Our services

Key activities

At AIFS we:

• manage numerous research programs (including major longitudinal studies)
• produce research reports
• hold conferences and events
• host webinars
• build the capacity of practitioners to create and use research data
• make submissions to government enquiries.

Quantitative research

AIFS projects with a significant reliance on data collection, representative sampling, and data and statistical analysis include:

• Building a New Life in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Humanitarian Migrants
• Growing up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
• Ten to Men: The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health.

Accessing our datasets

Access to the datasets of current AIFS projects requires either an individual or organisational licence. For more information on how to apply, you can visit the National Centre for Longitudinal Data Dataverse.

Our past datasets are available from the Australian Data Archive.

Data linkage

AIFS is one of only 4 Australian Government’s Accredited Data Service Providers (ADSPs) under the Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022.

Our experts provide data linkage services across sectors such as social services, health and education, and contribute to the development of best practices and standards for data sharing and use in Australia.

Find out who we work with, how to access our data linkage services, ethics process, current projects and more.

Qualitative research

We use qualitative research methods to uncover trends in the thoughts and opinions of individuals, gaining a deeper understanding of how they feel about an issue.

We also use qualitative research to look at the lived experiences of those involved in our research. We seek to incorporate the voices of individuals, families and communities into our work, ensuring that research reflects the realities of those it seeks to inform and support.

Survey data collection

We use surveys to collect data on some very sensitive topics including violence and safety, mental health, gambling and substance abuse.

Program evaluation

Program evaluation is the systematic process of investigating if a program or service achieves its aims. Over the last 40 years we have conducted many program evaluations in the child and family sector.

We also work with sector professionals to build their capability to conduct their own program evaluations.

Library services

The AIFS library features 'grey literature' reports, books, journal articles, conference papers and book chapters. It covers a broad range of areas including: child abuse prevention; child development and psychology; family law; economics; demographics; family violence; sexual assault; and parenting.