Understanding Foster Carers' Motivations: Personal, Political & Historical Perspectives on Care Provision in Australia. Due to the increasing number of children in care nationally, and the declining number of available foster care placements, there is current considerable interest in understanding the most appropriate means to recruit and retain foster carers. This project involves a national interview study of carers from several Australian States to understand the factors that most strongly mo ....Understanding Foster Carers' Motivations: Personal, Political & Historical Perspectives on Care Provision in Australia. Due to the increasing number of children in care nationally, and the declining number of available foster care placements, there is current considerable interest in understanding the most appropriate means to recruit and retain foster carers. This project involves a national interview study of carers from several Australian States to understand the factors that most strongly motivate people to become carers. Based on interviews with carers and other important stakeholders, the results will help us to understand the nature of the foster-carer role within the current political and social climate and help inform future national recruitment strategies.
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Social sustainability of emerging environmentally sensitive industries: a case study of oyster aquaculture on the South Australian Eyre Peninsula. The Eyre Peninsula oyster aquaculture industry has grown rapidly over the last 15 years and an assessment of the factors affecting its long-term sustainability is urgently required. The project will consider aquaculture in relation to social, natural and economic systems, extending the Capitals Framework of assessing rural sustainability developed by ....Social sustainability of emerging environmentally sensitive industries: a case study of oyster aquaculture on the South Australian Eyre Peninsula. The Eyre Peninsula oyster aquaculture industry has grown rapidly over the last 15 years and an assessment of the factors affecting its long-term sustainability is urgently required. The project will consider aquaculture in relation to social, natural and economic systems, extending the Capitals Framework of assessing rural sustainability developed by the Association of Social Science in Australia. The study combines quantitative and qualitative data in order to assess changes in the stocks of community capital as oyster aquaculture develops. A key aim of the research is to inform the development of policies and governance structures in Australian aquaculture management.Read moreRead less
A model to investigate the relationships between social capital, social inclusion and industrial development. This study will develop a new model for investigating the relationships between social capital, social inclusion and industry development in a designated area under the Commonwealth Government Initiative in Regional Australia. The project will address whether high levels of social capital reduce social exclusion and the likely impacts of the ?dark side? of social capital upon communiti ....A model to investigate the relationships between social capital, social inclusion and industrial development. This study will develop a new model for investigating the relationships between social capital, social inclusion and industry development in a designated area under the Commonwealth Government Initiative in Regional Australia. The project will address whether high levels of social capital reduce social exclusion and the likely impacts of the ?dark side? of social capital upon communities. The study will draw on relevant contemporary theory, survey analysis, interviews and discussion forums to develop new explanations that will help build community capacities and inform the development of social policy, employment and industrial development.Read moreRead less
Acceptability of reclaimed water use in urban Australia: Establishing a baseline and variations based on experience, consultation and trust. Under current, prolonged drought conditions, with the reappearance of water restrictions in major cities, the widely identified need for research into social factors that affect public acceptance of water reuse is increasingly urgent. This project will produce national baseline data on the public acceptability of water reuse, and its predictors. This benc ....Acceptability of reclaimed water use in urban Australia: Establishing a baseline and variations based on experience, consultation and trust. Under current, prolonged drought conditions, with the reappearance of water restrictions in major cities, the widely identified need for research into social factors that affect public acceptance of water reuse is increasingly urgent. This project will produce national baseline data on the public acceptability of water reuse, and its predictors. This benchmark data will be compared with results from case studies of implemented or mooted water reuse projects, focusing on the impact of differing public consultation and other implementation processes in public acceptance of water reuse. The role of risk perceptions and trust in relevant authorities will be explored.Read moreRead less
Moving beyond crisis management: Creating a future for people with disabilities living with ageing parents. The needs of thousands of people with disabilities being cared for by ageing parents are beyond the capacity of our existing formal mechanisms for providing care. In order to mitigate this national crisis in support, this research will establish effective, resource efficient support strategies where there are currently no plans in place for future care arrangements. By enhancing the capaci ....Moving beyond crisis management: Creating a future for people with disabilities living with ageing parents. The needs of thousands of people with disabilities being cared for by ageing parents are beyond the capacity of our existing formal mechanisms for providing care. In order to mitigate this national crisis in support, this research will establish effective, resource efficient support strategies where there are currently no plans in place for future care arrangements. By enhancing the capacity of the community to provide support the benefit of existing formal supports will be extended to address the needs of more families. This project will position Australian disability research and support at the forefront of international efforts to legitimize the claim of people with disabilities and their families on community resources.Read moreRead less
Reconceptualising partnership: new options for effective partnerships between State governments and the third sector in employment services in Australia. The rapid devolution of employment services from the Commonwealth Employment Service to a model of contracted Job Network agencies assumes effective partnerships between Commonwealth, State, third sector and private organizations. Recent research suggests this is not the case. Furthermore, the industry partner, SACOSS, argues that the disparate ....Reconceptualising partnership: new options for effective partnerships between State governments and the third sector in employment services in Australia. The rapid devolution of employment services from the Commonwealth Employment Service to a model of contracted Job Network agencies assumes effective partnerships between Commonwealth, State, third sector and private organizations. Recent research suggests this is not the case. Furthermore, the industry partner, SACOSS, argues that the disparate requirements of Australian States in addressing local circumstances and diverse needs of disadvantaged jobseekers have not been met. This collaborative project will use network analysis methodology to assess alternative models of governance and identify best options for effective State/third sector partnerships that promote efficient and equitable labour markets.Read moreRead less
New Information and Communication Technologies and The Elderly: Practice, Problems and Potential. Recent government reports (Costello 2002; 2004; Productivity Commission, Australian Government 2005) indicate that demographic ageing which will see a doubling of the aged population both numerically and as a proportion of the total population in the next quarter century presents a substantial challenge to Australia. One element of that challenge is to maintain and enhance the wellbeing of older Au ....New Information and Communication Technologies and The Elderly: Practice, Problems and Potential. Recent government reports (Costello 2002; 2004; Productivity Commission, Australian Government 2005) indicate that demographic ageing which will see a doubling of the aged population both numerically and as a proportion of the total population in the next quarter century presents a substantial challenge to Australia. One element of that challenge is to maintain and enhance the wellbeing of older Australians while controlling the costs of providing them with support services. New developments in ICT have the potential to facilitate achieving these twin goals but little is known of the take up of ICT among older Australians and those who will enter the older ages over the next three decades.Read moreRead less
Communities, trust, governance and partnerships: The role of Local Government in community management and development in areas of social disadvantage. This project is significant as much contemporary social policy is predicated on normative assumptions of 'community' 'trust' 'collective efficacy' 'social capital', which are contested, contextual concepts. Importantly there are differences in meaning and practice of 'community' between areas of advantage and disadvantage. In being based on thes ....Communities, trust, governance and partnerships: The role of Local Government in community management and development in areas of social disadvantage. This project is significant as much contemporary social policy is predicated on normative assumptions of 'community' 'trust' 'collective efficacy' 'social capital', which are contested, contextual concepts. Importantly there are differences in meaning and practice of 'community' between areas of advantage and disadvantage. In being based on these assumptions policy implementation, which increasingly relies on community capacity, infrastructure and human resources, may have the unintended outcome of exacerbating disadvantage. This project examines these contested concepts and explores Local Government's role in creating local partnership options and modes of governance to facilitate equitable outcomes for disadvantaged communitiesRead moreRead less
A spatially sensitive approach to understanding the impact of public expenditure on social exclusion. This project seeks to assess the effectiveness of public expenditure in reducing social exclusion. It aims to develop innovative new forms of quantitative modelling using geographical information systems (GIS) to interrogate of the impact of government expenditure on social outcomes. The project will benchmark and measure the impact of public expenditure on social exclusion in the region of Nort ....A spatially sensitive approach to understanding the impact of public expenditure on social exclusion. This project seeks to assess the effectiveness of public expenditure in reducing social exclusion. It aims to develop innovative new forms of quantitative modelling using geographical information systems (GIS) to interrogate of the impact of government expenditure on social outcomes. The project will benchmark and measure the impact of public expenditure on social exclusion in the region of Northern Adelaide. The project will seek to develop new GIS technologies that for the first time will enable policy makers to allocate resources according to directly measurable needs and to evaluate the effectiveness of resource allocation in a small area.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354558
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$10,000.00
Summary
Reimagining the ecosocial sustainability of the Murray-Darling Basin. Urgent work is required to prevent the ecological, social and economic collapse of the Murray-Darling Basin. Ecosocial sustainability, as a long-term goal for the Murray-Darling, requires dealing with complex patterns of settlement, production, consumption and governance. Traditional disciplines are too narrowly defined to deal with this complexity. This research network will advance Australia's interdisciplinary research on s ....Reimagining the ecosocial sustainability of the Murray-Darling Basin. Urgent work is required to prevent the ecological, social and economic collapse of the Murray-Darling Basin. Ecosocial sustainability, as a long-term goal for the Murray-Darling, requires dealing with complex patterns of settlement, production, consumption and governance. Traditional disciplines are too narrowly defined to deal with this complexity. This research network will advance Australia's interdisciplinary research on sustainability of the Murray-Darling by creatively bringing into dialogue notable groups of scholars whose work traverses the natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities. This network will integrate new interdisciplinary research with bold policy analysis and creative representations, to build informed public engagement.Read moreRead less