August Research Review

The Productivity Commission has released its annual report on the Closing the Gap targets with only five out of 19 targets on track to be met. The Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner released her first report to Parliament on progress towards the objectives of The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 (see below). We also saw the release of the Unlocking the prevention potential report by the Rapid Review Expert Panel, which looked at best-practice approaches to prevent gender-based violence (see below). 

In this same month federal parliament passed the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Bill 2024. While this is not research, it represents significant reform and comes off the back of the four years of evidence gathering by the NDIS Review Committee. Its implications, particularly around the new foundational supports model, are relevant to all our members who work with children and families where disability is present. 

The Research Reviews are sponsored by OPEN (Outcomes, Practice and Evidence Network). OPEN supports Victoria’s child, youth and family services to use evidence from research, practice and client experience to deliver better outcomes for children, young people and families. To tap into all that OPEN has to offer become a member – it’s free!  

Children and young people’s wellbeing  

The care trajectories and nature of care received by children aged 5-11 who are in need of therapeutic residential care.  

This Youth journal article by the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration highlights the care trajectories and experiences of 5-11-year-old children in therapeutic residential care facilities in Scotland. The results indicate that small-group residential care services which adopt social pedagogical and psychotherapeutic approaches were considered beneficial for addressing the needs of younger children with significant trauma histories.  The article also highlights the need for more comprehensive training for foster carers when supporting children with complex trauma, and access to paediatric mental health services.  

Key tenets of programs that successfully engage young people 

This Youth Action report – the product of a collaboration between the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Thrive International and Youth Action – collated evidence from diverse sources to identify effective ways of engaging young people in programs and service delivery. Some identified ways of engaging were client-centred, strengths-based, trauma-informed and culturally safe.  

Building digital resilience: Girls and young women demand a safer future 

This report from Plan Internation and CNN As Equals highlights the harm young women and girls face online, how they protect themselves, and the role that technology companies, government, and local communities play in keeping them safe.  The report gathered responses from young women and girls (13-24 years old) through surveys and focus groups about their experiences, with 75 percent indicating that they had harmful online experiences.  

More for children: Children’s experience of poverty in Australia 

This report from The Children’s Policy Centre focuses on children growing up in the context of poverty in two communities in Australia. The research was conducted using a rights-based, child-centred approach with one of the key emerging themes highlighting how material deprivation is a core component of children’s experiences of poverty. The report highlights key themes in the experience of poverty for children and opportunities to enact change.  

Domestic and family violence affecting children and young people from culturally and racially marginalised migrant backgrounds in Australia: A scoping review of child experiences and services responses.  

This Trauma, Violence and Abuse scoping review, undertaken by researchers from the University of Melbourne, looks at the domestic and family violence (DFV) experiences of children and families from culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) migrant backgrounds, and how DFV services respond to their needs. The review found that children and families from CARM backgrounds feel fear and distrust when engaging with DFV services and offers suggestions for an intersectional approach.  

Young people’s experiences and use of violence in the home: Examining four types of child maltreatment, their intersections and self-reported use of violence in the home. 

This ANROWS-funded study by researchers from Monash and Griffith Universities examines the intersection of different types of child maltreatment and their association with young people’s use of violence in the home. The most common experiences of maltreatment were domestic violence, with cisgender females more likely to experience all four types of child maltreatment. These findings point to the need for education about the impacts of child maltreatment and primary prevention strategies to address risk factors across individuals, communities and society.  

‘Help way earlier!’ How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing 

This Australian Human Rights Commission review explores urgent opportunities for reform within Australia’s child justice system, grounded in children’s rights and the latest evidence. Highlighting the voices of children, their families, and key stakeholders, the report reminds us that early intervention and addressing unmet needs are critical to preventing children’s involvement in the justice system.  

Family and community 

Unlocking the prevention potential: Accelerating action to end domestic, family and sexual violence 

This rapid review was carried out over a couple of months by the six members of a Rapid Review Expert Panel. As its name implies, the Panel has reviewed current approaches to preventing domestic, family and sexual violence in Australia, with a strong focus on the unmet needs of children and young people, experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children, and communities which experience marginalisation. 

Multisector collaboration to improve community wellbeing 

This report from the Wales Centre for Public Policy and the Resourceful Communities Partnership details what makes multisector collaboration effective and reports on ten factors that support multisector collaboration, such as strengthening communities. The report also offers a Framework for Action which details actions, examples, success factors and the resources required.  

Towards fairness – A multicultural Australia for all 

The Department of Home Affairs has released a new report reviewing the Multicultural Framework. The framework aims to bring about generational reform that will necessitate a collaborative effort from government and community to help Australia fully realise its potential as a multicultural country. The report offers 29 recommendations and proposes a roadmap for a multicultural framework.  

Establishing trust and creating safety for play therapy services provision with an Australian Aboriginal community: Informing culturally responsive practice 

This International Journal of Play Therapy article by two Deakin University researchers explores how to create a culturally appropriate play therapy program for Australian Aboriginal children, families and communities. The findings highlight important factors, such as organisational practices, location and environment in ensuring a   culturally responsive practice.  

Grief and loss: Supporting foster carer families through placement transitions 

This Australian Social Work journal article by Melbourne University explores carers’ experience of grief and loss, their coping strategies and what support they need. The article highlights the importance of the foster care agency’s role in supporting its carers through these transitions, with carers wanting support through training and professional relationships.  

A national conversation on Measuring What Matters in Australia 

This Centre for Policy Development paper highlights the importance of having a national conversation on Measuring What Matters. The discussion paper offers foundational ways of engaging communities, government representatives and sector partners in a national conversation on what Australians identify as the necessary components of collective wellbeing. This is timely given that the first annual report on progress against Measuring What Matters indictors was recently released without fanfare on the ABS website rather than through Treausry where it initially sat. 

Release of the Carer Census Report 

The Foster Care Association of Victoria has released its 2024 census report which highlights the experiences of Victorian foster carers, including their demographics and attitudinal data about the caring experience. The report highlights important findings around the challenges and rewarding aspects of being a foster carer and could help inform service delivery and advocacy.  

The Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission yearly report to Parliament 

This Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission report details the progress of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032. The report highlights areas for policy reform, service delivery, and governance and presents opportunities to progress towards eliminating violence against women and children. The findings offer insights and constructive guidance for governments and shows just how much work remains to be done.  

Education  

What features of education policies are effective in facilitating successful outcomes for Australian Department of Education students in out-of-home care 

This Children & Society journal article highlights findings from a study that analysed current out-of-home care educational policies from Australian Departments of Education across states and territories. It found significant differences across regions, with only Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria having dedicated policies for students with care experience. The study offers recommendations for improvement, for the Departments of Education, schools and teaching staff to better support the educational experiences of children in out-of-home care. 

Disruption and adaptation: The school mobility experience of young people in residential care 

This Children and Youth Services Review journal article by four researchers from the University of Tasmania provides qualitative insights from young people aged 14-18 years in residential care in Canada relating to their common experience of changing schools through their residential placements. Based on the interpretation of the narrative data, school change represented a significant event and impacted the educational experience for most of the young people interviewed. This article identifies factors that could facilitate school career continuity, including involving young people in decision-making.  

Podcasts 

Digital intervention and self-harm prevention 

This Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health podcast focuses on self-harm and technology. It offers insights into the prevalence of self-harm in children and young people and the type of support that children and young people tend to access.  

Audits, inquiries, and investigations  

Victorian Government response to the Royal Commission into violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability 

The Victorian Government has accepted in full, in principle, or in part most of the recommendations within its responsibility, including some of the recommendations around decision-making processes and equitable access to health services in policy instruments.  

Victorian Government response to the Commission for Children and Young People’s report: ‘Let us Learn: Systematic inquiry into the educational experiences of children and young people living in out of home care.’ 

The Victorian Government has accepted in full or in principle 46 out of the 47 recommendations put forth by the Commission for Children and Young People’s report into the education experiences of children and young people living in out of home care.  

Sector activity  

CFECFW Seminar: Online safety and the rights of children and young people.  

September 23rd | 1.00PM – 4.00PM | Online 

The Centre’s annual child rights seminar emphasises the critical importance of incorporating the rights of children and young people into the services and policies that affect them. This year’s event will convene key leaders, researchers, advocates and young people to discuss online safety responses and explore how governments and services can effectively support children and young people, ensuring their voices are integral to these efforts. 

Find out more about the wide range of services OPEN offers our sector!  

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