The Relocation Tool Kit project; Policies to enhance residents’ health, wellbeing and social inclusion

Copyright 2011, Brotherhood of St Laurence. Published version of the paper reproduced here with permission from the publisher (www.bsl.org.au

Deliberately casual? Workers' agency, health, and nonstandard employment relations in Australia

This item is under embargo for a period of 12 months from the date of publication, in accordance with the publisher's policy.Objective: We explored Australian workers’ experiences of nonstandard employment, how it related to health and wellbeing, and the role that Bourdieu’s forms of capital (cultural, economic and social resources) played in underpinning workers’ agency. Methods: Qualitative data from semistructured interviews with 32 causal workers were analysed based on framework analysis. Results: Most participants were ‘deliberate casuals’ who had chosen casual over permanent employment, with half of that group naming improved health and wellbeing as motivation. Those with greater access to capital felt more able to exercise choice, whereas those with fewer capital resources felt constrained to be casual. Gendered structures and labour market dynamics were also significant in shaping agency. Conclusions: Access to capital and a buoyant labour market underpinned workers’ agency in Australia, enabling some to gain health and wellbeing benefits from nonstandard employment

Positive and negative impacts of job loss on family life: the perceptions of Australian car workers

This article contributes to research on the impact of job loss on families. It is based on survey responses from 371 workers and in‑depth interviews with 39 of them about the family impacts of their job loss from the Mitsubishi car factory in Adelaide in 2004‑2005. A majority of workers said family life had been affected by their job loss. Quantitative analysis identified four variables significantly associated with family impacts: marital status, children living at home, employment status and financial management. Qualitative responses showed the predominantly negative impacts were financial strain, loss of relationship stability, and general stress and worry, although few faced catastrophic impacts from their job loss. However, in contrast to most previous research, the in‑depth interviews also revealed positive impacts from job loss, such as having more time at home and to spend with their family. We conclude that the existence of ongoing income support and public health insurance in Australia were important in avoiding catastrophic financial impacts on these workers and their families.The authors acknowledge support from the National Health and Medical Research Council Capacity Building Grant (324724). The research was also supported by the SA Department of Health and the SA Department of Families and Communities through the Human Services Research and Innovation Program (HSRIP), and the Australian Research Council Linkage Program (LP0562288), with the Department of Health serving as Industry Partner. Professor Fran Baum was supported by an ARC Federation Fellowship and Drs Newman and Ziersch by the SA Premier’s Science and Research Fund

Enabling pathways to health equity: developing a framework for implementing social capital in practice

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Background Mounting evidence linking aspects of social capital to health and wellbeing outcomes, in particular to reducing health inequities, has led to intense interest in social capital theory within public health in recent decades. As a result, governments internationally are designing interventions to improve health and wellbeing by addressing levels of social capital in communities. The application of theory to practice is uneven, however, reflecting differing views on the pathways between social capital and health, and divergent theories about social capital itself. Unreliable implementation may restrict the potential to contribute to health equity by this means, yet to date there has been limited investigation of how the theory is interpreted at the level of policy and then translated into practice. Methods The paper outlines a collaborative research project designed to address this knowledge deficit in order to inform more effective implementation. Undertaken in partnership with government departments, the study explored the application of social capital theory in programs designed to promote health and wellbeing in Adelaide, South Australia. It comprised three case studies of community-based practice, employing qualitative interviews and focus groups with community participants, practitioners, program managers and policy makers, to examine the ways in which the concept was interpreted and operationalized and identify the factors influencing success. These key lessons informed the development of practical resources comprising a guide for practitioners and briefing for policy makers. Results Overall the study showed that effective community projects can contribute to population health and wellbeing and reducing health inequities. Of specific relevance to this paper, however, is the finding that community projects rely for their effectiveness on a broader commitment expressed through policies and frameworks at the highest level of government decision making. In particular this relationship requires long term vision, endorsement for cross-sectoral work, well-developed relationships and theoretical and practical knowledge. Conclusions Attention to the practical application of social capital theory shows that community projects require structural support in their efforts to improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequities. Sound community development techniques are essential but do not operate independently from frameworks and policies at the highest levels of government. Recognition of the interdependence of policy and practice will enable government to achieve these goals more effectively. Keywords: Social capital; Health inequities; Community development; Policy and practice; Health promotio

A mixed methods systematic review of studies examining the relationship between housing and health for people from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds

This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This author accepted manuscript is made available following 36 month embargo from date of publication (July 2018) in accordance with the publisher’s archiving policyHousing is an important social determinant of health and a key element of refugee integration into countries of resettlement. However, the way in which housing may affect mental and physical health for refugees and asylum seekers has not been systematically examined. This systematic review aimed to explore the effects of housing on health and wellbeing for this population, in order to identify key pathways for public health interventions. The review was undertaken following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) guidelines. We identified publications through a search of Medline, PsychInfo, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, CINAHL, Cohrane Library, Google, ProQuest, OpenGrey, MedNar and WHOLIS. Eligibility criteria included: publication in English between 1997 and 2017, with findings pertaining to the relationship between housing and health for refugees and/or asylum seekers. Out of 2371 items, 25 papers were included with a further five identified through reference lists. Eleven of the papers explored housing and health for those refugees and asylum seekers living within refugee camps, with 19 focusing on countries of resettlement. All studies identified housing issues for refugees and asylum seekers, with physical housing conditions particularly poor in refugee camps, and issues of affordability, suitability, insecure tenure and mobility as well as difficulties securing housing also highlighted in countries of resettlement. Consistent relationships were found between physical aspects of housing and physical and mental health, with other aspects of housing such as safety and overcrowding linked to mental health. There were a number of methodological issues with most of the studies, making it difficult to specify precise pathways. However, improvements to housing quality particularly in refugee camps, and targeted housing interventions more generally for refugees and asylum seekers would likely have an important public health benefit.This review was not directly funded, but was conducted by the authors who were funded through an Australian Research Council grant and fellowship (LP130100782, FT120100150)

Neighbourhood Life, Social Capital and Perceptions of Safety in the Western Suburbs of Adelaide

In this paper we report on a South Australian study of perceptions of safety and aspects of neighbourhood life including social capital which involved the analysis of 2400 self-completed questionnaires. A path analysis found that perceptions of safety were directly associated with gender, age, perceptions of neighbourhood pollution and neighbourhood trust, and indirectly associated with age, neighbourhood pollution and neighbourhood connections. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of the findings for public policy

Who participates? Socioeconomic factors associated with women's participation in voluntary groups

Participation in voluntary groups is potentially an important way to create health promoting social capital. This paper investigates women's participation in voluntary groups, utilising data from a postal survey of 968 female respondents and in-depth interviews with 30 women. Logistic regression was conducted to examine factors associated with frequency of women's group involvement. Not working full-time, living in a married relationship, and having a university education were all significantly associated with regular involvement. The qualitative data further illustrated some of the ways in which these three factors were linked with women's involvement in groups. We conclude that women who were able to regularly participate were those who already enjoyed levels of social and economic privilege. Policies to promote social capital via participation might focus on identifying what types of group involvement benefit women's health, and increasing the accessibility of such groups to include diverse groups of women

'What is the Meaning of ‘Social Mix’? Shifting perspectives in planning and implementing public housing estate redevelopment

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHER on 24 August 2015, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00049182.2015.1075270. An embargo period of 12 months from the date of publication will apply.This paper unravels a variety of perspectives about the concept of social mix, drawing on a case study of the implementation of a redevelopment project in Melbourne. The first part provides a theoretical overview of two internationally predominant academic debates around policy interpretations of this concept, namely social mix as a means for promotion of social inclusion; and as a state-led form of gentrification. These two arguments are usually presented as one, with social inclusion and reductions of concentrations of disadvantage one side of the ‘social mix policy’ coin, and state-led gentrification the other. This paper contributes to the national and international literature on public housing estate regeneration and social mix policies through exploring the question of whether these two ideas about social mix were shared by different stakeholders as the ‘messy’ process of redevelopment unfurled. Interviews were conducted with public tenants, homeowners and homebuyers, private renters and local service providers at the Carlton Housing Estate to explore the diverse perspectives of various stakeholder groups as estate design and implementation shifted. The study identified that as a result of the global financial crisis and the developers exerting pressure on government there was a gradual move away from perceiving social mix as a policy tool for encouraging social inclusion at Carlton, between public housing tenants and private residents, towards a different form of social mix and inclusion. Contrary to intentions, the revised form of social mix at Carlton was perceived as a means to harness market capital and attract higher income residents to the inner city

In our own backyard: urban health inequities and Aboriginal experiences of neighbourhood life, social capital and racism.

This report is about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who live in urban areas. Thus it contributes to filling the gap in literature and knowledge about the health and everyday life experience of urban Indigenous peoples.This study, the Adelaide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health (AATSIH) project, was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and focused on neighbourhood life, social capital, experiences of racism and health. This was a ‘companion’ project to another NHMRC project (the General Location and Health project (the General L&H project) – see Baum, Ziersch, Zhang et al, 2007) that explored neighbourhood life and social capital for the general population in four contrasting socio-economic areas in Adelaide

Practical Social Capital: a policy briefing.

This briefing is intended for policy makers who fund and make decisions about the availability of community based programs that intend to strengthen social capital and promote health and wellbeing. The briefing synthesises a more extensive guide (Practical Social Capital: a Guide to Creating Health and Wellbeing) and draws out key lessons for policy makers. The Guide is based on three case studies of the practical application of social capital to health, arts and local government projects. It uses the lessons from these case studies to demonstrate how social capital can be a tool in interventions designed to promote health and health equity. The Guide also provides tools and resources for organisations that want to adopt a social capital approach, and reviews literature on health and wellbeing, social capital and community development and capacity building. The case studies on which the Guide and this briefing paper are based were part of a research project funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant and undertaken in collaboration with industry partners: SA Department of Health, Onkaparinga City Council and Arts SA