From journal articles to Quick Guides and webinars, you will find tools and information to support.
This study, published in BMC Primary Care, sought to understand how GPs and nurses experience the response to child abuse in primary healthcare. The study found that mandatory reporting obligations created significant emotional labour at the internal, organisational and systemic levels as participants struggled to maintain the therapeutic relationship. The article concludes with strategies that can be employed to reduce the labour burden, which can also be applied by other workforces with mandatory reporting obligations.
ANROWS has released this research report as part of the What works: Overviews of reviews series. This study outlines the state of the evidence from existing systematic reviews in relation to the effectiveness of crisis and post-crisis interventions for victims and survivors of sexual violence. It found that the most evaluated crisis response interventions were sexual assault response teams and sexual assault nurse examiner programs, and while there is emerging evidence that these are effective across several outcomes, the evidence base is limited and the quality of the evidence overall is poor. Evaluations of post-crisis responses were found to be similarly small and lacking methodological rigour despite some evidence of improved mental health outcomes.
The Mitchell Institute at Victoria University has released this report investigating access to centre-based day care in Australia. The study used spatial measurement techniques to map the supply of childcare and compared this to demand across most parts of Australia. It found that 35.2 per cent of the population live in neighbourhoods with the scarcest childcare availability, and these neighbourhoods tend to have greater relative disadvantage or a higher population of culturally and linguistically diverse people.
The Australian Institute of Family Studies has released its final evaluation report on the impact of the Australian Government’s Child Care Package. The evaluation found that the Child Care Subsidy reduced the net cost of child care for 62.2 per cent of families using child care, with low-income families amongst those who benefit most. It also found that beyond the subsidy, the package has had limited impact despite its intention to see improvements in areas such as access and employment outcomes.
This report from Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) is the first of two reports that will explore how services and systems can better respond to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people experiencing domestic and family violence (DFV) who come to the attention of child protection systems. The evidence review found that the voices of Aboriginal children are largely silent in the literature despite the extensive impacts of DFV on their lives and that this concerning outcome is driven by a service system focused on adults.
The Australian Human Rights Commission has released this report synthesising the views of children, young people and families who were consulted to inform the first five-year action plans of Safe and Supported: The National Framework for Protecting Australia’s Children 2021-2031. Participants identified housing, mental health and help with basic needs as the most important supports to help children, young people and families to be safe. The report contains 55 recommended actions.
The Senate Community Affairs References Committee has released its inquiry report on the purpose, intent and adequacy of the Disability Support Pension (DSP). The committee found serious flaws with the DSP, its underlying policy framework, the way that it is administered, and how applicants are able to access it. The report makes 30 recommendations.
This study from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research analysed Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) data to explore the prevalence and characteristics of vocational education and training (VET) as a re-engagement pathway for early school leavers. The study found that 63 per cent of early school leavers who re-engaged with education did so via VET. A key finding was that an important predictor of educational re-engagement for early school leavers was having parents with aspirations for them.
The National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education at Curtin University and the University of Wollongong have released this report investigating risks to university completion for students from regional, rural and remote locations of Australia. Drawing on interviews and surveys with university students, the study found that key enablers of university completion included individual strengths and qualities, strong networks of support from family and community, and belongingness and connectedness.
