Many Australian carers are grandparents caring for vulnerable relatives living out-of-home and they are not getting the support services they need, according to a research report by the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Institute Director Anne Hollonds said the report, Working together to care for kids: A survey of foster and relative/kinship carers, found relative/kinship carers were less likely to access the professional support and training they needed for their role than foster carers.

The latest estimates of the costs of raising children in Australia show costs have risen substantially over the last two decades due to changing community expectations of what children need to live a healthy life.

Around 80,000 Australian families now have a stay-at-home dad at the helm, according to research released today by the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

An estimated 132,000 Australians regularly gamble on poker and nearly half of them experience one or more gambling-related problems, according to new analysis by the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC), part of the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Abuse of older people is a complex and sometimes hidden problem in Australia. To help build on the growing body of knowledge on the issue, the Elder Abuse National Research Project is currently underway, led by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS).

Just under half of all Australian children aged 9-16 years old have viewed pornography, with potentially negative impacts on their attitudes to sex, sexuality and relationships, according to a discussion paper released today by the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

An estimated 6.8 million Australians are regular gamblers, spending money on one or more gambling activities in a typical month, according to new analysis by the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC), part of the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

AGRC manager, Dr Jennifer Baxter said that of regular gamblers, participation in lotteries was most common, followed by instant scratch tickets and playing the pokies.

Nearly one million Australians regularly gamble on horse and dog racing with a high proportion of them experiencing one or more gambling-related problems, according to new analysis by the Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC), Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS).

AGRC researcher, Dr Andrew Armstrong said the analysis found an estimated 41 per cent of Australians who regularly bet on the races experienced gambling-related problems such as financial pressures, relationship issues and health problems.

A study tracking the settlement experiences of a group of newly arrived humanitarian migrants in Australia has recorded a steady increase in the numbers moving into paid employment.

Australians need the protection of full ‘pre-commitment systems’ to reduce the financial and social harm from poker machines, according to a discussion paper released today by the Australian Gambling Research Centre.

Eight per cent of the Australian adult population – or 1.4million people – experience some degree of gambling problem. Of these almost half are moderate or high risk gamblers, with poker machines the most harmful form of gambling in Australia.