Australian Journal of Social Issues最新文献

{"title":"Remote housing for Indigenous children in the Fitzroy Valley, Western Australia: A case study","authors":"Alfred M. Dockery,&nbsp;Erica Sykes","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.248","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.248","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Poor-quality and overcrowded housing in remote communities in Australia is widely seen to negatively impact Indigenous children's health and development. Despite widespread reports of, in some instances, quite appalling housing conditions, recent analyses of data from the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC) found little evidence of adverse housing effects for Indigenous children living in very remote Australia. Given the apparent inconsistency in evidence coming from representative survey data and other accounts, a small-scale case study was conducted in the Kimberley's Fitzroy Valley to gain greater insights into housing in very remote communities for families with school-aged children. The LSIC very remote sample is confirmed to offer a good representation of housing conditions in these communities, based on replication of key housing data items in a small survey of Fitzroy Valley parents. While not apparent in those parent surveys, problems of severe overcrowding were highlighted in interviews with community leaders. Other issues raised included delays in maintenance and repairs and a lack of local input into housing management and associated employment, which was seen to disempower communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"58 3","pages":"640-668"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2022-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.248","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49440316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Barriers to applying to the NDIS for Australians with psychosocial disability: A scoping review","authors":"Damian Mellifont,&nbsp;Nicola Hancock,&nbsp;Justin Newton Scanlan,&nbsp;Deborah Hamilton","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.245","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.245","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was designed to support Australians living with disability. However, public data evidence the low number of people with psychosocial disability in the Scheme. One reason for these low numbers is that many people with psychosocial disability have still not applied to receive NDIS support. The aim of this review was to analyse and synthesise previously reported barriers preventing people with psychosocial disability applying to the Scheme. A search of seven databases identified 61 relevant documents including peer-reviewed research, published expert opinion pieces, newspaper articles and government and independent enquiries and reports. Thematic analysis revealed five overarching barriers to applying: social inequities acting as barriers to applying; stigma, trauma and previous negative experiences; barriers to finding supports needed to apply; challenges understanding the relevance of the Scheme; and experiences and symptoms of mental illness extend and exacerbate barriers. These barriers signpost problems inherent within an application process designed without engaging or being responsive to the expertise of and insights into people living with psychosocial disability. Resolution of these substantial barriers will not be a small task. It will require commitment to redesigning the Scheme's application process through a genuinely codesigned approach.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"58 2","pages":"262-278"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2022-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.245","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48169203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"COVID-19: Impact on children living in out-of-home care and their carers","authors":"Michelle L. Townsend,&nbsp;Michael Tarren-Sweeney,&nbsp;Joanna Hopkins,&nbsp;Marina Paxman,&nbsp;Proshanta Dey,&nbsp;Ilan Katz","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.244","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.244","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Children enter out-of-home care (OOHC) having experienced significant childhood adversities and trauma. Little is known about the short-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on this vulnerable group. To gain some insights, we analysed the early impacts on the well-being and experiences of children in OOHC and their carers using the Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study data prior to and post the first lockdown restrictions. A total of 862 children, young people and their carers were interviewed either pre-COVID-19 restrictions (<i>n</i> = 567) (April 2019–March 2020) or post-COVID-19 restrictions (<i>n</i> = 295) (June–December 2020). While the two groups showed no significant differences in socio-emotional well-being, both the pre- and the post-COVID-19 restriction groups of children in OOHC had slight reductions in socio-emotional well-being. The interviews with the post-COVID-19 group showed that the pandemic restrictions affected children's well-being and behaviour, education, social and physical activities, as well as time spent with their birth family. Likewise, interviews with carers post-COVID-19 found a negative effect on carers' well-being, their ability to manage financially and their capacity to care and access services and support. The article contributes new evidence to inform OOHC policy and practice to support service systems facing unique challenges arising from a pandemic.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"58 1","pages":"90-110"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2022-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.244","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41961532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"‘That's the bloodline’: Does Kinship and care translate to Kinship care?","authors":"James Beaufils","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.241","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.241","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Kinship for First Nations people is a fundamental, yet complex, element of one's culture, enabling both belonging and relationality, and extending beyond blood family and relations. Kinship is also recognized as important within out-of-home care (OOHC) systems, with <i>kinship care</i> being the predominant OOHC placement type in Australia (AIHW, 2021). However, when First Nations children and young people are removed by the state, and placed into OOHC, it is important to interrogate whether kinship placements enable cultural connection and continuity with First Nations ways of understanding Kinship. This article begins by contextualising current OOHC policy and practice in Australia where a westernised and homogenised concept of kinship care is touted as similar to First Nations notions of Kinship. Here, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP) has become oversimplified by equating kinship care with relative care, thus creating ambiguity in care and placements in OOHC, voiding First Nations traditions and ways of understanding Kinship while a young person is in care. This article then reports the findings of qualitative interviews with 37 First Nations and non-Indigenous people concerning the use of the term ‘Kinship’ in OOHC in New South Wales (NSW), how it is operationalised and how it is understood. Wide-ranging experiences by participants concerning Kinship within OOHC were evident, thus demonstrating the imperative for a broader understanding of Kinship. This understanding needs to be applied within OOHC in ways that are consistent with First Nations notions of Kinship, as kinship care placements on their own are not enough to keep children connected in culture. The findings from this study show that the term Kinship is applied problematically within OOHC in NSW by equating legal and policy definitions of kinship care with Aboriginal ways of understanding Kinship. Ensuring First Nations traditions, practices and notions of Kinship are applied for First Nations children and young people in OOHC contexts is paramount.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"58 2","pages":"296-317"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.241","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44631249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Preventing and responding to harm: Restorative and responsive mental health regulation in Victoria","authors":"Simon Katterl","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.242","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.242","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Mental health systems are built on imperfect foundations. Rather than reflect the “dark old days” of psychiatry, mental health systems, still, commit wide-spread breaches of mental health and human rights laws. During such time, mental health regulators have failed to adequately enforce mental health laws and respond to harms in ways that are transparent and include the community. The Victorian mental health system, with the Mental Health Complaints Commissioner as the principal regulator, provides a case-in-point. Following a Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System, the state government will dissolve the current regulator and establish a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, with enhanced powers. This paper argues that this new regulator should adopt a more conscious implementation of restorative justice and responsive regulation, termed here restorative and responsive regulation. Of particular value is the use of restorative practices such as conferences and an augmenting of sentencing circles within a broader responsive regulatory framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"58 2","pages":"441-455"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42255792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Allegations of child sexual abuse in the Family Court of Australia: Response to Parkinson","authors":"Lawrence J. Moloney,&nbsp;Nola Webb,&nbsp;Bruce M. Smyth,&nbsp;Robyn L. Murphy","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.239","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.239","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In this article, we respond to commentary by Patrick Parkinson on our research into allegations of child sexual abuse in the Family Court of Australia (both published in AJSI, vol 56, 2021). Parkinson's primary focus was on two of our key findings: (a) that the child was deemed to be at an unacceptable risk of harm in only 12 per cent of fully contested cases; and (b) that in only 14 per cent of the fully contested cases were the allegations coded as being believed. Parkinson suggested that the fully contested cases are disproportionately those in which police, child protection department staff or independent evaluators have been unable to reach a clear view; and that typically these cases involve children under 7 years old. He concluded that the Family Court was in the “too hard basket” of the child protection system and that our findings were not necessarily indicative of systemic failure. We think both suggestions, as well as the “too hard basket” conclusion, are problematic and explain why. Parkinson's comments have stimulated us to reflect on how Australian family courts are managing this important and complex area of decision-making and what changes may be required into the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"58 2","pages":"331-342"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.239","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47147371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The World Health Organization's impacts on age-friendly policymaking: A case study on Australia","authors":"Edgar Liu,&nbsp;Mariana T. Atkins,&nbsp;Rafal Chomik,&nbsp;Bruce Judd","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.240","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.240","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper reflects on whether and how the World Health Organization (WHO) inspires age-friendly policymaking across different levels of government. This is done via a case study in which we analyse the policies of Australia's three-tiered federated government system against the WHO's eight core age-friendly cities domains. Findings suggest that membership of the Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities did not appear to overtly inspire the development of age-friendly policies across Australian governments. Content analysis shows there is an overwhelming policy focus on care and support services, with little attention to cultural diversity. This reflects an outdated portrayal of debilitation in later life and a lack of recognition of how diverse circumstances impact the ageing process and corresponding support needs. Our findings also reveal the challenges of a three-tiered federated system, where varying financial and authoritative capacities have influenced how different governments acknowledge and respond to population ageing. Notably, local governments—the main level of implementation targeted by the WHO—are invariably constrained in developing their own age-friendly policies and may opt to adopt those of higher levels of government instead. These challenges will likely impact other resource-limited governments in responding to the needs of their emerging ageing populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"58 3","pages":"714-728"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2022-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.240","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42101150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative analysis of third-party permanency orders legislation in Australia","authors":"Amy Conley Wright,&nbsp;Judith Cashmore,&nbsp;Sarah Wise,&nbsp;Clare Tilbury","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.237","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.237","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;While permanency planning has long been a feature of child protection policy and practice in Australia (Tilbury &amp; Osmond, &lt;span&gt;2006&lt;/span&gt;), the concept has gained greater prominence in recent years through nationally coordinated efforts and legislative changes. Permanency planning is defined by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) as the ‘processes used by state and territory departments responsible for child protection to achieve a stable long-term care arrangement (which can be broadly grouped as reunification, third-party parental responsibility orders, long-term finalised guardianship/custody/care, and adoption)’ (&lt;span&gt;2021b&lt;/span&gt;, p. 90). A central priority of the last &lt;i&gt;National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children Fourth Action Plan&lt;/i&gt; (2018–2020) was ‘support[ing] better permanency options including…to reduce state guardianship for children who cannot be safely reunified with their families within a reasonable timeframe’ (Department of Social Services [DSS], &lt;span&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;, p. 24).&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt; Over the last 5–10 years, states and territories have modified their child protection legislation to incorporate a range of legal orders, permanency hierarchies, and timeframes for decision-making about permanency options. These changes also appear in policy guidance.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;‘Permanency’ is a term used in out-of-home care services to convey different ways of belonging, through emotionally connected and stable relationships, a secure home and a right to one's culture (Wright &amp; Collings, &lt;span&gt;2021&lt;/span&gt;). Multiple dimensions of permanency are highlighted in the literature (Sanchez, &lt;span&gt;2004&lt;/span&gt;). &lt;i&gt;Relational permanency&lt;/i&gt; is conceptualised as the emotional connection between the child and their caregiver, including dimensions of caregiver commitment, child's sense of belonging and caregiver's support for on-going relationships with birth family (Pérez, &lt;span&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;). Others hold a broader view of relational permanency as encompassing the child's set of enduring, lifelong relationships with family members and other caring adults, including ‘at least one adult who will provide a permanent, parentlike connection for that youth’ (Jones &amp; Laliberte, &lt;span&gt;2013&lt;/span&gt;, p. 509). &lt;i&gt;Physical permanency&lt;/i&gt; (also described as &lt;i&gt;ecological permanency&lt;/i&gt;) is associated with a stable residence where the child has an on-going home, with consistency in their other ecological contexts (e.g. schools, neighbourhood and religious communities) and the norms that govern daily living (Stott &amp; Gustavsson, &lt;span&gt;2010&lt;/span&gt;). &lt;i&gt;Legal permanency&lt;/i&gt; highlights legal recognition of the relationship between the child and their caregiver/s, with associated parental responsibilities, signifying that the ‘state’ is no longer the child's legal guardian. This legal relationship may be achieved through reunification with a parent; third-party permanency orders vesting parental authority to age 18 with kin or fost","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"58 2","pages":"318-330"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.237","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44713262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"(Under)valuing lived experience in the disability workforce: A snapshot of Australian job recruitment","authors":"Kate Davies,&nbsp;Katie Butler","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.238","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.238","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The Australian disability workforce has grown, and there is compelling evidence that peer work has a number of valuable impacts. Despite these apparent opportunities, there continue to be high levels of unemployment among people with disability and failure to draw on the assets of people with disability in Australian workplaces. To understand these ostensible missed opportunities, this study examined the ways in which lived experience was described as an asset in disability workforce recruitment. Advertisements for positions in New South Wales, Australia, that referred to lived experience or peer work and disability were collected over a 3-month period. Through a process of content analysis, we found that there were more employment opportunities for people with lived experience of mental illness than for other types of disability. Community engagement was a key function, and peer workers were described as complementary to professionals. Recruitment processes for lived experience jobs were not necessarily accessible. We recommend systemic reforms to facilitate recognition of lived experience as a valuable criterion for disability sector employment and to harness the benefits of a disability peer workforce.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"58 2","pages":"425-440"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.238","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41664927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying factors for poorer educational outcomes that may be exacerbated by COVID-19: A systematic review focussing on at-risk school children and adolescents","authors":"Laetitia Coles,&nbsp;Melissa Johnstone,&nbsp;Cassandra Pattinson,&nbsp;Karen Thorpe,&nbsp;Olivia Van Halen,&nbsp;Zhaoxi Zheng,&nbsp;Olivia Bayliss,&nbsp;Nicole Lakeman,&nbsp;Mark Western,&nbsp;Jenny Povey,&nbsp;Sally Staton","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.236","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.236","url":null,"abstract":"<p>School closures across Australia in response to COVID-19 have persisted since 2020, with rising mental health problems in children and adolescents, alongside rising negative family health and socioeconomic outcomes. Further, some children and young people who were already experiencing disadvantage pre-pandemic may be at heightened risk of poorer educational outcomes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to identify the factors for poorer educational outcomes that may be exacerbated by COVID-19 amongst disadvantaged school students. Key development stages of disadvantage were identified: young children who started school behind, older students already at risk of disengagement from school and children and young people who have had contact with the child protection system. Five databases were systematically searched, across two search periods. A total of 69 Australian, peer-reviewed articles, published in 2005–2021, examining risk factors for poor educational outcomes for children attending school met the inclusion criteria and were included in final analyses. Our findings provide evidence of key risk factors that make these populations susceptible to worsening outcomes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and of the critical importance of ongoing research to guide policy and practice support for these at-risk groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"58 1","pages":"13-40"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2022-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.236","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45425560","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}