‘You can’t hear a child you don’t see’ : Frontline workers’ perspectives on engaging young people in out-of-home care in the decisions affecting their lives.
Description:
Traditionally, young people in out-of-home care have been marginalised from the most important decision-making processes that affect their lives. A compelling, contemporary evidence base confirms that this dilemma persists despite the ratification of young people’s participation rights in legislation and policy, which has grave implications for young people’s wellbeing, the quality of decisions and subsequent interventions. This place-based, participatory action research drew on the perspectives of case and program managers at the frontline of out-of-home care service delivery in Inner Gippsland to provide unique insights into the barriers and opportunities to increased inclusion of young people in the decisions being made about them. The study was supported through a university–industry research collaboration within the Inner Gippsland Children and Youth Area Partnership. This thesis contends that a confluence of factors in response to unprecedented demand on the Inner Gippsland child welfare service system has significantly eroded the time and opportunity for face-to-face practice between workers and young people, which is fundamental to the facilitation of young people’s engagement in decision-making. The research process was underpinned by a blend of critical theory and the capability approach. New insights were developed to advocate for diverse, context-specific interventions and broader system reforms to expand the capacity for workers to engage in face-to-face practice with young people. An authorising environment that legitimises participatory practice is required to support connections between workers and young people. This thesis argues that the alignment of rights-based participation principles with critical components of the system—policy, performance management regimes, compliance and administrative practices and professionalisation strategies—could transform decision-making processes for young people. This is especially vital for a growing cohort of young people who live in out-of-home care. Keywords: participation, decision-making processes, face-to-face practice, children, young people, critical theory, capability approach, action research, out-of-home care research
Description:
Traditionally, young people in out-of-home care have been marginalised from the most important decision-making processes that affect their lives. A compelling, contemporary evidence base confirms that this dilemma persists despite the ratification of young people’s participation rights in legislation and policy, which has grave implications for young people’s wellbeing, the quality of decisions and subsequent interventions. This place-based, participatory action research drew on the perspectives of case and program managers at the frontline of out-of-home care service delivery in Inner Gippsland to provide unique insights into the barriers and opportunities to increased inclusion of young people in the decisions being made about them. The study was supported through a university–industry research collaboration within the Inner Gippsland Children and Youth Area Partnership. This thesis contends that a confluence of factors in response to unprecedented demand on the Inner Gippsland child welfare service system has significantly eroded the time and opportunity for face-to-face practice between workers and young people, which is fundamental to the facilitation of young people’s engagement in decision-making. The research process was underpinned by a blend of critical theory and the capability approach. New insights were developed to advocate for diverse, context-specific interventions and broader system reforms to expand the capacity for workers to engage in face-to-face practice with young people. An authorising environment that legitimises participatory practice is required to support connections between workers and young people. This thesis argues that the alignment of rights-based participation principles with critical components of the system—policy, performance management regimes, compliance and administrative practices and professionalisation strategies—could transform decision-making processes for young people. This is especially vital for a growing cohort of young people who live in out-of-home care. Keywords: participation, decision-making processes, face-to-face practice, children, young people, critical theory, capability approach, action research, out-of-home care research
Description:
Falls are a common occurrence amongst older adults yet participation in prevention strategies is often poor. Although older adults may perceive a strategy works in general, they may not participate because they feel it will not benefit them personally. We aimed to describe how frequently and why older adults identify falls prevention strategies as being ‘‘better for others than for me’’. A cross-sectional survey with n = 394 community-dwelling older adults in Victoria, Australia was undertaken. Participants were provided with detailed descriptions of four evidence-based falls prevention strategies and for each were asked whether they felt that the strategy would be effective in preventing falls for people like them, and then whether they felt that the strategy would be effective for preventing falls for them personally. Follow-up questions asked why they thought the strategy would be more effective for people like them than for them personally where this was the case. We found the ‘‘better for others than for me’’ perception was present for between 25% and 34% of the strategies investigated. Participants commonly said they felt this way because they did not think they were at risk of falls, and because they were doing other activities they thought would provide equivalent benefit. Strategies to promote participation in evidence-based falls prevention strategies may need to convince older adults that they are at risk of falls and that what activities they are already doing may not provide adequate protection against falls in order to have greater effect.
Description:
The western genre has long been hailed as an iconic expression of the United States’ history and culture. However, the 2010 Australian film Red Hill (dir. Patrick Hughes, 2010) actively engages the genre’s tropes, styles, and conventions. In doing so, the film converts the ideas of a ruggedly individualistic frontier, key to the western genre and the popularised notions of nineteenth-century United States expansion, to the contemporary Australian context, providing a translation and mutation of the western genre. This paper argues that, through disassociation of the western genre from the United States, Red Hill’s frontier is made Australian over the course of the film, exploring the lingering traumas and ongoing violence of a specific colonisation process. Drawing on theories of genre, history, and postcolonialism, this paper investigates the exploration of national character, history, and boundaries through the western genre. In doing so, this paper situates the western genre as having a nationalistic function in general, rather than one associated with any particular nation, and as providing a touchstone for ideas of history and themes of colonial expansion in a contentious landscape of class, race, and society.
Description:
The ability to sustain a coherent narrative about experiences of trauma and loss is a prominent feature of secure-autonomous attachment states of mind as assessed in narrative tasks such as the Adult Attachment Interview. The current study examines the clinical application of the concepts of narrative coherence and discourse segregation within a therapeutic intervention for whole families. Bumps in the Road is a family drawing task, which aims to facilitate the co-construction of family narratives about adversities such as trauma, loss and hardship. The technique aims to increase the family’s narrative coherence about such challenging events. The paper first presents a description of the task itself together with the discourse theories of defensive processing of adverse events. The study also presents pilot quantitative findings from 19 parents on the psychometric properties of a coding system of the families’ discourses in undertaking the task and the therapist’s techniques in administering the task. The predictive association of coding of the narratives were examined as predictors of change in internalising and externalising symptoms in the referred child, using the Child Behaviour Checklist. Findings showed that therapist competence in administration of the task did significantly predict the magnitude of treatment efficacy. The current study is the first presentation of this novel therapeutic task and sets a platform for further research on the use of narrative tasks and the formal coding of discourse in therapeutic work with children and families.
Description:
The ability to sustain a coherent narrative about experiences of trauma and loss is a prominent feature of secure-autonomous attachment states of mind as assessed in narrative tasks such as the Adult Attachment Interview. The current study examines the clinical application of the concepts of narrative coherence and discourse segregation within a therapeutic intervention for whole families. Bumps in the Road is a family drawing task, which aims to facilitate the co-construction of family narratives about adversities such as trauma, loss and hardship. The technique aims to increase the family’s narrative coherence about such challenging events. The paper first presents a description of the task itself together with the discourse theories of defensive processing of adverse events. The study also presents pilot quantitative findings from 19 parents on the psychometric properties of a coding system of the families’ discourses in undertaking the task and the therapist’s techniques in administering the task. The predictive association of coding of the narratives were examined as predictors of change in internalising and externalising symptoms in the referred child, using the Child Behaviour Checklist. Findings showed that therapist competence in administration of the task did significantly predict the magnitude of treatment efficacy. The current study is the first presentation of this novel therapeutic task and sets a platform for further research on the use of narrative tasks and the formal coding of discourse in therapeutic work with children and families.
Description:
Purpose – To explore the failure of equal opportunity policies to counteract the barrier of children for women in management by considering male and female managers’ views on work culture, family division of labour and childlessness. Design/methodology/approach – Thirty Australian managers (19 male, 11 female) were interviewed as a follow up to a larger study in 1996, in order to extend inquiries around the issues of children, childlessness and senior management aspirations. Findings – Managers acknowledge the impediment that children are to a woman’s career path. They also have an awareness of patterns of delayed childbearing and potential childlessness. This awareness is confirmed through first hand experience in the families and at work. Managers also use a language of sacrifice and loss regarding their own or others’ failure to partner and procreate, as well as some reference to freedom and lifestyle. Furthermore there are diverging discourses on company loyalty and company greed given in relation to competing family loyalties and obligations. Finally, acknowledgement of gendered inequality (and some blindness to it) is indicated by both male and female managers. Research limitations/implications – Although based on a small sample from one country, the findings do imply that it is unwise to assume that women committed to a career do not want children. The option of having both is not made easy. Practical implications – Family policy for senior management should continue to be considered. Originality/value – Recognition of the complexity and diversity of attitudes to children, family and work contributes to a critique of overdrawn notions of types of women (Hakim, 2001).
Description:
Internet Online Dating has become an influential mainstream social practice facilitating the finding of a partner. Unscrupulous operators have identified its potential and started to use this platform for identity theft in form of so called Online Romance Scams. Quickly, this cybercrime has become very successful and thus, an increasing threat in the social networking environment. So far, very little is known about its structure and the reason for its success, and this needs to be known in order to be able to fight it efficiently. This research tries to contribute to this knowledge, and argues that scammers use so-called ‘Love Stories’, which represent personal affinities related to romantic relationships, to their benefit when tailoring common narratives as part of fraudulent online profiles to attract their victims. We look at these different types of ‘Personal Love Stories’ and discuss how they can be used in this type of scam, followed by a qualitative analysis of fraudulent profiles from three different international websites to examine this assumption
Description:
Internet Online Dating has become an influential mainstream social practice facilitating the finding of a partner. Unscrupulous operators have identified its potential and started to use this platform for identity theft in form of so called Online Romance Scams. Quickly, this cybercrime has become very successful and thus, an increasing threat in the social networking environment. So far, very little is known about its structure and the reason for its success, and this needs to be known in order to be able to fight it efficiently. This research tries to contribute to this knowledge, and argues that scammers use so-called ‘Love Stories’, which represent personal affinities related to romantic relationships, to their benefit when tailoring common narratives as part of fraudulent online profiles to attract their victims. We look at these different types of ‘Personal Love Stories’ and discuss how they can be used in this type of scam, followed by a qualitative analysis of fraudulent profiles from three different international websites to examine this assumption
Description:
Based on recently proposed definitions, “choking under pressure” (i.e., choking) is defined as a critical deterioration in the execution of habitual processes as a result of an elevation in anxiety levels under perceived pressure, leading to substandard performance. Researchers have provided descriptive choking models (i.e., self-focus and distraction models) with the self-focus model receiving the most empirical support, however, no one has offered explanatory models that may answer the question “why does choking occur?” Thus, the present paper is an amalgamation of three interconnected studies that, in part, examined the psychological characteristics of “choking-susceptible” athletes using qualitative interviews, which helped to develop an explanatory model of choking. A total of 174 experienced athletes completed three psychological inventories to purposively sample 14 choking-susceptible athletes who participated in a series of single-case designs that included both low- and high-pressure phases. After the experimental phase, participants were interviewed about their experience and content analyses were conducted. Common choking-related themes were increased public self-awareness, fear of evaluation/failure, and self-monitoring techniques. Further qualitative cross-case analyses provided evidence for a preliminary self-presentation model of choking that link public self-awareness, anxiety, and conveying a positive self-presentation, which will be discussed.
Description:
Background: In the development and delivery of pre‑registration baccalaureate nursing programs, universities must address both the needs of industry and the registering authorities that regulate health professional practice. Balanced with this, providers of education at this level also wish to deliver an experience to students that they both value and enjoy. Objective: This paper describes the findings of a study examining these factors in the first year of four pre‑registration programs at a rural campus and outreach centre of one Australian university. Design: A descriptive, exploratory survey was employed in this research, which is drawn from a larger study into entry pathway, success and academic experience. Results: Results indicate that students found units such as fundamental nursing subjects and law most enjoyable and valuable. Units with a sociological foundation were considered less enjoyable and valuable. Overall, students recognised the value of the bioscience units while contrarily not expressing enjoyment of this aspect of their studies. Conclusions: These findings have implications for nurse educators in respect of the content and delivery of pre‑registration nursing programs. As first year students, the participants may have been focused on learning fundamental nursing tasks, lacking an understanding of the breadth of knowledge required for their professional role. Future research into aspects of nursing studies found to be most valuable may provide a different perspective if conducted in the period post graduation.