In order to achieve its single planned outcome - to increase understanding of factors affecting how families function by conducting research and communicating findings to policy-makers, service providers and the broader community - the Institute:

• conducts high-quality research relevant to policy and practice on a broad range of issues regarding families in Australia;
• through collaborative partnerships expands the national knowledge base of factors affecting families;
• increases the effectiveness of communications to foster greater understanding about factors that affect families; and
• builds organisational capacity to achieve research and communication objectives.

AIFS research directions

The Institute's research program during the reporting period was structured around the four research directions established under the AIFS Research Directions 2012-15:

• family change, functioning and wellbeing;
• social and economic participation for families;
• child and family safety; and
• services to support families.

The majority of the Institute's research projects relate to more than one research direction. A summary of the projects and how they relate to these directions is provided in Table 3.3.

The Institute conducts its research to deliver information that is:

• rigorous, high-quality and credible;
• relevant to current and emerging policy, professional, research and community interests relating to family functioning and wellbeing;
• responsive, timely and targeted in its delivery; and
• communicated to all stakeholders.

Research activities are usually either initiated by the Institute or commissioned by an external body. Institute-initiated research is generally funded from the budget appropriation.

Research projects conducted by the Institute range in scale and type, and include:

• research projects that provide evidence relating to current and emerging social policy issues;
• major evaluations and reviews of government policies and programs;
• longitudinal studies that provide valuable data on children and their families;
• specialist advisory services commissioned by government agencies; and
• information exchanges that identify, collect, evaluate and synthesise research resources about a specialist field and communicate that information to policy and practice professionals.

A more detailed description of the Institute's research projects begins in the section on Performance against AIFS research directions.

Deliverables

The Institute achieves its planned outcome by delivering research and communication services.

Research outputs include projects involving a range of data collection and analytical methods, as well as longitudinal studies and analyses of other major datasets, literature reviews and submissions to government inquiries.

Communication activities include information exchange activities, publications, conferences, seminars and webinars, web-based content, and library help desk and bibliographic services. These communication activities deliver research findings to three broad groups:

• policy-makers, to inform the development and review of policies and programs affecting families;
• service providers, to improve professional practice that supports families; and
• the research and general communities, to raise understanding and knowledge of family functioning.

Table 3.1 shows the deliverables for 2013-14 and the estimated trends for 2014-15 to 2016-17.

The first deliverable - research outputs and publications - is the core deliverable for the Institute. Among the 111 research outputs, the Institute published three works in its Research Report series, two issues of Family Matters and several major project reports. A highlight of the year was the publication of a book of selected essays, Families, Policy and the Law: Selected Essays on Contemporary Issues for Australia, which features contributions from senior academics, legal professionals and service providers.

The second deliverable identifies the number of conferences, seminars and other communication events hosted. In 2013-14, AIFS delivered 22 events, which is well above the target of 15 for the year. The high number of events was largely due to the CFCA information exchange delivering more online webinars.

The number of presentations given by AIFS personnel was above the target. The number is less than the previous financial year because the AIFS Conference was not held in this reporting period.

The deliverable regarding bibliographic records is an indication of the level of publishing in the Institute's sphere of operation. These records provide a description of material related to family studies that have been published by AIFS or others, and help to provide a valuable reference resource for researchers in this field. For further details, see the report on Library and Information Services.

Key performance indicators

The Institute's research and communication performance is measured against seven key performance indicators (KPIs). Combined, the performance indicators signal the contribution of the Institute's research activities and the effectiveness of its communication activities.

Table 3.2 shows the key performance indicators for 2011-12 to 2013-14 and the estimated trends for the next three years. The results show that the Institute exceeded its targets by a substantial amount across all KPIs.

Research

The number of commissioning bodies is indicative of the spread of research undertaken in the broad area of family wellbeing. This also helps to indicate that the Institute is not reliant on a single source of income. In 2013-14, the Institute was commissioned by 22 organisations to undertake research projects, which is above both the KPI target and the number for the previous year. Read in conjunction with the financial tables, it can be noted that commissioned work accounted for 66% of the Institute's income.

The Institute undertook 45 research projects during the reporting period. This exceeds the target and points to the commissioning bodies' decisions to seek timely, arms-length, impartial research on policy-relevant topics. This KPI is reliant on the ongoing financial capacity of other bodies to commission research from the Institute.

An indication of the Institute's capability and readiness to undertake high-quality research is the proportion of researchers with postgraduate qualifications. In 2013-14, 67% of researchers at the Institute held postgraduate qualifications, which is considerably higher than both the 59% in the previous year and the target of 55%.

The Institute was involved in seven longitudinal studies during the reporting period:

• Australian Temperament Project;
• Beyond 18: The Longitudinal Study of Leaving Care;
• Building a New Life in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Humanitarian Migrants;
• Family Pathways: The Longitudinal Study of Separated Families;
• Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children;
• Pathways of Care: The Longitudinal Study of Children and Young People in Out-of-Home Care; and
• Stronger Families in Australia Study Extension.

The number of longitudinal studies has been included because they are significant contributors to a strong evidence base for policy-makers and practitioners. The nature of longitudinal studies requires a longer term commitment of resources by funding and partner bodies, over a number of years or even decades. However, because such studies collect data about the same cohort of participants over time, they are especially useful for studying developmental trends, and are therefore invaluable for answering a range of policy- and practice-relevant questions with confidence and reliability.

Communication

The number of AIFS publications printed and downloaded indicates the uptake of the Institute's published findings (see also the discussion under Publications). In 2013-14, the 3.3 million publications distributed exceeded the target of 2.0 million by 65% and is an increase of 23% from the previous financial year. This is reflective of the credibility of the Institute as a reliable source of high-quality data and analyses on family wellbeing.

Attendance at AIFS events, such as conferences and seminars, continued to increase in 2013-14. Careful attention to covering a range of policy- and practice-relevant topics through these events has assisted in broadening their appeal. Furthermore, the increased availability and uptake of webinar technology has helped to make seminars available to people outside the Melbourne area. The 3,053 participants across all events, was 154% above the target of 1,200 participants and highlights the popularity of the online webinars. Further detail on these activities can be found in Seminars and Webinars.

The high number of media mentions is an indication of the Institute's successful communication of research findings to the broader Australian community. Media mentions increased by 22% in 2013-14, which is a significant increase considering the AIFS Conference (which attracts considerable media attention) was not held in the reporting period. The continued interest from online, print, television and radio journalists provides a valuable conduit for research about Australian families. In 2013-14, online news coverage was again the strongest medium for AIFS (see also Media Coverage).

Performance against AIFS research directions

This section reviews the major projects undertaken by AIFS during the reporting period, within the framework of the Institute's four research directions. Most projects can be related to more than one direction but they are arranged in the discussion according to the direction to which they are most relevant. Minor projects may not be specifically discussed, but all projects undertaken during the reporting period and their relevance to the research directions are listed in Table 3.3.

A full list of publications and presentations produced by the Institute during the reporting period is included in Appendix C.

More details about major work being conducted by the Institute are available on the AIFS website.

Note: * These smaller or short-term projects are not mentioned in the following discussion. 
Acronyms: ABS = Australian Bureau of Statistics; AGD = Attorney-General's Department; AIHW = Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; ANROWS = Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety; DoE = Department of Education; DHS = Department of Human Services (Commonwealth); DoD = Department of Defence; DSS = Department of Social Services; DVA = Department of Veterans' Affairs; NSW FaCS = NSW Department of Family and Community Services; PM&C = Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet; SPRC = Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales; Victorian DHS = Victorian Department of Human Services.

Direction 1: Family change, functioning and wellbeing

This aspect of AIFS research focuses on stability and change in family functioning and wellbeing, including:

• diversity of family formation, structure and functioning, particularly relating to adolescents/young adults and seniors;
• family law relating to separating families, especially the development of policies regarding obligations arising from cohabiting relationships outside of legal marriage; and
• housing policy, including housing affordability and experiences of homelessness, particularly in vulnerable groups such as working and jobless families, young people, and seniors.

Related research projects

The main projects undertaken by AIFS in 2013-14 relating to this research direction include:

• Australian Temperament Project,* one of the longest running longitudinal studies of its kind, which has followed the development of a large group of Victorian children from infancy to adulthood, and is now following their children;
• Building a New Life in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Humanitarian Migrants, which aims to trace the settlement journey of 1,500 humanitarian migrating families from their arrival in Australia to their eligibility for citizenship, including housing, labour market and other factors affecting positive and negative outcomes;
• Defence Transition Family Study,* which aims to examine the health and wellbeing of and adjustments made by contemporary veterans and their families who are in the process of leaving or have left the Australian Defence Force;
• Family Law Developments, an ongoing project that monitors and conducts research on the Australian family law system;
• Family Pathways: The Longitudinal Study of Separated Families, which conducted the third wave of data collection to examine the circumstances and wellbeing of family members five years after parental separation;
• Family Trends and Transitions, which monitors and examines broader socio-demographic family trends, using, for example, the most recent Census data to analyse patterns of leaving home, couple and family formation, family stability, and family dissolution and re-formation;
• Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children,* which is following the development and wellbeing of 10,000 children and their families from urban and rural areas of all states and territories in Australia;
• Role of Families in the Rehabilitation of Australian Defence Force Members, which is looking at the facilitators and impediments to maintaining family cohesion and maximising positive outcomes to the rehabilitation of ADF members with complex health conditions; and
• Vietnam Veterans Family Study: Data Analysis, which is a multi-generational study of the physical, mental and social welfare of the families of men who served in the Australian military during the Vietnam War.

Direction 2: Social and economic participation for families

This research direction focuses on the economic and social wellbeing of families, their access to resources, and how to best support and sustain families, particularly during times of economic uncertainty or change. Key issues include:

• family income security and wellbeing, particularly relating to disadvantage, disability, life events, and the intergenerational transmission of economic wellbeing;
• sustaining and sustainable communities, such as the family-related aspects of social infrastructure and urban design, the effects of climate change on families, and locational disadvantage, particularly for Indigenous, migrant, refugee and other culturally and linguistically diverse families; and
• work-family policies that assist working parents to manage child care, household tasks, personal care/leisure and paid employment.

Related research projects

The main projects undertaken by AIFS in 2013-14 relating to this research direction include:

• Access to Early Childhood Education Care and Services: Qualitative Study, which examined reasons why some children are not participating in early childhood care and education;
• Australian Gambling Research Centre, which provides high-quality evidence-based publications and resources to increase the capacity and capability of policy-makers, researchers and professionals working in the area of gambling;
• Child Care Flexibility Trials: Evaluation, which is analysing the effectiveness of a program to provide families with access to more flexible care options, including long day care, family day care, and outside-school-hours care;
• Socio-Economic Disparities Among Older and Younger Women in NSW, which examined how disparities in the socio-economic status of women in NSW arise and how these evolve over the life course, with an emphasis on measurement issues;
• Stronger Families in Australia Study Extension,* which involved re-interviewing participants in the original 2008-09 study of the Communities for Children program, an area-based intervention aimed at improving outcomes for families living in disadvantaged communities; and
• Work and Family Interactions, an ongoing project conducting research relating to work-family related topics, such as maternal employment, work-family balance, child care and joblessness.

Direction 3: Child and family safety

This focus area supports research to enhance evidence-based actions by governments, under the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009-2020 and the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children 2010-2022.

Key areas for research include:

• abuse and violence, including the drivers of domestic and family violence, child maltreatment, bullying, elder abuse, and sexual assault and violence; and
• systems and services and the intersections between systems, the needs of victims, and what makes for effective service delivery in order to prevent violence, implement effective justice responses for perpetrators and respond to the needs of victims.

Related research projects

The main projects undertaken by AIFS in 2013-14 relating to this research direction include:

• Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, an information exchange that collects and disseminates current research findings on sexual assault to assist practitioners, policy-makers and others working in this sector to improve outcomes and reduce the incidence of sexual assault;
• Beyond 18: The Longitudinal Study on Leaving Care,* which is surveying young people in Victoria who are moving from out-of-home care, with a particular focus on improving their training, education and employment outcomes;
• Child Aware Approaches: Good Practice and Principles Guide, a publication that identified key principles and promising practices in child aware approaches that can be used to inform program logic, policy and procedures, and evaluation;
• Child Protection Developments: Research Support to the Royal Commission, an ongoing project that provides policy and research advice related to protecting children, including to the Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia;
• Family Law: Evaluation of the 2012 Family Violence Amendments, which is evaluating the effects of the 2012 amendments to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) for comparison against the data from the 2012 benchmarking Survey of Recently Separated Parents (SRSP);
• Family Law: Independent Children's Lawyer Study, which examined the role, use and effectiveness of Independent Children's Lawyers in the family law system;
• Pathways of Care: The Longitudinal Study of Children and Young People in Out-of-Home Care,* which will assess the contribution of a wide range of family, caregiving, school, community and personal factors and services to outcomes for children and young people aged 0-17 years entering out-of-home care in NSW;
• Preventing Violence Against Women Models of Intervention: A Comparative Study, which will review and compare a number of primary prevention models, including the VicHealth Generating Equality and Respect Program, that aim to prevent violence against women;
• Prevention and Early Intervention Approaches in Child Sexual Abuse,* which aimed to develop a conceptual framework of child sexual abuse and identify steps towards more effective primary prevention and intervention policies and programs;
• Processes of Recovery From Gambling Harms, which is examining gambling problems and recovery processes among young people in Victoria;
• Victim-Focused Court Practice Reforms in Sexual Assault Matters, focused on the organisational barriers and enablers for victim/survivors in the criminal justice system; and
• Violence Prevention Review and Evaluation, a study of the role and effectiveness of domestic and family violence services in NSW in improving outcomes for those in at-risk groups (such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women or women with disabilities) and children affected by violence.

Direction 4: Services to support families

This research direction reflects AIFS' growing focus on program evaluation and research that is designed to identify ways of enhancing service provision to families, including:

• building resilient communities to support families to manage the transitions in their lives, ensure that their children are safe and well, and enable family members to experience positive relationships, be protected from harm and, in turn, contribute to building stronger, more resilient communities;
• delivery of effective integrated services and the need for collaboration across governments, departments and community agencies, including understanding the overlaps and gaps between responsibility and funding; coordination and integration of services; and pathways for families in need of services;
• promoting positive families and addressing family problems through understanding how to foster resilience and more effectively support parents, including reviewing the effectiveness of services;
• meeting the needs of Indigenous families; and
• tailoring services and supports to reflect cultural diversity and support the needs of specific groups, such as refugee families, recently arrived migrants and groups isolated by race, culture, language and religion.

Related research projects

The main projects undertaken by AIFS in 2013-14 relating to this research direction include:

• Case Coordination Trials: Evaluation,* an evaluation of services that aim to provide integrated and intensive support to help connect Centrelink customers to appropriate services in their communities and provide more help for people with complex needs;
• Child Family Community Australia, an information exchange that is a primary source of quality, evidence-based information, research and resources for policy-makers, practitioners and other professionals in the child, family and community welfare sectors;
• Closing the Gap Clearinghouse,* which aimed to deliver a central online source of evidence-based resources on programs, strategies and activities that work to overcome disadvantage for Indigenous Australians;
• Commonwealth Place-Based Service Delivery Initiatives: Key Learnings Project, a "meta-evaluation" providing a synthesis of key learnings from Commonwealth place-based initiatives to provide insights into how the design, implementation and delivery of place-based initiatives may be improved;
• Cradle to Kinder and Aboriginal Cradle to Kinder Program: Evaluation,* which is reviewing the effectiveness of intensive ante- and postnatal support services for vulnerable young mothers and their children in Victoria;
• Forced Adoption Support Services Scoping Study, which developed service model options to enhance existing service systems and supports for people affected by forced adoption policies and practices;
• Knowledge Circle: Indigenous Child and Family Resources Portal, an online, interactive resource that captures and showcases positive and innovative practices for working with Indigenous families and children in, or at risk of entering, the child protection system; and
• Research and Evaluation Collaboratio: Australian Childhood Foundation and Interrelate Family Centres, which are a suite of projects that support these organisations to conduct research and evaluations of their family support programs and services.

Report on performance - Communications activities

Overview

A key role for the Institute is to communicate research about issues affecting families in Australia. To do this, the Institute disseminates a wide range of research information and undertakes knowledge exchange activities through research; production of publications; communications services; information collection and library services; conferences, seminars and presentations; and consultation activities.

Online communications

Websites

AIFS websites are a primary mechanism for disseminating its research findings and all new publications are available via this medium.

In 2013-14, AIFS maintained three public websites:

• AIFS, including subsites for:
  • ACSSA;
  • the CFCA information exchange;
  • our longitudinal research projects (ATP, BNLA, SFIA);
• Growing Up in Australia; and
• CFCA Connect.

The total number of web pages downloaded across the main AIFS website (including subsites) in the 2013-14 financial year was 7,340,816 (Table 3.4). This is the second year in a row that has shown close to a 30% increase in downloaded pages from the previous financial year.

Of the 1.66 million visitors to the AIFS site, 73% were new visitors. Visitor numbers by geographic location remained similar to the previous year, with most visitors coming from Australia, and continuing significant numbers from the USA (10%) and the UK (5%). However, the biggest change has been in the number of users visiting AIFS sites using a mobile device. Site traffic via a mobile device comprised just under 25% of total traffic in 2013-14, up from 16% in 2012-13, and 8% in the previous financial year.

Electronic alerts

AIFS email alerts and electronic newsletters keep stakeholders up-to-date with the work and activities of the Institute. The number of opt-in email list subscribers increased by almost 10% in 2013-14 compared to the previous year (see Table 3.5).

Note: ^a The drop in subscribers to the AIFS-alert service in 2011-12 was mainly due to an audit of email addresses. ^b The decrease in subscriptions to the other email alerts can largely be attributed to the closure of the AFRC, NCPC and CAFCA alerts, and their replacement by the CFCA-alert. At the time of closure, the AFRC, NCPC and CAFCA had 5,267 subscribers in total.

Library and information services

Library

The library offers a highly responsive information service that supports the work of the Institute, and a specialist collection of online and print resources on family-related research that is disseminated as widely and cost-effectively as possible.

AIFS library services include:

• an information help desk to support AIFS information exchanges;
• a reference service available to the wider community, and support for visitors by appointment;
• a library catalogue, available on the Institute's website; and
• interlibrary loans to other libraries throughout Australia and overseas.

Knowledge base of bibliographic records

Since 1980, AIFS has created a knowledge base of over 112,000 bibliographic records drawn from sociology, psychology, demography, health sciences, education, economics, law, history and social work source documents relevant to the study of families.

In 2013-14, the library drew on these records to:

• record and manage resources in the library collection;
• build the Australian Family & Society Abstracts (AFSA) database;
• upload new records to Libraries Australia, the bibliographic database managed by the National Library of Australia;
• send relevant records to AIHW to support the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse;
• add details of all new AIFS publications to the Institute's website; and
• create more than 170 bibliographies on current topics for listing on our website.

It is worth noting that:

• 12% of the collection is unique to AIFS;
• a large proportion of unique items are out-of-print and no longer widely available; and
• the library holds a large amount of non-commercially published material ("grey literature"), produced by the research, academic and government sectors, that is not reliably available online.

Australian Family & Society Abstracts

In 2013-14, the AIFS library supplied 1,712 new records and abstracts for the AFSA database, an Australian web-based service of research and education databases operated by RMIT Publishing. This database now holds a total of 80,967 records. AFSA resources are available at RMIT Publishing's Informit online service <www.informit.com.au> and can also be accessed through the AIFS library catalogue.

Publications

In addition to the wide range of publications produced in the course of its project-related activities, the Institute also publishes its research journal Family Matters, the Research Paper and Research Report series and other publications. Table 3.6 shows that the distribution of AIFS publications increased significantly in 2013-14 compared to previous years, a result particularly driven by publications prepared by the CFCA information exchange.

Note: ^a The increase in numbers of print publications in 2012-13 reflects the release of several significant publications. There was a small decrease in online publications downloaded early in the reporting period, primarily due to the establishment of the new CFCA information exchange.

There was a decrease in the number of publications distributed in print, primarily because an unusual number of major publications were printed in the previous financial year. In 2013-14, printing returned to more routine levels, though the numbers were still higher than in 2011-12 due to printing three major Research Reports and the book of selected essays.

Family Matters journal

Family Matters is one of the Institute's main research dissemination vehicles, with its primary purpose being to keep local and international readers informed about Institute research and activities. It covers a broad range of family-related research from other Australian and overseas authors.

Two editions of Family Matters were published in 2013-14, one focusing on family law issues and the other featuring presentations made at the 12th AIFS Conference. Work on Family Matters No. 94 was well progressed by the end of the reporting period.

In the reporting period, 2,757 printed copies of Family Matters were delivered in fulfillment of paid subscriptions or sent free of charge to members of parliament, key policy-makers, and others. All editions are also available online as free downloads, under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.

Since 2011-12, when all editions of Family Matters were made immediately available online free of charge (as opposed to the previous practice of one year after publication), paid subscriptions for the printed versions have understandably fallen. However, web page downloads have increased substantially (by 57%; from 346,502 in 2010-11 to 542,986 in 2013-14), indicating that the policy has contributed to a substantial widening of the readership of the journal.

Family Matters articles continue to generate considerable media attention, with significant radio and press coverage.

Research reports and papers

The Research Report series comprises substantial works that report on research findings of a major project. In 2013-14, three Research Reports were published:

• Edwards, B., & Baxter, J. (2013). The tyrannies of distance and disadvantage: Factors related to children's development in regional and disadvantaged areas of Australia (Research Report No. 25);
• Baxter, J. (2013). Child care participation and maternal employment trends in Australia (Research Report No. 26); and
• Bluett-Boyd, N., & Fileborn, B. (2014). Victim/survivor-focused justice responses and reforms to criminal court practice: Implementation, current practice and future directions (Research Report No. 27).

The Research Paper series disseminates Institute research to policy-makers, practitioners and researchers, with the aim of encouraging dialogue with research and policy communities. In 2013-14, one Research Paper was published:

• Baxter, J. (2013). Australian mothers' participation in employment (Research Paper No. 52).

Each of these publications received substantial media coverage.

Other publications

In addition to Family Matters, reports resulting from commissioned research, and articles and chapters published in external journals and books, the Institute also produces occasional publications aimed at a broader audience that distil major research findings on topical issues. During the reporting period, two more facts sheets in the popular series Australian Family Trends were published:

• Qu, L., & Weston, R. (2013). Australian households and families (Australian Family Trends No. 4). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Weston, R., Qu, L., & Baxter, J. (2013). Australian families with children and adolescents (Australian Family Trends No. 5). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.

A complete listing of Institute research outputs and publications is available in Appendix C.

Submissions and consultations

The Institute prepares submissions to inquiries and responds to requests for consultation from government bodies and community organisations. Such activity is an indication of the Institute's involvement in policy and research processes.

In the reporting period, submissions and consultations were undertaken covering a broad range of issues:

• Submission to the Cyber Safety Inquiry on sexting, Senate Joint Select Committee (July 2013);
• Submission by the Australian Psychological Society to the Royal Commission Issues Paper 3: Child Safe Institutions, supported by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (October 2013);
• Submission to the Issues Paper on Access to Justice Arrangements, Productivity Commission (November 2013);
• Submission to the Childcare and Early Childhood Learning Inquiry on Maternal Employment and Childcare in Australia, Productivity Commission (February 2014);
• Submission to the Inquiry into Grandparents Who Take Primary Responsibility for Raising Their Grandchildren, Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs (March 2014);
• Submission to consultations on second three-year action plan: National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children (March 2014);
• Letter submission relating to the examination of how children and young people under 18 years can be better protected from intentional self-harm and suicidal behaviour, National Children's Commissioner (May 2014); and
• Submission to the Social Policy and Legal Affairs Inquiry Into Child Support, House of Representatives Standing Committee (June 2014).

Collaboration and exchange

Individuals, government bodies, research organisations and community sector groups collaborate and exchange information with AIFS on a regular basis.

International collaboration

In 2013-14, the Institute continued to expand its international reach, sharing research expertise across the globe. By building relationships overseas, the Institute ensures that its research meets international standards.

AIFS researchers presented Australian findings at several international conferences, workshops and meetings. These included presentations on:

• Bridging the Divide and Returning the Balance: The Power of Parenting in the Middle Years and Beyond, at the Family Life Education Conference, Singapore;
• reducing harm and improving consumer protection in relation to gambling pre-commitment trials, at the 5th International Gambling Conference, Auckland, New Zealand;
• Generation Y gambling habits, at the 5th International Gambling Conference, Auckland, New Zealand;
• removal of ATMs from electronic gaming machine venues, at the 5th International Gambling Conference, Auckland, New Zealand;
• Employment Without Childcare: Mothers' Double Burden or Father Involvement?, at the Work and Family Researchers Network Conference, New York, USA; and
• Employment Without Childcare: How Do Parents Do It?, at the 27th International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) Conference, Busan, Korea.

Collaboration with family research specialists in Singapore, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and within the OECD also provided opportunities for inter-country comparison of data and methodology.

Visitors

A number of professionals from within government and community sector organisations across Australia and overseas met with Institute researchers to exchange ideas on issues of relevance to the Institute's research. These visits provide the opportunity for the Institute to learn from other researchers and share knowledge from its own research findings.

Key visitors include:

• Their Excellencies, the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO, and Mr Michael Bryce AM AE (July 2013);
• Sir Anand Satyanand, Chair, Advisory Expert Group on Information Security (AEGIS), New Zealand (August 2013);
• Mr Doug Gorman, Executive Officer, Advisory Expert Group on Information Security (AEGIS), New Zealand (August 2013);
• Ms Radha Balakrishnan, Principal Social Policy and Research Analyst, NZ Families Commission (November 2013);
• Ms Deborah Malcolm, Knowledge and Policy Manager, NZ Families Commission (November 2013);
• Captain Steven Hirschfeld MD, Director, Children's Study USA (November 2013);
• Ms Seah Yang Hee, Director, ComCare and Social Support Division, Singapore (January 2014);
• Ms Yogeswari Munisamy, Principal Social Worker, Singapore (January 2014);
• Ms Jessica Huang, Vulnerable Families Support Policy Officer, Vulnerable Families Support Policy Officer, Singapore (January 2014);
• Ms Nuir Izzaty MD Salleh, Assistant Director, Service Development and Management Division, Singapore (January 2014);
• Judge Kaoto Kida, Yokohama Family and District Court, Japan (February 2014);
• Yoshihito Muramatsu, Senior Court Clerk, Yokohama Family and District Court, Japan (February 2014);
• Professor Shane Jimerson, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA (March 2014); and
• Ms Inseon Lee, Associate Research Fellow, Korean Women's Development Institute, South Korea (June 2014).

Conferences

LSAC-LSIC Conference

The second combined research conference for the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children and the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Australians was held in Melbourne, 13-14 November 2013.

The conference attracted 195 delegates. The program included more than 60 oral presentations and three keynote addresses. The three keynote addresses were presented by:

• Captain Steven Hirschfeld, Director, The National Children's Study, USA;
• Associate Professor Susan Morton, Director, Growing Up in New Zealand; and
• Associate Professor Maggie Walter, University of Tasmania.

The overall program focused on a wide range of topics including:

• language and learning;
• parenting;
• disability; and
• health.

Bringing together researchers, policy-makers and service providers, the conference provided an excellent forum for discussing a range of findings based on the LSAC and LSIC data.

Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference

In 2013-14, significant preparations were made for the 13th AIFS Conference, to be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 30 July - 1 August 2014. The theme of the conference is "Families in a Rapidly Changing World".

The conference is Australia's premier forum for researchers, policy-makers and service providers to gather together to share and discuss cutting-edge research findings, policy priorities and topical issues important to families in Australia. It was anticipated that more than 400 delegates would attend. As well as three keynote addresses and three panel discussions, the program will include more than 140 oral presentations and 40 poster presentations.

Seminars and webinars

AIFS Seminar Series

Over the course of each financial year, a number of researchers and policy-makers are invited to speak as part of the AIFS Seminar Series. The series provides opportunities for presentations and discussions on a range of contemporary family-related research and social issues. Seminars in this series are free and open to the public. Where practicable, material related to the presentations is made available for free download from the Institute's website.

In 2013-14, 10 seminars were presented. These were also delivered as webinars to accommodate participants outside Melbourne.

The presentations in the AIFS Seminar Series for 2013-14 were:

16 July 2013

Paris Aristotle AM, Director, Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture 
r Ida Kaplan, Direct Services Manager, Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture Inc.

A truly wicked problem: Dealing with complexities, realities and impact of the refugee debate

6 August 2013

Dr Trude Lappegård, Senior Researcher, Statistics Norway

Demographic consequences of Nordic family policy: Evidence from administrative data

17 October 2013

Associate Professor Cheryl Tilse, School of Social Work and Human Services, University of Queensland 
Professor Jill Wilson, School of Social Work and Human Services, University of Queensland

Minding the money: Families and the management of older people's assets

7 November 2013

Professor Dan Meyer, Professor of Social Work, University of Wisconsin, USA 
Dr Christine Skinner

Child support policies across 14 countries: Similar issues, different approaches

27 November 2013

Dr Jennifer Baxter, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Family Studies

Parents working out work: An examination of families' interactions with paid employment in Australia today

18 February 2014

Dr Rae Kaspiew, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Family Studies

Independent Children's Lawyers: Multiple perspectives on expectations and experience of practice

25 March 2014

Professor Ian Webster AO, Physician and Emeritus Professor, University of New South Wales

Social dimensions of alcohol (and drug) problems

9 April 2014

Dr Nicholas Biddle, Research Fellow, Australian National University 
Dr Naomi Priest, Senior Research Fellow, Deakin University

Experiences and effects of racism in schools: The quantitative evidence

15 May 2014

Professor Graeme Hugo AO, ARC Australian Professorial Fellow, University of Adelaide

Recent and impending demographic change in Australia: Implications for households, family and housing

12 June 2014

Dr Patricia Edgar AM, sociologist, freelance author

In praise of ageing

CFCA Webinar Series

The CFCA information exchange also continued to develop and expand its own webinars. The CFCA Webinar Series provides access to presentations and discussions that cover a range of issues relevant to practitioners, service providers and policy makers working to protect children, support families and strengthen communities in Australia. In 2013-14, 11 webinars were presented as part of the CFCA Webinar Series.

The presentations in the CFCA Webinar Series for 2013-14 were:

5 August 2013

Associate Professor Judith Cashmore AO, University of Sydney

The long-term effects of child sexual abuse

8 August 2013

Ms Zoe Rathus AM, Senior Lecturer, Griffith University 
Professor Lawrie Moloney, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Family Studies

The role of social science research in contemporary family law

24 September 2013

Dr Sally Brinkman, Co-Director, Fraser Mustard Centre

The Australian Early Development Index (AEDI): Results over time, and the work of the Fraser Mustard Centre

29 October 2013

Dr Rae Kaspiew, Senior Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Family Studies 
Mr Max Lewington, Practice Director, Legal Services, Department of Child Protection and Family Support WA 
Ms Angela Lynch, Legal Reform Lawyer, Women's Legal Service Brisbane 
Associate Professor Rachael Field, Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology

Coordinated Family Dispute Resolution: Findings and future directions

21 November 2013

Dr Howard Bath, Northern Territory Children's Commissioner

After the Intervention: The ongoing challenge of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children in the Northern Territory

9 December 2013

Ms Elly Robinson, CFCA Manager, Australian Institute of Family Studies

The nuts and bolts of program evaluation

26 February 2014

Ms Veronica Meredith, Research Officer, Australian Institute of Family Studies 
Ms Paula Washington, Manager, Family Relationship Services, Centacare North Queensland 
Dr Anne Sibbel, Community Psychologist 
Ms Nicole Ashby, Founder and Director, FIFO Families Australia 
Mr Emmanuel Hondros, Manager, People Strategies, Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia

The effects of fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workforce practices on families in Australia

28 April 2014

Dr Antonia Quadara, Research Fellow, Australian Institute of Family Studies 
Ms Robyn Miller, Chief Practitioner, Department of Human Services Victoria

Sexual abuse and exploitation prevention: Effective responses

22 May 2014

The Honourable Justice Mark Le Poer Trench, Family Court of Australia 
Mr David Edney, Family and Independent Children's Lawyer, CE Family Lawyers

Guiding and controlling hearings for unrepresented litigants

19 June 2014

Ms Robyn Parker, Senior Manager, Research and Evaluation, Interrelate 
Ms Rosalie Pattenden, Counselling Psychologist

Lasting couple relationships: Recent research findings and implications for practice

25 June 2014

Professor Muriel Bamblett AM, CEO, Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) 
Ms Connie Salamone, Executive Director, Strategy and Services, VACCA 
Ms Megan van den Berg, Executive Manager, Community Development, VACCA

Innovation in Aboriginal child and family services

Participation rates

Attendance at both the AIFS Seminar Series and the CFCA Webinar Series grew substantially, with a total of 2,858 participants in 2013-14 compared with 648 in 2012-13, an increase of 341%. The significant increase can largely be attributed to the growth in the popularity of the CFCA Webinar Series.

Media coverage

Mass media

The engagement of mass media is an important means of communicating the Institute's research findings about factors that affect family wellbeing. Fifteen media releases were issued in 2013-14.

Again, there was an increase in the media coverage of the Institute's research in 2013-14 compared to the previous financial year (Table 3.7). This can mainly be attributed to the significant growth in Internet media coverage. Internet news coverage in 2013-14 accounted for 65% of all AIFS mentions, compared to just 32% in the previous year. Radio, television and press coverage were all lower than the previous year, further highlighting the growth in the popularity of online media.

A total of 5,615 reports across all media types mentioned the Institute's research, which was a 22% increase on the 4,611 reports recorded in 2012-13.

Source: iSentia

Coverage was generated through the release of a range of publications. Publications that were particularly notable for the interest generated in the media were: The Tyrannies of Distance and Disadvantage: Factors Related to Children's Development in Regional and Disadvantaged Areas of Australia (Research Report No. 25), released in November 2013; Child care Participation and Maternal Employment Trends in Australia (Research Report No. 26), released in December 2013; and Fly-In Fly-Out Workforce Practices in Australia: The Effects on Children and Family Relationships (CFCA Paper No. 19), released in February 2014.

Social media

Facebook

The AIFS Facebook page has been operating since 2010. The page is predominantly used to promote new publications and events, as well as developing an online discussion on the latest research into family wellbeing. At the end of the reporting period, the page had 1,022 people listed who "liked" the page. This is a 53% increase from the 666 people who had connected at the same time the previous year.

The CFCA information exchange also has a Facebook page, which operates in the same way as the AIFS page. At the end of the reporting period, the CFCA page had 485 "likes", which is an 81% increase from the 268 "likes" listed at the same time the previous year.

Facebook serves to help increase awareness of Institute research activities, especially for traditionally hard-to-reach audiences. Risk management processes are in place to monitor the content of these pages.

Twitter

In 2013-14, the Institute continued to use Twitter as another channel to promote its activities online by sending micro text messages to subscribers. Twitter is used to promote Institute activities (such as seminars, conferences and publications), as well as developing an online discussion on the latest research in family wellbeing.

The Institute has four Twitter accounts, with a total of 4,469 followers. This is a 52% increase from the previous year. AIFS has one general account (2,643 followers), while LSAC (255 followers), ACSSA (687 followers) and the CFCA information exchange (884 followers) also have accounts.

Additional communication channels

In 2013-14, the Institute also continued to use the AIFS YouTube channel, podcasts from seminars/webinars and RSS feeds to disseminate AIFS research.

Report on performance - Financial activities

Operating results

In accordance with the Australian Government net cash appropriation arrangements, AIFS incurred a budget deficit for the financial year 2013-14 of $182,289. This deficit is made up of the depreciation expense for 2013-14 of $271,889. After adjusting for this item, AIFS would have reported a surplus of $89,600. This surplus was used to fund a number of capital acquisitions in addition to the departmental capital budget.

See Table 3.8 for a summary of budgeted and actual expenses for 2013-14.

Operating revenue

The total operating revenue was $13,821,300 and consisted of the following:

• government appropriations of $4,693,000;
• sale of goods and rendering of services of $8,964,004; and
• other revenue of $164,296.

Operating expenses

Total operating expenses were $14,003,589 and consisted of:

• employee costs of $9,546,230;
• supplier expenses of $4,183,850;
• depreciation of $271,889; and
• loss from asset sales and change in asset revaluation of $1,620.

Balance sheet

Net asset position

The net asset position at 30 June 2014 was $1,642,349 (2012-13: $1,446,638).

Total assets

Total assets at 30 June 2014 were $9,818,849 (2012-13: $6,362,581). Financial assets increased by $3,170,794. This increase in financial assets was mainly due to an increase in cash receipts relating to prepaid revenue, a significant amount of which was received at the end of the 2013-14 financial year and returned to the Consolidated Revenue Fund in 2014-15. Non-financial assets also increased by $285,474. The increase in non-financial assets is due mainly to refurbishment to infrastructure, plant and equipment required with the commencement of the Australian Gambling Research Centre, and an increase in prepayments relating to the AIFS Conference in August 2014.

Total liabilities

Total liabilities at 30 June 2014 were $8,176,500 (2012-13: $4,915,943). The difference is mainly due to an increase in the level of unearned revenue of $2,365,153, suppliers and accruals of $534,144 and GST payable of $186,340.

Management accountability is achieved with the support of the Corporate and Strategy area of the Institute. Corporate and Strategy provides a range of services to assist the Institute to meet its goals, through the ongoing improvement and application of financial, administrative, human resources, communications and information technology policies and practices.

Accountability is met through the Institute's internal management committee, advisory and monitoring committees, staff and management committees, robust reporting processes, internal and external audits, the Business Continuity Plan and the Protective Security Policy Framework.

Corporate governance

In 2013-14 the Institute operated under the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 ( FMA Act). With effect from 1 July 2014, the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 ( PGPA Act) commenced, and replaced the FMA Act. The corporate focus throughout 2013-14 was the effective maintenance of high standards of governance, accountability and reporting in order to fulfil all FMA requirements and build organisational capacity to achieve the Institute's research and communication objectives. This corporate oversight is conducted through senior management committees.

The Family Law Act 1975 sets out the Institute's role, functions and governance arrangements. During 2013-14, the responsible ministers for AIFS were the Hon. Jenny Macklin MP, Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (up to 17 September 2013), and the Hon. Kevin Andrews MP, Minister for Social Services (from 18 September 2013 onwards).

Fraud control

During the financial year 2013-14, no fraud was identified. The last fraud risk assessment was conducted in February 2013. The next assessment will be undertaken in November 2014.

Senior executive members

Professor Alan Hayes AM is the Director of the Institute. Two Deputy Directors and an Assistant Director (Research) assist the Director in leading and managing the Institute. Sue Tait is Deputy Director (Corporate and Strategy), Dr Daryl Higgins is Deputy Director (Research), and Ruth Weston is Assistant Director (Research). See Figure 2.1 for an organisation chart for the Institute.

Senior management committees

The Director has overall responsibility for the leadership and management of the Institute. A number of committees and groups are in place to support this function.

Internal management committees

Executive

The Executive group leads and coordinates all aspects of the research and corporate functions of the Institute. It comprises the Director, the two Deputy Directors and the Assistant Director (Research).

Leadership and Planning Group

The Leadership and Planning Group comprises the Executive and Managers from the corporate and research areas. The group is a strategic leadership forum providing advice to the Director and Deputy Directors.

Advisory and monitoring committees

The Institute supports sound management of its accountability, ethical and legislative responsibilities through the Advisory Council, the Risk Assessment and Audit Committee, and the Human Research Ethics Committee.

Advisory Council

The role of the Advisory Council is to provide specialist advice to the Director in relation to strategic directions for Institute research, any significant proposed changes to the research program, key performance indicators for the Institute's research activities, and the development of future strategic and research plans. The Advisory Council met twice during 2013-14.

Members of the Advisory Council are appointed by the responsible minister.

Advisory Council members, 2013-14

• Reverend The Hon. Professor Brian Howe AO (Chair), Professorial Associate, Centre for Public Policy, Melbourne University
• Professor Muriel Bamblett AM, Chief Executive Officer, Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency
• Professor Richard Chisholm AM, Adjunct Professor, ANU College of Law
• Professor Ross Homel AO FASSA, Foundation Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Director, Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance, Griffith University
• Professor Barbara Pocock AM, Director, Centre for Work + Life, University of South Australia
• Paul Ronalds, First Assistant Secretary, Office of Work and Family, PM&C, Nominee of the Secretary; formerly Chief Executive Officer, Save the Children Australia
• Emeritus Professor Dorothy Scott OAM
• Professor Paul Smyth, General Manager for Social Action and Research, Brotherhood of St Laurence
• Deputy Secretary, Department of Social Services

Australian Gambling Research Centre Expert Advisory Group

The Expert Advisory Group of the AGRC provides advice to the Director of AIFS (in his capacity as Director of AGRC), in relation to:

• strategic directions and research plans and programs for undertaking or commissioning research into, or producing data and statistics about, gambling; and
• strategies for increasing the capability and capacity of researchers to conduct research into, or produce data and statistics about, gambling.

The Expert Advisory Group consists of the Director and at least seven, but no more than eleven, other members. The group meets two to three times a year.

Australian Gambling Research Centre Expert Advisory Group, 2013-14

• Professor Richard Chisholm AM (Chair), Adjunct Professor, ANU College of Law
• Professor Max Abbott, Director, Gambling and Addictions Research Centre; and Pro Vice-Chancellor, Auckland University of Technology
• Ashley Gordon, Manager, NSW Aboriginal Safe Gambling Services; and research consultant, Centre for Gambling Education and Research, Southern Cross University
• Rev. the Hon. Professor Brian Howe AO, Professorial Associate, Centre for Public Policy, Melbourne University
• Dr Ralph Lattimore, Assistant Commissioner, Productivity Commission
• Professor Alison McClelland, Productivity Commission
• Cheryl Vardon, Chief Executive, Australasian Gaming Council
• Dr Mark Zirnsak, Director, Justice and International Mission Unit, Uniting Church in Australia Synod Office (Victoria & Tasmania)

Risk Assessment and Audit Committee

The Risk Assessment and Audit Committee reports to the Director, and plays a key role in the Institute's corporate governance. It helps ensure effective and efficient use of resources by reviewing the performance and operations of internal controls and performance management systems. It approves the Institute's internal audit program and advises the Executive on risk, fraud, compliance and performance. It also provides assurance to the Director on preparing and reviewing financial statements.

An external member chairs the committee. Membership includes the two Deputy Directors and two independent members external to the Institute. The committee met four times during 2013-14, addressing a range of issues, including approval of budgets, Portfolio Budget Statements, mid-year budget reviews, internal and external audit processes, fraud control, FMA Act compliance reviews, and updates of the Chief Executive's Instructions, Financial Rules, the AIFS Risk Management Framework and Business Continuity Plan. The Committee also reviewed and endorsed the Accountable Authority Instructions and Financial Guidelines, in preparation for the commencement of the PGPA Act on 1 July 2014.

Risk Assessment and Audit Committee members, 2013-14

• Denise Swift PSM (Chair)
• Dennis Mihelyi (Member), Chief Financial Officer, Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate
• Audit Committee member at Productivity Commission
• Sue Tait (Member), Deputy Director (Corporate and Strategy), AIFS
• Dr Daryl Higgins (Member), Deputy Director (Research), AIFS
• Professor Alan Hayes AM (Observer), Director, AIFS
• Susan Leong (Observer), Chief Finance Officer, AIFS
• Dr Michael Alexander (Observer), Executive Manager, Business Development and Accountability, AIFS

Human Research Ethics Committee

The role of the Institute's Human Research Ethics Committee is to ensure that the ethical standards outlined in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans, and elaborated in the Institute's ethics statement, Ethical Issues in the Research Process (1996), are met in all research projects undertaken by the Institute.

In particular, the committee must ensure that projects meet the three key principles of: respect for persons, beneficence and justice, as set down in the National Statement. The committee is registered with the Australian Health Ethics Committee, a sub-committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council.

The Ethics Committee meets to consider new project proposals, receive brief oral and written reports on ongoing projects, consider any complaints or problems that may have arisen regarding ethical issues in Institute research, and review the complaints procedures, as required. The committee met three times in 2013-14 and assessed 17 ethics applications for new, revised or extended research projects. The committee also has an expedited review process in place for projects that need approval between meetings of the committee.

Members of the Ethics Committee are appointed for three-year terms.

Human Research Ethics Committee members, 2013-14

• Dr Duncan Ironmonger AM (Chair), BCom, MCom (Melb.); PhD (Cambridge); Department of Economics, University of Melbourne
• Marlene Burchill, BSW, DipFamTherapy, MA (Social Work); social worker and family therapist
• Professor Richard Ingleby, MA, DPhil (Oxford); LLM (Cambridge); Latham Chambers, Faculty of Business and Law, Deakin University
• Rev. John Lamont, BA (La Trobe); BTheol (United Faculty of Theology, Ormond College)
• Dr Kerreen Reiger, BA (Hons) (Melb.); PhD (La Trobe); Department of Sociology, La Trobe University
• Dr Sarah Wise, BA (Hons) (Melb.), MA, PhD (Melb.); Anglicare Victoria
• Ian Claridge, BA, Grad. Dip. Special Ed., Grad. Dip. Ed. Leadership
• Victoria Triggs, BA (Melb.), Grad. Dip. Ed. Admin. (Melb.), Williamson Fellow (Leadership Victoria), Grad. Dip. Australian Institute of Company Directors
• Caz Coleman, BTheol, Grad. Dip. Theo (Melbourne College Divinity), Cert. IV Frontline Management (Chisholm) (to February 2014)
• Sr Dr Carol Hogan, BA (Melb.); BTheol, PhD (Melbourne College of Divinity) (to November 2013)

Corporate and statutory reporting

During 2013-14, the Institute continued to refine and strengthen its planning processes in order to make its reporting outputs more robust. This included improving its budget development, review and monitoring processes. These initiatives bring together a range of corporate and communications priorities, and has contributed to robust compliance standards and reporting performance against outcomes.

An outcomes focus has been emphasised through the continued use of trend forecasting for the Parliamentary Budget Statements, aligned to the goals in the Institute's Strategic Directions 2012-15. The Institute continued to refine these processes throughout the year, including streamlined reporting processes for reporting against deliverables and key performance indicators, and to link preparations for Senate Estimates and annual reporting.

All statutory reports were completed and tabled in a timely manner as required.

Risk management

Building on the development and implementation of AIFS' Risk Management Policy and Framework in 2011-12, the Institute has continued to monitor and improve its approach to risk management, including participating in the 2014 Risk Management Benchmarking Survey conducted by Comcover.

Internal audit

In 2013-14, a strategic and key operational risk review of the Institute was undertaken to identify the strategic business and fraud risks it faces and to develop an appropriate internal audit programme for the next three years. During the reporting period a comprehensive review of the contract management activities and revenue recognition processes was undertaken. Also, in line with the issuance of the Certificate of Compliance, a review of the processes and procedures was conducted in May 2014.

Business continuity

The Institute's Business Continuity Plan was reviewed and updated during 2013-14. The plan provides the necessary guidelines to enable the Institute to:

• take action to prevent potential disruption to the business;
• take appropriate action to safeguard staff and property in the event of a crisis;
• plan and effectively manage the recovery of operations of the business to a satisfactory level;
• plan and manage the resumption of normal business operations in permanent premises with its usual systems and staff; and
• plan and manage significant staff reductions in the event of a possible pandemic illness or other threat to business continuity that may be of a protracted nature.

Protective Security Policy Framework

The Institute has continued to implement and adhere to the Australian Government Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF), in accordance with guidelines published by AGD. As at 30 June 2014, the Institute was anticipating being fully compliant with all 33 mandatory requirements of the PSPF by the reporting date of 31 August 2014.

There were no major security incidents during the reporting period.

Ethical standards

Amendments to the Public Service Act 1999 and subordinate legislation included a revised set of APS Values, the introduction of APS Employment Principles and some amendments to the APS Code of Conduct. These changes provided an additional opportunity to explain and promote the importance of upholding the APS Values throughout the Institute.

The Institute continues to take actions designed to integrate the APS Values into the organisational culture and the day-to-day work of all employees. The obligations of employees to uphold the APS Values and abide by the APS Code of Conduct are promoted in staff induction and training; applied to human resource management processes, including individual performance plans; and reflected in human resources policies and procedures, which are made available to all employees on the Institute intranet.

The Institute was not subject to any decisions by the Australian Information Commissioner in 2013-14.

External scrutiny

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) performs an annual statutory audit of the Institute's financial statements. In addition, an independent contractor conducts a program of internal audit reviews. The outcomes of all audits are presented to the Risk Assessment and Audit Committee and plans developed for the implementation of recommendations and the ongoing monitoring of resultant actions for improved processes.

In 2013-14, the Institute was not subject to reports by the Auditor-General, parliamentary committees or the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

The Institute does not have statutory administrative decision-making powers and was not subject to any judicial decisions or decisions of administrative tribunals in 2013-14.

Management of human resources

Employee skills and qualifications

The Institute is fortunate to have employees with a great diversity of skills, knowledge and experience. This ranges across research knowledge in multiple disciplines - including social science, psychology, family law, child and adolescent development, criminology, demography, economics, statistics, and survey design - to management skills such as commercial contract negotiation, project management, financial and human resource management, information technology development and maintenance, communications expertise and secretariat support. Some employees have more than 20 years of experience in the workplace, while others have only recently commenced their careers. This diversity of knowledge and expertise exemplifies one of the major benefits of working in a small organisation. These skills are known and are able to be effectively used in a number of facets of the Institute's operations.

Figures 4.1 and 4.2 show, respectively, the highest qualifications gained by Institute employees overall and by those employed in the research area.

Figure 4.1: Employee qualifications as at 30 June 2014

Figure 4.2: Research employee qualifications as at 30 June 2014

The Institute is proud of its ability to attract, develop and retain highly skilled employees to continually strengthen its human and intellectual capital.

Staff and management committees

Workplace Relations Committee

The Workplace Relations Committee provides a forum for the management and employees to discuss matters affecting the workplace in general, as well as matters relating to the Enterprise Agreement. The committee comprises three representatives each from management and employee groups, and a Community and Public Sector Union representative. Employees are encouraged to contribute their ideas or raise any concerns regarding their workplace with their representatives. The committee was chaired by the Manager (Human Resources) and meets quarterly.

Input from the Workplace Relations Committee continues to play a key role in the review and formulation of AIFS human resources policies and guidelines.

Health and Safety Committee

The Health and Safety Committee continues to meet regularly. It was established to represent staff and facilitate consultation and discussion between management and employees regarding health and safety matters in the workplace. Employees are encouraged to participate by consulting with their elected staff representatives, who use the committee forum to raise issues and promote effective health and safety practices and principles in the workplace.

The committee is involved in the development and review of Institute policies and procedures consistent with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

Individual performance management

The principles underpinning the Institute's performance management program focus on ongoing communication and feedback between all parties in relation to individual performance. The program also aims to build relationships based on mutual trust and respect that encourage open and frank discussions and to maximise employee performance through the provision of individual development, opportunities for growth, and work satisfaction. Assistance is available to employees and managers to support the development of individual Performance Development and Review plans.

Workforce planning

In 2013-14, the Institute continued to develop its capacity to plan and respond to changing workforce needs. Current data indicate a staff turnover rate of 13%, which is the same as in the previous financial year. Building capacity and other workforce issues, including increasing the diversity of the workforce, will continue to be an area of focus in 2014-15.

Recruitment

The majority of vacancies at the Institute were advertised via the online APSjobs service, supplemented by online advertising when appropriate. Recruitment action undertaken by the Institute from late 2013 was consistent with the APS-wide interim recruitment arrangements introduced in November 2013.

Learning and development

The primary focus of learning and development activities is to ensure that the Institute has the organisational capability to meet operational objectives, both now and in the future.

During the year, the Institute continued to develop its workforce capability by providing professional learning and development. Individuals took part in a range of management, coaching and leadership and specialist programs in 2013-14. The effectiveness of the training provided was evaluated in the performance reviews conducted between managers and individuals.

During 2013-14, the Institute invested $128,834 in direct learning and development activities, $28,704 in conference attendance, and the equivalent of $107,685 in wages, based on average salary.

The Institute continues to provide professional development opportunities for employees via professional memberships, and support for formal study through its Study Assistance Program.

Workplace health and safety performance

On an annual basis, the Institute runs a free flu vaccination program for all staff. Each employee is also able to receive reimbursement of up to $300 for participating in appropriate health promotion activities under the Promoting Good Health scheme. The scheme aims to encourage staff to improve their fitness and general health. Employees also have access to subsidised eyesight testing (including the provision of glasses for screen-based work), professional counselling services via the Employee Assistance Program and regular ergonomic assessments. Any corrective measures identified as a result of these assessments, such as specifically tailored ergonomic equipment, are provided as quickly as possible. The Institute will continue to review its health and wellbeing strategies during 2014-15.

Productivity gains

The Institute has continued to evaluate its functions, structure and procedures with a view to streamlining administrative processes and systems to realise additional productivity savings.

Work continues on information management and technology improvements and efficiencies to create further productivity gains in communication and administrative processes, including online collaboration, time management, record-keeping and approval processes. The development of annual work plans linked to employees' Performance Development and Review plans and relevant Institute plans provides clarity to individuals on expected outcomes. The Institute and its employees will continue to increase productivity savings by reducing travel costs through participation in whole-of-Australian-Government travel arrangements, and improved management and reporting of unscheduled absences in 2014-15.

Statistics on staffing

As at 30 June 2014, there were 100 staff - 25 males and 75 females - employed at the Institute under the Public Service Act 1999, excluding the Director.

Tables 4.1 and 4.2 present profiles of Institute staff by gender and type of employment at 30 June 2014 and 30 June 2013 respectively. As Table 4.1 indicates, at 30 June 2014 the Institute had 45% of staff in ongoing positions and 55% of staff in non-ongoing positions. Table 4.3 describes staff by classification level, gender and type of employment as at 30 June 2014.

Note: Excludes employees engaged to provide services to the Institute on an irregular/intermittent (casual) basis.

Note: Excludes employees engaged to provide services to the Institute on an irregular/intermittent (casual) basis.

Note: Ten employees on higher duties were counted at the higher duties level. Excludes employees engaged to provide services to the Institute on an irregular/intermittent (casual) basis.

Individual and collective agreements

The Institute's Enterprise Agreement 2012 was negotiated between management and employee representatives in the first half of 2011-12 and was approved under the Fair Work Act 2009 for commencement on 1 March 2012. The agreement has a nominal expiry date of 30 June 2014. The process for negotiating a new Enterprise Agreement commenced in June 2014.

A small number of senior (EL 2) employees who previously held Australian Workplace Agreements are covered by determinations made under Section 24(1) of the Public Service Act 1999 to supplement the conditions provided by the Institute's Enterprise Agreement. The remuneration of the Institute's SES employees is determined by the Director and contained in a Section 24(1) determination.

Details of the number of staff covered by an Enterprise Agreement or a Section 24(1) determination at 30 June 2014 are shown in Table 4.4. Non-salary benefits received by staff are shown in Table 4.5.

Note: * Three EL 2 employees covered by the Enterprise Agreement have been provided with Section 24(1) determinations to supplement the provisions of the Enterprise Agreement. Number of staff excludes two SES employees not covered by the Enterprise Agreement and two employees engaged to provide services to the Institute on an irregular/intermittent (casual) basis.

Salary ranges

Performance pay

Eligible EL 2 employees on Section 24(1) determinations may qualify for a performance bonus of up to 15% if they achieve a performance rating of fully effective or above. Table 4.7 outlines performance payment information for the 2013 performance cycle.

Assets management

The Institute maintains a detailed and effective assets register. Assets management is not a significant aspect of the strategic business of the Institute.

Purchasing

All purchasing is carried out in line with the requirements of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules, as detailed in the Chief Executive's Instructions and Financial Rules, and in keeping with the core principles of ethical, efficient, effective and economical conduct. Templates covering all aspects of purchasing and approval have been developed and are used consistently.

All procurements in excess of $10,000 are reported in AusTender, and contracts in excess of $100,000 are included in Senate Order 192 reporting.

Consultants

The Institute's core business to conduct research and communicate the findings can require the use of consultant expertise. Consultants are generally engaged when particular specialist expertise is necessary, sufficiently skilled expertise is not immediately available inhouse, or independent advice is required.

The services provided by new and continuing consultants in the reporting period included provision of research reports, the review and audit of financial activities, human resources and business process analyses, as well as content management system analysis and content migration.

Processes for the engagement of consultants were consistent with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules, as detailed in the Chief Executive's Instructions and Financial Rules. As with all procurement, the priority in the engagement of consultants is to obtain value for money. Competitive processes are used for the selection of consultants, and the Chief Executive's Instructions contained guidelines for the approval of expenditure.

Consistent with the policy of including trend data in annual reports, expenditure on consultancy contracts over the three most recent financial years are listed in Table 4.8.

During 2013-14, six new consultancy contracts were entered into (including those to the value of less than $10,000), involving total actual expenditure of $83,928 (inc. GST). In addition, thirteen ongoing consultancy contracts were active during the year, involving total actual expenditure of $244,331 (inc. GST). Expenditure for the year totalled $328,259 (inc. GST).

The Annual Report contains information about actual expenditure on contracts for consultancies. Information on the value of contracts and consultancies over $10,000 is available on the AusTender website: <www.tenders.gov.au>. Contracts above the value of $100,000 are detailed on the AIFS website.

Commissioning bodies

During the 2013-14 year, the following organisations commissioned projects from the Institute:

• Attorney-General's Department
• Australian Childhood Foundation
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
• Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety Ltd
• Department of Defence
• Department of Education
• Department of Employment
• Department of Human Services
• Department of Immigration and Border Protection
• Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
• Department of Social Services
• Department of Veterans' Affairs
• Healing Foundation
• Interrelate Family Centres
• Medibank Health Solutions
• NSW Department of Family and Community Services
• Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
• Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales
• Uniting Communities, Adelaide
• VicHealth
• Victorian Department of Human Services
• Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation

Australian National Audit Office Access Clauses

The Institute's contract templates contain standard clauses to provide for the Auditor-General to have access to the contractor's premises. All contracts let during the reporting period contained these standard clauses.

Exempt contracts

The Institute has not entered into any contracts or standing offers above the reporting threshold value of $10,000 that have been exempted from publication in AusTender.

Due to their size and format the Financial statements are only available in PDF or Word format.

If you require an accessible version of the statements please contact us and we will endeavour to provide the content you need in a format you can use.

Work health and safety

The Institute is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace, and meeting its responsibilities under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. See Chapter 4: Management Accountability for the Institute's workplace health and safety policies, processes and performance.

Advertising and market research

No payments of $12,400 or greater (inclusive of GST) were made for the purposes of advertising and market research expenditure, as described in section 321A of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

Ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance

Institute management and staff are committed to the principles of ecologically sustainable development. In accordance with good practice, the Institute always endeavours to turn off non-essential lighting and appliances.

The following list details the Institute's environmental impacts, and the initiatives staff have taken to minimise them:

• In 2013-14, electricity consumption within our tenancy (causing emissions to the air and use of resources) increased by 5% compared to the previous period, which is likely due to a comparable increase in average employee numbers during the reporting period. This compares to an 18% increase in 2012-13 (also likely due to a comparable increase in employee numbers) and a 2% increase in 2011-12. The Institute continued to reinforce the practice of shutting down computers at the end of the day, encouraging staff to switch off lights when not needed and continuing the removal of excess lighting.
• The Institute uses 20% wind power, thus reducing emissions and resource use.
• All office equipment conforms to environmental standards.
• Adverse effects due to transport (causing emissions to the air and use of resources) are primarily due to domestic airline flights. Staff are encouraged to use webinar, video and teleconference facilities where possible. Many seminar presentations are made available electronically so that people do not have to travel to the Institute to hear them.
• Paper consumption (use of natural resources) is minimised by using recycled paper and ensuring that the office printers default to using both sides of the paper. Paper use (number of printer/copier impressions) increased by 16% in 2013-14 compared to the previous period. This follows a 10% increase in the previous year. These increases are likely to be due to the increase in average employee numbers in 2012-13 and 2013-14 compared to previous years.
• Waste generation (resource waste and emissions to the air) is reduced by recycling paper, cardboard, glass, plastics and metals.
• Water consumption (use of natural resources) has been minimised by using water-saving facilities.

Disability reporting

Since 1994, Commonwealth departments and agencies have reported on their performance as policy adviser, purchaser, employer, regulator and provider under the Commonwealth Disability Strategy. In 2007-08, reporting on the employer role was transferred to the Australian Public Service Commission's State of the Service Report and the APS Statistical Bulletin. These reports are available from the commission's website <www.apsc.gov.au>. Since 2010-11, departments and agencies have no longer been required to report on these functions.

The Commonwealth Disability Strategy has been overtaken by a new National Disability Strategy 2010-2020, which sets out a ten-year national policy framework to improve the lives of people with a disability, promote participation and create a more inclusive society. A high-level two-yearly report will track progress against each of the six outcome areas of the strategy and present a picture of how people with a disability are faring. The first of these reports will be available in late 2014 (see <www.dss.gov.au>).

Information Publication Scheme

Agencies subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1982 ( FOI Act) are required to publish information to the public as part of the Information Publication Scheme (IPS). This requirement is in Part II of the FOI Act and has replaced the former requirement to publish a Section 8 statement in an annual report. Each agency must display on its website a plan showing what information it publishes in accordance with the IPS requirements.

The Institute provides an Information Publication Plan on its IPS web page <www.aifs.gov.au/common/ips>, which links to key published information about the Institute. The AIFS website also contains a disclosure log that clearly identifies and provides access to any documents to which we give access in response to FOI requests.

No requests were made of the Institute this year for information under the FOI Act.

Contact details

Contact the FOI Contact Officer at the Australian Institute of Family Studies, Level 20, 485 La Trobe Street, Melbourne VIC 3000, phone: 03 9214 7888, fax: 03 9214 7839.

1 Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2013-14. This may also include prior year departmental appropriation and section 31 relevant agency receipts. 
2 Includes an amount of $0.182 million in 2013-14 for the Departmental Capital Budget. For accounting purposes this amount has been designated as "contributions by owners". 
3 Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2013-14 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2013-14. 
4 Does not include "Special Public Money" held in accounts like Other Trust Monies (OTM) accounts. Services for Other Government and Non-Agency Bodies (SOG) accounts, or Services for Other Entities and Trust Moneys Special (SOETM) accounts.

* Full year budget, including any subsequent adjustment made to the 2013-14 Budget. 
1 Departmental Appropriation combines "Ordinary annual services (Appropriation Bill No. 1)" and "Revenue from independent sources (section 31)".

The following are research publications, presentations and other outputs prepared by AIFS staff during 2013-14.

Publications

• Adema, W. (2013). Greater gender equality: What role for family policy? Family Matters, 93, 7-16.
• Altobelli, T., & Bryant, D. (2014). Has confidentiality in family dispute resolution reached its use-by date? In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 195-206). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Armstrong, S. (2013). Good practices with culturally diverse families in family dispute resolution. Family Matters, 92, 48-60.
• Australian Temperament Project. (2013). 2013 newsletter to study members.
• Baxter, J. A. (2013). Australian mothers' participation in employment: Analyses of social, demographic and family characteristics using the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey (Research Paper No. 52). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J. A. (2013). Child care participation and maternal employment trends in Australia (Research Report No. 26). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J. A. (2013). Employment characteristics and transitions of mothers in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (DSS Occasional Paper No. 50). Canberra: Department of Social Services.
• Baxter, J. A. (2013). Families working together: Getting the balance right. Family Matters, 92, 77-83.
• Baxter, J., Gray, M., Hand, K., & Hayes, A. (2013). Parental joblessness, financial disadvantage and the wellbeing of parents and children. (FaHCSIA Occasional Paper No. 48). Canberra: FaHCSIA.
• Baxter, J. A., & Taylor, M. (2014). Socio-economic status of women across the life course in NSW. Sydney: NSW Department of Family and Community Services.
• Bluett-Boyd, N., & Fileborn, B. (2014). Victim/survivor-focused justice responses and reforms to criminal court practice: Implementation, current practice and future directions (Research Report No. 27). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Brennan, D., & Cass, B. (2014). Grandparents as primary carers of their grandchildren: Policy and practice insights from research. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 109-118). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Bromfield, L., Arney, F., & Higgins, D. (2014). Contemporary issues in child protection intake, referral and family support. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 121-129). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Cartwright, C. (2014). Step-parenting. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 101-108). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Cartwright, C., & Gibson, K. (2013). The effects of co-parenting relationships with ex-spouses on couples in step-families. Family Matters, 92, 18-28.
• Cashmore, J. (2014). Children in the out-of-home care system. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 143-150). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Castle, P. (2014). Current open adoptions: Mothers' perspectives. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 47-54). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Child Family Community Australia. (2014). Parenting teens and tweens: Resources for policy and practice (Facts Sheet). Melbourne: CFCA, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Chisholm, R. (2014). Confidentiality and "family counselling" under the Family Law Act 1975. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 185-194). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Croucher, R. F. (2014). Family law: Challenges for responding to family violence in a federal system. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 207-214). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Cusack, B., & Defina, R. (2013). The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children: Wave 5 weighting and non response (LSAC Technical Paper No. 10). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Cuthbert, D., & Fronek, P. (2014). Perfecting adoption? Reflections on the rise of commercial offshore surrogacy and family formation in Australia. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 55-66). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• De Maio, J., Kaspiew, R., Smart, D., Dunstan, J., & Moore, S. (2013). Survey of Recently Separated Parents: A study of parents who separated prior to the implementation of the Family Law Amendment (Family Violence and Other Matters) Act 2011. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Dempsey, D. (2013). Same-sex parented families in Australia (CFCA Paper No. 18). Melbourne: Child Family Community Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• De Vaus, D., Gray, M., Qu, L., & Stanton, D. (2014). The economic consequences of divorce in Australia. International Journal, Law, Policy and the Family, 28(1), 26-47.
• Duncan, G. J., Kalil, A., & Ziol-Guest, K. M. (2013). Early childhood poverty and adult achievement, employment and health. Family Matters, 93, 27-35.
• Duncanson, K. (2013). Community beliefs and misconceptions about male sexual assault (ACSSA Resource Sheet). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Edwards, B., & Baxter, J. A. (2013). The tyrannies of distance and disadvantage: Factors related to children's development in regional and disadvantaged areas of Australia (Research Report No. 25). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Edwards, B., Gray, M., & Hunter, B. (2014). The impact of drought on mental health in rural and regional Australia. Social Indicators Research, May. doi:10.1007/s11205-014-0638-2.
• Edwards, B., Mullan, K., Katz, I., & Higgins, D. (2014). The Stronger Families in Australia (SFIA) Study: Phase 2. Final report. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Everington, S. (2014). Use of surrogacy by Australians: Implications for policy and law reform. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 67-80). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Faulks, J. (2014). Justice and the protection of children. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 151-166). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Fehlberg, B., & Millward, C. (2013). Post-separation parenting and financial arrangements over time: Recent qualitative findings. Family Matters, 92, 29-40.
• Fehlberg, B., & Millward, C. (2014). Family violence and financial outcomes after parental separation. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 235-244). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Fernando, M. (2013). Children's direct participation and the views of Australian judges. Family Matters, 92, 41-47.
• Fileborn, B. (2013). Conceptual understandings and prevalence of sexual harassment and street harassment (ACSSA Resource Sheet). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Forrest, W. (2014). Cohabitation, relationship quality, and desistance from crime. Journal of Marriage and Family, 76(3), 539-556
• Gavan, S., & Schorer, J. (2013). From training to practice transformation: Implementing a public health parenting program. Family Matters, 93, 50-57.
• Hand, K., & Baxter, J. A. (2013). Maternal employment and the care of school-aged children. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 16(3), 329-349.
• Hand, K., Baxter, J., Sweid, R., Bluett-Boyd, N., & Price-Robertson, R. (2014). Access to early childhood education in Australia: Insights from a qualitative study (Research Report No. 28). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Hayes, A. (2014). Social science and family law: From fallacies and fads to the facts of the matter. In A. Hayes, & Higgins, D. J. (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 283-295). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Hayes, A., & Baxter, J. A. (2014). Work and family approaches in Australia. In S. Nicklin, & B. Cornwell (Eds.), Family futures (pp. 187-190). Leicester, UK: Tudor Rose.
• Hayes, A., & Higgins, D. (2014). Weaving a common narrative: An introduction to essays on families, policy and the law in Australia. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 1-4). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Hayes, A., & Higgins, D. (2014). Complex family issues: Collective awareness, common narratives and coordinated approaches to promoting resilience. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 299-303). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Higgins, D., Kenny, P., Sweid, R., & Ockenden, L. (2014). Forced Adoption Support Services Scoping Study: Report for the Department of Social Services by the Australian Institute of Family Studies. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Hunter, C., & Price-Robertson, R. (2014). The good practice guide to child aware approaches: Keeping children safe and well (CFCA Paper No. 21). Melbourne: Child Family Community Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Kaspiew, R., Carson, R., Moore, S., De Maio, J., Deblaquiere, J., & Horsfall, B. (2013). Independent Children's Lawyers Study: Final report. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Kaspiew, R., Carson, R., Moore, S., De Maio, J., Deblaquiere, J., & Horsfall, B. (2014). Getting the word out: The role of Independent Children's Lawyers in the family law system. Australian Journal of Family Law, 28(1), 29.
• Kaspiew, R., De Maio, J., Deblaquiere, J., & Horsfall, B. (2014). Families with complex needs: Meeting the challenges of separation. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 215-224). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Kaspiew, R., De Maio, J., Qu, L., & Deblaquiere, J. (2014). Post-separation parenting arrangements involving minimal time with one parent. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 225-234). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Kearney, M. (2014). The scientists are coming: What are the courts to do with social science research? In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 275-282). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Kenny, P., & Higgins, D. (2014). Past adoption practices: Key messages for service delivery responses and current policies. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 29-38). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Kenny, P., Higgins, D., Sweid, R., & Soloff, C. (2013). Past adoption experiences: Impacts, insights and implications for policy and practice. Communities, Children and Families Australia, 7(1), 35-46.
• Knight, K., & Hunter, C. (2013). Using technology in service delivery to families, children and young people (CFCA Paper No. 17). Melbourne: Child Family Community Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Lein, L. (2013). Poverty and welfare: Marginalisation and destitution in the aftermath of the United States recession. Family Matters, 93, 17-26.
• Levine Coley, R., McPherran Lombardi, C., Sims, J., & Votruba-Drzal, E. (2013). Early education and care experiences and cognitive skills development: A comparative perspective between Australian and American children. Family Matters, 93, 36-49.
• Little, K., Hawkins, M., Sanson, A., O'Connor, M., Toumbourou, J., Smart, D., & Vassallo, S. (2013). Longitudinal predictors of alcohol-related harms during the transition to adulthood. Australian Psychologist, 48(4), 270-280.
• Mathews, B., & Walsh, K. (2014). Mandatory reporting laws. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 131-142). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Mathews, T., Scott, D., Hand, K., Higgins, D., McHugh-Dillon, H., & Heery, L. (2014). The evaluation of the Cradle to Kinder and Aboriginal Cradle to Kinder Programs: Interim evaluation report. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies & Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
• Meredith, V., Rush, P., & Robinson, E. (2014). Fly-in fly-out workforce practices in Australia: The effects on children and family relationships (CFCA Paper No. 19). Melbourne: Child Family Community Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Moloney, L. (2013). Intervening in post separation parenting disputes: Reflections on past, present and future principles and processes. Journal of Family Studies, 19(3), 218-223.
• Moloney, L. (2014). Of dreams and data: Lionel Murphy and the dignified divorce. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 247-259). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Moloney, L., Richardson, N., Smyth, B., & Capper, S. (2014). Understanding parenting disputes after separation: Report presented to the Attorney-General's Department. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Moloney, L., Weston, R., & Hayes, A. (2013). Key social issues in the development of Australian family law: Research and its impact on policy and practice. Journal of Family Studies, 19(2), 110-138.
• Moore, S., & Carson, R. (2013). Family law update. Family Matters, 93, 99-105. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Morley, S. (2014). Success factors for Indigenous entrepreneurs and community-based enterprises (Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Resource Sheet No. 30). Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, & Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Mushin, N. (2014). The forced adoption apology: Righting wrongs of a dark past. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 39-46). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Mullan, K. (2014). Longitudinal analysis of LSAC time diary data: Considerations for data users (LSAC Technical Paper No. 11). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Parker, R., & Commerford, J. (2014). Lasting couple relationships: Recent research findings (CFCA Paper No. 22). Melbourne: Child Family Community Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Parkinson, P. (2013). Violence, abuse and the limits of shared parental responsibility. Family Matters, 92, 7-17.
• Parkinson, P. (2014). The ties that bind: Separation, divorce and the indissolubility of parenthood. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 177-184). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Powell, A. (2014). Bystander approaches: Responding to and preventing men's sexual violence against women (ACSSA Issues No. 17). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Price-Robertson, R. (2014). Ancestry, identity and meaning: The importance of biological ties in contemporary society. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 19-28). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Price-Robertson, R., Higgins, D., & Vasallo, S. (2013). Multi-type maltreatment and polyvictimisation: A comparison of two research frameworks. Family Matters, 93, 84-98.
• Price-Robertson, R., Rush, P., Wall, L., & Higgins, D. (2013). Rarely an isolated incident: Acknowledging the interrelatedness of child maltreatment, victimisation and trauma (CFCA Paper No. 15). Melbourne: Child Family Community Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Qu, L., & Weston, R. (2013). Australian households and families (Australian Family Trends No. 4). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Qu, L., Weston, R., Moloney, L., Kaspiew, R., & Dunstan, J. (2014). Post-separation parenting, property and relationship dynamics after five years. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Quadara, A. (2014). Prosecuting child sexual abuse: The role of social science evidence. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 261-274). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Quadara, A., Fileborn, B., & Parkinson, D. (2013). The role of forensic medical evidence in the prosecution of sexual assault (ACSSA Issues No. 15). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Quadara, A., Nagy, V., Higgins, D., & Siegel, N. (2014). Conceptualising the prevention of child sexual abuse: Final report. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Redmond, G., Katz, I., Smart, D., & Gubhaju, B. (2013). How has the relationship between parental education and child outcomes changed in Australia since the 1980s? Australian Journal of Social Issues, 48, 395-413.
• Rhoades, H. (2014). Children, families and the law: A view of the past with an eye to the future. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 169-176). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Rigby, K. (2013). Bullying in schools and its relation to parenting and family life. Family Matters, 92, 61-67.
• Robinson, E. (2013). Parental involvement in preventing and responding to cyberbullying. Family Matters, 92, 68-76.
• Robinson, E., & Meredith, V. (2013). Family factors in early school leaving (CFCA Paper No. 16). Melbourne: Child Family Community Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Robinson, E., & Nagy, V. (2014). Enhancing online safety for children: Response to the public consultation on key election commitments. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Scott, D. (2014). Understanding child neglect (CFCA Paper No. 20). Melbourne: Child Family Community Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Sifris, A. (2014). Gay and lesbian parenting: The legislative response. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 89-100). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Smith, J. P., McIntyre, E., Craig, L., Javanparast, S., Strazdins, L., & Mortensen, K. (2013). Workplace support, breastfeeding and health. Family Matters, 93, 58-73.
• Stathopoulos, M. (2013, 4 December). Addressing the needs of women in prison with histories of sexual abuse (Penal Reform International blog). London: Penal Reform International.
• Stathopoulos, M. (2013). Engaging men in sexual assault prevention (ACSSA Wrap No. 14). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Stathopoulos, M. (2014). Sexual revictimisation: Individual, interpersonal and contextual factors (ACSSA Research Summary). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Stathopoulos, M. (2014). The exception that proves the rule: Female sex offending and the gendered nature of sexual violence (ACSSA Research Summary). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Stathopoulos, M. (2014). Working with Indigenous men in behaviour change programs (Helem Yumba Queensland Healing Centre) (ACSSA Working With series). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Thomas, A., Christensen, D., Deblaquiere, J., Armstrong, A., Moore, S., Carson, R., & Rintoul, A. (2013). Review of electronic gaming machine (EGM) pre-commitment features: Limit-setting. First draft report. Melbourne: Australian Gambling Research Centre, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Thomas, A., Carson, R., Deblaquiere, J., Armstrong, A., Moore, S., Christensen, D., & Rintoul, A. (2013). Review of electronic gaming machine (EGM) pre-commitment features: Self-exclusion. First draft report. Melbourne: Australian Gambling Research Centre, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Thomas, A., Rintoul, A., Deblaquiere, J., Armstrong, A., Moore, S., Carson, R., & Christensen, D. (2013). Review of electronic gaming machine (EGM) pre-commitment features: Transaction history statements. First draft report. Melbourne: Australian Gambling Research Centre, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Tsantefski, M., Parkes, A., Tidyman, A., & Campion, M. (2013). An extended family for life for children affected by parental substance dependence. Family Matters, 93, 74-83.
• Vassallo, S., Edwards, B., Renda, J., & Olsson, C.A. (2014). Bullying in early adolescence and antisocial behavior and depression six years later: What are the protective factors? Journal of School Violence, 13, 100-124.
• Wall, L. (2013). Working with crisis care responses to sexual assault (Western Region Centre Against Sexual Assault) (ACSSA Working With series). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Wall, L. (2014). Gender equality and violence against women: What's the connection (ACSSA Research Summary). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Wall, L., & Quadara, A. (2014). Acknowledging complexity in the impacts of sexual victimisation trauma (ACSSA Issues No. 16). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Wall, L., & Tarczon, C. (2013). True or false? The contested terrain of false allegations (ACSSA Research Summary). Melbourne: Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Ware, V. (2013). Improving the accessibility of health services in urban and regional settings for Indigenous people (Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Resource Sheet No. 27). Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, & Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Ware, V. (2013). Housing strategies that improve Indigenous health outcomes (Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Resource Sheet No. 25). Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, & Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Ware, V. (2014). Supporting healthy communities through arts programs (Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Resource Sheet No. 28). Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, & Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Ware, V., & Meredith, V. (2013). Supporting healthy communities through sports and recreation programs (Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Resource Sheet No. 26). Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, & Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Weston, R., & Qu, L. (2014). Trends in family transitions, forms and functioning: Essential issues for policy development and legislation. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 7-18). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Weston, R., Qu, L., & Baxter, J. (2013). Australian families with children and adolescents (Australian Family Trends No. 5). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Whitehouse, G., Baird, M., & Alexander, M. (2013). Australia: Country note. In P. Moss (Ed.), International review of leave policies and related research 2013 (pp. 41-50).London: International Network on Leave Policies and Research.
• Wise, S., & Kovacs, G., (2014). Secrecy, family relationships and the welfare of children born with the assistance of donor sperm: Developments in research, law and practice. In A. Hayes, & D. Higgins (Eds.), Families, policy and the law: Selected essays on contemporary issues for Australia (pp. 81-88). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Miscellaneous publications

eNewsletters

• Growing Up in Australia eNewsletter No. 37, July 2013.
• Growing Up in Australia eNewsletter No. 38, November 2013.
• Growing Up in Australia eNewsletter No. 39, March 2014.

CFCA Connect short articles

• Australian child protection legislation (October 2013)
• Australian legal definitions: When is a child in need of protection? (July 2013)
• Boosting new parents' confidence with a novel psychoeducation program (March 2014)
• Building confidence in family and relationship support services across Australia (November 2013)
• Can a relationship survive an affair? (July 2013)
• The changing face of Australian families (October 2013)
• Child protection and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (July 2013)
• Child sexual abuse: Summary of adult survivors' therapeutic needs (August 2013)
• Child wellbeing in advanced economies (August 2013)
• Child-led research as social welfare (September 2013)
• Corporal punishment: Key issues (April 2014)
• Development, risk burden and early childhood education (February 2014)
• Dissemination of evaluation findings (November 2013)
• Effects of child abuse and neglect for adult survivors (January 2014)
• Effects of child abuse and neglect for children and adolescents (January 2014)
• Enduring love? (June 2014)
• Enhancing support for the mental health of parents and carers of children with disability (October 2013)
• Ethical considerations for evaluation research (November 2013)
• Evaluating programs for fathers (November 2013)
• Evaluation and innovation in family support services (November 2013)
• Evidence-based practice and service-based evaluation (November 2013)
• Exploring the impact of technologies on young men's mental health and wellbeing (September 2013)
• Family factors in early school leaving (July 2013)
• The family law DOORS: A new whole-of-family approach to risk screening (September 2013)
• Family links (family support in criminal court) (March 2014)
• Father incarceration and child support in the United States (April 2014)
• Financial support for children after parental separation (July 2013)
• Fly-in fly-out workforce practices in Australia: The effects on children and family relationships (February 2014)
• Focus on mental illness in National Missing Persons Week (July 2013)
• The good practice guide to child aware approaches: Keeping children safe and well (May 2014)
• Growing our children up strong and deadly: Healing for children and young people (August 2013)
• Including the voices of children in research (April 2014)
• Income support for Australian carers since 1983: Social justice, social investment and the cloak of gender neutrality (October 2013)
• Is it OK to be away? School attendance in the primary school years (July 2013)
• Kinship care: Benefits and challenges (October 2013)
• Lasting couple relationships: Recent research findings (June 2014)
• Leaving a child home alone: Considerations for parents and professionals (February 2014)
• Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect (July 2013)
• Mothers and fathers in work-family research (January 2014)
• Mothers on the margins (October 2013)
• National Child Protection Week 2013 (September 2013)
• A necessary engagement: An international review of parent and family engagement in child protection (January 2014)
• Online safety (March 2014)
• Parenting teens and tweens: Resources for policy and practice (June 2014)
• Parents in the child protection system (January 2014)
• Planning for evaluation I: Basic principles (November 2013)
• Planning for evaluation II: Getting into detail (November 2013)
• Practical guidelines to improve service accessibility for families (March 2014)
• Practitioner's Corner: Grief encounters of a different kind (October 2013)
• Practitioner's Corner: Moving into a response space: A framework for health services working with vulnerable families (May 2014)
• Practitioner's Corner: Parental mental illness: Building understanding and resilience in children (March 2014)
• Practitioner's Corner: Responding to the public health issue of complex trauma (May 2014)
• Pre-employment screening: Working with children checks and police checks (October 2013)
• Protecting children and young people with disability and preventing sexual abuse: A collaborative approach to resource production (May 2014)
• Queensland Child Guardian key outcome indicators update, Queensland Child Protection System 2009-2012 (July 2013)
• "Realist evaluation" in action: A worked example of the Aboriginal Parental Engagement Program (December 2013)
• Resource: Developing capacity through partnerships (December 2013)
• The role of Independent Children's Lawyers in the family law system (February 2014)
• Safer Internet Day 2014 (February 2014)
• Same-sex parented families in Australia (December 2013)
• Snapshot 2013: Children and young people in Queensland (October 2013)
• Support needs when caring for a person with a mental illness (May 2014)
• Uncertain pathways from school to work: Which young people are stuck in transition and why? (November 2013)
• Understanding and engaging parents of children in care (March 2014)
• Understanding child neglect (April 2014)
• Uniting Communities Specialised Family Violence Services (June 2014)
• Using technology in service delivery to families, children and young people (October 2013)
• Victorian Family Law Pathways Network launches mobile app: iRefer Vic. (March 2014)
• Whose voice counts? Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in child protection decision-making (November 2013)
• Why wait till things go awry? (June 2014)
• Working with fathers who perpetrate family violence (December 2013)
• World Happiness Report 2013 (December 2013)

Updated CFCA resource sheets

• Age of consent laws (November 2013)
• Australian child protection legislation (October 2013)
• Australian legal definitions: When is a child in need of support? (July 2013)
• Child deaths from abuse and neglect (January 2014)
• Corporal punishment: Key issues (May 2014)
• Dissemination of evaluation findings (November 2013)
• Effects of child abuse and neglect for adult survivors (January 2014)
• Effects of child abuse and neglect for children and adolescents (January 2014)
• Evaluation and innovation in family support services (November 2013)
• Evidence-based practice and service-based evaluation (November 2013)
• Helplines and telephone counselling services for children, young people and parents (November 2013)
• Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect (July 2013)
• Online safety (March 2014)
• Planning for evaluation I: Basic principles (November 2013)
• Planning for evaluation II: Getting into detail (November 2013)
• Pre-employment screening: Working with children checks and police checks (October 2013)
• Reporting abuse and neglect: State and territory departments responsible for protecting children (October 2013)

Presentations

• Armstrong, A. R., Thomas, A., & Delfabbro, P. (2013, 21 November). Staff observation of problem gambling behaviours. 23rd Annual Conference for the National Association of Gambling Studies, Sydney.
• Baxter, J. A. (2013, 17 July). Fathers as co-parents: How co-parenting perceptions are linked to Australian couples' sharing of childcare, other household work and paid work. 5th International Community, Work and Family Conference, Sydney.
• Baxter, J. A. (2013, 18 July). Childcare participation and maternal employment trends in Australia. 5th International Community, Work and Family Conference, Sydney.
• Baxter, J. A. (2013, 13-14 November). Fathers' leave, fathers' involvement and child development: Are they related? Evidence from OECD countries. Growing Up in Australia and Footprints in Time: The LSAC-LSIC Conference, Melbourne.
• Baxter, J. A. (2013, 27 November). Parents working out work: An examination of families interactions with paid employment in Australia today. AIFS Seminar series, Melbourne.
• Baxter, J. A. (2014, 11 June). AIFS' experience (to date) in using the ACLD. Australian Census Longitudinal Dataset (ACLD) Technical Workshop, Melbourne.
• Baxter, J. A., & Gray, M. (2014, 20 June). Employment without childcare: Mothers' double burden or father involvement? 2nd Work and Family Researchers Network Conference, New York, USA.
• Baxter, J. A., & Gray, M. (2013, 31 August). Employment without childcare: How do parents do it? 27th International Population Conference, Busan, Korea.
• Baxter, J. A., Gray, M., Hand, K., & Hayes, A. (2013, 13-14 November). Parental joblessness, financial disadvantage and the wellbeing of parents and children. Growing Up in Australia and Footprints in Time: The LSAC-LSIC Conference, Melbourne.
• Baxter, J. A., & Strazdins, L. (2013, 14 November). Children's views of their parents' jobs. Growing Up in Australia and Footprints in Time: The LSAC-LSIC Conference, Melbourne.
• Baxter, J. A., & Strazdins, L. (2014, 21 June). Which children think their fathers work too much? Cross sectional and longitudinal analysis of employment and family characteristics linked with Australian boys' and girls' reports of their fathers' jobs. 2nd Work and Family Researchers Network Conference, New York, USA.
• Britt, C., & Forrest, W. (2013, 14 November). Assessing the analytical properties of group-based trajectory models for longitudinal data count: A simulation study. Growing Up in Australia and Footprints in Time: The LSAC-LSIC Research Conference, Melbourne.
• Carson, R. (2013, 30 August). The 2012 family law (family violence) reforms: An empirical analysis. "The More Things Change: Unpicking the Threads of Evidence in Domestic Law Matters" Forum, hosted by the Illawarra and Southern Highlands Family Law Pathways Network and the Illawarra Committee Against Domestic Violence, Wollongong, NSW.
• Carson, R. (2014, 13 March). The whys and wherefores of children's matters with special emphasis on the ICL. Monash University Law School "Principles of Family Law" course, Melbourne.
• Carson, R. (2014, 28 May). Independent Children's Lawyers Study: The research and the report. Northern Family Law Pathways Network, Launceston, Tasmania.
• Christian, A., Renda, J., & Corey, J. (2013, 13-14 November). Protocols for the collection of sensitive data from adolescents in Wave 6 of The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Growing Up in Australia and Footprints in Time: The LSAC-LSIC Research Conference, Melbourne.
• Daraganova, G., Mullan, K., & Edwards, B. (2013, 13-14 November). Attendance in primary school: Factors and consequences. Growing Up in Australia and Footprints in Time: The LSAC-LSIC Research Conference, Melbourne.
• Daraganova, G., & Edwards, B. (2013, 13-14 November). The OECD Education and Social Progress Project (ESP): An international comparative study of the role of non-cognitive skills on the social progress. Evidence from LSAC. Growing Up in Australia and Footprints in Time: The LSAC-LSIC Research Conference, Melbourne.
• Delfabbro, P., Thomas, A., & Armstrong, A. R. (2013, 21 November). Problem gambling behaviours. 23rd Annual Conference for the National Association of Gambling Studies, Sydney.
• Fileborn, B., & Stathopoulos, M. (2013, 12 July). Can prisons be supportive of victim/survivors' needs? Considering the role of prison culture and alternative responses. Australian and New Zealand Critical Criminology Conference, University of Tasmania, Hobart.
• Forrest, W. (2013, 13-14 November). The intergenerational transmission of Indigenous languages within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. Growing Up in Australia and Footprints in Time: The LSAC-LSIC Research Conference, Melbourne.
• Gray, M., De Vaus, D., Qu, L., & Stanton, D. (2014, 4 June). Single motherhood, paid employment and the social security system. Foundation for International Studies on Social Security Conference, Sigtuna, Sweden.
• Hand, K., & Baxter, J. (2013, 18 July). Maternal employment and the care of school-aged children. 5th International Community, Work and Family Conference, Sydney.
• Hayes, A. (2014, 29 May). Life chances: Stories of growing up in Australia. Book launch for J. Taylor. (2014). Life chances: Stories of growing up in Australia, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Fitzroy, Vic.
• Hayes, A. (2014, 26 May). Changing gambling environments: From awareness to collective responsibility and coordinated action. Launch of Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, 26 May - 1 June 2014, Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, Melbourne.
• Hayes, A. (2014, 23 May). Beyond individuals to families (and communities) in context. Families Australia Board Meeting, Brisbane.
• Hayes, A. (2014, 23 May). Beyond single generation solutions: Prevention and early intervention in life course perspective. Families Australia Policy Forum, Brisbane.
• Hayes, A. (2014, 2 May). The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS): An overview of its origins, organisation, current research and dissemination activities. Federal Circuit Court of Australia Annual Conference, Melbourne.
• Hayes, A. (2014, 28 February). Longitudinal insights into the power of parenting: From early childhood to the middle years and beyond. 16th Annual Conference, Helping Families Change, Sydney.
• Hayes, A. (2014, 21 February). Bouncing back: Family strengths and community supports when stuff happens! Sydney Anglican Diocese Mothers' Union Seminar, "When Stuff Happens: Helping Families Through the Difficult Times", Sydney.
• Hayes, A. (2014, 7 February). Australia's longitudinal studies as rich resources for studying development, health and wellbeing across the lifespan. Macquarie University 2014 Institute of Early Childhood Staff Retreat, Sydney.
• Hayes, A. (2013, 17 December). Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC): Purpose and directions. Australasian Gaming Council Board Meeting, Melbourne.
• Hayes, A. (2013, 21 November). Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC): Purpose and directions. 23rd Annual Conference of the National Association for Gambling Studies Inc., Sydney.
• Hayes, A. (2013, 1 November). Looking at childhood through the long lens: Australia's longitudinal studies as windows on human development across the lifespan. Infant and Early Childhood Social and Emotional Wellbeing Conference 2013, Canberra.
• Hayes, A. (2013, 18 October). Boundary organisations bridging the divide between interdisciplinary research and public policy: The example of the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS). The Humboldt Colloquium, "Looking to the Future: International Research in a Changing World", Sydney.
• Hayes, A. (2013, 10 October). Bridging the divide and returning the balance: The power of parenting in the middle years and beyond. Family Life Education Conference, Singapore.
• Hayes, A. (2013, 23 September). Disadvantage in the here and now: The state of our knowledge versus the knowledge of the state. Early Years Research Group, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney.
• Hayes, A. (2013, 2 July). The value of the long view: Australia's longitudinal studies as a window on human development. Conference of the Australasian Human Development Association, Surfers Paradise, Qld.
• Higgins, D. (2013, 30 September). Child safe organisations and the role of religious institutions. "Religions and Sexual Politics in Postsecular Australia" workshop, Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health & Society and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia,Melbourne.
• Higgins, D. (2013, 1 October). Child-safe environments: Lessons from research about protecting children from abuse in organisational settings. 2013 Association of Children's Welfare Agencies Breakfast Briefing, Sydney.
• Higgins, D. (2013, 1 October). Making your organisation child safe. 2013 Association of Children's Welfare Agencies Best Practice Forum, Sydney.
• Higgins, D. (2013, 12 November). Child abuse prevention and the public health approach: Balancing universal and targeted services to enhance family environments for children. 13th Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect. Melbourne.
• Higgins, D., & Kenny, P. (2013, 10 October). Adoption - past; impacts - current: Meeting the psychological needs of those affected by forced adoption and the practices from the period of closed adoption in Australia. 48th Annual Conference of the Australian Psychological Society, Cairns.
• Higgins, D. (2014, 20 March). Child-safe organisations. Aboriginal Child, Family & Community Care State Secretariat Biennial Conference, Coffs Harbour, Qld.
• Higgins, D. (2014, 31 March). Services to enhance safe and supportive family environments for Australia's children. 2nd Child Aware Approaches Conference,Melbourne.
• Higgins, D. (2014, 1 April). Where's the child? Lessons from past policy/practice failings to be "child aware". 2nd Child Aware Approaches Conference,Melbourne.
• Higgins, D. (2014, 8 April). Making organisations child safe: Messages from research and practical implementation strategies. NSW Family and Community Services Workshop on Child Safe Organisations, Sydney.
• Kaspiew, R. (2013, 6 November). Family violence and family dispute resolution: An empirical exploration of issues and challenges. 6th Family Relationship Services Australia National Conference, Canberra.
• Kaspiew, R. (2014, 18 February). Independent Children's Lawyers: Multiple perspectives on expectations and experience of practice. AIFS Seminar Series, Melbourne.
• Kaspiew, R. (2014, 14 March). What do children need from their Independent Children's Lawyer? NSW Legal Aid Professional Development Conference, Newcastle, NSW.
• Kaspiew, R. (2014, 27 May). Independent Children's Lawyers: All things to all people? The Children and Youth Issues Committee, Law Institute of Victoria, Melbourne.
• Kaspiew, R., Lewington, M., Lynch, A., & Field, R. (2013, 29 October). Coordinated family dispute resolution: Findings and future directions. CFCA Seminar Series, Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne.
• Kenny, P., Higgins, D., Soloff, S., Sweid, R., & Ockenden, L. (2014, 30 April) Adoption in Australia: Past practice, impacts and current issues for consideration in a therapeutic setting. Australian Psychological Society (ACT Branch) Professional Development Seminar, Canberra.
• Meredith, V. (2014, 25 June). Family factors in early school leaving. Barwon South Family Law Pathways Network Forum, Colac, Vic.
• Meredith, V., Sibbel, A., Washington, P., & Ashby, N. (2014, 26 February). The effects of fly-in fly-out (FIFO) workforce practices on families in Australia. CFCA Seminar Series, Melbourne.
• Moore, S. (2014, 12 March). Research on Independent Children's Lawyers. Albury Wodonga Family Law Pathways Network Conference, Albury, NSW.
• Mullan, K., & Higgins, D. (2013, 13-14 November). A safe and supportive family environment for children. Growing Up in Australia and Footprints in Time: The LSAC-LSIC Research Conference, Melbourne.
• Price-Robertson, R. (2014, 31 March). Child aware approaches: Recognising and implementing child aware principles and practice. 2nd Child Aware Approaches Conference, Melbourne.
• Qu, L., Gray, M., De Vaus, D., & Stanton, D. (2013, 29 October). The financial consequences of relationship breakdown: A cross-country comparative analysis. International Symposium on Child Support, Australian National University, Canberra.
• Qu, L. & Weston, R. (2013, 29 October). Findings on child support from the Longitudinal Study of Separated Families. International Symposium on Child Support, Australian National University, Canberra.
• Qu, L., & Weston, R. (2013, 13-14 November). Separated parents' preferences regarding fathers' involvement in the lives of their children. Growing Up in Australia and Footprints in Time: The LSAC-LSIC Research Conference, Melbourne.
• Qu, L., & Weston, R. (2014, 11 April). The ageing of the population: Causes and consequences. "Principles of Social Policy" course, Australian National University, Canberra.
• Quadara, A. (2014, 27 March). A new legal frontier: young people, new technologies and sexual violence. Victoria Police Sex Offenders Registry Asia Pacific Conference, Melbourne.
• Quadara, A., & Miller, R. (2014, 28 April). Sexual abuse and exploitation prevention: Effective responses. CFCA Seminar Series, Melbourne.
• Rathus, Z., & Moloney, L. (2013, 8 August). The role of social science research in contemporary family law. CFCA Seminar Series, Melbourne.
• Rintoul, A. C., Livingstone, C., & Kipsaina, C. (2013, 21 November). Gambling and heart disease: A multilevel analysis. 23rd Annual Conference for the National Association of Gambling Studies, Sydney.
• Rintoul, A. C., Thomas, A., & Christensen, D. (2014, 21 February). Reducing harm and improving consumer protection: A review of design features critical to the success of EGM pre-commitment technology. 5th International Gambling Conference, Auckland, New Zealand.
• Robinson, E. (2013, 5 November). Evaluation strategies for family support services. 6th Family and Relationship Services Australia National Conference, Canberra.
• Robinson, E. (2013, 9 December). The nuts and bolts of program evaluation. CFCA Seminar Series, Melbourne.
• Robinson, E., & Meredith, V. (2013, 6 November). Family factors in early school leaving. 6th Family and Relationship Services Australia National Conference, Canberra.
• Scott, D. (2013, 3 September). Keeping kids safe starts with you. NSW Health Child Protection Week Interagency Forum, "Child Protection is Everybody's Business", Sydney.
• Scott, D. (2014, 6 May). Meeting children's needs when the family environment isn't always "good enough": A systems approach. Integrated Practice Seminar Series IV, Greater Shepparton Best Start Project, Berry Street and FamilyCare, Shepparton.
• Scott, D., Tonmyr, L., Tanaka, M., Higgins, D., Gonzalez, A., & MacMillan, H. (2013, 11 November). Do risk indicators associated with neglect differ from other types of maltreatment? 13th Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Melbourne.
• Smart, D. (2013, 17 November). Time-activity patterns in children aged 0-9 in Australia. International Research Workshop on Children and Noise, Griffith University, Victor Harbour, SA.
• Strazdins, L., & Baxter, J. A. (2013, 13-14 November). Children's perceptions of their parents' jobs. Growing Up in Australia and Footprints in Time: The LSAC-LSIC Research Conference, Melbourne.
• Stathopoulos, M., & Quadara, A. (2013, 30 August). Women as offenders, women as victims: The role of corrections in supporting women with histories of sexual abuse. "Women as Offenders, Women as Victims" Forum, NSW Department of Corrective Services, Sydney.
• Thomas, A., Armstrong, A. R., & Delfabbro, P. (2013, 21 November). Staff intervention on problem gamblers. 23rd Annual Conference for the National Association of Gambling Studies, Sydney.
• Thomas, A., Delfabbro, P., & Armstrong, A. R. (2013, 27 November). Visible indicators of problem gambling in EGM venues. Community Education Peer Network Meeting, Melbourne.
• Thomas, A., (2014, 20 February). Removal of ATMs from electronic gaming machine venues in Victoria, Australia. 5th International Gambling Conference, Auckland, New Zealand.
• Thomas, A., Delfabbro, P., & Armstrong, A. R. (2014, 27 May) Can we see gambling problems? Visible indicators of gambling problems in EGM venues. Responsible Gambling Awareness Week, Melbourne.
• Vasiliadis, S., McGaurr, L., & Beha, B. (2013, 8 November). Youth gambling in Australia [Audio podcast]. Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies, Hobart.
• Vasiliadis, S., Dowling, N., & Jackson, A. C. (2014, 21 February). Gen Y: Gambling to cheer up and get high. 5th International Gambling Conference, Auckland, New Zealand.
• Weston, R., Qu, L., & Dunstan, J. (2013, 3 July). Fathers who do not see their children after parental separation. The Child Support National Stakeholder Engagement Group Meeting, Department of Human Services, Canberra.

The Annual Report is prepared in accordance with the Requirements for Annual Reports approved by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit. This index refers to mandatory and suggested reporting items.

Note: N/A = not applicable

Tables

• 3.1 Deliverable indicators
• 3.2 Key performance indicators
• 3.3 AIFS research projects
• 3.4 Website page downloads
• 3.5 Subscribers to email lists
• 3.6 Publication distribution
• 3.7 Number of mentions by media channel
• 3.8 Budgeted and actual expenses
• 4.1 Staffing overview at 30 June 2014
• 4.2 Staffing overview at 30 June 2013
• 4.3 Staffing overview, by classification level
• 4.4 Staff covered by different employment agreements
• 4.5 Non-salary benefits
• 4.6 Staffing overview: Salary ranges
• 4.7 Performance pay
• 4.8 Expenditure on consultancy contracts
• B.1 Agency resource statement
• B.2 Budgeted expenses and resources

Figures

• 2.1 AIFS organisational structure
• 4.1 Employee qualifications
• 4.2 Research employee qualifications