Displaying 1 - 10 of 41
Objective
There are limited studies which investigate the perceived needs and wellbeing of parents caring for their children with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. This qualitative study uniquely explored the experiences and cultural factors of Vietnamese parents caring for children with a disability in multicultural Australia.
Methods
The study recruited Vietnamese parents who were attending a culturally and linguistically oriented support group in Sydney. The Carers’ and Users’ Expectations of Services (Carer version) was used to examine the…
Abstract
Background
COVID-19 has become a worldwide pandemic impacting child protection services (CPSs) in many countries. With quarantine and social distancing restrictions, school closures, and recreational venues suspended or providing reduced access, the social safety net for violence prevention has been disrupted significantly. Impacts include the concerns of underreporting and increased risk of child abuse and neglect, as well as challenges in operating CPSs and keeping their workforce safe.
Objective
The current discussion paper explored the impact of COVID-19 on child…
Child protection services aim to protect children from abuse and neglect in family settings. In 2019–20, 1 in every 33 Australian children—or 174,700 children—received child protection services, a similar rate to 2018–19 (AIHW forthcoming 2021).
Child abuse and neglect can take place behind closed doors, so it is difficult to know how often it occurs. Data on child protection services does not necessarily give an accurate picture of how many children are being abused or neglected, but can provide insight into how often suspected child abuse and neglect is detected.
Suspicions about…
Abstract
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brings new worries about the welfare of children, particularly those of families living in poverty and impacted other risk factors. These children will struggle more during the pandemic because of financial pressures and stress placed on parents, as well as their limited access to services and systems of support. In this commentary, we explain how current circumstances reinforce the need for systemic change within statutory child welfare systems and the benefits that would accrue by implementing a continuum of services that combine universal…
ABSTRACT
Therapeutic residential care (TRC) privileges healing from trauma for vulnerable children and young people. It presents an opportunity for staff to partner with families to overcome trauma-induced conflicts and separations and build positive, resilient relationships. Co-parenting of residents by staff and parents can become possible. Positive impacts of effective family partnering in residential care generally, and within TRC specifically, are affirmed by international evidence. Family partnering in TRC has not, however, been formally researched in Australia. This preliminary…
Abstract: International migration shapes parenting styles for migrant groups, but in Australia very little is known about the interplay between sub-Saharan African migrant parenting practices and beliefs concerning child protection expectations in the host society. This study explores how sub-Saharan African migrant parents and caregivers navigate parenting between the cultures that have shaped their lives and parenting expectations within the new environment. Data were gathered from focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews. Major themes to emerge from the…
Abstract
The Circle of Security-Parent DVD program (COS-P) is a widely used parenting intervention that is gaining popularity globally as it is currently being delivered across several continents. Despite the uptake of COS-P, there is limited research on its effectiveness for specific groups. Here we present a multi-site evaluation of a group delivery of the eight-week COS-P program to foster carers (n = 54) of 6-12 year-old children in an urban community as facilitated by community-based providers from a specialist child and youth mental health services (n = 2). Three measures, the Parent…
In this Submission to the Inquiry into Support for Children of Imprisoned Parents, Karleen Gribble, Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Western Sydney University, comments on "the situation of infants and young children whose mothers are incarcerated and the support or undermining of their health and wellbeing in the justice system." Gribble explores the effects of parental separation on infant mental health, among other topics. The submission concludes with recommendations for addressing the developmental and health needs of infants…
Abstract
Although there is a growing body of international work on barriers to engaging fathers in child and family services, there is limited research on factors that promote father engagement. In this article, we draw on case study data from the Australian Baby Makes 3 (BM3) programme to explore factors that promote father engagement in parenting support programmes. Our analysis shows single‐gender group work supported father engagement. BM3's father group work provided a safe space in the parenting support context where men could form intimate connections with other fathers and talk…
Abstract: In this article, Patricia O'Rourke describes the way in which she applies psychodrama in her therapeutic reunification work with parents and babies in the child protection system in Australia. The paper was developed from a keynote address delivered to the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Psychodrama Association (AANZPA) Conference in Brisbane in January 2019.