Social Work - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableMultiple Care Arrangements in the Early Years for Children, Families and Childcare Professionals(Creche & Kindergarten Association of Queensland, 2002)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableThe Child in Family Services: Expanding Child Abuse Prevention(Taylor & Francis, 2003)Child welfare concerns have drifted to an inappropriate focus on crisis intervention and a punitive approach to child protection intervention at the expense of community-based preventive child welfare programs. Recent attempts to divert cases from the child protection system through differentiated response mechanisms have been criticised for failing to provide access to relevant services or preventing vulnerable families from re-entering the child protection process. A tension inherent in providing both child protection and family support within the one agency is also identified as a barrier to effective service delivery. This paper discusses the value of the UK Children in Need approach as a model for enhancing support to children and families outside the statutory child protection system. Information from an evaluation of a trial implementation of the UK Children in Need approach in Victoria is used to discuss the implications for policy and practice of placing responsibility for coordinating a response based on the needs of children and their families within family support services.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableUsing Looking After Children to create an Australian out-of-home care database(Cambridge Core, 2003)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableChild Care Choices: A longitudinal study of children, families and child care in partnership with policy makers(Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2003)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableMultiple child care arrangements in Australia(Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2004)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableParent perspectives on child care quality among a culturally diverse sample(Australian Pre-School Association, 2006)
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ItemTalking to my mum: strengthening relationships between mothers and children in the aftermath of family violence(Association of Childrens Welfare Agencies, 2007)The evidence that children are at risk of harm when they live with family violence is remarkably consistent. No study suggests that there are not heightened risks and vulnerabilities to their safety and well-being (Hester et al, 2007). This article draws attention to the harm created through damaging the relationship between children and their mothers. It argues that family violence represents not only an attack on the adult victim (usually woman), or a child victim, but an attack on the relationship between the child and their mother. The article arises from an action research project which worked with women, children and refuge workers to develop activities which could address this destructive aspect of family violence through strengthening the relationship between mothers and their children.
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ItemMental health promotion and socio-economic disadvantage: lessons from substance abuse, violence and crime prevention and child health.(CSIRO Publishing, 2007-12)ISSUE ADDRESSED: Mental health promotion aimed at populations with low socio-economic status (SES) may benefit by investigating prevention strategies that effectively address related child and adolescent problems. METHODS: Evidence from a number of literature reviews and program evaluations was synthesised. First, the impact of SES on development from childhood to adulthood is considered in light of research on substance abuse, violence, crime, and child development problems. Second, evaluations of interventions are reviewed to identify those that have shown outcomes in research studies (efficacy) or in real-world settings (effectiveness) in reducing developmental problems associated with low SES. Low SES is measured in different ways including low levels of education and/or income or definitions that combine several variables into a new indicator of low SES. RESULTS: Factors associated with low SES are also associated to varying extent with the development of violence and crime, substance abuse and child health problems. Interventions that address underlying determinants of low SES show strong efficacy in decreasing adolescent crime and violence and effectiveness in improving child health outcomes. Although there is limited efficacy evidence that substance abuse prevention can be effectively addressed by targeting low SES, programs designed to improve educational pathways show some efficacy in reducing aspects of adolescent substance use. CONCLUSION: Mental health promotion strategies can draw on the approaches outlined here that are associated with the prevention of child and adolescent problems within low SES communities. Alternatively, such interventions could be supported in mental health promotion policy as they may assist in preventing related problems that undermine mental health.
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ItemNight terrors - Women's experiences of (not) sleeping where there is domestic violence(SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC, 2007-06)The management of sleep is embedded within the social context of individuals' lives. This article is based on an exploratory study using focus groups of the sleep problems encountered by 17 women survivors of domestic violence. It argues that fear becomes the organizing framework for the management of sleep and illustrates how this takes place both while living with the perpetrators of violence and after the women have been rehoused. It argues that sleep deprivation is a method used by the perpetrators to exert control over women and that this has long-term implications for women's physical and mental health.
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ItemResponding to a "Window of Opportunity": The Detection and Management of Aged Abuse in an Acute and Subacute Health Care Setting(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2009)Aged abuse can manifest as physical harm, sexual assault, intimidation, blackmail, and social deprivation, misappropriation of funds or property, and neglect. The extent of the problem is difficult to assess in health settings due to underreporting and the fragility and reluctance of the elderly in being able to discuss the issue with health care providers. This appears to be related to the fact that perpetrators are frequently family members with resulting issues of aged dependency, family loyalty, and fear of the consequences of reporting. Of equal importance is a general lack of community understanding of aged abuse, including health professionals who frequently lack the confidence in screening and management to respond appropriately when aged abuse is suspected. Staff knowledge and skills emerge as a deficit in the detection of elder abuse and staff education has been identified as an effective means of improving the recognition of the abused elderly person in acute hospital settings. In addition, there remains a need for effective screening protocols. The aim of this study was to explore the recognition of aged abuse in an acute and subacute hospital setting. This has implications for effective management and community linkage as well as strengthening the knowledge base of issues related to this vulnerable group. The study included a survey and interview with hospital staff to explore their response to aged abuse over a retrospective twelve-month period.