What's New

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Current Australian Journals	Updated 20/5/2008
Family-related Conferences	Updated 13/8/2008
Links	Updated 15/4/2008
Courses and Training	Updated 24/4/2007
Next AIFS Seminar	11 September 2008
AIFS Vacancies	Updated 21/8/2008

30 July 2008 - Community and Disability Services Ministers' Advisory Council (CDSMAC) National Approach for Child Protection Project: Report and fact sheet are available now.
23 July 2008 - AIFS 10th Conference 2008 papers/presentations are available for download
7 July 2008 - New research paper - Timing of mothers' return to work after childbearing: Variations by job characteristics and leave use, by Jennifer Baxter. (Research paper no. 42, 2008). Media release
30 June 2008 - Family Matters no.79, released today! This edition of Family Matters contains several papers that focus on the valuable work of Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children' (LSAC). Media releases
19 June 2008 - David Peetz's presentation from the AIFS Seminar titled Work and conflict at home: some aspects of how work affects employees’ personal relationships and partners is now available
19 June 2008 - The 2006-07 Annual Report on Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children focuses on the Wave 2 data collection and early trends emerging from this second wave, as well as recent research findings and dissemination activities completed in the past year
16 June 2008 - New research report - The nature and impact of caring for family members with a disability in Australia, by Ben Edwards, Daryl J. Higgins, Matthew Gray, Norbert Zmijewski and Marcia Kingston
6 June 2008 - Submission from the Australian Institute of Family Studies to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Paid Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave
28 May 2008 - The Australian Institute of Family Studies has prepared this Snapshot of Family Relationships report to support the 2008 National Families Week
16 May 2008 - In celebration of National Families Week 2008, the Australian Institute of Family Studies has produced a Facts Sheet about work and family responsibilities through life
8 May 2008 - Family Matters no.78, released today! This edition of Family Matters contains several papers that focus on the challenges that face some families—poverty, deprivation, homelessness, caring for a disabled family member, parenting following separation, and child abuse. These families can all be described as having some or all members with low levels of wellbeing and leading challenged lives. Media releases
18 April 2008 - Daryl Higgins' presentation from yesterday's AIFS Seminar titled Cooperation and coordination: An evaluation of the Family Court of Australia's Magellan case-management model is now available as a PDF (slides) and as an MP3 (audio of presentation)
10 April 2008 - Family Facts & Figures on the AIFS website provides statistical information in charts and data tables on a range of topics. A new category on Divorces has now been added, and information on Families, Households, Cohabitation and Marriages has been updated with recent data
2 April 2008 - Articles from Family Matters no.74, 2006 are now available in PDF. This issue focuses on children in context - mothers' age and work characteristics, child and family services, neighbourhoods and community development
14 March 2008 - Bob Cummins' presentation from yesterday's AIFS Seminar titled Subjective wellbeing and families: Issues of measurement and data interpretation is now available as a PDF (slides) and as an MP3 (audio of presentation)
27 February 2008 - Presentations from the 2007 Longitudinal Study of Australian Children Research Conference are now available
26 February 2008 - Fertility and family policy in Australia, by Matthew Gray, Lixia Qu and Ruth Weston - the latest AIFS research paper. See the media release and full text online
19 February 2008 - Helen Buckley's presentation from the recent AIFS Seminar titled Engagement, analysis and reflectiveness: Developing a Framework for the Assessment of Vulnerable Children and Their Families is now available as a PDF (slides) and as an MP3 (audio of presentation)
5 February 2008 - Depending on the amount of interest, a one-day LSAC Data User Workshop will be held in Canberra on Thursday 21 February 2008. Details about the workshop content and to register
31 January 2008 - Family Matters no.77, released today! Family relationships and the new family law system are the main foci of this new edition. Other articles report on research about programs to help stepfamilies and pre-marriage education, and parent child relationships when fathers work long hours. Media release
9 January 2008 - 'Families through Life" - the 10th Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference will be held in Melbourne on 9-11 July 2008. The call for papers is now open. For information about the Conference themes, keynote speakers, registration etc visit the Conference website
11 December 2007 - Recent presentations from the AIFS Seminar series are now available - Does it take a village? Neighbourhood influences on young children's development by Dr Ben Edwards, and Children's voices in research: Some reflections on the ethics and outcomes of participatory research with children by Gillian Calvert and Trish Malins from the NSW Commission for Children and Young People
12 November 2007 - The Institute's 2006-2007 Annual Report has been tabled and is now available online
19 October 2007 - Cooperation and coordination: An evaluation of the Family Court of Australia's Magellan case-management model, by Daryl Higgins for the Family Court of Australia. This report evaluates the interagency collaborative model of case management in the Family Court of Australia for responding to serious allegations of sexual or physical abuse raised in parenting matters
12 October 2007 - 'Getting the big picture': A synopsis and critique of Australian out-of-home care research, a new issues paper by Leah Bromfield and Alexandra Osborn. Also resulting from this research, a series of Research Briefs on: Outcomes for children and young people in care; Foster families; Issues relating to reunification; Participation of children and young people in care in decisions affecting their lives; Young people leaving care; Cultural considerations in out-of-home care; and, Residential and specialised models of care
12 October 2007 - Stepfamilies: Understanding and responding effectively, by Margaret Howden, a new AFRC Briefing from the Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse
2 October 2007 - Lyn Craig's presentation from the recent AIFS Seminar titled Contemporary motherhood: The impact of children on adult time is now available as a PDF
21 September 2007 - Two new publications are now available on the National Child Protection Clearinghouse website on promising practices in out-of-home care: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers, children and young people: profiling promising programs and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander carers and young people: strengths and barriers
20 September 2007 - Fertility and family policy in Australia (PDF 929KB), by Matthew Gray, Lixia Qu and Ruth Weston. A previous version of this paper was presented to the policy forum 'Facing the Future: Policy Challenges in the Ageing Era', Seoul, Korea, 13-14 September 2006
11 September 2007 - The presentations given at the seminar: Parental substance use and child protection - developing national guidelines and strategies, co-hosted by Odyssey House Victoria and the Australian Institute of Family Studies, is now available
21 August 2007 - Prof. Mark Wooden's AIFS Seminar presentation on 'Long work weeks in Australia' is now available
9 August 2007 - The inaugural Growing Up in Australia: Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) Research Conference will be held on 3-4 December 2007, in Melbourne. Submissions of papers are now being sought: closing date is 28 September 2007. Visit 2007 Longitudinal Study of Australian Children Research Conference for further information about submitting abstracts and registration
6 August 2007 - New Technical paper from Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children - Children's time use in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children: Data quality and analytical issues in the 4-year cohort, by Jennifer Baxter
20 July 2007 - Employment aspirations of non-working mothers with long-term health problems, by Jennifer Renda - a new AIFS research paper. See the media release and full text online
18 July 2007 - A new bibiography on Families and Caring has been added to the bibliographies collection. If offers recent references and abstracts from the Australian Family & Society Abstracts database and the AIFS Library catalogue on: Child friendly communities; Families caring for disabled members; Family friendly work options; Family members as carers; Grandparents raising grandchildren; Male carers; and Out-of-home care
3 July 2007 - Articles from Family Matters no.73, 2006 are now available in PDF. This issue focuses on family relationships through life - the Institute's research plan 2006-2008, and relationship trends in marriage and parenting
29 June 2007 - 'Families care': a special edition of Family Matters - published today. The articles in Family Matters no.76, 2007 highlight the range of different ways that families care for each other including care families provide for people with disabilities, people who have been victims of violence or neglect and families caring for children. See the media releases page for more information
17 May 2007 - The full text of articles from Family Matters no.71 and Family Matters no.72 is now available in PDF. Family Matters no.71 looks at time with children after divorce and mothers' employment transitions; Family Matters no.72 focuses on first findings from Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
15 May 2007 - In celebration of National Families Week 2007, the Australian Institute of Family Studies has produced a Facts Sheet about how families spend their time
14 May 2007 - Professor Alan Hayes, Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, has become an Ambassador for National Families Week 2007, Australia's main celebration of the importance of families. Media release
9 May 2007 - New research report - Allegations of family violence and child abuse in family law children's proceedings, by Lawrie Moloney, Bruce Smyth, Ruth Weston, Nicholas Richardson, Lixia Qu and Matthew Gray. Media release
2 May 2007 - From the Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse Briefing no.4 - Tailoring parenting to fit the child
26 April 2007 - New research paper - Differential parenting of children from diverse cultural backgrounds attending child care, by Sarah Wise and Lisa da Silva. (Research paper no.39, 2007). Media release
18 April 2007 - The Conference Papers Online page has been updated with a selection of recent conference papers and presentations that can be accessed on the Web
17 April 2007 - Recent AIFS seminar presentations by Professor Deborah Phillips, Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, and the Hon. John von Doussa QC, President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission are now available
1 March 2007 - The 10th AIFS Conference - a major conference with international keynote speakers, aimed at researchers, academics, policy makers, governments, and community organisations will be held on 9-11 July 2008, in Melbourne
1 March 2007 - A new edition of Family Matters published. The focus of this issue is Indigenous children, families and communities. It offers a range of articles by Institute researchers and also contributions from Ms Josephine Akee from the Family Court of Australia; Dr Sue Gordon, AM, a Magistrate with the Children's Court of Western Australia and Chair of the National Indigenous Council; and Professor Mick Dodson, AM, Director of the Australian National University's National Centre for Indigenous Studies. For further information media releases regarding the following articles are available - 'The economic value of harvesting wild resources to the Indigenous community of the Wallis Lake Catchment, NSW, by Matthew Gray and Jon Altman (media release); 'Maintaining the gains: sustainability in prevention and early intervention', by Professor Alan Hayes (media release); Mothers' accounts of work and family decision-making in couple families: an analysis of the Family and Work Decisions Study, by Kelly Hand (media release)
1 February 2007 - New research paper - The consequences of divorce for financial living standards in later life, by David de Vaus, Matthew Gray, Lixia Qu and David Stanton. (Research paper no.38, 2007). Media release
16 January 2007 - The second edition of Family Relationships Quarterly is published. Content includes: a feature article on the increasing prevalence of Internet affairs and guidelines for practitioners in providing services to clients facing these issues; an article examining the issue of family involvement in therapeutic treatment for young men with sexually abusive behaviours; and, trends in couple dissolution
16 January 2007 - Recent conference presentations by Jennifer Baxter titled - Children's time use in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children: Data quality and analytical issues in the 4-year cohort, A day in the life of a 4-year old: the effect of parental employment, and Maternal employment in the first twelve months after the birth : the effect of pre-birth job characteristics, are now on the Papers and Presentations page
22 December 2006 - ACSSA Aware no.13 December 2006 is published on the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault website. Articles include: a Summary of ABS' 2005 Personal Safety Survey; a new Australian Government policy response to 'elder abuse'; aspects of a new report in Victoria on law reform concerning family violence and sexual assault
21 December 2006 - New publications from the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault -
- Services for victim/survivors of sexual assault (ACSSA Issues no.6 December 2006)
- Young people who sexually abuse: key issues (ACSSA Wrap no.3 December 2006)
4 December 2006 - Issues paper no.25 from the National Child Protection Clearinghouse - Child maltreatment in organisations: Risk factors and strategies for prevention, by Mel Irenyi, Leah Bromfield, Lorraine Beyer and Daryl Higgins
24 November 2006 - The second Briefing Paper from the Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse - The changing role of grandparents, by Gay Ochiltree
8 November 2006 - The first Briefing Paper from the Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse - Young people and their parents: Supporting families through changes that occur in adolescence, by Elly Robinson
26 October 2006 - The Institute's Annual Report 2005-2006 is now online
23 October 2006 - Just released: Family Matters no.74 2006. For a summary of two articles see the media summary and for full details see the table of contents and abstracts. Family Matters is available in print from the Institute, or as an online subscription from the online publisher Informit
10 October 2006 - Life at 1, a documentary by Film Australia inspired by Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, will be screened on ABC TV at 8.30pm on Thursday, 12 and 19 October. For further details about Growing Up in Australia and Life at 1 visit the Growing Up in Australia website
28 September 2006 - The full text of articles from Family Matters no.70 are now available in PDF. Allocating time to work and family is the theme of this issue
19 September 2006 - The launch of a new website for the Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse, an information and advisory unit focussed on the enhancement of family relationships across the lifespan. The Clearinghouse is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
18 September 2006 - The Trends and Statistics page has been updated - find the latest information on trends in families, children and young people, population, the aged, housing and homelessness, marriage and divorce and more
4 August 2006 - Proceedings of the International Forum on Family Relationships in Transition: Legislative, practical and policy responses, held in Canberra on 1-2 December 2005, released today
12 July 2006 - 'The role of environmental characteristics in changing the pathways to adolescent antisocial behaviour of high- and low-risk children', by N. Richardson, D. Smart, S. Vassallo, and A. Sanson. Paper presented at the 19th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD), Melbourne, Vic, 2-6 July 2006. Now on the Papers and Presentations page
10 July 2006 - Full text articles from Family Matters no.69, 2004 are now available in PDF. Articles about having children or not, fertility aspirations and expectations and the factors that influence men and women when making decisions about having children are the focus of this issue
7 July 2006 - Dr Sarah Friedman's presentation from a recent AIFS Seminar Is child care a risk factor for diminished cognitive and social child outcomes? is available as a PDF
3 July 2006 - Two new publications from the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault - Aware: ACSSA Newsletter No. 11 2006 and Issues Paper No. 5 2006 - Sexual violence offenders: Prevention and intervention approaches by D. Chung, P. J. O'Leary and T. Hand
30 June 2006 - Just released Family Matters no.73 2006. For full details see the table of contents and abstracts. Family Matters is available in print from the Institute, or as an online subscription from the online publisher Informit
13 June 2006 - New research paper - Parenting partnerships in culturally diverse child care settings: A care provider perspective, by Kelly Hand and Sarah Wise. (Research paper no.36, 2006)
6 June 2006 - Release of AIFS Research Paper no.37, 2006 - Reservation wages and the earnings capacity of lone and couple mothers: Are wage expectations too high?, by Matthew Gray and Jennifer Renda
17 May 2006 - To support the 2006 National Families Week, the Australian Institute of Family Studies has prepared a Facts Sheet about families with adolescent children aged 12 to 18 years - the group given special emphasis in this year's celebrations
20 March 2006 - New research report - The efficacy of early childhood interventions, by Sarah Wise, Lisa da Silva, Elizabeth Webster and Ann Sanson. This report reviews the costs and benefits of early childhood interventions
10 March 2006 - The Institute invites applications for the position of Senior Research Fellow to head the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault. The closing date for applications addressing the selection criteria, including the names of two referees, is Thursday 30 March, 2006.
24 February 2006 - Australians Working Together: evaluation of the impact of activity requirements for parenting payment customers on their children aged 13-15 years (PDF 536K), by Michael Alexander, Jennifer Baxter, Jody Hughes, and Jennifer Renda. (Final report to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, June 2005)
15 February 2006 - Just released Family Matters no.72 Summer 2005. For full details see the table of contents and abstracts. Family Matters is available in print from the Institute, or as an online subscription from Informit e-Library