Research Review – June/July 2024

The Centre’s monthly Research Review newsletter delivers the latest research relevant to the child and family services sector direct to your inbox.   Click here to subscribe.

A new landmark report from ANROWS and the Australian Domestic Family Violence Death Review Network presents the first national figures for filicides which have occurred in Australia in the context of domestic and family violence (DFV). This report has implications for all levels of government and for service providers. Read the report here 

Children and young people’s wellbeing   

 Improving the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children: A consolidation of systemic recommendations and evidence 

This report, a collaboration between the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) and the Australian Human Rights Commission, examines more than 3,000 recommendations from sixty-one Royal Commissions and inquiries relevant to the child protection and youth justice systems held between 2010 and 2022. The study provides a national focus for reforms to these systems by examining the nature of recommendations from the reports and inquiries. 

Read the full report here 

2024 Gen Z Wellbeing Index 

This report from Scape and Year13 provides findings from their annual Gen Z wellbeing index, which aims to gather insights about the individual choices young people (18-24 years old) make and the influences of global forces on their wellbeing. The report compares findings from a national representative group of young people living in Scape’s purpose-built student accommodation with young people who are not in this student accommodation. The study highlights the impacts of multiple issues young people face, the effects on different domains and the higher numbers of young people seeking mental health therapy. 

Read the full article here. 

Early maternal death following child removal: A short report using observational data 

This research report from the University of Edinburgh highlights practitioner-based knowledge about women entering a program for mothers who have had, or are at risk of having, recurrent child removals. Insights from the demographics of women in the program showed that women who have had a child removed are at a much greater risk of early death than their peers. The paper highlights the need for more research into the health trajectories of women who have had children removed. It also shows that not only children in the care system but the mothers themselves need to receive specialist support.  

Read the full article here. 

Being a young man online: Tensions, complexities, and possibilities 

This timely report from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, in collaboration with Deakin University and Queensland University of Technology, examines the online experiences of over 100 young men in Australia aged 16 to 21 years old. In-depth interviews and focus groups with the young men identified complex competing experiences and influences, pointing to a tension between an understanding of personal experiences of manhood and the portrayal of manhood online and its influences.  

Read the full report here 

Child Protection Australia 2022-23: Insights 

This is the latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report on children in the child protection system in Australia. The report highlights an increase in notifications of alleged maltreatment, investigations and finalised investigations since the 2021-22 AIFS report.  

Read the report here 

Family and community   

Parenting, child maltreatment, and social disadvantage: A population-based implementation and evaluation of the Triple P System of evidence-based parenting support 

This new research from the University of Queensland examines the effectiveness of the Triple P System (TPS) in preventing child maltreatment using a public health approach. The findings demonstrate significant improvement in TPS communities, with medium to large effect sizes, indicating TPS’s potential to reduce child maltreatment. The study highlights the importance of cost-effective, evidence-based, parenting support in disadvantaged communities and notes the influence of uncontrolled contextual factors on outcomes.  

Read the full article here. 

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the context of longstanding intimate partner violence 

This Acta Neuropathologica correspondence highlights details from two autopsy case studies of chronic traumatic encephalopathy and its relationship to intimate partner violence. CTE is commonly found in people with a history of repeated mild traumatic brain injury. The report details some symptoms and contributing factors that intimate partner violence interventions and programs should be aware of and assess for when individuals enter their service. 

Read the full case study here. 

Securing women’s lives: Examining system interactions and perpetrator risk in intimate femicide sentencing judgments over a decade in Australia 

This new research project from Monash University contributes to the evidence to inform a whole-of-systems approach to repeat violence and intimate femicide. The project has contributed to the evidence of risk from perpetrators and system interactions before acts of intimate femicide. The findings indicate that the perpetrators are often between 29 – 40 years old, with many exhibiting mental health issues. The study highlights different points within the service system where interventions could have been implemented to help prevent intimate partner femicide. 

Read the full report here 

Attitudes matter: The 2021 National Community Attitudes toward Violence against Women Survey (NCAS), Findings for people born in countries where the main language is not English 

This ANROWS report outlines findings in relation to attitudes towards violence against women and gender equality in culturally diverse populations. The report highlights gaps in understanding that could inform programs tailored for different groups. Additionally, the report offers implications about how to design and what prevention initiatives services and programs should focus on. 

Read the full report here 

Sentencing in Victoria 2012–13 to 2021–22 

This report from the Sentencing Advisory Council of Victoria presents data on sentencing practices in Victoria in the decade to June 2022. The data includes the number and gender of people sentenced each year, types of offences people were sentenced for, types of sentences people received, and the imprisonment or detention lengths and fine amounts imposed in the Supreme Court, County Court, Magistrates’ Court and Children’s Court. 

Read the full report here 

Education   

Understanding mental health developmental dyslexia: A scoping review 

This scoping review from Curtin University details factors that may influence the association between mental health problems and children with literacy difficulties. Some of the factors identified are at the level of the individual, family, and community. This review points to possible opportunities for interventions when working with children experiencing literacy difficulties to help mitigate future mental health problems.  

Read full article here 

Linking quality and child development in early childhood education and care: Research summary 

This research summary from the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) and researchers from the University of Queensland highlights findings from a study that examined quality ratings of Australian childhood education and care services and the relationship with child development outcomes. The study found that children in a service classified as ‘Exceeding’ National Quality Standard (NQS) practice were less likely to experience developmental vulnerability than those in Working Towards or Significant Improvement Required NQS services. The report also offers suggestions for future linked data to demonstrate the relationship between NQS ratings and developmental outcomes for school-aged children. 

Read the full report here 

Growing together: A future universal early childhood education and care system for Australia 

This report from the Centre for Policy Development highlights the importance of creating an accessible, affordable, high quality, universal early childhood education and care system for Australian children. There is policy momentum around this issue, and it is achievable. The report sets out the ways government can support all young children to thrive and develop with the best opportunities in their early years.  

Read the full report here 

Audits, inquiries, and investigations   

 Cost of Living Index: Income support payments 

This index from Anglicare Australia clearly shows that many people living on income support payments are structurally unable to afford the basics of life. Anglicare Australia has called on the Australian Government to act and pull these Australians out of poverty, and to protect them from the worst impacts of the current cost-of-living crisis.  

Read the full report here 

Take-up of parental leave pay and dad and partner pay among Australian parents: Analysis using the Person Level Integrated Data Asset 

This AIFS study examines the uptake of two government payments designed to support eligible working parents to have time away from paid employment to care of a newborn or newly adopted child. By exploring take-up, this research highlights the significant gap in knowledge about the proportion of eligible parents who were using these payments, and the factors explaining different levels of take-up for the parents. 

Read the full analysis here 

Safeguarding the rights of Aboriginal children in the child protection system 

The NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) is responsible for safeguarding the rights of Aboriginal children, families, and communities when they come into contact with the child protection system. This audit assesses whether DCJ, and five funded, non-government organisations which provide out of home care services, are effectively safeguarding the rights of Aboriginal children in the child protection system.  

Read the full report here 

Sector activity   

Podcast: Promoting child mental health in primary health care 

This podcast from Emerging Minds shares the experiences of primary health care practitioners who work directly with families, and explores how to respond to mental health concerns for children in their daily practice. 

Listen to the Podcast here