Staff Profile

Professor Alan Hayes
Director, Australian Institute of Family Studies

BA(Hons) (UNSW), PhD (Macq), FAPsS, FAmPsyS

Biography

Professor Alan Hayes is the Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, taking up his appointment in September 2004. He also holds a professorial appointment at Macquarie University, Sydney.

With qualifications in Psychology, he has research and policy interests in the pathways children and their families take through life, and the role of families in supporting and sustaining development across life. The role of vulnerability and resilience in shaping developmental pathways has been a particular focus. Much of his work has focused on disadvantage, with a longstanding interest in prevention and early intervention. The impact of relationship breakdown on children is a particular interest, and the factors that impede access to opportunity continue to be a key focus.

He is currently a member of the Family Law System Reference Group, the Building a Civil Justice Evidence Base Reference Group, the Chief Justice’s Family Law Forum, the Australian Government’s Longitudinal Studies Advisory Group (LSAG), the Work and Family Roundtable, the National Advisory Board of the Family Law Section, Law Council of Australia, and an inaugural member of the APS200 Leadership Forum.

He held a Chair of Early Childhood Studies at Macquarie University, where he was also foundation Dean and Head of Division at the Australian Centre for Education Studies (ACES).

He has been the chair, deputy chair or a member of four Australian Government Ministerial Advisory Councils, including the Commonwealth Child Care Advisory Council (CCCAC) (Member); the Australian Council for Children and Parenting (ACCAP) (Chair); the former Stronger Families and Communities Strategy (SFCS) Partnership - now the Family Support Program (FSP) (Deputy Chair); and the Australian Families and Children Council (AFCC) (Member). For the NSW Government, he chaired the committee that successfully established the Institute of Teachers in 2004 and was a member for several years of the NSW Child Protection Council.

An Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, he has been a Visiting Professor at the Free University of Berlin and the Pennsylvania State University.

Professor Hayes has been an Ambassador for National Families Week from 2007 to 2011.

Selected recent publications

• Weston, R. Qu, L., & Hayes, A. (Inpress). From form to function: Contemporary choices, changes and challenges (PDF 130KB). In P. Noller, and G. Karantzas (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Couples and Family Relationships. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Edwards, B., Gray, M., Wise, S., Hayes, A., Katz, I., Muir, K., & Patulny, R. (2011). Early impacts of Communities for Children on children and families: Findings from a quasi-experimental, cohort study.Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
• Hayes, A, Qu, L., Weston, R., & Baxter, J. (2011) Families in Australia 2011: Sticking together in good and tough times. (Facts Sheet). Melbourne. Australian Institute of Family Studies
• Edwards, B., & Hayes, A. (2011). Commentary on 'Time Demands of Caring for Children with Cerebral Palsy: What are the Implications for Maternal Mental Health?' Developmental Medicine and Clinical Neurology, 53(4), 295-296.
• Baxter, J., Gray, M., & Hayes, A. (2011). Families in regional, rural and remote Australia (Facts Sheet). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Cuskelly, M. Chant, D., Hayes, A., & Jobling, A. (2010). Do behavioral problems in children with Down syndrome suggest a phenotypic pattern? In V. Prasher (ed.)Contemporary issues in intellectual disabilities (pp. 113-118). New York: Nova Science publishers.
• Hayes, A., Weston R. & Qu, L. (2011). Relationship pressures on Australian families: Some implications for psychologists. InPsych, February 2011. 8-11.
• Hayes, A. (2010). Design Issues. In MacNaughton, G., Rolfe, S.A., Siraj-Blatchford, I. (Eds). Doing Early Childhood Research: International Perspectives on Theory & Practice, 2nd edn. (pp.103-125), Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
• Hayes, A., Weston, R., Qu, L. & Gray, M. (2010). Families then and now: 1980 - 2010 (Facts Sheet). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J., Gray, M., & Hayes, A. (2010). The best start: Supporting happy, healthy childhoods (Facts Sheet). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Hayes, A. (2010). Family and place. Family Matters, 84, 5-6.
• Muir, K., Katz, I., Edwards, B., Gray, M., Wise S. and Hayes, A. (2010). The national evaluation of the Communities for Children initiative. Family Matters, 84, 35-42.
• Edwards, B., Baxter, J., Smart, D., Sanson, A., and Hayes, A. (2009). Financial disadvantage and children’s school readiness. Family Matters, 83, 23-31.
• Gray, M., Edwards, B., Hayes, A., and Baxter, J. (2009). The impacts of recessions on families. Family Matters, 83, 7-14.
• Smart, D., Hayes, A., Sanson, A. V., & Toumbourou, J. T. (2009). Mental health and wellbeing of Australian adolescents. In D. L. Bennett, S. J. Towns, E. J. Elliott, & J. Merrick (Eds.) Challenges in adolescent health. An Australian perspective. (pp. 50-62), New York: Nova Sci.
• Edwards, B., Wise, S., Gray, M., Hayes, A., Katz, I., Misson, S., Patulny, R. and Muir, K., (2009). Stronger Families in Australia study: The impact of Communities for Children. Occasional Paper No. 25, Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
• Muir, K., Katz, I., Purcal, C., Patulny, R., Flaxman, S., Abello, D., Cortis, N., Thomson, C., Oprea, I., Wise, S., Edwards, B., Gray, M. and Hayes, A. (2009). National evaluation (2004–2008) of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy 2004–2009, Occasional Paper No. 24, Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
• Hayes, A. (2009). The first decade of Newpin in Australia: From theory to lived experience (PDF 110 KB). Family Matters, 82, 62.
• Hayes, A. (2009). The first decade of Newpin in Australia: From theory to lived experience. Children Australia, 34, 2.
• Baxter, J., Gray, M & Hayes, A. (2009). Diverse families making a difference. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies
• Hayes, A. (2009). Invited Commentary "Child well-being in comparative perspective" by Professor Jonathan Bradshaw. Children Australia, 34, (1), 13-14.
• Gilmore, L., Cuskelly, M., Jobling, A., & Hayes, A. (2009). Maternal support for autonomy: Relationships with persistence for children with Down syndrome and typically developing children. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30, 1023-1033.
• Hayes, A. (2009). Contexts and Consequences: Impacts on Children, Families and Communities. In Bowes, J. & Grace, R. (Eds). Children, Families and Communities, 3rd edn., (pp 3-21). Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
• Hayes, A. (2009). Looking Forward: Impacts on Children, Families and Communities. In Bowes, J. & Grace, R. (Eds). Children, Families and Communities, 3rd edn., (pp 219-231). Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
• Smart, D. Sanson, A., Baxter, J., Edwards, B. & Hayes, A. (2008). Home-to-school transitions for financially disadvantaged children (PDF 623 KB) | Summary report (PDF 783 KB) Sydney: The Smith Family.
• Hayes, A. (2008). Foreword. In The nature and impact of caring for family members with a disability in Australia. (pp. viii) Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Hayes, A. (2008). Are family changes, social trends and unanticipated policy consequences making children’s lives more challenging? (PDF 363 KB) Family Matters, 78, 60–63.
• Hayes, A. (2008). Putting early childhood into a lifespan, social-inclusion perspective. Every Child, 14(1), 4-5.
• Hayes, A., & Gray, M. (2008). Social inclusion: A policy platform for those who live particularly challenged lives (PDF 274 KB) Family Matters, 78, 4–7.
• Hayes, A. (2008). Not such splendid isolation: Developmental implications of limited opportunities for intimacy. 13h National Family Law Conference, Adelaide April 2008.
• Hayes, A., Gray, M. C., & Edwards, B. (2008). Social inclusion: Origins, concepts and key themes. Canberra: Social Inclusion Unit, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
• Hayes, A. (2007). Foreword. In D. Higgins, Cooperation and coordination: An evaluation of the Family Court of Australia's Magellan case-management model (p. 10). Canberra, ACT: Family Court of Australia.
• Hayes, A. (2007). Early childhood and care in Australia. In R. S. New & M. Cochran (Eds.), Early childhood education: An international encyclopedia. Vol. 4: The countries (pp. 867-871). Westport, CT: Praeger.
• Hayes, A. (2007). Why early in life is not enough: Timing and sustainability in prevention and early intervention. In A. France & R. Homel (Eds.), Pathways and crime prevention: Theory, policy and practice (pp. 202-225). Uffculme, UK: Willan Publishing.
• Baxter, J., Gray, M., & Hayes, A. (2007). A snapshot of how Australian families spend their time (Facts Sheet). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J., Gray, M., & Hayes, A. (2007). Family statistics and trends: A snapshot of how Australian families spend their time. Family Relationships Quarterly, 5, 13–16.
• Hayes, A. (2007). A great partnership begins. Access, 23, 19-20.
• Baxter, J., & Hayes, A. (2007). How four year olds spend their day: Insights into the caring contexts of young children. Family Matters, 76, 34-43.
• Geggie, J., Weston, R., Hayes, A., & Silberberg, S. (2007). The shaping of strengths and challenges of Australian families: Implications for policy and practice (Special issue. Strong families around the world: Strengths-based research and perspectives). Marriage & Family Review, 41, 217–239.
• Smart, D., Hayes, A., Sanson A. V., & Toumbourou, J. W. (2007). Mental health and wellbeing of Australian adolescents: Pathways to vulnerability and resilience. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 19, 263-268.
• Hayes, A. (2006). Foreword. In A. Elliott (Ed.), Early childhood education: Pathways to quality and equity for all children (pp. iii-vi; Australian Review No. 50). Camberwell, Vic.: ACER Press.
• Hayes, A. (2006). Maintaining the gains: Sustainability in prevention and early intervention. Family Matters, 75, 66-69.
• Hayes, A., Weston, R., Gray, M., Qu, L., Higgins, D., Hand, K., & Soriano, G. (2006). Family relationships through life: An illustration of the Australian Institute of Family Studies' Research Plan (2006-2008). Family Matters, 73, 4-12.
• Smart, D., & Hayes, A. (2006). The development of antisocial behaviour in adolescence: Child, family, peer and school influences. Family Scholars Colloquium Protecting and Strengthening the Family: Challenges and Opportunities. Conference proceedings. Kuala Lumpur: LPPKN Resource Centre.