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What's new in the field

• Australia's Welfare 2009
  18 November 2009
  The ninth biennial welfare report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare now available.
• Adoption, fostering, permanent care and beyond: Re-thinking policy and practice on out-of-home-care for children in Australia (PDF 310 KB)
  11 November 2009
  This two day symposium (26-27 November) convened by the Department of Human Services and Monash University will focus on out of home care in Australia, particularly on achieving stability and optimal long term outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.
• Kids in Focus program
  9 November 2009
  FaHCSIA is seeking to fund one suitably qualified organisation in a disadvantaged location in each State and Territory to provide specialist intensive support services for at risk children in families where parents have substance misuse problems as part of its Kids in Focus program.
• Stolen Generations Council of NSW & ACT
  9 November 2009
  The newly incorporated service has established a telephone Assistance and Referral service for NSW and ACT members of the Stolen Generations. The Freecall number is 1800 263 881.
• 13 New SA & QLD Indigenous Children and Family Centre sites announced
  9 November 2009
  The centres are designed to target the needs of Aboriginal families and their young children, but all families will be able to use the services. The centres will bring together services to help children and their families develop in terms of health, education and social development.
• 20 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Celebrating the past, Forecasting the future
  6 November 2009
  On Friday 20 November, leading practitioners, policy makers and researchers will come together at the Sydney Children’s Hospital to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
• What do Aboriginal women think is good antenatal care? (PDF 683 KB)
  6 November 2009
  This report documents the first phase of the research project entitled Developing a Health Information System to Support Continuous Improvement in Antenatal Care for Aboriginal Women in the Central Australian Region.
• A social health atlas of Australia (Third Edition) 2008
  6 November 2009
  An interactive mapping and statistics site providing Australian demography and socioeconomic status, health status and risk factors from the University of Adelaide’s Public Health Information Development Unit.
• ABS National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2008
  6 November 2009
  This publication presents summary results from the 2008 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey (NATSISS)
• Community Indicators Victoria (CIV)
  6 November 2009
  A collaborative project hosted by the McCaughey Centre, School of Population Health, University of Melbourne. This site uses local community wellbeing indicators to improve citizen engagement, community planning and policy making.
• Social inclusion and social citizenship - towards a truly inclusive society
  6 November 2009
  Matthew Thomas, Luke Buckmaster, Parliamentary Library
  This paper examines the concept of social inclusion in order to determine its usefulness as a framework for social policy.
• White Ribbon Not One More public event
  4 November 2009
  To raise awareness about family violence and to remember all those women and children who have been killed, a public event is being held at Federation Square in Melbourne on Friday 27 November at 7pm.
• In their own words: Insights into the concerns of young Australians
  4 November 2009
  In 2008, Mission Australia conducted its seventh annual National survey of young Australians with over 45,000 young people aged 11-24 years. The findings are in this new publication.
• Council for the Care of Children's website
  4 November 2009
  This South Australian website is a user-friendly resource for information on children and young people's rights and on some of the latest research and policy directions about children and young people.
• The welfare effects of social mobility
  4 November 2009
  This OECD paper analyses the wellbeing effects of intergenerational earnings mobility and equality in education at the societal level.
• How do you know what you do works? A short guide to measuring outcomes and effectiveness in family and parenting work.
  30 October 2009
  This short, downloadable guide, prepared by the UK Family and Parenting Institute, is designed to help individual workers and whole services understand the terms and issues within the act of measuring and how to go about it.
• Footprints in time - longitudinal study of Indigenous study
  30 October 2009
  Wave 1 data from the study was officially released on 20 October and is now available to approved researchers.
• Issues in measuring the contribution of not for profits
  30 October 2009
  ARACY is holding an Access Grid presentation “Issues in measuring the contribution of not for profits” on 11 November.
• Contribution of the Not-for-Profit sector
  30 October 2009
  The Australian Government Productivity Commission has released its draft research report on Contribution of the Not-for-Profit Sector. The Commission is asking for written submissions by 24 November.
• State of Australia’s young people: A report on the social, economic, health and family lives of young people
  23 October 2009
  Released by the Minister of Youth, Kate Ellis, this report presents a comprehensive picture of how young Australians are faring.
• International conference on infant, toddler and preschool mental health
  21 October 2009
  International experts in the fields of infant and early childhood mental health will talk about: relationship disorders, premature birth, early behaviour leading to conduct disorder, and autistic spectrum disorder. February 18-20, Auckland New Zealand.
• The Raising Children Network
  21 October 2009
  Is expanding to include the middle childhood and early teen years. Their website is currently encouraging everyone to have a say on its expansion and the topics to be covered.
• New Zealand’s Early Childhood Research Network 12th Annual Early Childhood Research Symposium
  21 October 2009
  To be held in May 2010 in Christchurch City, New Zealand. Now calling for papers.
• Developing national standards to protect vulnerable children
  21 October 2009
  Consultancy group KPMG will immediately begin a review of the standards, policies and practices used by each state and territory, for children who are in out-of-home care. The review is part of the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children.
• CAFCA resource profiles
  20 October 2009
  CAFCA is pleased to announce that it will be putting out a new resource profile every month! If you are looking for specific research to practice resources please let us know & we will see if we can find a resource profile that meets your needs.
• Programs to prevent youth violence need to start earlier and be sustained longer to be effective
  20 October 2009
  A a new report commissioned by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY).
• Inclusion of children with a disability in the early years – 4 day seminar and training
  19 October 2009
  Noahs Ark’s and the Centre for Community Child Health are running this event in November in Melbourne, with keynote speakers Dr. Virginia Buysse and Dr. Sharon Hope Irwin.
• Changes to the Helping Children with Autism package
  19 October 2009
  On 22 September, the Government announced changes that will increase the number of service providers and allow families more time to use the $12,000 over two years available under this package.
• Five new Indigenous Children & Family Centre sites in Western Australia
  14 October 2009
  The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Jenny Macklin, and the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth, Kate Ellis, announced, on 2 October, locations of five Indigenous focused Child and Family Centres in WA at: Fitzroy Crossing, Kununurra, Roebourne, Halls Creek and the Swan region.
• Fathers Matter parenting resource
  13 October 2009
  A recently released resource from the Victorian Department of Education and Early Development that provides fathers with practical information on topics such as bonding with children, rough and tumble play and parenting after separation.
• KU children’s services annual seminar
  7 October 2009
  Voice of Early Childhood Pedagogy and Leadership. October 24, Sydney
• Predictors of enrollment and retention in a preventive intervention for divorced families
  7 October 2009
  Short report on a study looking at the factors that affect parent’s ongoing participation in a parenting program.
• 2010 SNAICC national conference
  7 October 2009
  For Our Children: Local Strengths, National Challenges, 27 - 29 July 2010, Alice Springs
  Call for presentations/abstracts is now open
• A user's guide to advocacy evaluation planning
  6 October 2009
  This new Harvard Family Research Project tool provides guidance on how to evaluate advocacy and policy change efforts.
• Social-emotional development in early childhood: What every policymaker should know (PDF 431 KB)
  6 October 2009
  A new brief available from the US National Center for Children in Poverty.
• KidsMatter Early Childhood
  5 October 2009
  A national mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention initiative specifically developed for early childhood services, will be piloted in over 100 preschools and long day care centres across Australia in 2010 and 2011.
• Indigenous solutions to Indigenous problems (PDF 152 KB)
  5 October 2009
  An Indigenous method of inquiry and strategising for non-Indigenous researchers. Public seminar Wednesday 7th October, Sydney.
• ARACY national conference follow-up
  2 October 2009
  Keynote and Invited speaker, and Panel Session proceedings from the ARACY conference are now available.
• Characteristics, outcomes and meanings of three types of permanent placement - adoption by strangers, adoption by carers and long-term foster care
  2 October 2009
  The research summary for this UK project is now available, with the full report due in 2010.
• Nurturing the hidden resilience of at-risk children and families across cultures and contexts
  30 September 2009
  Two day workshop, 8-9 October, University of Sydney. Dr Michael Ungar presents a culturally sensitive model of intervention that nurtures young people’s ‘hidden resilience’.
• Kids Helpline updated website
  29 September 2009
  Offers a safe, fun and interactive place for kids and young people to explore issues that are important to them.
• Innovative Resources
  22 September 2009
  Innovative Resources, the publishing arm of St Luke’s Anglicare, offers a range of therapeutic, strengths-based tools that can be used by human service professionals across many different roles and cultures. The materials use straightforward language and require no special training.
• Doing better for children
  22 September 2009
  This OECD study compares public spending and policies for children with key indicators of child-wellbeing in OECD countries, including Australia. These include education, health, housing, family incomes and quality of school life.
• Raising children
  22 September 2009
  A new DVD that is available free in the new Parent Pack through hospitals and midwives when a baby is born, courtesy of the Australian Government. It is also available for purchase.
• Starting School: Stories from parents of children with a disability
  18 September 2009
  A new DVD resource is now available. To order a copy phone the Early Childhood Intervention Infoline 1300 65 68 65.
• Children with a disability
  18 September 2009
  A new online resource for parents of children with a disability is now available from the Raising Children Network.
• SPRC seminar on building and maintaining family resilience in families where a child has a disability (PDF 161 KB)
  16 September 2009
  Dr Kristy Muir presents this seminar on 22 September at the University of NSW.
• Building an international research collaboration in early childhood education and care (PDF 1.8 MB)
  16 September 2009
  A new SPRC background paper offers comparisons of the issues and challenges faced in childhood education and care internationally.
• First Communities for Children Plus sites
  16 September 2009
  Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland are the first three states to receive Communities for Children Plus services to help reduce child abuse and neglect in communities of high disadvantage.
• Stop Family Violence
  15 September 2009
  This Northern Territory Department of Health and Families website offers comprehensive information and resources on domestic and family violence.
• What does economics tell us about early childhood policy?
  14 September 2009
  This US research brief describes how insights from the field of economics — human capital theory and monetary payoffs — provide science-based guidance for early childhood policy.
• New children’s television standards
  11 September 2009
  The Australian Communications and Media Authority has released its new Children's Television Standards
• Children focus of major comparative study
  11 September 2009
  A major new UK study will explore the differences in opportunities and achievements between children of well-off and disadvantaged parents.
• New parenting resource for dads
  8 September 2009
  Fathers Matter is a new booklet stressing the importance of fathers and providing tips on how fathers can be involved in their children’s lives.
• Building an international research collaboration in early childhood education and care, Social Policy Research Center
  8 September 2009
  This background paper offers comparisons of the issues and challenges faced in childhood education and care internationally.
• New Study: Children Learn Through Back-and-Forth Conversations with Adults
  1 September 2009
  A new study finds that two-sided conversations between adults and children are robustly associated with healthy language development in children.
• Study to ensure best investment in early childhood education for Australia’s children
  1 September 2009
  The University of Melbourne will be the lead partner in a study into how Australia can make the most of the $3.03billion it invests anually in early childhood education and care (ECEC).
• The Parenting Research Centre
  1 September 2009
  The Parenting Research Centre is conducting research into children’s early home learning environments in order to develop a toolkit for parents to provide a positive home learning environment for their children.