Research Utilisation in Child Protection Policy: Understanding and Conceptualising the Role of Research in Social Policy Development. The findings of this project will have significant benefits for vulnerable children and families by enhancing the capacity for research-informed policy in child protection. In this way, the project will also have significant flow-on economic benefits for Local, State and Federal Governments by decreasing the social and economic costs associated with child abuse an ....Research Utilisation in Child Protection Policy: Understanding and Conceptualising the Role of Research in Social Policy Development. The findings of this project will have significant benefits for vulnerable children and families by enhancing the capacity for research-informed policy in child protection. In this way, the project will also have significant flow-on economic benefits for Local, State and Federal Governments by decreasing the social and economic costs associated with child abuse and neglect. Research funding will have a greater impact by the increased understanding this study will provide about how research can be more effectively used in policy.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
Developing child-centred family and community practice: Listening to boys aged 9-12 with behaviour problems about their social contexts and needs. Children's and family services seek to reduce risks to children and ensure their well-being through holistic, strengths-based, collaborative family and community practice. Yet services remain adult-centric; children are often seen as recipients rather than informants, as targets rather than shapers of change. This study with Anglicare Victoria will ex ....Developing child-centred family and community practice: Listening to boys aged 9-12 with behaviour problems about their social contexts and needs. Children's and family services seek to reduce risks to children and ensure their well-being through holistic, strengths-based, collaborative family and community practice. Yet services remain adult-centric; children are often seen as recipients rather than informants, as targets rather than shapers of change. This study with Anglicare Victoria will examine the contexts, content and effects of professional responses to boys aged 9-12 years with challenging, aggressive behaviour, chiefly through the voices of the boys themselves. Adapting participatory enquiry methods for an unusually young and troubled population, the study aims to better understand their experiences and also to demonstrate opportunities and methods for enhancing children's participation.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: DE190101104
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$335,700.00
Summary
Dual child protection and youth justice clients: expanding the evidence base. This project investigates the phenomenon of children who cross over from statutory child protection systems into youth justice systems. The analysis will be draw data from Children’s Court files and international policy. It expects to generate new knowledge regarding the characteristics and trajectories of crossover children, and to improve understandings of how this group differs from children only involved with child ....Dual child protection and youth justice clients: expanding the evidence base. This project investigates the phenomenon of children who cross over from statutory child protection systems into youth justice systems. The analysis will be draw data from Children’s Court files and international policy. It expects to generate new knowledge regarding the characteristics and trajectories of crossover children, and to improve understandings of how this group differs from children only involved with child protection or youth justice systems. The findings will inform novel and effective approaches to preventing and responding to the drift of children from child protection into youth justice systems which will improve social and economic outcomes for young people and the broader community.Read moreRead less
Young people bereaved by domestic homicide. Far-reaching decisions are made about the future of a child bereaved by domestic homicide, including where they should live and whether they should have contact with the perpetrator. Practitioners and policymakers lack empirical and theoretical input to guide these decisions. This fellowship draws upon young people's, caregivers' and professionals' perspectives on children's living arrangements, relationships and identity development post-homicide. It ....Young people bereaved by domestic homicide. Far-reaching decisions are made about the future of a child bereaved by domestic homicide, including where they should live and whether they should have contact with the perpetrator. Practitioners and policymakers lack empirical and theoretical input to guide these decisions. This fellowship draws upon young people's, caregivers' and professionals' perspectives on children's living arrangements, relationships and identity development post-homicide. It expects to generate a theoretical model of children's outcomes as well as actionable advice for policymakers and practitioners. The main benefit will be enhanced capacity to support children, families and professionals in the context of domestic homicide in Australia and abroad. Read moreRead less
Juvenile firelighters intervention program: Towards a best practice framework. Juvenile firelighting results in significant costs to life, property, and the environment. In Australia prevention programs are implemented by trained practitioners from fire services. This project examines the programs of urban, regional and rural fire authorities throughout Australia and focuses, using case study methodology, on the first Australian program, the JFAIP. JFAIP developments will be tracked over time an ....Juvenile firelighters intervention program: Towards a best practice framework. Juvenile firelighting results in significant costs to life, property, and the environment. In Australia prevention programs are implemented by trained practitioners from fire services. This project examines the programs of urban, regional and rural fire authorities throughout Australia and focuses, using case study methodology, on the first Australian program, the JFAIP. JFAIP developments will be tracked over time and place, with alternative theories for the program's impact and effectiveness tested. Validity will be assessed by triangulation of data from different sources. In this way, a framework of empirically-based best practice guidelines will be developed for future Australian programs and adaptations.Read moreRead less
Who Am I? The archive as central to quality practice for current and past care leavers (Forgotten Australians). The project responds to the recommendations of the Forgotten Australians and its predecessor Reports about the need to improve record-keeping and archiving practice in the health and welfare sector. In partnership with past and present care-leavers and a consortium of 13 community service organisations, the peak body, and government, it will develop a digital archive utilising innovati ....Who Am I? The archive as central to quality practice for current and past care leavers (Forgotten Australians). The project responds to the recommendations of the Forgotten Australians and its predecessor Reports about the need to improve record-keeping and archiving practice in the health and welfare sector. In partnership with past and present care-leavers and a consortium of 13 community service organisations, the peak body, and government, it will develop a digital archive utilising innovative technologies which will both enable access to contextual material from the past and provide a model for constructing records in the future, in order to help overcome the ongoing impact which out-of-home care has had on the health of careleavers. Read moreRead less
Upholding the right to cultural connection for children in care. A positive sense of cultural identity is critical to wellbeing, yet children in out-of-home care often lose their cultural identities and connections. There is little evidence to guide out-of-home care agencies to support a culturally meaningful foster care placement for non-Indigenous culturally and linguistically diverse children. This project tests promising practices identified by the partner organisations and research literatu ....Upholding the right to cultural connection for children in care. A positive sense of cultural identity is critical to wellbeing, yet children in out-of-home care often lose their cultural identities and connections. There is little evidence to guide out-of-home care agencies to support a culturally meaningful foster care placement for non-Indigenous culturally and linguistically diverse children. This project tests promising practices identified by the partner organisations and research literature to produce an exemplary model of cultural care, with input from children, carers and birth families. Trial implementation in the partner organisations will inform guidelines and recommendations so that the model can inform policy and practice in out-of-home care across Australia.
Read moreRead less
The impact of incarceration on children's care: a strategic framework for good care planning. This project will study best practice for care planning of children whose primary carers are incarcerated within the Australian criminal justice system. It will develop a strategic framework for future policy and practice in Australian care planning with the aim of improving outcomes for both parents and children.