Family Matters articles from December 2005

Family Matters archives from December 2005

Director's report.
December 22, 2005... The Institute is beginning the process of developing its next three-year Research Plan at an exciting time for family policy in Australia. As I signalled in my last report, we are seeking to ensure that Institute research continues to connect...

Henry Finlay: 20 June 1923-3 June 2005.(Obituary)
December 22, 2005... The Director, members of staff and the Board of Management of the Australian Institute of Family Studies are saddened by the death of Professor Henry Finlay, one of the founding fathers of family law scholarship in Australia. His presence will...

Time to rethink time? The experience of time with children after divorce.
December 22, 2005... "There is in the world a great and yet ordinary secret. All of us are part of it, everyone is aware of it, but very few ever think of it. Most of us just accept it and never wonder over it. This secret is time." (Ende 1985: 55) This...

Mothers' employment transitions following childbirth.
December 22, 2005... Statistics on employment among mothers consistently show that the age of the youngest child is an important determinant of the probability of being employed. The relationship between childbearing and employment is well known, and has been...

The use of family-friendly work arrangements by lone and couple mothers.
December 22, 2005... Having access to a range of "flexible" work arrangements has been shown to be important in assisting employed mothers to balance their family and work responsibilities. While there has been a substantial amount of research on the use of...

What is commitment? How married and cohabiting parents talk about their relationships.
December 22, 2005... JAN PRYOR and JOSIE ROBERTS discuss the findings of a small qualitative New Zealand study that examined the accounts of married and cohabiting parents about their views of relationship commitment. How did couples describe the concept and what...

Research and evaluation in marriage and relationship education: researching and evaluating their marriage and relationship education programs present challenges for practitioners. But the process is not necessarily as onerous as might be thought.(RELATIONSHIPS)(family relationship services program)
December 22, 2005... Marriage and relationship education has been available, in some form, in Australia for more than half a century. Although the first funding for marriage education activities was provided in the 1960s, financial support remained meagre through...

Working with adolescents in the education system to prevent sexual assault: the high rates of sexual assault experienced by young people suggest an urgent need for prevention initiatives to be developed and focused on adolescents. Within this paper, current best-practice approaches to prevention are discussed with a focus on schools-based programs.
December 22, 2005... The last 30 years have seen tremendous changes in the way sexual assault is understood and addressed in society. However, despite the many advances that have been made, the incidence of sexual assault remains high. This is particularly so for...

Beliefs about IVF as a personal fallback option.(FAMILY TRENDS)
December 22, 2005... Assisted reproductive technology has enabled many couples to fulfil their dreams of having a family. However, the success rate of treatments involving this technology declines rapidly when women enter their thirties.How likely are men and women...

Attitudes to child support in Australia: to help the Ministerial Taskforce on Child Support in its review of the Child Support Scheme, the Institute recently conducted a study of public attitudes to child support. This article summarises key findings from that study.
December 22, 2005... Most industrialised countries continue to be concerned about how to foster the ongoing support of children following parental separation. Direct financial contributions loom large in this concern. Over two decades ago, as divorce rates and...

Modernising the Child Support Scheme.(Some reflections)
December 22, 2005... Some nine months after it was established, the Ministerial Taskforce on Child Support headed by Professor Patrick Parkinson recently handed down its final report: In the best interests of children: Reforming the Child Support Scheme...

Ministerial Taskforce on Child Support.(Minister for Family and Community Services)
December 22, 2005... On the 14 June 2005 the Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator the Hon Kay Patterson, released the report of the Ministerial Taskforce on Child Support, In the Best Interests of Children? Reforming the Child Support Scheme. ...

LSAC data launched at families week.(INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES)(Longitudinal Study of Australian Children)
December 22, 2005... On 16 May 2005 at the Melbourne Museum, Senator the Hon Kay Patterson, Minister for Family and Community Services, launched National Families Week, sponsored by the Australian Government and conducted by Families Australia, a national body...

AIFS abroad--France.(INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... Institute researcher, Dr Jennifer Baxter, recently attended the four-yearly conference of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population, which was held in Tours, France, from 18-23 July 2005. More than 2000 delegates attended...

AIFS abroad--New Zealand.(INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES)(Australian Institute of Family Studies )
December 22, 2005... Institute Research Fellow, Bruce Smyth, recently presented two keynote addresses at conferences in New Zealand. The first address was delivered at the "Sixth Child and Family Conference", University of Otago, Dunedin (7-9 July 2005). It...

Clearinghouse workshop held at Institute.(INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES)(Australian Institute of Family Studies)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... In June 2005, a workshop held at the Australian Institute of Family Studies brought together past and present workers from the Clearinghouse established to support the Australian Government's Stronger Families and Communities Strategy (SFCS)....

Institute at SPRC Conference.(INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES)(Social Policy Research Centre )
December 22, 2005... This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of two multidisciplinary research centres--one on families (the Australian Institute of Family Studies) and the other on broader social issues (the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC))....

AIFS abroad--Vietnam.(INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES)(Australian Institute of Family Studies )(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... Vietnam is in the process of developing its first National Family Survey--an initiative that is being funded by UNICEF and supported by the Australian Institute of Family Studies and the Australian Government Department of Family and Community...

Seminar program 2005.(AIFS SEMINARS 2005)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
December 22, 2005... In 2005 the Australian Institute of Family Studies is continuing its series of seminars presenting research on national and international issues related to family. The seminars, designed to promote a forum for discussion and debate, are free...

Children's contact services: expectation and experience.(AIFS SEMINARS 2005)(Australian Institute of Family Studies )(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... (Seminar held at the Institute on 26 May 2005) Dr Grania Sheehan, from the Socio-Legal Research Centre, Law School, Griffith University (with co-investigators Belinda Fehlberg and Rachael Carson), presented an overview of the findings of a...

Adolescents who sexually abuse their siblings: a study of family and individual factors, and the nature of abuse.(AIFS SEMINARS 2005)
December 22, 2005... (Seminar held at the Institute on 26 June 2005) Jo Hatch, Doctoral Student at Melbourne University and Team Leader at the Children's Protection Society, presented findings from her doctoral research in which she investigated individual and...

Is relationship separation a barrier to workforce participation? A Child Support Agency perspective.(AIFS SEMINARS 2005)
December 22, 2005... (Seminar held at the Institute on 21 July 2005) Mary O'Hanlon, Director Business Strategy Child Support Agency and leader of the Newly Separated Unemployed Parents Initiative, discussed problems arising when unemployment and relationship...

What a smile can hide: A report on the study of violence against women during pregnancy.
December 22, 2005... What a smile can hide: A report on the study of violence against women during pregnancy, by Deborah Walsh and Wendy Weeks, The Royal Women's Hospital, 2004. Price: $11.00. This research reports on the extent, level and nature of violence...

Why won't my child listen?(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... Why won't my child listen?, by Myra Grisdale and Janet Carter with Michael Morton-Evans, Simon and Schuster, Pymble, 2005. Price: $24.95. This parenting manual focuses on how a child's brain functions, and how this affects child behaviour....

From fear to respect: Young people's views on violence.(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... From fear to respect: Young people's views on violence, Sue Sharpe, National Children's Bureau, London, 2004. This report from the United Kingdom analyses young people's values and attitudes to violence. Most of the data come from a study...

Social work: Fields of practice.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... Social work: Fields of practice, edited by Margaret Alston and Jennifer McKinnon, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, 2005. Price: $55.00. This Australian textbook is designed to give the reader an overview of the major fields of...

The new population problem: Why families in developed countries are shrinking and what it means.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... The new population problem: Why families in developed countries are shrinking and what it means, edited by Alan Booth and Ann C. Crouter, Erlbaum, Mahwah, 2005. Based on a symposium held at the Pennsylvania State University in 2003, this...

Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be?(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... Bullying in schools: How successful can interventions be?, edited by Peter K. Smith, Debra Pepler and Ken Rigby, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2004. This book is a comparative account of the major intervention projects that have...

Child welfare and social policy: An essential reader.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... Child welfare and social policy: An essential reader, edited by Harry Hendrick,Policy Press, Bristol, 2005. Price: UK 25.00. This substantial collection of essays provides an introduction to the key concepts, issues, policies and practices...

Conferences.(Calendar)
December 22, 2005... This selection of family-related conferences is taken from the continuously updated "Forthcoming Conferences" page on the Australian Institute of Family Studies website. For the complete list select "Conferences" from www.aifs.gov.au. ...

New: Views on child support.(PUBLICATIONS)
December 22, 2005... A snapshot of contemporary attitudes to child support, by Bruce Smyth and Ruth Weston, AIFS Research Report No. 13, June 2005, 120 pages. Free. Also available online. The Institute's Attitudes to Child Support Study was designed to inform...

Families diverse and changeable.(PUBLICATIONS)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... Diversity and change in Australian families: Statistical profiles, by David de Vaus, Australian Institute of Family Studies,September 2004.352 pages. Price $50.00 plus $5.00 postage and handling. This book draws together in the one...

Young adults' driving behaviour.(PUBLICATIONS)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... In the driver's seat: Understanding the trends and influences on young adult driving behaviour, by Diana Smart and Suzanne Vassallo, AIFS Research Report No. 12, April 2005, 140 pages. Free. Also available online. This account of the...