Examines the range of formal and informal supports used by parents who adopt older children (24 months +) from overseas orphanages.

Principal researcher:

Ms Kate Alessia

Position:

Student, PhD Candidate

Organisation:

Charles Sturt University

To investigate the efficacy of AAT and humane education as a way of mediating the disordered behaviour of abused/neglected children.

Principal researchers:

Dr Tania Signal; Dr Nicola Taylor

Positions:

Academic, Senior Lecturer

Organisation:

Central Queensland University

To explore the assessment issues for child protection investigation officers who work with families from CALD backgrounds. To explore the level of knowledge, training and experience the child protection investigation officer has and whether they are 'culturally competent'.

Principal researcher:

Jatinda Kaur

Position:

Employee, Social Administration

Organisation:

University of Queensland

To evaluate an empirically based intensive specialist behaviour management workshop for foster carers caring for children aged between 4 and 11 years in the Townsville region. The evaluation consisted of pre and post measures and eight week follow-up. The purpose of the workshop is to enhance the knowledge, skills and confidence of foster carers for managing the behaviour of children in their care. This training aims to promote positive parenting by emphasising constructive discipline and by respecting participant's personal ideas and cultural values.

Principal researcher:

Ms Julie-May Brown

Position:

Student, DPsych candidate

Organisation:

James Cook University

To develop a framework to critically appraising, synthesising and dissemination out-of-home care research to practitioners.

Principal researchers:

Dr Yvonne Darlington; Belinda Hersey

Positions:

Academic, Senior Lecturer; Student, PhD and Employee, Department of Child Safety

Organisation:

University of Queensland

To analyse the context surrounding intervention by use of an official order based on an analysis of Department of Child Safety and Department of Communities data. This research project explores interventions for child maltreatment or juvenile offending, including how the order is used, the type of order employed.

Principal researcher:

Ms Cassandra Rayment

How novice graduates develop and sustain their practice when working as child safety officers.

Principal researcher:

Ms Annerley Bates

Position:

Student, PhD Candidate

Organisation:

Central Queensland University

To understand the extent to which young families in Queensland and New South Wales are relocating to non-metropolitan areas; the impact of their relocation on their vulnerability to social exclusion; and factors that promote their social inclusion in the context of relocation. We aim to identity and develop practical policy responses that governments and non-government agencies can use to promote the social inclusion of young families relocating to non-metropolitan areas.

Principal researcher:

Karen Healy

Position:

Academic, Associate Professor

Organisation:

University of Queensland in collaboration with Queensland Government Office of Economic and Statistical Research (OESR), the Benevolents Society and Mission Australia

Australia wide longitudinal study that aims to improve understanding of the range of issues that impact on Indigenous children's lives over time.

Principal researcher:

Melisah Feeney (FaCSIA)

Position:

Employee, Research and Analysis Branch, Department

Organisation:

FaCSIA Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

To examine the application of DNA paternity testing in the context of child protection practice and the implications that this genetic information has for child protection practice in working with children and their families.

Principal researcher:

Jo Yellowlees

Position:

Student, PhD

Organisation:

University of Queensland

Provides important information about how SDM is being implemented by staff in Department of Child Safety. Focus will be on the processes of using SDM and particularly whether workers at various levels consider that SDM has improved their decision making processes. Add to existing literature about the use of tools such as risk assessment and decsion making models in child protection practice.

Principal researcher:

Philip Gillingham

Position:

Academic, Lecturer, Deakin University and STUDENT

Organisation:

University of Melbourne

To explore foster parents' knowledge of caring for children who have been abused and neglected. Study findings will address a research void on the standard of foster carers' knowledge of caring for traumatised children. Findings from this research will have implications for foster parent training, knowledge generation and setting minimum benchmarks for foster care practice.

Principal researcher:

Dr Jennifer Osmond

Position:

Academic, Lecturer

Organisation:

Griffith University, School of Human Services

To examine inclusive and exclusionary schooling politics and practices, and their effects on students' educational and social experience and trajectory.

Principal researcher:

Mr Thierry Bouhours

Position:

Student, PhD Criminology and Criminal Justice

Organisation:

Griffith University

To document the epidemiological data of paediatric burns presentations to the Gold Coast Hospital 2000-2005; assess if the children who have been burned are a marker for child abuse and neglect; and collate data sets to access the efficacy of the current assessment system for paediatric burns in detecting possible child abuse.

Principal researcher:

Dr Sharon Greenwood

Position:

Paediatrician in training

Organisation:

Gold Coast Hospital

To enhance the participation of families with young children (0-8 years) in child welfare decision making and policy production. The project aims to investigate practices that enable and limit opportunities for parents and children to participate in decision making; build models of participatory decision making practice that balance recognition of children and parents' rights to participate in child welfare decision making; identify the scope of opportunity and limits to parents' and children’s participation in child welfare policy production; and build models of participatory policy production in child welfare authorities and services.

Principal researchers:

Dr Yvonne Darlington; Karen Healy

Positions:

Academic, Senior Lecturer; Academic, Associate Professor

Organisation:

University of Queensland

The research examines the case planning practices when children are in long-term care (over two years) when decisions about their long-term care arrangements are (or should be) being considered. Specifically the research aims to investigate (1) permanency planning decision-making timeframes and key placement events; (2) the explicit and implicit knowledge use of child protection workers in permanency planning; and (3) how foster carers and parents view their involvement in permanency planning decision making. The research will contribute to the national research priority of promoting and maintaining good health. A stable, safe home living situation is an essential ingredient of physical and emotional well-being for children. For children who cannot return home, stable long-term care arrangements are the route to better health, education and social development.

Principal researcher:

Dr Jennifer Osmond

Position:

Academic, Lecturer

Organisation:

Griffith University, School of Human Services

The aim of the research is to (1) explore and describe experiences of the school to work transition from the perspective of young people who are in care or who have been in care; and (2) identify factors that constrain or facilitate their transitions. The study will contribute to the development of new knowledge about the school-work transition for young people in care through an in-depth exploration of their post-school work experiences, choices, and opinions about what helped or hindered their transition. In focusing on work futures, the research investigates a vital link to future well-being for disadvantaged young people.

Principal researcher:

Dr Clare Tilbury

Position:

Academic, Senior Lecturer

Organisation:

Griffith University

To identify factors that influence the stability of placements and the developmental outcomes of children in foster care.

Principal researcher:

Dr Paul Harnett

Position:

Academic, Senior Lecturer

Organisation:

University of Queensland and Griffith University

To explore the role of senior practitioners in practice learning in child protection; identify work place learning strategies or processes that senior practitioners use to facilitate the work place learning of less experienced practitioners; explore changing role of senior practitioners; explore organisational or cultural factors which enable or constrain workplace practice learning; explore applicability of communities of practice to child protection practice learning.

Principal researcher:

Ms Jude Harrison

Position:

Post graduate research

Organisation:

Deakin University

To provide a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of intercountry adoption from Korea to Queensland, focussing on its emergence, how it became an acceptable practice and the factors which support and prohibit its continuance. This understanding will feed into policy and practice development in this area.

Principal researcher:

Ms Patricia Alexandrina Fronek

Position:

Student, PhD (by research)

Organisation:

University of Queensland

Child protection work has been described as both highly rewarding and very demanding. Child protection workers have a broad spectrum of experiences in their work and experiences vary from the enjoyment of helping a child or young person, to negotiating the removal of a child from a parent suffering drug induced psychosis. The varying experiences endured by child protection workers have been acknowledged as increasing the risk of psychological strain on these workers. This research aims at examining the contributions attitudes towards emotional expression, peer social supports, trauma exposure and posttraumatic symptomology as predictors of psychological strain in child protection workers.

Principal researcher:

Mr Steven Bennetts

Position:

Student, Master in Criminology, Employee, Department of Child Safety

Organisation:

Staffcare, Department of Child Safety and Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Bond University