Publications

This page contains links to publications from the Stronger Families Learning Exchange and about the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy 2000-2004.

(Note that this website is no longer updated but preserved as an archived site. The work of SFLEX is continued by a new clearinghouse - the Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia (CAFCA) as part of the 2004-2009 Stronger Families and Communities Strategy.)

Bulletin

The Stronger Families Learning Exchange produced regular Bulletins to disseminate information to stakeholders and the wider community. They presented overviews of Stronger Families Fund projects; explored research issues; described services; presented literature highlights; and listed forthcoming conferences and events. The final SFLEX Bulletin was published in October 2005 by the new Communities and Families Clearinghouse Australia (CAFCA) team.

If you would like copies of the Bulletins, contact CAFCA or access them online:

Papers & Presentations by SFLEX Staff

Action research and better outcomes for community projects.
Colleen Turner, Journal of the Home Economics Institute of Australia v.10 no.3 2003: 35-36

Action research and better outcomes for community projects.
Colleen Turner, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.2 Spring - Summer 2002: 6-7, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull2/ct.html

The benefits of early intervention.
Ellen Fish, Journal of the Home Economics Institute of Australia v.10 no.3 2003: 31-34

The benefits of early intervention.
Ellen Fish, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.2 Spring - Summer 2002: 8-11, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull2/ef.html

Building collaboration.
R. Munt, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.3 Winter 2003: 6-8, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull3/rm.html

Building community participation.
R. Munt, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.2 Spring - Summer 2002: 3-5, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull2/rm.html

But how can you prove it? Issues of rigour in action research.
Elizabeth Branigan, Journal of the Home Economics Institute of Australia v.10 no.3 2003: 37-38

But how can you prove it? Issues of rigour in action research.
E. Branigan, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.2 Spring - Summer 2002: 12-13, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull2/eb.html

Creative documentation.
Maya Haviland, Katrina Bredhauer, Anne Garrow, Ellen Fish & Kelley Johnson, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.5 Autumn 2004: 3-18, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull5/bulletin5.html

Doing an action research evaluation.
T. Lienert, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.1 Autumn 2002: 16-20, and Online (299K)
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull1/tl2.pdf

The elephant and action research.
K. Johnson, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.3 Winter 2003: 3-5, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull3/kj.html

Five bags thumping: impressions of first project visits.
Anne Garrow, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.3 Winter 2003: 16-17, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull3/ag.html

The influence of location on community projects.
Anne Garrow, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.4 Spring - Summer 2003: 24-27, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull4/ag.html

Reflections on being a community representative.
J. Bolitho, A. Garrow, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.3 Winter 2003: 9-10, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull3/jb.html

The Stronger Families Fund: from vision to methodology to practice.
L. Anderson, G. Stern & C. Turner, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.3 Winter 2003: 12-13, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull3/la.html

Stronger Families Fund longest running projects reflect on their progress.
C. Turner, M. Holt, T. Reid & L. de Zen, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.3 Winter 2003: 29-30, and Online
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull3/reflections.html

Translating methodology into action.
Colleen Turner, in: 8th Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, Melbourne, 12-14 February 2003: proceedings. Melbourne, Vic: Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2003, 5p. Online only (PDF 22K)
http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/afrc8/turner.pdf

Why use action research?
T. Lienert, Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin no.1 Autumn 2002: 4-5, and Online (103K)
http://www.aifs.gov.au/sf/pubs/bull1/tl.pdf

Evaluation Reports

Funnell, Sue; Rogers, Patricia; Scougall, John
Evaluation of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy 2000-2004: community capacity building: issues paper.
Canberra, ACT: Department of Family and Community Services, 2004, 68p, Online (PDF 507K)
http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/VIA/sfsc2/$File/Community_Capacity_Building.pdf

Developed as part of the evaluation of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy, this paper focuses on three issues in effectively building and maintaining community capacity. Firstly, it discusses four different types of capital: human capital, social capital, institutional capital, and economic capital. Next, five processes involved in planning for the development, use and sustainability of community capacity are discussed. Thirdly, the paper discusses different strategies for sequencing and combining these various processes to build community capacity and strengthen communities, and how different strategies appear to be appropriate in particular circumstances. The paper draws out some implications for the Strategy and for its evaluation.

Williams, Bob; Sankar, Meenakshi; Rogers, Patricia
Evaluation of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy 2000-2004: networks and partnerships: issues paper.
Canberra, ACT: Department of Family and Community Services, 2004, 24p, Online (PDF 222K)
http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/VIA/sfsc2/$File/Networks_and_Partnerships.pdf

There is increasing emphasis on developing relationships between organisations to work together to improve the wellbeing of individuals, families and communities. This paper discusses factors that influence the establishment and maintenance of effective networks and partnerships between organisations. Discussion includes types of relationships, the particular and specialised skills needed for participating in and managing networks and partnerships, and how the context of a network or partnership can either help or hinder the formation of a network relationship.

Astbury, Brad; Rogers, Patricia
Evaluation of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy 2000-2004: Gilles Plains Community Garden: a case study.
Canberra, ACT: Department of Family and Community Services, 2004, 35p, photographs, Online (PDF 2.2MB)
http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/VIA/sfsc2/$File/Gilles_Plains_Community_Garden.pdf

The Gilles Plains Community Garden received funding under the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy. This case study describes how the project was developed and implemented, its short- term outcomes, and the potential for further outcomes through further use of the capacity developed in the program. It analyses the factors that are seen to have been important in its success, and analyses the contribution of the Strategy to the observed outcome. Also included in the report is an overview of the evaluation framework for the case study, and a discussion of previous conceptual and empirical work on community gardens.

Rogers, Patricia; Edgecombe, Gay; Kimberley, Sue
Evaluation of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy 2000-2004: early intervention - particularly in early childhood: issues paper.
Canberra, ACT: Department of Family and Community Services, 2004, 22p, Online (PDF 195K)
http://www.facs.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/VIA/sfsc2/$File/Early_Intervention_particularly_in_Early_Childhood.pdf

One of the principles underpinning the Australian Government's Stronger Families and Communities Strategy is the importance of early intervention. Developed as part of the evaluation of the Strategy, this paper sets out a number of key ideas in early intervention, especially in early childhood, and their implications, to guide the next stage of the evaluation, which will look in detail at the projects funded under the Strategy. The paper focuses particularly on early intervention in early childhood, from pregnancy to starting school. It summarises the growing research on the importance of early intervention in early childhood; discusses a number of features that are characteristic of effective early intervention services, and illustrates these with projects funded under the Strategy.

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