| 2005 CEO's Study Tour | Coleen Clare |
International visits enable participants to witness different models of practice and to meet and learn from practitioners who are developing and working within these systems. This exchange of ideas broadens the participants’ horizons and enables them to consider and experience practices outside their current ones. This learning is valuable to ensure the best models of practice are implemented for our children, young people and families in Victoria.
International visits can also result in visits from international experts to Australia. Once connections have been forged with overseas institutes their personnel when travelling will make sure they visit their contacts in Melbourne and can sometimes be persuaded to speak at seminars and conferences. This is valuable for exchanging information and experiences leading to improved service development.
| Download |
| Autonomy V Compliance Challenges For CSOs In The New Compliance Environment | |
The introduction of the new Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 is a significant development in the evolution of practice in child and family welfare in Victoria. The legislation has been developed through a partnership between the Department of Human Services (DHS), the community service organisations (CSOs) who in Victoria deliver the
programs, peak bodies such as the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (the Centre) and the academic community. The legislation therefore represents a best practice model for the delivery of services through a government – community sector partnership.
We are confident this monograph will provide new information for government to consider and a stimulus for thinking, discussion and the development of strategies for supporting community-based organisations. | Download |
| Better outcomes for service users and community service organisations | Jan Carter |
A discussion paper about participation, empowerment and inclusion. It recommends the inclusion of service users in the programs, governance and community outreach of CSO’s, which serve children, young people and families.
The study was commissioned by Deakin Human Services Australia for the Policy and Practice Research Unit.
| Download |
| By Next Tuesday...Best Practice Engagement Project, Foster Care Recruitment and Retention | |
This report tells the stories of the new initiatives and approaches taken by organisations over the twelve months of the project.
Section One describes the theoretical framework and conceptual model underpinning the BPEP process; the methodology and key steps and outcomes.
Section Two outlines the 60 projects that can be credited to the BPEP process under six major headings:
• Recruitment Strategies
• Targeting
• Internet and Web Based Engagement
• Recognition and Support of Carers
• Training and Development
• Systems Change.
Section Three contains a wide range of ‘Bright Ideas’ which were generated during the project and could still be implemented in the future.
Section Four contains details of methodology, foundation principles and the agencies involved through the year. | Download |
| Case for increased resources for family support services | |
The Centre commissioned Success Works to conduct a project to research the adequacy of the Family Support service system and the downstream impacts on the child protection system, both for the Department of Human Services (DHS) and community service organisations (CSOs), of a reported failure to address community need in family support services.
This study examined the detailed family support service activities of a representative sample of community service organisations providing family support services. Chapter One of this report sets out the background to the project and Chapter Two provides an historical overview of family support and a policy context for the delivery of services. Chapter Three profiles the six case study services, with details of the data collection process and Chapter Four outlines the current situation based on previous Centre research and the six case studies. Chapter Five explores outcomes and Chapter Six offers some directions and recommendations for future development. | Download |
| Children, Youth and Families Act 2005: Implicatons for Regional Governance and Service Delivery | Dr Angela Murphy | This is the report of the research undertaken with eight regional Community Services Organisations (CSOs) and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare of the emerging impacts of the Victorian reform agenda in the child and family welfare sector.
The study represents a structured exploration of the specific ways in which implementation of the reform agenda is impacting on CSO management and service delivery, with emphasis on regional locations.
The research framework developed focused on issues of:
1) the influence of the reforms on the maintenance of non government sector autonomy;
2) the costs of compliance to meeting the new registration requirements;
3) the emerging impact on service delivery; and,
4) the extent to which the intended enhancement of partnerships, as embedded in legislation, are being translated in the practice context. | Download |
| Collaboration: does it make a difference? | Success Works |
This report contains models of practice that will make the community sector more effective in achieving quality outcomes for clients. Community service organisations have increasingly co-operative arrangements with each other - they are engaging communities in a wide range of strengthening and capacity building approaches and in a few cases, successful, mutually rewarding partnerships have been established between CSO's and the business sector. The study was researched and compiled by Success Works. | Download |
| Community Based Intake | |
Community Based Intake (CBI) is one of the central components of the redevelopment of the family services system in Victoria. It aims to provide an easily accessible point of entry for families into an integrated family services system capable of responding to their needs in a timely and flexible way. This clearly implies that CBI has access to a graduated range of services within a catchment area to refer families into. The planning for and implementation of CBI should be based on a clear set of principles. | Download |
| Contestibility, competition and contracting in youth and family services: literature review | John Ernst |
Research literature on contestability, competition and contracting in community services is in a highly formative state. While there is increasing interest in the application of competition theory to human services, this interest has yet to be translated into substantive research. In its current state, the emerging literature in this field is characterised more by theoretical discussion and anecdote than by empirical evidence and research analysis. | Download |
| Families Helping Families | |
Families Helping Families is a concept that gives real and meaningful substance to a well known saying, 'It takes a village to raise a child'. The concept is based on a model that engages families in the community as volunteers to provide practical assistance to either families in difficulty or the families who are fostering children within their communities. As international and local experience has shown, there are numerous benefits of a model which harnesses volunteer efforts within a community for the benefit of its children. | Download |
| Family support in child welfare | Coleen Clare |
Report from Churchill Trust Scholarship study tour looking at overseas development in family support and child welfare for families with children in care or at risk of their children coming into care in Canada, USA, England, Scotland, Finland and Estonia.
Monograph Series Number 3. | Download |
| Good Practice In Child and Family Welfare Services for Aboriginal Children, Young People and Families | Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare |
It is fair to say that community service organisations have many challenges ahead in striving to provide the best possible services to Aboriginal children and families within a culturally competent model. However, most are prepared for and interested in helping with this journey.
We are grateful that Aboriginal organisations such as the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) are prepared for and interested in helping with this journey. | Download |
| Guidelines for Recruiting Gay and Lesbian Carers | |
Research continues to demonstrate that lesbian and gay parents engage in family-making practices that result in supportive and caring environments for children. Contrary to previous negative stereotypes, this research adopts a strengths-based approach in valuing the important role that lesbians and gay men play as parents. | Download |
| Implementing ChildFIRST at the Frontline: Experiences of ChildFIRST and Integrated Family Services staff | Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare |
This Monograph reveals important narratives and themes from workers who shared issues and discussed both the breakthroughs and the frustrations of creating new service directions in collaboration with not only other family service organisations, but also DHS child protection workers and their managers. Their work is a significant achievement and this Monograph an important vehicle for documenting the emerging practice in the first 18 months of service development.
This Monograph is an output of the Centre's KnowledgeXchange project, funded by the Telstra Foundation. | Download |
| Improving outcomes for young people leaving care in Victoria | Sue Green and Amanda Jones |
This project was collaboratively undertaken by the Children's Welfare Association of Victoria and The Salvation Army's Crossroads Network throughout 1997/8 with financial support provided by Perpetual Trustees. It was the first time that a research project had been undertaken to examine in detail the needs of young people leaving care within a specific Victorian context. The project undertook a number of tasks: it collected and reviewed Australian and overseas literature concerning young people leaving care; consulted with the Department of Human Services about available demographic data; surveyed out-of-home care agencies against the National Out-of-Home Care Standards for exit planning, and conducted on-site visits to agencies who had developed innovative leaving care responses. At the end of the project a Leaving Care Forum for service providers was run to discuss the project's findings and to identify priority needs for future research, advocacy and resource development aimed at improving the circumstances for young people leaving care in Victoria. | Download |
| Introduction of contestability into youth and family services in Victoria | Wendy Weeks |
The study aims to redress the gap in empirical research addressing the experience of community service organisations with contestability and competitive tendering. The research involved a literature review, focus groups representing rural and urban services, a mail survey, and selected follow-up interviews. Information was sought on services offered, changes in service delivery patterns, tenders sought, won and lost, and perceptions of the organisations about competitive tendering. This report forms the second volume of a two-part report. The first volume was entitled "Literature review on contestability, competition and contracting in community services".
| Download |
| Investing for success: the economics of supporting young people leaving care | Sunitha Raman, Brett Inder and Catherine Forbes |
The study aimed to establish the long term costs of current Government policy and estimate the costs of an integrated leaving-care model appropriate for young people leaving care in Victoria. Sixty young people in the 18-25 age group were interviewed and data about their in-care and leaving-care pathways collected via questionnaire. Data was then analysed for significant associations between variables and life outcomes.
Monograph Series Number 5. | Download |
| It has to be more than a job | Robin Clark |
A search for exceptional practice with troubled adolescents. This report investigates what an exceptional practitioner does in working with young people with compound difficulties. Should be read by all policy makers, policy analysts, program managers, CEO’s and practitioners in the Child, Youth and Family sector.
Also available at a special price as part of a set of 4 in the Policy & Practice Research Unit 2000 Series. | Download |
| It's Not Too Late To Care | Sunitha Raman and Catherine Forbes |
In response to the recommendations in the Senate Community
Affairs Reference Committee’s report Forgotten Australians,
the Victorian community sector established a multi-stakeholder
reference group called the Sector Working Group (SWG) in
2004 to scope the implementation of the recommendations
in Victoria. This group commissioned a research project to
quantify the life outcomes for careleavers who had been
raised in Victorian institutions, and compare the outcomes
against those in the general population belonging to the same
age group. The main aim of this research was to generate data
to identify specific program responses to support careleavers
in Victoria. This report outlines the findings of this research
and the recommendations for investment in programs and services for careleavers | Download |
| Just a little respect is all we ask: report on the 2nd Youth Summit 3 November 2004 | |
The Centre‘s Youth Summit gives young people experiencing a family crisis or from disadvantaged backgrounds who are or have been in out-of-home care an exciting and important opportunity to speak about matters that are important to them. This second Youth Summit was held at the Melbourne City Council Chambers on 3 November, where around 25 young people aged between 14 and 18 came together to participate; two half-day preparatory workshops were held beforehand and a music workshop day was held two weeks later. Includes a CD ROM of the song composed and performed by the young people.
Monograph Series Number 4. | Download |
| Leaving Care A Model for Victoria | |
Young people in Australia increasingly remain in the family home into their 20s, or make a staggered transition into independence, leaving and returning to the family home until making a final move into independence. In contrast, young people leaving care often do so at 18 or younger, with little preparation, support or guidance and no opportunity to return to a supported environment. The poor outcomes for young people leaving care in comparison to their peers, the too-familiar litany of disadvantage that includes high levels of homelessness, low levels of education, unemployment, poor physical and mental health, low income and early parenthood are well documented.
| Download |
| Looking after children: an evaluation of the Victorian pilot program | Robin Clark and Gabrielle Burke |
Evaluation of a project that took place during 1997 and 1998 by a team of consultants from Deakin Human Services piloting the "Looking after children" approach to children in out-of-home care in one Victorian region. The report documents the Australian experience of modifying the "Looking after children" material for further use in the Victorian out-of-home care context; identifying strengths and weaknesses of the "Looking after children" approach in the Victorian context; and the further adaptations that would increase its value in this area. | Download |
| Monograph 11 Good Practice In Child and Family Wefare Services for Aboriginal Children, Young people and Families | Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare | It is fair to say that community service organisations have many challenges ahead in striving to provide the best possible services to Aboriginal children and families within a culturally competent model. However, most are prepared to engage, discuss and share ideas about where their responsibilities lie, and how they are to move forward. We are grateful that Aboriginal organisations such as the Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) are prepared for and interested in helping with this journey. | Download |
| Out of home care in the Vietnamese community | |
This report is the result of a pilot project conducted in the western region of Melbourne, and includes material obtained from focus groups, interviews and training sessions. The project looked at the awareness of out of home care in a Vietnamese community and aimed to increase the level of awareness about out of home care options, the need for ethno-specific foster care placements and the need for further development of culturally appropriate practice and service delivery models. It makes a number of recommendations for future policy directions regarding CALD communities receiving out of home care services.
The project was funded by Brambles Industries, The Ian Potter Foundation, and the Western Region, Department of Human Services.
| Download |
| Parental drug use: a recent phenomenon | Nicole Patton |
This report is intended to bring together the current literature available on children and families who have been affected by parental illicit drug use. The research examines the changing nature of Australian society, the emergence of illicit drug use by parents and the development of kinship care as the preferred option for out-of-home care. The paper is intended to assist with the formation of a research agenda, ultimately bringing about positive change for the children and their families.
| Contact the Mirabel Foundation for document |
| Parental drug use: the bigger picture - a review of the literature | |
Examines the current literature on the effects of parental drug use on children and the implications for the broader community. The report examines the effects of parental drug use on children including prenatal exposure, and the implications for the broader community.
Contents:
The Mirabel Foundation
Purpose of Report
Terminology
Overview
Introduction
Characteristics of Kinship Care
Child Protection and Kinship Care
Grief Issues
Parenting Matters
Financial Matters
Legal Matters
Interventions to Support Kinship Care
Conclusion
References | Contact the Mirabel Foundation for document |
| Partnerships in Practice and Risk Aware | Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare |
This Monograph explores case studies of community service organisation practitioners working in partnership with professionals from other organisations and disciplines, and the development of formal partnerships between CSOs and the Department of Human Services following the introduction of the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005, and the Registration Standards for CSOs for working in partnership introduced in 2007.
This Monograph discusses the knowledge and skills being used to manage partnerships between CSOs in Victoria, the impact of legislative and policy change in the Child and Family Welfare sector on partnerships, and risks at an executive and team level.
It is an output of the Centre's KnowledgeXchange project and funded by the Telstra Foundation. | Download |
| Policy & Practice Research Unit 2000 Series - Set of 4 | |
Includes one copy each of
(1) Resilient Children and Young People
(2) Better Outcomes for Service Users and Community Service Organisations
(3) It has to be more than a job
(4) Promoting the Positive | Download |
| Promoting the positive: family-community resourcing as a model for family services | Don Edgar |
This report is based on research commissioned by Deakin Human Services for the Policy and Practice Research Unit to assess current practices in child and family services and to suggest an ideal model of servicing families. A new model is presented for public discussion.
Also available at a special price as part of a set of 4 in the Policy & Practice Research Unit 2000 Series. | Download |
| Promotional Pack : Large | Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare Inc |
200 postcards
200 Bookmarks
50 brochures
20 posters
For more information see attached files brochure1.pdf and poster3.pdf
This pack is relevant to Victoria(Australia) only. | Contact the Centre for pack |
| Promotional Pack : Small | Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare Inc |
100 postcards
100 Bookmarks
25 brochures
10 posters
For more information see attached files brochure1.pdf and poster3.pdf
This pack is relevant to Victoria(Australia) only.
| Contact the Centre for pack |
| Report of the inaugural Youth Summit October 2003 | |
In October 2003, 22 young people who are engaged with the child, youth and family welfare system met together at Melbourne Town Hall to speak about matters that are important to them and help make a positive change for young people. Contained in this report is a wealth of ideas: the seeds of a better child, youth and family welfare system. The youth summit is an essential step in the process of becoming better at listening to what children and young people have to say about the child, youth and family welfare system.
Monograph Series Number 1. | Download |
| Residential Care | |
The purpose of this Monograph is to consolidate in one place the practice wisdom, theoretical underpinnings and program overviews that will enable us to work from the strengths of residential care to further improve it.
| Download |
| Resilient children and young people | Moira Rayner and Meg Montague |
A discussion paper based on a review of the international research literature. It examines some of the key issues in the fast growing international literature about resilience as it applies to service work with children and young people.
Also available at a special price as part of a set of 4 in the Policy & Practice Research Unit 2000 Series. | Download |
| Response to Protecting Children Report | |
In reading this Report, it is heartening to see that Victoria is maintaining its reputation for vigorous advocacy by non-government sector agencies for a continuation of past practices of measured policymaking and reform, rather than adoption of the ‘short-termism’ of some other jurisdictions. The nongovernment sector has been a major driver of policy development in Victoria, and the perceptiveness and depth of analysis in this Report demonstrates why that is so. | Download |
| Risk management strategy for residential care services | |
Practical guidance in meeting the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act to employers and employees providing services to children and young people in the residential services sector.
Comprises one CD, two videos (one for young people and one for residential care workers), a risk management strategies booklet and two posters, one aimed at young people and one for workers. | Contact the Centre for document |
| Risk management strategy for residential care services training materials | |
Training package providing practical guidance in meeting the requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act to employers and employees providing services to children and young people in the residential services sector.
Comprises trainer's lesson plan, a self-paced learners' guide, one CD, two videos (one for young people and one for residential care workers), a risk management strategies booklet and two posters, one aimed at young people and one for workers. | Contact the Centre for document |
| Sowing the Seeds of Innovation in Child Protection | Professor Dorothy Scott |
“There is a rich range of promising approaches emerging in the prevention of, and response to, child abuse and neglect. They include both research-based policy initiatives and practitioner-inspired initiatives. Yet the transfer of innovation across different cultural contexts and across different legal and service systems
poses significant challenges. Among these are the need to preserve the integrity of a promising model while ensuring it has sufficient flexibility to adapt to a new context, and the need to embed innovation in a new organisational structure so that it might be sustainable. Several Australian and New Zealand exemplars will be used to explore the implications of transplanting innovation for policy makers, practitioners and researchers.” Dorothy Scott. | Download |
| Stability, Kinship Care and Permancy Planning in Out of Home Care | |
This paper explores current practice in this area in the light of the provisions in the new legislation and presents a range of issues for consideration in the implementation process. It argues that making decisions for the long term or permanent care of a child or young person is a complex process and should be based on careful assessment of the child’s needs, parent’s capacity to care for the child and the capacity of the carer to commit to the long term care of the child or young person. It is important to ensure that the implementation of the stability and permanency provisions in new legislation is also well grounded on theories of attachment. | Download |
| STAR group manual | |
Manual to assist professional workers in the field of family violence to provide group work services. The manual is divided into two sections:
STAR - Safe Talk About Rights - Children's Group
Week by week session planner for delivering the children's component of the integrated parent/child group.
Professional resources and activities and handouts linked to each weekly session. These handouts may be photocopied and used when running STAR groups by the purchaser of this manual.
STAR - Safe Talk About Rights - Parents' Group
Week by week session planner for delivering the parents' component of the integrated parent/child group.
Professional resources and handouts intended to be shared with parents. These handouts may be photocopied and distributed to parents when running STAR groups by the purchaser of this manual.
| Contact Family Life for document |
| Strengthening the Recruitment and retention of carers for Victoria’s Aboriginal Children | Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare |
Key agencies in Victoria have acknowledged the need to invest in the recruitment of Victorian foster carers and provide for their ongoing training and support to improve retention. The Centre received one-off funding of $500,000 from DHS to develop a Foster Care Communication and Recruitment Strategy for the state.
This Monograph discusses specific issues in the recruitment and retention of Aboriginal carers and document the experiences of Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations working in this field to better meet the needs of Victoria's Indigenous children.
The Monograph discusses the findings of three Australian recruitment and retention studies which looks at barriers to, and strategies for addressing the shortfall of carers for Victoria's Aboriginal children.
The Monograph is an output of the Centre's FCCRS Project and KnowledgeXchange Project. | Download |
| Tolerating violence against children: community attitudes about child abuse and child protection. | Joe Tucci, Chris Goddard and Janise Mitchell |
This report describes the outcomes of a national survey of 500 adults in Australia about their attitudes and understanding about child abuse and family violence. The results of the survey were alarming. As a community, we tolerate violence against children. Approximately 1 in 5 of those surveyed regard injuring a child as not serious enough to merit an assault charge. Just over 1 in 2 respondents did not believe or were uncertain whether to believe children's stories about being abused.
| Contact the Australian Childhood Foundation for document |
| When the children arrive: a resource book for kinship carers | |
A resource book developed by the Mirabel Foundation to assist carers and workers dealing with children orphaned or abandoned as a result of their parents’ illegal drug use.
Copies of this resource book can be ordered directly from the Mirabel Foundation Inc.
| Contact the Mirabel Foundation for document |