Family Matters articles from September 2006

Family Matters archives from September 2006

Director's report.(social research)
September 22, 2006... Following a year of reviewing, re-structuring and generally getting our house in order, we have entered 2006 with considerable momentum and are experiencing an appreciable expansion of our research program, especially related to the evaluations...

Family relationships through life: an illustration of the Australian Institute of Family Studies' Research Plan (2006-2008).
September 22, 2006... This paper summarises the development of the next Research Plan (2006-2008) for the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The Plan seeks to position the Institute to contribute strongly to connecting research, policy and practice. The frame...

Families through life: diversity, change and context.
September 22, 2006... The Australian Institute of Family Studies seeks to provide timely and reliable information about factors affecting family stability and wellbeing in Australia, to inform policy, practice and the general community. The Institute also provides...

Lost in translation? Remote indigenous households and definitions of the family.
September 22, 2006... Australia Bureau of Statistics definitions of the "family" take the nuclear family as their starting point. Using an anthropological approach to kinship, this paper argues that the nuclear family structure is not a "natural" outcome of...

Assessing family and community life through the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey: an evaluation: this paper provides an overview of a major new survey of Indigenous Australians, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, and describes the key measures of family and community in the survey.
September 22, 2006... Well-functioning families are vital to the wellbeing of individuals, their immediate communities, and broader societal groups. At the same time, the ability of families to function well depends not only on their individual members, but also on...

Sowing the seeds of innovation: ideas for child and family services.
September 22, 2006... In child and family services in Australia and elsewhere there is a rich range of promising approaches emerging in response to problems such as child abuse and neglect. However, little is known about how and why some innovations spread from one...

(Re)-forming marriage in Australia?(RELATIONSHIP TRENDS)(Statistical data)
September 22, 2006... Unlike the United States, Australia has not entered into significant or sustained public debate about marriage. When public comment about marriage has occurred in the past few years it has largely been related to two issues--formal recognition...

For better or for worse: an Australian counsellor's perspective on trends in composition of families.(RELATIONSHIP TRENDS)
September 22, 2006... Massive changes in family formation are apparent in the Western world. As Robyn Parker (2005) points out in her article, Australian trends are similar to those of the UK, Canada and the US, and the available statistics over the last decade...

Starting early, starting late: socio-demographic characteristics and parenting of new mothers of different ages.(FAMILY TRENDS)(Statistical data)
September 22, 2006... Over the last few decades, the age at which women give birth to their first child has not only increased on average but has also become more diverse. Based on Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), this...

State and federal reform agendas.(FAMILY LAW UPDATE)
September 22, 2006... Shared parental responsibility--Federal reform takes shape The Australian Government's reform of the federal family law system takes a more concrete form with the passage of amendments to the Family Law Act (1975) and the announcement of...

Institute hosts international forum.(INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES)
September 22, 2006... On 1-2 December 2005, the Institute hosted an international forum on family relationships in transition. The forum brought together over 200 participants from Australia and elsewhere, including Canada, the People's Republic of China, the...

Institute at disability think tank.(INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES)(Scope Vic)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Institute Senior Research Fellow, Helen Cheney, was the facilitator for a workshop on 'Dilemmas and Delights of Measuring Outcomes for People with a Disability: A Think Tank', hosted by Scope Vic in Melbourne (14 March 2006). The format of...

The latest from Growing Up in Australia.(INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES)(Survey)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), is a landmark study, initiated and funded by the Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA), and managed by the...

Child Protection Clearinghouse out and about.(INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES)
September 22, 2006... Researchers from the National Child Protection Clearinghouse team at the Australian Institute of Family Studies have attended many events in recent months. In October 2005, Daryl Higgins attended the Philanthropy Australia Conference,...

Early childhood forum.(INSTITUTE ACTIVITIES)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... At the recent early childhood forum, Putting Children First: Their Future, Our Future, hosted by the Department of Human Services and the Centre for Community Child Health Early Childhood Forum, Professor Alan Hayes delivered an address titled...

Institute Seminars 2006.
September 22, 2006... In 2006 the Australian Institute of Family Studies continues its series of public seminars presenting contemporary research on national and international issues related to family. A sustainable work and family future in Australia: Balancing...

Making adult stepfamilies work: Strategies for the whole family when a parent marries later in life.(Brief article)(Book review)
September 22, 2006... Making adult stepfamilies work: Strategies for the whole family when a parent marries later in life, by Grace Gabe and Jean Lipman-Blumen,St Martin's Press, 2005.US$14.95. Written by a sociologist and psychiatrist, this book aims to give...

Boys raising babies: Adolescent fatherhood in New Zealand.(Brief article)(Book review)
September 22, 2006... Boys raising babies: Adolescent fatherhood in New Zealand, by Gareth Rouch, Barnardos, Wellington, 2005. Research into adolescent fathers has been much neglected. This New Zealand report uses the experiences and stories of twelve teenage...

Methodologies for analysing the impact of public policy on families: A conceptual view.(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Methodologies for analysing the impact of public policy on families: A conceptual view. A report for the Families Commission, by Jacqui True,New Zealand Families Commission, Wellington, 2005. Gratis. Available from the Commission's website:...

What works for children and young people with harmful sexual behaviours?(Brief article)(Book review)
September 22, 2006... What works for children and young people with harmful sexual behaviours?, by Simon Hackett, Barnardos, Ilford, 2004. This book provides a review of the literature and practices surrounding children and young people who display harmful...

Safeguarding childhood: Early intervention and surveillance in a late modern society.(Brief article)(Book review)
September 22, 2006... Safeguarding childhood: Early intervention and surveillance in a late modern society, by Nigel Parton,Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire, 2006. $59.00. This text gives an overview of the issues of child abuse and neglect in the United Kingdom....

Australia's welfare 2005: The seventh biennial report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.(Report)(Brief article)
September 22, 2006... Australia's welfare 2005: The seventh biennial report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, AIHW,Canberra, 2005. $55.00. This report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare gives a detailed overview of the state of...

Surviving separation: How to protect your children, your finances, and your sanity.(Brief article)(Book review)
September 22, 2006... Surviving separation:How to protect your children, your finances,and your sanity, by Celia Conlan,Scribe, North Carlton, 2006.$27.95. This Australian book contains practical advice for anyone undergoing separation and divorce, especially...

Learning from Sure Start: Working with young children and their families.(Brief article)(Book review)
September 22, 2006... Learning from Sure Start: Working with young children and their families, edited by Jo Weinberger,Caroline Pickstone and Peter Hannon, Open University Press,Maidenhead, 2005. Sure Start is a UK-based initiative providing early intervention...

Conferences.(family relationship)(Calendar)
September 22, 2006... 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 http://www.aifs.gov.au ...