Pathways of care: longitudinal study on children and young people in out-of-home care in New South Wales

This article outlines a prospective longitudinal study on the wellbeing of children placed in out-of-home care in New South Wales and the factors that influence their wellbeing. Overview The Pathways of Care longitudinal study (POCLS) is a new prospective longitudinal study designed to address the methodological limitations of previous research. The overall aim of this longitudinal study of children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC) is to collect detailed information about the wellbeing of children placed in OOHC in NSW and the factors that influence their wellbeing. It will provide a strong evidence base to inform policy and practice, and in turn improve decision making about how best to support children and young people who have experienced abuse and neglect. This five-year study, which commenced in March 2011, differs from previous Australian research in OOHC because the population cohort is all children and young people entering OOHC for the first time and includes children of all ages as well as all geographic locations in NSW. It also collects information from multiple sources, including carers, children and young people, caseworkers, teachers and administrative data through record linkage. The study has a broad scope and collects detailed information about the characteristics and circumstances of children and young people on entry to OOHC, the experiences of children and young people in OOHC, and their developmental pathways in order to identify the factors that influence their outcomes. The developmental domains of interest are the children\u27s physical health, social-emotional wellbeing and cognitive/learning ability. POCLS will follow children and young people regardless of their pathways through OOHC (e.g., placement changes, restoration, adoption or ageing out) to examine the factors that predispose children and young people to poorer outcomes and what factors are protective

Homelessness Wardship and Commonwealth-State Relations

The research presented in this Report is the result of a study commissioned by the Commonwealth Department of Social Security in which the Centre was asked to examine the changing balance and fit between Commonwealth and State programs in meeting the needs of homeless young people and in particular as they affect wards of state. The Report reviews changing policies and practices of State welfare departments in the use of orders for care, protection and control, and Commonwealth policies and services supporting young people in and leaving care. Case studies of services to young people in care in Queensland and South Australia examine these issues in more depth. The Report finds there is a longstanding trend to reduced use of legal orders for wardship across all States. The case studies suggest that this reduction reflects the conjunction of changing legal philosophies of care with fiscal constraints on the resources available to State welfare departments. New or extended Commonwealth measures designed to assist young people lacking parental support are particularly problematic in the case of wards under 16 years of age, for whom the Commonwealth considers the States responsible. In the result young people find themselves negotiating changing and sometimes contested boundaries between Commonwealth and State

Aborigines and the criminal justice system : Women and children first! by Marina Paxman

The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody has made very little difference to institutionalised discrimination against Aboriginal Australians especially women and children

Listen to us: Aboriginal women and the white law. by Marina Paxman and Helen Corbett

tag=1 data=Listen to us: Aboriginal women and the white law. by Marina Paxman and Helen Corbett tag=2 data=Paxman, Marina%Corbett, Helen tag=3 data=Criminology Australia, tag=4 data=5 tag=5 data=3 tag=6 data=January/February 1994 tag=7 data=2-6. tag=8 data=ABORIGINES%WOMEN tag=10 data=Much has been written about the impact of the Australian criminal justice system on Aboriginal men. Few people have considered its impact on Aboriginal women. tag=11 data=1994/6/3 tag=12 data=94/0238 tag=13 data=CABMuch has been written about the impact of the Australian criminal justice system on Aboriginal men. Few people have considered its impact on Aboriginal women

The educational outcomes of young people 4-5 years after leaving care: an Australian perspective

Judy Cashmore, Marina Paxman and Michelle Townsend focus on the educational and employment pathways and outcomes for young people after leaving care in Australia, based on a longitudinal study of young people \u27ageing\u27 out of care in New South Wales. Consistent with the findings of other research on the educational performance and attainment of children and young people in care, the young people leaving care in this study were less likely to have completed their secondary schooling than others their age in the general population. Four to five years after leaving care, they were much less likely than their peers to be in full-time work and/or education. Many had a history of part-time and casual work in poorly paid and low-skill jobs, and over half the young women had had children. Those who had completed Year 12, however, were more likely to be employed or studying, and to be faring well across a number of areas compared with those who did not complete Year 12. The more stable and secure they had been in care, the more years of schooling they completed, and the better they were faring 4-5 years after leaving care

COVID-19: Impact on children living in out-of-home care and their carers

Children enter out-of-home care (OOHC) having experienced significant childhood adversities and trauma. Little is known about the short-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on this vulnerable group. To gain some insights, we analysed the early impacts on the well-being and experiences of children in OOHC and their carers using the Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study data prior to and post the first lockdown restrictions. A total of 862 children, young people and their carers were interviewed either pre-COVID-19 restrictions (n = 567) (April 2019–March 2020) or post-COVID-19 restrictions (n = 295) (June–December 2020). While the two groups showed no significant differences in socio-emotional well-being, both the pre- and the post-COVID-19 restriction groups of children in OOHC had slight reductions in socio-emotional well-being. The interviews with the post-COVID-19 group showed that the pandemic restrictions affected children\u27s well-being and behaviour, education, social and physical activities, as well as time spent with their birth family. Likewise, interviews with carers post-COVID-19 found a negative effect on carers\u27 well-being, their ability to manage financially and their capacity to care and access services and support. The article contributes new evidence to inform OOHC policy and practice to support service systems facing unique challenges arising from a pandemic

Survey of the Working Conditions of Casual Academic Employees at the University of New South Wales

This Report is the result of research undertaken by the Social Policy Research Centre on behalf of the University of New South Wales. As well as being institutions of teaching and research, universities are large employers. It is most appropriate, then, for a university to use the tools of disciplined enquiry in the review of its own performance as an employer. Working to a brief supplied by the University's Advisory Committee on Equal Employment Opportunities, SPRC researchers were asked to conduct a study of the employment conditions of those staff employed to teach and do research in the University on a casual basis. The findings of that inquiry are presented here. The findings address a significant gap in the information available about university staffing and employment. Though limited to one university at one point in time, this Report is expected to be of interest beyond the University of New South Wales

Homeless Young People and Commonwealth-State Policies and Services: A Victorian Case Study

In 1992, the Social Policy Research Centre published the report, Homelessness, Wardship and Commonwealth-State Relations. That report by the authors of the current report was the outcome of a study commissioned by the Department of Social Security in which the Centre was asked to examine the changing balance and fit between Commonwealth and State programs in meeting the needs of homeless young people, with a particular focus on wards of the state. It reviewed changing policies and practices at that time, and featured policy case studies of Queensland and South Australia.This report is the result of a further study of policies and services affecting young people, again commissioned by the Department of Social Security, focused this time on the situation in Victoria.The study has used similar procedures to those used earlier, including the examination of policy documents and legislation in the area and the analysis of data on programs available to young people. Interviews were also conducted with people in relevant government and non-government bodies. In addition, the research reported upon here, the authors conducted interviews with a number of homeless young people themselves