial quality of work is a factor that overlays the relationship between work and health. Poor quality work (for example, unreasonable time pressure, insecurity) increases the risk ....Mental health, job quality and workforce participation: evidence from population health research to address complex problems and conflicting policies. Mental disorders such as depression are a major cause of disability. Improving mental health can increase productivity and workforce participation. However, the psychosocial quality of work is a factor that overlays the relationship between work and health. Poor quality work (for example, unreasonable time pressure, insecurity) increases the risk of poor mental health, absenteeism, and exit from the workforce. This project will analyse data following people over time to investigate the long-term health and employment consequences of poor psychosocial job quality, and consider the special case of mature age workers. It will identify those individuals at greatest risk, and factors that can buffer against the adverse effects of poor quality work.Read moreRead less
Protecting Sexually Abused Children in China. Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a worldwide public health problem. The aim of this project is to better understand how the Chinese state and civil society act to prevent, respond and provide support to the victims of CSA. Findings aim to underpin the development of a more effective system. Organisations in China and Australia aim to cooperate in order to: identify policy, practices and procedures that currently protect and support victims of CSA; develop ....Protecting Sexually Abused Children in China. Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a worldwide public health problem. The aim of this project is to better understand how the Chinese state and civil society act to prevent, respond and provide support to the victims of CSA. Findings aim to underpin the development of a more effective system. Organisations in China and Australia aim to cooperate in order to: identify policy, practices and procedures that currently protect and support victims of CSA; develop comprehensive social, economic and legal strategies to improve the effectiveness of services directed at preventing and responding to CSA; further understanding of the issues in supporting Chinese CSA victims in Australia; and better understand policy transfer from Australia to China.Read moreRead less
An examination of Refugee "Women at Risk" in Australia's refugee policy. The passage of refugees from situations of danger to the comparative safety of resettlement is becoming increasingly more complex.Australian refugee policy has a quota of resettlement places for women and children at risk. This policy is not fulfilling its aim of targeting those most in need of protection. This three year longitudinal study will employ action research to examine the reasons for this phenomenon. It will iden ....An examination of Refugee "Women at Risk" in Australia's refugee policy. The passage of refugees from situations of danger to the comparative safety of resettlement is becoming increasingly more complex.Australian refugee policy has a quota of resettlement places for women and children at risk. This policy is not fulfilling its aim of targeting those most in need of protection. This three year longitudinal study will employ action research to examine the reasons for this phenomenon. It will identify potential solutions which will assist some of the world's most vulnerable women reach a situation of safety. At an academic level it will address issues of policy failure.Read moreRead less
Making complex interfaces work for the national disability insurance scheme. This project aims to examine how organisations, frontline workers and participants negotiate funded supports across the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and mainstream services and systems interfaces by taking a street-level perspective. The project intends to generate knowledge about self-governing arrangements and adaptive practices that encourage coordinated planning using case study methodology and novel ....Making complex interfaces work for the national disability insurance scheme. This project aims to examine how organisations, frontline workers and participants negotiate funded supports across the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and mainstream services and systems interfaces by taking a street-level perspective. The project intends to generate knowledge about self-governing arrangements and adaptive practices that encourage coordinated planning using case study methodology and novel digital research tools. Expected outcomes include the identification of optimal organisational approaches and models of sector governance that mobilise and embed interface efficiencies. This project should significantly benefit the sustainability of the NDIS and ensure the system works effectively for participants.Read moreRead less
Improving health equity of young people? The role of social enterprise. This project aims to explain the effects of social enterprise on the social determinants of health inequities among young people. During the transition to adulthood, health inequities may become entrenched, and young people in disadvantaged areas experience relatively poorer health than the wider population. Addressing health inequities upstream is critical to reducing them, with social enterprise gaining recent attention as ....Improving health equity of young people? The role of social enterprise. This project aims to explain the effects of social enterprise on the social determinants of health inequities among young people. During the transition to adulthood, health inequities may become entrenched, and young people in disadvantaged areas experience relatively poorer health than the wider population. Addressing health inequities upstream is critical to reducing them, with social enterprise gaining recent attention as one vehicle for doing this. The project will examine if, and how, social enterprises redress the root causes of health inequities. Intended outcomes include innovation in social policy, health promotion and social enterprise design to improve health equity for disadvantaged young people and their communities.Read moreRead less