Literature by topic
Child protection issues and ethnic groups
African communities forum on domestic violence report:
working towards a collaborative approach to addressing family support and
conflict within the African communities in Western Australia.
Perth, WA: Department for Community Development, Family and Domestic
Violence Unit, 2005, 25p, and Online (PDF 1.3 MB)
http://www.community.wa.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/B993B2E1-5A1F-408C-BA88-
6B9A509906B0/0/DCDRPTAfricanDVForumFINALA424Aug.pdf
This report summarises the themes and recommendations of the African Communities Forum on Domestic Violence, held in Western Australia on 9th April 2005. The Forum was organised by a planning group of African community leaders and government representatives, and sought solutions to domestic violence and family disintegration. The participants discussed community definitions of domestic violence and reasonable punishment, perceived causes, and what families, communities, and government services need to do to prevent domestic violence. The report also describes the formation of the planning group and the organisation of the Forum, and includes the Forum program.
Available from: Family and Domestic Violence Unit http://www.domesticviolence.wa.gov.au
Ainsworth, Frank.
Looking for and
replicating model programs for 'at risk' children and families.
Children Australia v.29 no.1 2004: 31-36, figures
At the present time there is a need for a new generation of programs to address the needs of 'at risk' children and families. This is an issue that is exercising the minds of service planners in both government and non-government community service organisations. This need arises from the fact that many existing programs have yet to be rigorously evaluated and are of questionable effectiveness. This lack of evidence of effectiveness does not sit well in the current climate of accountability. It also runs contrary to the increasingly strident calls for evidence based practice. Many new programs arrive in Australia from the US as this country is often the source of program innovation as illustrated by the importation in the 1980s and 1990s of family preservation and family reunification programs. In the US, promotion of 'model programs' has taken another step and a systematic effort at program replication is now in evidence. The question is, how might model programs from overseas be successfully replicated in Australia? And what is required, if anything, to replicate these models effectively taking account of our different cultural traditions? (Journal abstract)
Available from: Oz Child: Children Australia, PO Box 7020, Dandenong Vic 3175. Email ChildrenAustralia@latrobe.edu.au.
Australian Government. Senate Community Affairs References
Committee. Inquiry into Children in Institutional Care.
Australian Government response to the Committee's reports:
Forgotten Australians: a report on Australians who experienced
institutional or out-of-home care as children, and, Protecting vulnerable
children: a national challenge: second report on the inquiry into
children in institutional or out of home care.
Canberra, ACT:
Department of Family and Community Services, 2005, 36p, Online (PDF 116 KB)
Now available fropm: http://www.aph.gov.au/SENATE/COMMITTEE/clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2004-07/inst_care/
The response of the Australian Government to the recommendations of the two recent reports on Australians who experienced institutional or out of home care as children is detailed in this report. The first report focuses on the lack of duty of care, the horrendous levels of physical, sexual and emotional abuse experienced by many children in institutional care, and the suffering of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The second report focuses on contemporary child protection issues, including foster care, and the government and legal framework in which child welfare and protection issues operate. The second report also considers children and young people with disabilities in care, and children and young people in juvenile justice and detention centres. The Senate Community Affairs References Committee put forward a total of 57 recommendations from the two reports and this Government response replies to each in turn.
Australia. Department of Family and Community
Services.
Review of the Early Intervention
Parenting Program and Good Beginnings prototypes: volume 1: final
report.
Canberra, ACT: Department of Family and Community Services,
2004, 77p.
This final report outlines the key findings and issues arising from a review of the Early Intervention Parenting Program (EIP) and Good Beginnings Prototype (GBP), the two main sub-components of the Child Abuse Prevention Program. EIP and GBP projects are aimed at child abuse prevention, improved parenting and strengthening families, with a key focus being to meet the special needs of families in rural and remote areas; Indigenous families; and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The purpose of the review was to consider the effectiveness of the program against its current guidelines and to develop a strategic framework for the program that ensures it is aligned with the Department's current policy directions and priorities in particular, the National Agenda for Early Childhood. Volume 2 of the report includes the literature review and the project profiles.
Available from: Department of Family and Community Services, PO Box 7788, Canberra Mail Centre ACT 2610. Internet http://www.facs.gov.au/
Budde, Stephen.
Responsive ethical
practice with parents in child protective services.
In: Building
stronger families: Conference on International Research Perspectives on
Child and Family Welfare, Mackay, Queensland, 6-8 August 2004: conference
papers. Mackay, Qld: Centre for Research on Community and Children's
Services, 2004, 37p, Online (PowerPoint 110K)
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/56368/20070824-0001/www.croccs.org.au/downloads/2004_conf_papers/EthicsinChildWelfareSteveBudde.ppt
Basic characteristics of child protection systems and organisations pose substantial challenges to implementing responsive practices, this presentation claims. A general definition of responsiveness is given and the following explored: ideas, findings and suggestions for responsive practice; responsiveness as a positive ethical value and a positive element of cross cultural practice; the complex relationship between service quality and performance indicators and outcomes; ethical dilemmas; ideas for promoting ethical practice; and the importance of supervisors and supervisory teams.
Calvert, Gillian.
Acting together to
give our kids a head start: tackling the early years.
Every Child
v.11 no.3 Winter 2005: 16-17
A Head Start for Australia is a framework jointly developed by the Queensland and NSW Commissions for Children and Young People and National Investment for the Early Years (NIFTeY). This article discusses the framework's purpose of reducing the impact of poor developmental outcomes on children. It outlines the nine areas nominated in the framework as priorities for policy and planning decisions, at all levels, for achieving the best outcomes for early childhood development issues. The key areas are: supporting the well being of women of childbearing age; promoting child well being; supporting the choices of families in the parental and working roles; enriching, safe and supportive environments for kids; improving economic security for families and reducing child poverty; achieving success in learning and development; protecting the safety of children; promoting connections across generations, families, cultures and communities; increasing children's participation in policy action, awareness raising and advocacy.
Available from: Early Childhood Australia Inc, PO Box 105, Watson ACT 2602. Email eca@earlychildhood.org.au. Internet http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au
Chapman, Megan; Field, Jo.
Strengthening our engagement with families and understanding
practice depth.
Social Work Now no.38 Dec 2007: 21-28, figures,
Online
http://www.cyf.govt.nz/SocialWorkNow_4801.htm
The author discusses engagement with vulnerable families and the importance of practice depth. New Zealand's care and protection practice framework incorporates three perspectives: child-centred; family-led and culturally responsive; and strengths and evidence-based practice, plus vulnerable infant practice triggers. Three levels of practice are conceptualised and discussed: conveyor-belt, pragmatic, and reflective. The point is made that regular supervision is a key component in promoting greater practice depth and the lessening of risk anxiety amongst child protection workers.
Available from: Child Youth and Family, Ministry of Social Development, NZ http://www.cyf.govt.nz/
Chen, JingQi; Dunne, Michael P; Han, Ping.
Child sexual abuse in China: a study of adolescents in four
provinces.
Child Abuse & Neglect v.28 2004: 1171-1186,
tables
A study examining child sexual abuse in China surveyed Year 11 and 12 students in four Chinese schools. The study investigated child sexual abuse and associations with demographic factors, health and youth risk behaviour. This paper reports the study methodology and results, concluding that although child sexual abuse experiences differ in their nature between Eastern and Western societies, the psychological and behavioural profiles of Chinese young people who have suffered abuse are similar to those found in other cultures.
Available from: International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect, 200 North Michigan Ave, Suite 500/5th Floor, Chicago IL 60601. Internet http://www.ispcan.org
Clarke, Priscilla.
Advocating for
children's rights: the challenge for early childhood educators.
In:
Conference papers: OCTF4: challenging realities: 6-18 June 2005, Adelaide
Convention Centre. Adelaide, SA: Department of Education and Children's
Services, 2005, 11p, Online only (PDF 83 KB)
http://web.archive.org/web/20060821165808/http://www.octf.sa.edu.au/oc
tf/files/links/2_00_Clarke.doc
What does the Convention on the Rights of the Child mean for early childhood services in Australia? How can early childhood educators advocate for the particular needs of vulnerable groups including Indigenous children and newly arrived immigrant and refugee children? This paper discusses the right of children to maintain their first language, children's rights to protection, children's rights as refugees, and children's cultural rights. It argues that early childhood educators have an obligation to ensure that children's cultural, refugee and linguistic rights are upheld.
Available from: Department of Education and Children's Services, GPO Box 1152, Adelaide SA 5001. Email octf@saugov.sa.gov.au. Internet http://www.octf.sa.edu.au/
Connolly, Marie; Crichton-Hill, Yvonne; Ward,
Tony.
Culture and child protection: reflexive
responses.
London, England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2006,
144p, figures, table
How does cultural thinking influence the practice of social workers, policy makers and academics? This book describes a culturally sensitive model of child protection practice. It discusses culture, the client and the practitioner in child protection work; culturally reflexive responses in abuse work; ethnic culture, child protection and the professional environment; childhood cultures, care and protection; family cultures and protecting children; cultures of risk, offending and good lives; and culturally reflexive theory and practice in child protection.
Available from: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Internet http://www.jkp.com
Cooper, Lesley; Bowden, Margaret.
Working with women associated with bikie gangs: practice
dilemmas.
Australian Social Work v.59 no.3 Sept 2006:
301-313
Much has been written about bikie gangs, but there is little about the women and children who are part of gang life. The present paper describes domestic violence agency social workers' ethical practice dilemmas when assisting women who have left bikie gangs to search for a new, safer lifestyle away from the gang culture of drug use and violence, in particular sexual violence. The paper concludes with a discussion of the ethical processes and issues in resolving such practice dilemmas. (Journal abstract)
Available from: Australian Association of Social Workers http://www.aasw.asn.au Subscription: Taylor and Francis
Crisante, Lea.
Fiafia and ice-breaker
morning tea: parent education in Pacific Island communities.
In:
Families Matter: 9th Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference,
Melbourne, February 2005 - proceedings. Melbourne, Vic: Australian
Institute of Family Studies, 2005, 7p, Online only
http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/afrc9/crisante.html
The over-representation of Pacific Island families in child protection and juvenile justice contexts has resulted in the development of strategies aimed at changing this trend. This paper is concerned with a parent education program based on the TIPS program, developed in New Zealand, conducted with a number of Pacific Island communities including parents from Samoa, Nuie, Tonga, the Cook Islands, and Tokelau, who live in the western suburbs of Sydney. This paper describes the needs of Pacific Island families in Australia, with particular reference to their role as parents. After describing the context of service delivery, the various stages of the project, which has involved recruiting and training appropriate group facilitators to run parent education courses with specific Pacific Island communities, are discussed. The most recent development in the project has been the awarding of a substantial grant through the Youth Partnership Program of the Pacific Island Communities Council supported by the NSW state government. Issues regarding the sustainability and cultural sensitivities involved in such projects are examined. (Author abstract)
Available from: Australian Institute of Family Studies, Level 20, 485 La Trobe Street, Melbourne, Vic 3000. http://www.aifs.gov.au/
Family Inclusion Network.
Family
inclusion in child protection practice: supporting families, stronger
futures.
Brisbane, Qld: Family Inclusion Network, 2007,
32p
Focus groups with parents and other family members, non government workers and child safety officers were conducted in Townsville and Brisbane during 2006 to identify key themes and issues surrounding policy and practice in child protection. This report describes the research methodology, the role of the Family Inclusion Network (FIN), recommended strategies, solutions and tools for working more effectively with parents and families of children in the child protection system, and a focused literature review which provides the evidence base for the work undertaken by the project. Two dominant themes emerged from the literature review: the crucial role played by child protection workers in the planning, quality and monitoring of contact; and, the significance of constructive and friendly interactions between parents and foster carers during contact visits. The focus groups and the literature all emphasised that there is insufficient help available within existing structures to assist parents. Help is needed to avoid children and young people being taken into care, to ensure that they are restored to family as soon as possible, and to give children placed in permanent out of home care an understanding of their family of origin and culture.
Available from: Family Inclusion Network, Brisbane Qld. Tel (07) 3844 9122
Fernandez, Elizabeth.
The challenge
of child protection.
In: Alston, Margaret and McKinnon, Jennifer
eds. Social work: fields of practice. South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford
University Press, 2nd ed., 2005, p176-193
The scope of the problem of child maltreatment in Australia is considered in this chapter. The chapter discusses defining child maltreatment, causes of child maltreatment, developments in child welfare service provision in Australia, issues in child protection, the emergence of the child abuse movement, state intervention and the family, child protection and social work, the impact of child abuse inquiries, child protection as a legal problem, children's rights, alternatives to the 'disease' model in child protection, gender and child protection, and culture and child protection.
Available from: Oxford University Press
Hunt, Lise.
Females who sexually
abuse in organisations working with children: characteristics,
international and Australian prevalence rates: implications for child
protection.
South Melbourne, Vic: Child Wise (ECPAT in Australia),
2006, 50p, tables, figures
Current research on sexual offences committed against children by women who work with children is examined in this report. The report discusses: the characteristics of female perpetrators of child sexual abuse; similarities with male perpetrators of child sexual abuse; current community attitudes and beliefs towards female perpetrators of child sexual abuse; changing attitudes towards child care; cultural considerations; why sexual abuse by women is difficult to identify; the underreported and incestuous nature of female sex offending; the use of violence; gender of the victims; international studies of prevalence rates; victim offender relationships; sexual abuse perpetrated in an organisational context; sexual abuse by people of authority; and the findings of Australian studies on female perpetrated sexual offences against children.
Available from: ECPAT Australia http://www.ecpat.org
Huntsman, Leone.
Family group
conferencing in a child welfare context: literature review.
Sydney,
NSW: NSW Centre for Parenting and Research, Department of Community
Services, 2006, 24p, Online (PDF 351 KB)
http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/DOCSWR/_assets/main/documents/research_family_conferencing.pdf
Family group conferencing is a method of resolving, or attempting to resolve, family issues in relation to child protection. It brings together the family, the child and professionals to meet and develop a plan for future action. The method began in New Zealand in the late 1980s, arising from Maori cultural practice, and spread to many countries across the world through the 1990s. Its use in Australia is now legally supported in a number of states, but it has not become a part of mainstream practice among most child protection agencies. This report looks at the literature on family group conferencing with a view to commenting on its use by child protection authorities in New South Wales, and to assess the need for further research in this field.
Available from: NSW Centre for Parenting and Research, Department of Community Services http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/
Kaur, Jatinder.
Working with families
from culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Queensland: an
Australian exploratory study.
Children Australia v.32 no.4 2007:
17-24
In Australia there is limited research and information regarding how Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) families are assessed within the child protection system. This paper explores assessment issues faced by child protection investigation officers when working with CALD families in the Queensland child protection system. The research examined the level of knowledge, training and experiences of child protection officers and whether they were 'culturally competent'. The study found that entry level officers did not receive adequate training and resources, and lacked CALD-specific knowledge on how to deal with cross cultural issues when working with CALD families. Respondents indicated that interpreters' services were effective during investigation and assessment of CALD families. The findings of this study highlight key concerns in the provision of child protection assessments, practice, policy and service delivery when working with CALD families. (Journal abstract)
Available from: Oz Child: Children Australia http://www.ozchild.org.au
Kids Help Line.
Callers of
non-English speaking backgrounds.
Red Hill, Qld: Kids Help Line,
2006, 2p, tables, figures, (infosheet no.9), Online only (PDF 38 KB)
http://www.kidshelp.com.au/upload/14501.pdf
The information presented in this report is based on data collected between 2001 and 2005 about children and young people from non English speaking backgrounds, compared to their Anglo-Australian counterparts. Information is provided on: main problems; gender and age differences; family relationships; peer relationships; intimate relationships; bullying; child abuse; study issues; and call outcomes.
Available from: Kids Help Line http://www.kidshelp.com.au
Lewig, Kerry; Arney, Fiona; Scott, Dorothy.
Closing the research-policy and research-practice gaps: ideas for
child and family services.
Family Matters no.74 2006: 12-19,
tables, figure
The move towards evidence based practice and policy in the human services has been accompanied by an increasing recognition of the common goals and key differences between the three distinct cultures of research, policy and practice. These key differences, or cultural gaps, create barriers to using research evidence to develop practice interventions and policy decisions that could more effectively benefit children and families. This paper synthesises findings from the research utilisation literature which may help to close the cultural gaps and facilitate the use of research in child and family services.
Available from: Australian Institute of Family Studies http://www.aifs.gov.au/
Melley-Morrison, Kathleen, ed..
International perspectives on family violence and abuse: a
cognitive ecological approach.
Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence
Erlbaum, 2004, 548p
This book provides an overview of what is known about family violence and abuse in 24 countries around the world. Authors from the different countries summarise major issues relating to violence in that country, and include examples of individuals' theories and beliefs about family violence and abuse. Whilst there are many shared assumptions about family violence around the world, people from diverse cultures also have varying implicit theories about what constitutes abuse and the causes of abusive behaviour. Countries covered in this book are Iceland; England; Portugal; Italy; Germany; Russia; Greece; Turkey; Saudi Arabia; Israel; Lebanon; Somalia; South Africa; India; Japan; Korea; Taiwan; the Philippines; Australia; Nicaragua; Brazil; Colombia; Canada; United States.
Newell, Peter; Wood, Beth.
Eliminating corporal punishment: a worthy aim for the current
United Nations Secretary General's Study on Violence Against Children.
In: Blossoming of our children: 10th Australasian Conference on Child
Abuse and Neglect: papers, presentations and abstracts. Christchurch,
NZ: New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse, 2006, 6p; 12p, Online (PDF
131K (paper); 60K (presentation))
http://www.nzfvc.org.nz/accan/papers-presentations/abstract150v.shtml
The UN Secretary General is carrying out a global study on violence against children. This paper explains why corporal punishment is a serious issue in all cultures. It considers the global progress towards achieving law reform to protect children from violence and humiliation.
Available from: New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse http://www.nzfvc.org.nz/
Nicholson, Alastair.
Justice and
families: reforming Australia's family law.
In: Wright, T. ed. Time
for change: Australia in the 21st century. Prahran, Vic: Hardie Grant
Books, 2006, p193-215, ill
Courts have an obligation to understand and take into account cultural and gender issues, and to pursue justice. This chapter considers concerns about the future of the independence of the judiciary in Australia. It discusses obstacles to achieving justice that are faced by the courts and ways to overcome these obstacles in the area of family law. It looks at the structure of the Family Court and at reform of the adversarial model of solving family disputes. The chapter also examines problems with the recent family law reform package, particularly in regard to property issues, structural issues and child protection problems.
Powell, Martine B; Snow, Pamela.
Recommendations for eliciting a disclosure of abuse from a young
child.
Australian Police Journal v.61 no.2 Jun 2007: 76-80
Children's social skills and linguistic and cognitive capacity have a large impact on their ability to understand questions, remember details and provide reliable answers. Interviewing a young child in a way that can elicit reliable and detailed information about abuse is a complex process. This article presents some practical strategies that may assist investigative interviewers to elicit disclosures of abuse from young children while minimising the risk of eliciting a false account or failing to elicit a disclosure at all. It outlines five broad recommendations that offer a child centred approach where the interviewer encourages the child to do most of the talking, is aware of the child's limitations and the potential detrimental effects of raising prior information, and accepts the child's responses without being coercive or judgmental. The recommendations focus specifically on techniques for interviewing children about abuse, but also apply to interviewing other vulnerable witnesses such as people with intellectual disabilities or people from cultural minority groups.
Standards New Zealand.
NZS 8006:2006.
Screening, risk assessment and intervention for family violence including
child abuse and neglect.
Wellington, NZ: Standards New Zealand,
2006, 94p, figures (NZS 8006:2006), Online (PDF 2273 KB)
http://www.police.govt.nz/resources/2006/nzs-8006-2006/nzs-8006-2006
.pdf
This standard was prepared for screening, risk assessment and intervention for family violence including child abuse and neglect in New Zealand. It establishes the minimum requirements that should be met by individuals, agencies and services that work with families living with family violence, child abuse or neglect. It aims to provide a consistent set of guidelines for these services and workers, and to enable a coherent response to incidents and symptoms of family violence, abuse and neglect. This standard also addresses the issue of risk assessment and the practice of intervention in the form of safety planning. The standard discusses: the role of the Treaty of Waitangi; the role of human rights; who should use this standard; its purpose, application and benefits; interpretation of the standard; Maori violence; Pacific peoples and family violence; immigrant and ethnic communities; information sharing; police; risk screening; risk assessment; and safety planning.
Available from: New Zealand Police http://www.police.govt.nz/
Stewart, Sarah.
Suicidality,
interpersonal trauma and cultural diversity: a review of the
literature.
Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental
Health (AeJAMH) v.4 no.2 Sept 2005: 21p, Online only (PDF 305 KB)
http://www.auseinet.com/journal/vol4iss2/stewart.pdf
There are substantial bodies of literature focusing on suicide and interpersonal trauma, and on suicide across cultures, and a growing body of knowledge relating to interpersonal trauma across cultures. However, there is a marked gap in the literature that brings these three areas together. Studies that specifically investigate the prevalence of suicidality in relation to experiences of domestic violence, sexual assault and childhood abuse in a cross-cultural context are scant. Moreover, inconsistencies in data collection and reporting and considerable variability in results among the few existing studies highlight substantial methodological limitations and definitional differences in the research. This hampers both identification of at-risk groups and examination of possible risk and protective factors. What is clear is that interpersonal trauma and suicide are linked in significant and complex ways. What is less evident is how culture mediates this inter-relationship. It is suggested that gender and cultural biases in suicide research may account for our limited understandings in this area. Implications for practice include the need for alternative research perspectives and more inclusive frameworks that promote greater cross-discipline dialogue and intersectoral collaboration. There is thus ample scope for further research in this area so as to elucidate the implications for suicide prevention, intervention and postvention work with culturally and linguistically diverse communities. (Author abstract, edited)
Available from: Auseinet, c/- Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide SA 5001. Internet http://www.auseinet.com/index.php
Tsun On-kee, Angela.
Responding to
child abuse: Confucianism, colonisation, post-structuralism.
International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work no.1 2004:
25-27
Post-modern and post-structuralist ideas encourage us to ask questions such as: What is reality? What is objectivity? Who decides the objective criteria? Whose perspectives are informing what we believe to be the truth? How are our identities constructed? This piece describes how these questions have informed the author's therapy and social work practice with a particular emphasis on understanding and responding to child abuse in Hong Kong. (Journal abstract)
Available from: Dulwich Centre, Hutt St PO Box 7192, Adelaide SA 5000. Internet http://www.dulwichcentre.com.au
Victoria Police.
Code of practice for
the investigation of sexual assault.
Melbourne, Vic: Victoria
Police, 2005, 37p, Online (PDF 621 KB)
http://www.police.vic.gov.au/retrievemedia.asp?Media_ID=1717
This code of practice describes the way Victoria Police members must respond to reports of sexual assault. The aims of the code and the functions of Victoria Police are detailed here. The code covers caring for the victim; ensuring prompt medical attention; drug and alcohol facilitated sexual assault; Indigenous communities; culturally and linguistically diverse communities; victims with disabilities; victims with a mental illness; victims with a cognitive impairment; children; mandatory reporting; paediatric forensic medical services; guidelines for police who receive the initial report of a sexual assault; guidelines for police who are first on the scene; guidelines for Sexual Offences and Child Abuse Unit members; guidelines for police interviewing a sexual assault victim; guidelines for investigators; procedures for no further police action; past sexual assaults; recent sexual assaults; support services; monitoring adherence to the guidelines; Victoria Police - Centre Against Sexual Assault liaison committees; and resources.
Available from: Victoria Police. Internet http://www.police.vic.gov.au
Victoria. Department of Human Services.
Child protection and family violence: guidance for child
protection practitioners: (incorporating the use of intervention
orders).
Melbourne, Vic: Department of Human Services, 2005, 32p,
Online (PDF 1.7 MB)
http://www.office-for-children.vic.gov.au/child_protection/library/pub
lications/protection/guidance
Developed to assist child protection workers to work more effectively with families where violence presents a risk to the safety and well being of children, this guide covers: background principles and definitions, assessment guidance using the Victorian Risk Framework (VRF), child protection intervention, child protection case planning, culture and family violence, working with other services, impact of family violence on workers. The appendices include information on the use of intervention orders and case examples.
Available from: Office for Children http://www.office-for-children.vic.gov.au/
Ward, Bernadette M; Anderson, Karen S; Sheldon, Maria
S.
Patterns of home and community care service
delivery to culturally and linguistically diverse residents of rural
Victoria.
Australian Journal of Rural Health v.13 no.6 Dec 2005:
348-352, figures, table
This study aimed to describe and compare patterns of home and community care (HACC) utilisation among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people and Australian born residents of rural Victoria. Data from January - June 2002 from the HACC Minimum Data Set were analysed to provide a profile of client characteristics and service usage in rural Victoria. Patterns of service utilisation were compared with the profile of the CALD population in the 2001 Census. The study found that the proportion of CALD residents who are HACC clients is consistent with demographic profiles. However, their extent of service usage is not consistent with patterns of use by Australian born residents. Planners and service providers need to monitor levels of HACC service delivery among population groups to ensure that CALD population groups receive equitable levels of HACC services. The HACC Minimum Data Set is one source of data that can assist in the process. (Journal abstract, edited)
Available from: National Rural Health Alliance, PO Box 280, Deakin West ACT 2600. Email nrha@ruralhealth.org.au. Internet http://www.ruralhealth.org.au. Subscription: Blackwell Publishers
Wilkstedt, My; Murachver, Tamar.
New
Zealand policy on the discipline of children within the family.
Childrenz Issues v.10 no.1 2006: 40-42
In this paper the authors examine the beliefs held within New Zealand society that are associated with the acceptance of physical punishment as a means of disciplining children. Using the results of a cross cultural study, the authors show that parental use of physical punishment is upheld by various components. These include a general acceptance of violence, a conceptualisation of the parent child relationship as a struggle for control, and a lack of understanding about child development. The authors conclude by considering strategies for change towards a more positive future for New Zealand families. (Journal abstract)
Available from: Children's Issues Centre, University of Otago http://www.otago.ac.nz/cic/
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