Understanding the Experience and Perceived Impact of the Ready Arrive Work Program

The Ready Arrive Work (RAW) program assists high school students from refugee backgrounds to explore vocational learning pathways in a supportive and positive environment. It aims to equip them with a better understanding of employment, workplaces, career planning and the pathways which can lead to a successful career after completing school. Designed by JobQuest and the NSW Department of Education the RAW program targets government high schools in metropolitan and regional NSW. It has been operating in NSW High schools since 2006. For students from refugee backgrounds, careers advice has been consistently identified in policy and research as a point of vulnerability and as an ideal opportunity for intervention. A recent Victorian inquiry into school-based career advising (Parliament of Victoria, 2018) identified numerous issues faced by refugee students including: unfamiliarity with systems of education and work, inadequate knowledge of career options and prerequisites, isolation, trauma, disruptions, lack of connections and mentors, parents’ limited knowledge and accompanying expectations. More than a decade after the RAW initiative and resources were developed, and after rapid expansion of the program beyond its original site, this research aimed to gather an understanding of the perceived impact, enablers and barriers of the RAW program. This qualitative research interviewed 58 stakeholders including school students, school staff, Job quest staff and Raw steering committee, industry and civic partners. Findings indicated that the Ready Arrive Work program was beneficial for students, schools, industry and civic partner organisations. All the ‘impacts’ reported by these stakeholders were positive. This indicates that participating RAW stakeholders hold the program in high regard and the continuation of the program should be prioritised by the NSW Department of Education. Specific impacts were reported by stakeholders for each of the participating groups

Specialist group therapy for firesetting behaviour: evidence of a treatment effect from a non-randomised pilot trial with male prisoners

Despite huge societal costs associated with firesetting, no standardized therapy has been developed to address this hugely damaging behavior. This study reports the evaluation of the first standardized CBT group designed specifically to target deliberate firesetting in male prisoners (the Firesetting Intervention Programme for Prisoners; FIPP). Fifty-four male prisoners who had set a deliberate fire were referred for FIPP treatment by their prison establishment and psychologically assessed at baseline, immediately post treatment, and three-months post treatment. Prisoners who were treatment eligible yet resided at prison establishments not identified for FIPP treatment were recruited as Treatment as Usual controls and tested at equivalent time-points. Results showed that FIPP participants improved on one of three primary outcomes (i.e., problematic fire interest and associations with fire), and made some improvement on secondary outcomes (i.e., attitudes towards violence and antisocial attitudes) post treatment relative to controls. Most notable gains were made on the primary outcome of fire interest and associations with fire and individuals who gained in this area tended to self-report more serious firesetting behavior. FIPP participants maintained all key improvements at three-month follow up. These outcomes suggest that CBT should be targeted at those holding the most serious firesetting history

Gender and ethnicity in zainichi Korean writing

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Evaluation of the Widening Participation Student Ambassadors Initiative: Project Report for Office of Widening Participation, Western Sydney University

The Office of Widening Participation at Western Sydney University delivers more than 50 programs in schools and around the university that aim to increase young people's educational engagement and aspirations for higher study. These programs are particularly focused on students from low SES backgrounds, and equity groups identified by the Bradley Review (2008) into higher education. These are supported by WSU students who have received training as Student Ambassadors. Although evaluations of specific programs and impacts on school students have been undertaken, there has never been a focus on the Student Ambassadors themselves, on their experiences and perceptions of the program, and the impact of their contributions. This evaluation aims to fill that gap. The Student Ambassadors deliver programs to ensure that educational and life pathways are open to young people of all backgrounds and circumstances; however Student Ambassadors’ own experiences within these programs and the impact of program participation on their own academic, social and civic outcomes has, thus far, been overlooked. Many of the Student Ambassadors themselves have experienced challenges to participation in higher education that parallel those of the school students with whom they work. Further, participation in the program as Student Ambassadors is likely to enhance their own engagement in higher education. Accordingly, the purpose of this project was to evaluate the impact of Western Sydney University students’ participation in the WP Student Ambassadors program in terms of their self-efficacy beliefs, academic and professional resilience, professional skill development, civic and social awareness, connectedness to community and academic outcomes. These dimensions of impact were evaluated through a mixed-method, multi-cohort evaluation over the course of the 2016 academic year. As one of the aims of this research project was to explore how engaging with low-SES/high-need primary and secondary school students as role models may have influenced their sense of civic and social responsibility, this research can directly inform the future practice of WP program in increasing students' sense of community connections with the Western Sydney University academic community as well as the broader Western Sydney region

[In Press] Reducing vocational education inequality for students from refugee backgrounds

Vocational decisions made at school have significant long term impacts on young people’s life chances, their opportunities for securing decent jobs and economic growth for themselves, their families and communities. In the short term, their aspirations dictate the decisions they make about educational pathways in post-compulsory years of schooling and vocational and higher education. For young people from already marginalised backgrounds, the quality of support they have in making these decisions is crucially important. This paper examines a rapidly expanding vocational education program specifically designed for students with refugee backgrounds that was codeveloped between a state education authority and a community service provider in Sydney, Australia. Through an ecological understanding of individuals as nested within interrelated networks, this paper explores the perspectives of stakeholders ranging from the educators, careers teachers, employers, civic partners, and, crucially, the young people themselves in order to determine whether and through what means key program elements meet the needs of students from a refugee background and where gaps in the program ecology need to be addressed

Bolstering graduates’ success through working as student ambassadors in university widening participation programs

Since 2010, the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program (HEPPP) has provided funding for Australian universities to ‘raise aspiration’ among under-represented groups. Underpinned by utilitarian discourses of human capital and individual capacitation, these resources have transformed the ways that universities seek to engage prospective students. This paper turns to an overlooked cohort that is integral to widening participation initiatives, but has rarely been the focus of research. These are the student ambassadors – university students who work within HEPPP programs. This paper reports findings from the alumni component of a mixed-method study which examines how widening participation programs, which are ostensibly directed at future university enrolments, might also help university students who work as student ambassadors to become successful professionals and citizens once they graduate from university. Alumni accounts of their experiences and self-reported impact of their ambassador work advocate a more holistic view of graduate success and how activities beyond mandatory coursework can contribute to success beyond university graduation. Evidence from student ambassador alumni suggests that these positive impacts are broad and long-lasting, contributing to students’ professional successes and personal lives

Older peoples\u27 experience of accessing emergency care

Older ED users are more likely to be seriously ill, arrive by ambulance, spend more time in ED and require hospital admission. The aim of this study was to describe older people&rsquo;s experiences of accessing Emergency Department (ED) care.<br /

Responding to the ageing profile of emergency department patients

BackgroundOlder people with acute superimposed on chronic health problems are becoming a core aspect of emergency department (ED) caseload. This project explored the ED experience from the perspective of older patients and their carers.MethodA convenience sample of thirty participants was recruited across three participating EDs: tw o metropolitan and one regional. The project utilised two approaches to data collection: 1) an observation approach where a project officer observed participants from the time of ED presentation until discharge, or for up to six hours; and 2) a subsequent interview was conducted with the participant and their carer within a week of the ED presentation. Data from both sources were integrated, and independently thematically analysed by two members of the team.ResultsThirty participants aged over 65 were recruited. Their average age was 77.1 (sd=6.7) years, 59% w ere female, and 74% were triage category 1- 3 (indicating moderate/high acuity). Participants spent on average 7 hours 47 minutes in the ED, with 50% discharged home, 43% admitted to general wards or MAPU, and 7% discharged to residential care/hospice. Key themes in the factors influencing the patient experience and examples of quality care were identified, along with opportunities to improve the capacity for EDs to be &ldquo;older person friendly&rdquo;, and &ldquo;person-centred.&rdquo; Challenges include improving the effectiveness of communication between staff and patients/carers (including issues around people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds), availability of allied health professionals to assist with discharge planning, and a tendency for older people not to seek ED care until the health problem was severe. Patient exemplars highlight key themes.Discussion and implicationsResults of the project highlight positive aspects of emergency department care for older people and inform targets for improvement strategies. These can be used to drive ongoing improvements in care for older people presenting to EDs.<br /