Groups and communities at risk of domestic and family violence: a review and evaluation of domestic and family violence prevention and early intervention services focusing on at-risk groups and communities

A review and evaluation of domestic and family violence prevention and early intervention services focusing on at-risk groups and communities. Summary This report sets out the findings of research into domestic and family violence (DFV) prevention initiatives focused on groups and communities identified as being at greater risk of experiencing DFV and/or having difficulty accessing support services. These groups include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities (CALD), people who identify as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transsexual, Intersex and Queer (GLBTIQ), young women and women in regional, rural and remote (non-urban) communitie

Children affected by domestic and family violence: a review of domestic and family violence prevention, early intervention and response services

This report sets out the findings of research into domestic and family violence prevention, early intervention and response for children aged 0–8 years in New South Wales. Executive summary The report contributes to the development of the knowledge base on DFV prevention, early intervention and response strategies and the needs of children, and supports the implementation of aspects of the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Their Children and the NSW Government’s It Stops Here: Standing Together to end Domestic and Family Violence in NSW strategy. The research had two areas of focus: synthesising the literature on the impacts of DFV on children, and on the evidence for primary prevention and early intervention strategies for children aged 0–8 years; and identifying best practice approaches for primary prevention, early intervention and response for children aged 0–8, and identifying the extent to which these needs are met within existing DVF primary prevention, early intervention, and response approaches in Australia

Improving Nursing Knowledge of African American Heart Failure Self-Care Management

Heart failure is a complex chronic disease affecting 6.6 million people in the United States, with an annual cost of $39.2 billion per year. African Americans are at an especially high risk for poor outcomes and readmissions from heart failure complications, as they are 2.5 times more likely to develop heart failure than other ethnic groups. This disease requires a high level of patient self-care management, and evidence suggests that African Americans do not always receive culturally sensitive education, which can lead to suboptimal self-care practices. The practice-focused question for this educational program asked whether nurses of African American patients with heart failure could use a culturally sensitive health education toolkit to improve patients’ knowledge of self-care management. The purpose of this doctoral project was to determine if a culturally sensitive toolkit could increase nursing knowledge. The population focus was nurses caring for African American heart failure patients with frequent readmissions from a high-risk heart failure clinic in New Jersey. The use of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and an exhaustive literature review guided this doctoral project. The tool used to assess participants’ pre- and post-knowledge was the cultural awareness and sensitivity tool. There were 11 participants comprised of nurses, nurse case managers, and advanced practice nurses; they exhibited a 1.92% improvement in knowledge after the education session. This outcome shows that this educational program was effective and has the potential to contribute to social change by educating nurses on providing effective, culturally sensitive self-care education to African American heart failure patients to increase their adherence to self-care practices

Evaluation of the 2012 family violence amendments: synthesis report

This report sets out the overall findings of the evaluation of the 2012 family violence amendments. The evaluation examined the effects of amendments to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)  that were intended to improve the family law system’s responses to matters involving family violence and safety concerns. Key messages Most separated parents don’t use family dispute resolution, lawyers or courts to resolve parenting matters after they separate Those parents who do use family law systems tend to be those affected by complex issues including family violence, mental ill-health, substance abuse and safety concerns for themselves and/or their children There has been an increased emphasis on identifying families with concerns about family violence and child abuse, however 29% of parents using family law system services reported never being asked about family violence or safety concerns Family law professionals indicated that better screening tools and approaches are required The reforms have supported sorting out parenting arrangements by agreement. This is likely to be due to a change in 2012 that means advisors tell parents that parenting arrangements should be in a child’s best interests Subtle changes in parenting arrangements are evident such as more parents with safety concerns reporting a shift away from overnight stays with fathers The proportion of children with court orders for shared care, where allegations of both family violence or child safety had been raised, fell after the reforms (from 19% to 11%) The proportion of court orders for shared care where neither family violence nor child safety was raised remained stable (22%): no significant change showed where only one issue was raised (17% pre-reform, 15% post-reform). Overall the main findings of the evaluation indicate that the 2012 family violence amendments are a step in the right direction in a reform agenda intended to improve the system’s response to family violence and child abuse concerns in post-separation parenting arrangements. See related content for seperate reports.   &nbsp

Review of electronic gaming machine pre-commitment features: Limit setting

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0)The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) was commissioned by the former Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) to research options for the introduction of limit setting within a broader pre-commitment system. This report examines research evidence and opinions from regulators, academics, government officials and EGM venue operators relating to the optimum design of limit-setting features within a pre-commitment system. The report provides analyses and options relating to applying limit-setting features to EGMs as a consumer protection or harm minimisation measure.YesDepartment of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA

Review of electronic gaming machine pre-commitment features: Self-exclusion

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0)The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) was commissioned by the former Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) to research options for the introduction of electronic self-exclusion within a broader pre-commitment system. This report examines research evidence and opinions from regulators, academics, government officials and EGM venue operators relating to the optimum design of self-exclusion features within a pre-commitment system. The report provides analyses and options relating to applying self-exclusion features to EGMs as a consumer protection or harm minimisation measure.YesDepartment of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA

Review of electronic gaming machine pre-commitment features: Transaction history statements

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0)The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) was commissioned by the former Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) to research options for the introduction of transaction history statements within a broader pre-commitment system. This report synthesises existing evidence and opinions from regulators, academics, government officials and EGM venue operators relating to the optimum design of transaction history statement features within an EGM pre-commitment system in order to increase consumer protection and reduce harm.YesDepartment of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA

The role and efficacy of Independent Children's Lawyers

The article discusses the results of the Independent Children's Lawyer (ICL) study on the effectiveness of ICLs in the family law in Australia. It states that having direct contact with children and young people is not a standard practice of ICL. It notes that the collaboration between ICL and family consultant is critical to effectiveness of cautious approach. It mentions that ICL participation function was pronounced in interview data from parents and carers