Staff Profile

Dr Daryl Higgins
Deputy Director (Research)

BA (Melb), BA(Hons) (Deakin), PhD (Deakin)

Biography

Dr Higgins is the Deputy Director (Research) at the Australian Institute of Family Studies, where he has responsibility for the Institute's research program. The Institute undertakes a wide range of research, evaluation and dissemination projects focusing on policy- and practice-relevant issues affecting families in Australia. He is a registered psychologist, and has been researching child abuse, family violence, sexuality and family functioning since 1993. He has extensive experience in managing and supervising research, and has led projects looking at child abuse and neglect, child protection, children in out-of-home care, child-safe organisations, Family Court processes for responding to allegations of child abuse, caring for a family member with a disability, welfare reform, jobless families, past adoption practices, and community development approaches to children at risk in Indigenous communities. He has a sound knowledge of state and territory policy contexts across Australia. He has considerable experience in evaluation methodology and frameworks across areas including child protection, out-of-home care, sexual assault, child care, parenting, care for family members with a disability, and family and community wellbeing.

Daryl also has experience in conducting qualitative research and program evaluations with Indigenous communities, as well as understanding and analysing and interpreting quantitative administrative data (such as child protection departmental statistics relating to Indigenous Australians). In particular, Daryl has led projects examining best practice in Indigenous out-of-home care, and a range of community development projects focusing on early childhood, young people, and education engagement/mentoring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people. He is currently leading AIFS' contributions to the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, a research dissemination unit, run in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, focused on identifying and communicating key findings from research evidence about what works to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage in relation to the seven building blocks identified by the Council of Australian Governments - early childhood, schooling, health, employment, housing, community safety, and governance/leadership.

Specialist areas

• "Multi-type maltreatment" and the overlap between occurrence of various types of child abuse and neglect
• Family relationships, family functioning, and family support services
• Statutory child protection systems
• Child abuse prevention
• Impact of and therapeutic responses to child maltreatment and adult sexual assault (including complex post-traumatic stress disorder)
• Caring for family members with a disability
• Community development strategies for protecting children
• Jobless families and disadvantaged communities
• Preventing and responding to sexual assault

Selected recent publications

• Higgins, D. (2013, February). Adoption: Past policy, reform, and its lingering effects (PDF 900 KB). Australian Social Policy Association Newsletter.
• 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: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J., Higgins, D., & Hayes, A. (2012). Families make all the difference: Helping kids to grow and learn. Facts Sheet. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Higgins, D. (2012). Past and present Adoptions in Australia: Facts sheet. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Higgins, D., & Scott, D. (2012). Child abuse and neglect in Australia’s Northern Territory: The Northern Territory Emergency Response. In H. Dubowitz (ed.) World Perspectives on Child Abuse (10th Edition). International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect (ISPCAN).
• Kenny, P., Higgins, D., Soloff, C., & Sweid, R. (2012). Past adoption experiences: National Research Study on the Service Response to Past Adoption Practices (Research Report No. 21). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Price-Robertson, R., Higgins, D., & Meredith, V. (2012). Evaluation of the All Children Being Safe Tamworth Pilot. Canberra: Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) .
• Robinson, E., Scott, D., Meredith, V., Nair, L., & Higgins, D. (2012). Good and innovative practice in service delivery to vulnerable and disadvantaged families and children (CFCA Paper No. 9). Australian Institute of Family Studies, Melbourne.
• Scott, D., Higgins, D., & Franklin, R. (2012). The role of supervisory neglect in childhood injury. CFCA Paper No. 08, Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Al-Yaman, F., & Higgins, D. (2011). What works to overcome Indigenous disadvantage: Key learnings and gaps in the evidence (PDF 570 KB). Canberra: Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare / Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Hand, K., Gray, M., Higgins, D., Lohoar, S. and Deblaquiere, J. (2011), Life around here: Community, work and family life in three Australian communities, Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies
• Higgins, D. (2011). Current trauma: The impact of adoption practices up to the early 1970s. Family Relationships Quarterly, 19, 6-9.
• Higgins, D. (2011). Protecting children: Evolving systems. Family Matters 89, 5-10. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Higgins, D. (2011). Unfit mothers...unjust practices? Key issues from Australian research on the impact of past adoption practices. Family Matters 87, 56-67. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Higgins, D. J., & Kaspiew, R. (2011). Child protection and family law... Joining the dots (NCPC Issues 34). Melbourne: National Child Protection Clearinghouse at the Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• McDonald, M., Higgins, D., valentine, k. & Lamont, A. (2011). Protecting Australia’s children research audit (1995–2010) [A report to the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs]. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies & Social Policy Research Centre – University of New South Wales.
• Scott, D., & Higgins, D. (2011). Supporting families (Chapter 7). In Northern Territory Emergency Response Evaluation Report 2011 (pp. 245-291). Canberra: Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
• Stewart, J., Lohoar, S., & Higgins, D. (2011). Effective practices for service delivery coordination in Indigenous communities. (PDF 1.3MB) Closing the Gap Clearinghouse Resource Sheet. Canberra: Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare / Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Hand, K., Gray, M., Higgins, D., Lohoar, S., & Deblaquiere, J. (2010). Life Around Here: Community, work and family life in three Australian communities. (Final Report to the Department of Education, Employment & Workplace Relations). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies
• Higgins, D. J. (2010). Sexuality, human rights and safety for people with disabilities: the challenge of intersecting identities. Sexual and Relationship Therapy v. 25 no. 3, pp 245-257.
• Higgins, D. J. (2010). Community development approaches to safety and wellbeing of Indigenous children (Resource Sheet No. 1). Canberra: Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Higgins, D. J. (2010). Impact of past adoption practices: Summary of key issues from Australian research. Australian Journal of Adoption 2(2).
• Higgins, D. J. (2010). "Sex, Lies and Videotapes": Gathering and assessing evidence of child abuse in family law cases. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law. 17(3), 398-411.
• Higgins, D. J. (2010, March; updated April). Impact of past adoption practices: Summary of key issues from Australian research. (Final Report to the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Humphreys, C., Holzer, P., Scott, D., Arney, F., Bromfield, L., Higgins, D., & Lewig, K. (2010). The planets aligned: Is child protection policy reform good luck or good management? Australian Social Work, 63(2), 145-163.
• Edwards, B., & Higgins, D. J. (2009). Is caring a health hazard? The mental health and vitality of carers of a person with a disability in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia. 190(7), S61-S65.
• Connor, P. K., & Higgins, D. J. (2008). The 'HEALTH' Model - Part 1: Treatment program guidelines for Complex PTSD. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 23(4), 293-303.
• Connor, P. K., & Higgins, D. J. (2008). The 'HEALTH' Model - Part 2: The 'HEALTH' Model - Part 2: Case study of a guideline-based treatment program for Complex PTSD relating to childhood sexual abuse. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 23(4), 401-410.
• Higgins, D. (2008). Sexual and relational wellbeing: Diversity and commonality. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 23(1), 109-110.
• Higgins, D. & Katz, I. (2008). Enhancing service systems for protecting children: Promoting child wellbeing and child protection reform in Australia. Family Matters, 80, 43-50.
• Edwards, B., Higgins, D., Gray, M., Zmijewski, N., & Kingston, M. (2008). The nature and impact of caring for family members with a disability in Australia (AIFS Research Report No. 16). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Higgins, D., & Kaspiew, R. (2008). 'Mind the gap...': Protecting children in family law cases. Australian Journal of Family Law, 22(3), 235-258.