{"title":"Family and Domestic Violence in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Australians: A Stakeholders' Perspective","authors":"Nigar G. Khawaja, Aparna Hebbani, Agata Vitale","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.70091","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.70091","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>This qualitative study examined the perspectives of stakeholders working with victims of family and domestic violence (FDV) from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Australia. Sixteen stakeholders participated in focus groups to share their insights on sociocultural factors contributing to FDV, CALD women's understanding of abusive behaviours and barriers that prevent these women from reporting and seeking help for coercive practices. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed that stakeholders perceived cultural beliefs, expectations and practices to significantly influence FDV in CALD communities. According to them, contributing factors included misinterpretations of patriarchy and religion, limited understanding of FDV as coercive control, cultural expectations, migration-related challenges and acculturative stress. Stakeholders also emphasised that fear, cultural norms, limited interpersonal support and a dearth of culturally responsive services hinder CALD women from recognising, reporting and addressing FDV. These findings have important implications for informing policy and the development of culturally responsive programmes aimed at improving the well-being and safety of women from CALD backgrounds living in Western societies.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"61 1","pages":"28-38"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585170","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}
Louise Rak, Tamara Blakemore, Elsie Randall, Meaghan Katrak Harris
{"title":"Don't Worry About Her; Intersectionality, and the Role of Systems and Structures in the Embodied Experiences of Young Women's Use of Violence","authors":"Louise Rak, Tamara Blakemore, Elsie Randall, Meaghan Katrak Harris","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.70016","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.70016","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Systems and structures designed to protect and support young people, specifically (in this paper) young women, are ironically the same systems that maintain gender disparity. Consequently, this has influenced the embodied identities of young women who experience and use violence. Such systemic and structural intersectionality has impacted upon and is enacted through generations of women, especially those who are more likely to be disproportionately impacted by micro and macro layers of discrimination due to age, race, religion, dis/ability and socioeconomic status. This paper draws on the narratives and experiences of 24 young women aged 13–18 who have experienced and used nonfatal violence. Their narratives chart the role of systemic oppression, community expectations, hierarchical group dynamics and identity formation in their experiences of violence. Findings centre on the experiences of young women, their words providing insight into motivators and drivers of female violence, which to date has been under-researched and often poorly understood.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"61 1","pages":"62-72"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.70016","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147579757","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":"A Scoping Review of Transitions From Australian Youth Detention","authors":"Bonnie Rudd, Steven Roche, Ruth Wagstaff","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.70094","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.70094","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Transitions from youth detention are central to short- and long-term well-being and recidivism outcomes for young people. This study aimed to map the extent of empirical research regarding young people's needs, experiences and influential factors when transitioning from Australian youth detention. A scoping review, conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, retrieved 540 documents and identified 14 studies from 1990 onward that met inclusion criteria. Qualitative studies (<i>n</i> = 7) primarily highlighted the importance of external factors such as community, interpersonal and institutional conditions. Quantitative studies (<i>n</i> = 7) mainly focused on individual factors, such as knowledge, lifetime substance use and psychiatric treatment. There were no transition interventions that tested post-transition outcomes for young people in Australia. The study found preliminary evidence of the importance of reliable positive human connection in program staff, caseworkers and mentors and the importance of community awareness and interagency coordination. However, it also highlighted an absence of mixed-methods studies or intervention outcome testing, which would be crucial to determining the common factors of successful transition programs. Future primary research to fill the gaps highlighted by this review is essential to ensure transition processes are meeting the needs of young people and the broader Australian community.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"61 1","pages":"100-113"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147579774","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":"A Report Card on Youth Homelessness in Australia: 2008–2018","authors":"Tammy Hand, David MacKenzie","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.70073","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.70073","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Youth homelessness, recognised early in Australia, has had a high Australian public profile due to a series of official inquiries and the funding of Reconnect in 1997, a world-first early intervention program for homeless youth. A decade of policy and funding stagnation followed, which spurred the deliberations of an independent National Youth Commission into Youth Homeless (NYC), which shaped the Commonwealth Government's 2008 White Paper. This paper reports on a Report Card review of what was done by Australian governments between 2008 and 2018 assessed against the 10 key policies advocated in the NYC Roadmap document. The overall assessment of the Report Card was a two-star rating: developing—some progress underway. Youth homelessness might be a wicked social problem, but it is arguably preventable. From this position, and based on the Report Card assessments, the authors set out a policy agenda that, with the right investments, would make it possible for the problem of ‘youth homelessness’ to become an issue that Australia used to have.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"61 1","pages":"197-209"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585082","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}
Sarah Ciftci, Hannah Wilkinson, Susan Heward-Belle
{"title":"Disrupting Child Sexual Exploitation in New South Wales: A Mixed-Method Survey Exploring Workforce Capacities","authors":"Sarah Ciftci, Hannah Wilkinson, Susan Heward-Belle","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.70066","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.70066","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Child sexual exploitation (CSE) is an insidious form of child sexual abuse (CSA) that impacts Australia's most vulnerable children and young people. Reports of CSE abuses experienced by children and young people living in out-of-home care (OOHC) have spurred urgent calls for improving responses to CSE in Australia. However, limited empirical research exists to inform policy and practice. This article presents findings from a pre-training survey conducted in New South Wales, Australia, with child protection and law enforcement professionals. The mixed-method survey sought to explore workforce understanding, practices, and confidence (‘capacities’) with recognising and responding to CSE. A total of 77 professionals working in OOHC services for the statutory child protection agency (<i>n</i> = 33), non-government organisations providing residential care (<i>n</i> = 25), and police (<i>n</i> = 19) participated in the survey. Findings point to the need for upskilling frontline professionals about the distinctiveness of CSE and practices they can engage in to both disrupt CSE and respond sensitively to victim-survivors. Gaps in organisational capacity to disrupt CSE and enable multi-agency working were also evident. The results reinforce calls for embedding a systemic framework for disrupting CSE across key areas: (1) legislation reform, (2) strengthening organisational policy and (3) workforce upskilling in proactive disruptive practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"61 1","pages":"39-50"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.70066","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585129","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}
Adrienne Byrt, Kay Cook, Rachael Burgin, Georgina Dimopoulos
{"title":"Mapping Intimate Partner Financial Abuse Across Public and Private Systems","authors":"Adrienne Byrt, Kay Cook, Rachael Burgin, Georgina Dimopoulos","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.70044","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.70044","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article maps the ways that intimate partner financial abuse presents, and the range of public and private entities involved in its perpetration. It reports on an analysis of submissions by individuals to the Australian parliamentary inquiry into the Financial Services Regulatory Framework in Relation to Financial Abuse. Our analysis documents the web of systems through which financial abuse can be perpetrated in ways that are largely unchecked, and with significant perpetrator autonomy. Private systems of financial wealth, such as banking institutions, private businesses, superannuation, and trust accounts enable perpetrators to extract financial benefits and inflict financial harms. Victim-survivors must deal with the consequences of intimate partner financial abuse, including diminished resources and agency afforded to them through public systems, such as child support, Centrelink, the Australian Taxation Office, and the family courts. The paper suggests avenues for further research to identify specific cross-system sites where intersectoral intervention may be possible.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"61 1","pages":"4-14"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.70044","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585174","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":"Examining the Impact of Domestic and Family Violence on Young Australians’ School-Level Education","authors":"Rebecca Stewart, Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Steven Roberts","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.70028","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.70028","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Australian policy and practice increasingly acknowledges the need to respond to children as victim-survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV) in their own right. As part of this, and in recognition that schools often have the most consistent contact with young people experiencing DFV, there is mounting recognition of the role education settings can play in terms of early intervention and support provision for young victim-survivors. However, there is little research on intervention and support provision in Australian education settings that draws directly on the experiences of young people who have experienced DFV. This article addresses that gap. Drawing on findings from a national survey of 1651 young people who reported experiences of DFV, this article enhances current understandings of how DFV impacts education and the effectiveness of school-based help-seeking for young Australians experiencing DFV. Centring the voices of young victim-survivors, our findings question the degree to which schools are presently equipped to recognise, respond to and support students who experience DFV.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"61 1","pages":"73-85"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.70028","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147579720","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}
Dimitra Lattas, Kelly Hine, Catherine Creamer, Kelley Burton, Katelyn Davenport-Klunder
{"title":"Understanding Youth Assaults of Police Officers in Australia: A Power Threat Meaning Framework Analysis","authors":"Dimitra Lattas, Kelly Hine, Catherine Creamer, Kelley Burton, Katelyn Davenport-Klunder","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.70032","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.70032","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study explores youth violence towards police officers in Australia through the Power Threat Meaning Framework to better understand the underlying factors contributing to such violence; focusing on power dynamics, childhood adversity, and trauma. It examines power dynamics in past and present circumstances and the function of violent behaviours in these encounters. To do this, a content analysis was conducted using court findings and coroner reports of all Australian cases where a person aged 12–24 was found guilty of assaulting a police officer between 2010 and 2023, yielding 40 cases. Six key themes were examined: <i>Power, Threat, Meaning, Exacerbating Factors,</i> and <i>Threat Responses and Functions of Threat Responses</i>. The findings show that young people who assaulted police had substantial disempowerment across the life course, with disrupted attachments, childhood maltreatment, institutional mistrust, and social disadvantage. In the sample, violence predominantly functioned to reclaim a sense of control and power in situations when the young person was confined, unsafe, or disempowered. It is recommended that the pathway to safer interactions between youth and police requires awareness training and policy responses that understand the underlying factors and power imbalance that contribute to and exacerbate negative relations between police officers and young people.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"61 1","pages":"150-162"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.70032","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585125","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}
Neve Mucabel-Bue, Shakira Onwuka, Paul Gray, Melissa O'Donnell, Helen Herrman, Renna Gayde, Skye Stewart, Kimberley A. Jones, Jane Fisher, Emma Stubbs, Cath Chamberlain, Jacynta Krakouer
{"title":"‘Keeping Ourselves Safe From the System’: Perinatal Care Model Considerations for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families Intersecting With Child Protection","authors":"Neve Mucabel-Bue, Shakira Onwuka, Paul Gray, Melissa O'Donnell, Helen Herrman, Renna Gayde, Skye Stewart, Kimberley A. Jones, Jane Fisher, Emma Stubbs, Cath Chamberlain, Jacynta Krakouer","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.70088","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.70088","url":null,"abstract":"<p>It is the priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and Australian governments, to provide infants with enriching environments in which they may thrive. This is particularly critical during the perinatal period. Yet, an increasing number of notifications and interventions by child protection authorities are occurring in the first year of life. This research reports parent, service provider and researcher perspectives about systemic considerations on a community-led preventative, perinatal care model for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families at risk of child protection involvement. Reflexive thematic analysis of discussions with 22 parents and 80 practitioners from across Australia is included, with 61% of participants identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Three themes were generated: (1) Child Protection is a Colonial System, (2) Risk-Averse Practice within Child Protection and Allied Systems, (3) Centring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Knowledges is Vital. Our analysis suggests that dominant Western ideologies, processes, and structures that underpin secondary and tertiary interventions (e.g., bureaucratic processes) present inherent barriers to Aboriginal-led interventions. Honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges, sovereignty, and leadership are crucial to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to thrive, in turn reducing child removals.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"61 1","pages":"86-99"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.70088","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585195","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":"Building a Culture of Voice and Agency for Aboriginal Children in Out-of-Home Care: A Review of Policy in New South Wales and Victoria","authors":"Bradley Burns, Rebekah Grace, Scott Avery","doi":"10.1002/ajs4.70081","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajs4.70081","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Aboriginal children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC), like all children and young people, have a fundamental right to be involved in decisions that affect them, to be afforded the opportunity for a voice, and to have that voice taken seriously. This paper gives focus to the extent to which current systems support the participation of Aboriginal children young people as stakeholders in their own care. It presents a case study of the OOHC policy environment in New South Wales and Victoria to understand the enablers and barriers that exist in supporting Aboriginal child and youth voices. This paper calls for system-level commitment to embedding participatory processes at every level, in contrast to the current reliance on individual practitioners to champion participatory approaches at a child-by-child level. This is no more crucial than in the care of Aboriginal children who are spending their most formative developmental years in a system that is struggling to identify and reform deeply embedded cultural hegemony. Aboriginal voices and perspectives, particularly those of children and young people with lived experience of the OOHC system, are critical to this work.</p>","PeriodicalId":46787,"journal":{"name":"Australian Journal of Social Issues","volume":"61 1","pages":"127-138"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajs4.70081","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147585128","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}