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Introduction
Skills and Expertise
Publications
Publications (30)
International literature suggests that many young people transitioning from government care become parents before age 21, characteristically termed ‘early parenting’, at least in the English-speaking world. Yet there is only limited knowledge of the factors that lead to this challenging responsibility. This paper presents findings from a qualitativ...
Young people transitioning from out-of-home care (often called care leavers) are
globally a disadvantaged group who can be particularly vulnerable to experiences
of housing instability and homelessness. This article presents a scoping review
of international scholarly literature pertaining to housing pathways for care
leavers from 2015–2020. The 15...
Leadership responses by ultra-orthodox, Jewish communities to Child Sexual
Abuse (CSA) have been a subject of international concern. However, minimal
empirical research has been undertaken on this subject. This paper analyses
the findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child
Sexual Abuse (Australia) and the Independent Inqu...
This chapter reports on exploratory research in Victoria, Australia, involving focus groups and interviews with service providers and Indigenous care leavers to examine the impact of existing support services. Indigenous children and young people are highly overrepresented in the Australian out-of-home care system. To date, neither specific researc...
This chapter examines the engagement of social work academics in the policy process in Australia. It begins by presenting an overview of social policy in Australia and by discussing the emergence of social work and the place of policy practice in that country. The features of social work education in Australia are then depicted. Following this, the...
The Australian welfare state
Australia possesses one of the most selective income support systems in the Western industrialised world. Financial assistance is provided on a flat rate basis, funded from general taxation revenue rather than via contributions from workers and employers. In contrast to many European welfare states, Australia did not in...
Young people placed in out-of-home care (OHC) through Child Protection in Victoria are formally discharged by the expiration of their care order at the age of 18 years or younger. In contrast, young people in Australia generally live in their family home with parents or carers well into their twenties. Whilst there are a range of leaving care and p...
Indigenous children and young people are overrepresented in the Australian out-of-home care (OOHC) system. To date, specific research has not been undertaken on workers' perspectives regarding the Indigenous-specific and non-Indigenous supports and services available to Indigenous young people exiting the system. This exploratory research involved...
This report presents the findings of a 14 month exploratory study of Indigenous care leavers in Victoria. The study aimed to examine current leaving care and post-care systems available to Indigenous care leavers, paying particular attention to relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous agencies, and differences in their approach to servic...
Indigenous children and young people are over-represented at all stages of the Australian child protection system. Policy and legislative initiatives exist in the state of Victoria, Australia aiming to support the connection between Indigenous children and young people in state care and their culture and community. This exploratory research involve...
Children with a disability (neurodevelopmental and/or mental health condition) are over-represented in state care populations. Care leavers with a disability have particular needs, and face additional barriers compared to other care leavers in terms of accessing assistance with education, employment, health, housing, emotional and social connection...
A significant proportion of young people leaving out-of-home care (OHC) experience involvement with the Youth Justice system, exposing them to further risks and reducing their likelihood of full social and economic engagement in mainstream society. However, little is known about the experiences of this dual order client group as they transition fro...
Young people leaving state out-of-home care are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable young
Australians, and a substantial proportion experience mental health issues. This article reviews the literature
relating to the mental health of care leavers, highlighting the gaps in the current Australian research base. Available studies indicate that...
Young people transitioning from out-of-home care are a particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged group. In recent years, there have been significant improvements in Victorian policy and legislation providing support to care leavers. However, these supports remain discretionary rather than mandatory, and many care leavers experience difficult transi...
Young people transitioning from out-of-home care placements (either home-based care or residential care in Australia) are a particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged group. This study reports on a research project based on a partnership between Monash University and seven non-government child and youth welfare agencies in the Australian State of Vi...
This paper considers some contentious ethical questions associated with researching young people transitioning from out-of home care. We consider the potential benefits and costs for care leavers of involvement in research, alongside managing limits to confidentiality, and the social, psychological, and legal harms that may arise from breaching con...
The introduction of income management – sometimes called welfare quarantining – for subgroups of Australian income security recipients within the Northern Territory, and subsequently a number of other trial sites, has provoked considerable contention. The present study critically examined the arguments and evidence presented in favour of income man...
The introduction of compulsory income management – sometimes called welfare quarantining – for sub-groups of income security recipients within Australia has provoked considerable contention. This paper examines the specific introduction of the Place-Based trial in the rural Victorian region of Greater Shepparton from July 2012. Utilizing key commun...
Evidence suggests young people leaving state care are at a greater risk of involvement with the Youth Justice system compared to young people in the general population. This report presents the results of the second phase of the Leaving Care and Youth Justice project which aimed to generate a more in depth understanding of the involvement of care l...
Young people transitioning from out-of-home care are one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society. Those with disabilities have particular and complex needs, and face additional barriers compared to other care leavers in terms of accessing assistance. As a result, they are a high risk group for poor outcomes. This qualitative stud...
Local and international research suggests an overrepresentation of young people leaving state out-of-home care in the youth justice system. A range of factors appear to contribute to this correlation including child abuse and neglect, placement instability, experiences of residential care, and unsupported transitions from care. This article present...
Existing research findings indicate that young people from state care backgrounds experience higher rates of
substance use and misuse than the general population. This study explored the nature of this relationship via semi-structured, qualitative interviews with four young people who had recently transitioned from state care and three workers in t...
Commentary … Shifting the child protection juggernaut to earlier intervention - Volume 34 Issue 3 - Cathy Humphreys, Maria Harries, Karen Healy, Bob Lonne, Philip Mendes, Marilyn McHugh, Rosemary Sheehan
"For every complex problem there is a solution that is simple, neat and wrong (M.L. Mencken, US writer and social commentator).
Nowhere is this quote more apt than when applied to finding over-simplified solutions to the complex problem of looking after the safety and well-being of vulnerable children. The easiest formula is, of course, to ‘rescue...
Criticism of child protection practice in Victoria has emerged not only from the political Left, but also from conservative groups such as the Australian Family Association. The AFA does not deny the existence of child abuse, but argues that it can be primarily attributed to social changes such as the breakdown of the traditional nuclear family. Th...
Projects
Project (1)
Little has been written about the impact of ideologies and interest groups on the contemporary debate surrounding the Australian welfare state. Many local texts emphasise major historical developments and key policy initiatives rather than the political debates, ideologies, and interest groups which influenced these outcomes.
In contrast, this text concentrates on the role played by ideology and advocacy groups in determining welfare outcomes, with specific reference to up-to-date theories about globalisation. Students are provided with relevant case-study and source material which is used to analyse and explain contemporary policies and outcomes in the Australian welfare state, and to assist readers to predict future policy directions.
