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ACYS NEWS

We are busy integrating our Australian Youth Facts and Stats website with the main ACYS website, and also analysing the results of our survey of readers of our journal, Youth Studies Australia. The majority of respondents rated the journal highly for its range of content, and prospective authors might note that our readers always ask for more papers on youth work programs and practice. There is now an "ideas for papers" for prospective authors of papers at: http://www.acys.info/journal/contributors/ideas

Your feedback on our website (online survey only) shows that we need to remind people of the availability of the ACYS events calendar for the free promotion of youth-related conferences or events, and of our fee-based service to distribute youth-related flyers about products, events or services along with mailouts of Youth Studies Australia to its subscribers (details at: http://www.acys.info/journal/ysa_inserts). Thank you to all who responded to our call for feedback. We will announce the winner of a copy of Outrageous: Moral panics in Australia in the next edition of YFX, and in the December issue of Youth Studies Australia.

Index to items in this edition of Youth Field Xpress:

ABUSE

ARTS, MUSIC

ATTITUDES AND OPINIONS

CARE AND PROTECTION

CAREERS

CARERS

CRIME AND JUSTICE

DISABILITY

DRUGS

ELECTION 2007

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING

EQUITY

FAMILIES

FUNDING AND SPONSORSHIP

HEALTH

INCOMES AND EXPENDITURES

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

MEDIA

MENTAL HEALTH

RESEARCH

SPORT

TECHNOLOGY

WELFARE

YOUTH AFFAIRS

YOUTH STUDIES

This edition has a special focus on early intervention for youth mental health, the topic of a special supplement to the 1 October 2007 issue of the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA, v.187, n.7) Its editorial, titled, 'Investing in youth mental health is a best buy', by Prof. Patrick McGorry, Rosemary Purcell, Ian B. Hickie and Anthony F. Jorm, puts the situation very plainly:

"Services for young people affected by mental health and related substance use disorders tend to be threadbare and split across multiple levels of government, multiple program areas, and myriad cash-strapped service providers. In addition, spending in the area remains poor, and service access and tenure are activly withheld in most specialist mental health and substance misuse service systems until high levels of risk or danger are reached, or severe illness, sustained disability and chronicity are entrenched. While primary care services encounter many young people with mental disorders, the detection and treatment rates are extremely low and poorly supported by specialist services."

The 70-page supplement on early intervention for youth mental health consists of 17 articles by many of the leading youth mental health experts in Australia and includes titles such as 'What every clinician wants to know ... Tips and techniques for engaging and managing the reluctant, resistant or hostile young person'. headspace’s Centre of Excellence believes that the supplement will be a key platform for communicating to GPs and psychiatrists the reasons why youth mental health is such a critical issue. The supplement provides consumer perspectives on mental health services, both of young people as well as their families, alongside practitioner evidence for the effectiveness of intervening early in mental health disorders, such as psychosis, depression, bipolar disorder, and drug and alcohol disorders. Read more about the articles in this supplement to the MJA at: http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/187_07_011007/contents_011007_suppl.html or request a copy of the supplement from Barbara Reither at headspace, ph: (03) 8346 8213. (Source: 'headspace newsletter', October 2007, http://www.headspace.org.au/newsletter/article05.html, viewed 17 October 2007.)

ABUSE

'Responding to children and young people's disclosures of abuse'

The National Child Protection Clearinghouse (NCPC) has recently published the second paper in its Practice Brief series – short papers for practitioners drawing together recent literature and research on specific practice issues. 'Responding to children and young people's disclosures of abuse' by Dr Mel Irenyi addresses issues relating to disclosures of abuse by children and young people and includes suggestions for effective ways of responding to such disclosures. The publication has information relevant for both individuals and organisations, and can be accessed in either html or PDF format from: http://www.aifs.gov.au/nch/pubs/brief/pb2/pb2.html (Source: NCPC website, viewed 16 October 2007.)

ARTS, MUSIC

Young Artist Mentoring Program (Youth Arts Queensland)

Youth Arts Queensland is based at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Art at 420 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. YAQ produces a fortnightly e-bulletin of recent updates on what is happening in the Queensland Youth Arts sector. Information includes employment, conferences/seminars/workshops, opportunities, events and any other announcements. Applications for the 2008 Young Artist Mentoring Program (YAMP) are open -- see their website for details, at: http://www.yaq.org.au/

The gift of music

The Australian Children's Music Foundation has unveiled plans to expand and put specialised music programs into more Indigenous and disadvantaged schools and juvenile justice centres across Australia through its 'Gift of Music' initiative. The initiative is an extension of the valuable work currently being undertaken by the ACMF's Indigenous and disadvantaged youth program in over half of Australia's juvenile justice centres and in schools in Indigenous and disadvantaged areas across the nation. Details at: http://www.acmf.com.au/

ATTITUDES AND OPINIONS

What scares Australian children?

Queensland University of Technology researchers Linda Gilmore and Marilyn Campbell have conducted a study into the type and intensity of children's fears. Surveying a sample of 220 Australian children aged 6 to 12 years, they found that being hit by a car, bombs and being unable to breathe were rated most highly by participants. Fear of animals, fear of the dark and fear of being lost were most frequently named but "surprisingly few" participants mentioned fears relating to war and terrorism. The authors conclude that "concerns about Australian children becoming more fearful as a result of media coverage of war and terrorism are not supported". (Source: 'Children Australia', v.32, n.3, 2007, pp.29-33.)

Young adults, bereavement, and social isolation

The October/November 2007 issue of the 'Brothers and Sisters' newsletter, issued by the Victorian branch of Compassionate Friends, contains a four-page article on youth and bereavement. Dr Andrew McNess, a Research Fellow based in the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University, describes his work with bereaved young adults, 25 of whom, along with seven counsellors from urban and rural NSW, participated in interviews for a qualitative study as part of his research for a PhD thesis ('Bereaved young adults: Social isolation and the influence of gender', completed in 2006). Dr McNess looked at the grief in terms of social isolation as experienced by those aged 18 to 30 years who had suffered the death of one or more of their siblings. His findings emphasise the importance of grief being recognised, at both practitioner and community levels, as a long-term process, and underline the importance of support from social networks, such as immediate and extended family, close friends, work colleagues and acquaintances. Support from only one segment of the social world, such as a family member, or a counsellor, is shown to be insufficient support for a bereaved young adult. For men and women, the perception of what constitutes "meaningful" support differs widely: women tend to need more opportunities to talk about their grief, while men generally feel that the support of those who stay in contact with them "over the long haul" constitutes satisfactory support. (Source: Compassionate Friends (Victoria) newsletter, 'Brothers and Sisters', October/November 2007, p.6-9).
Note: The next issue of the ACYS journal, 'Youth Studies Australia', contains an article on the social consequences of "how the sibling died" for bereaved young adults, written by Andrew McNess ('Youth Studies Australia', v.26, n.4, December 2007, forthcoming).

CARE AND PROTECTION

Educational outcomes of children in care

The latest edition of 'Children Australia' reports on a pilot study conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on the educational outcomes of Australian children on guardianship or custody orders. The study compared the skills of children on guardianship or custody orders with those of all students by examining results from education department-based reading and numeracy tests conducted in Years 3, 5 and 7. Test information used in the study was gathered from 895 children on guardianship or custody orders in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT (representing 51 per cent of all estimated children on guardianship or custody orders in these jurisdictions). Results indicated that students "on orders" achieved lower mean scores than other children on both reading and numeracy tests across each year level. Data also indicated a decline in the proportion of children on orders who achieved national benchmarks from Year 3 to Year 7, particularly in numeracy. Indigenous children on orders recorded "significantly lower test scores" than other children on orders. The report 'Educational outcomes of children on guardianship or custody orders' can be downloaded from the AIHW website: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10426 (Source: 'Children Australia', v.32, n.3, 2007, pp.4-5.)

CAREERS

Career aspirations of young Western Australians

The winter 2007 edition of 'Australian Career Practitioner' contains an article on the findings of a survey of the career aspirations, needs and expectations of 356 young people in WA aged 14 to 19 years and attending 12 schools in the Goldfields and Esperance regions of WA. The report has an interesting overview of the young people's career aspirations and their beliefs and expectations of employers. The majority of respondents indicated that they believe employers look for someone who is hard-working when hiring a potential employee, but the article's author Jenny van Mens of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of WA, notes, "none of the respondents indicated that they could offer a potential employer technological skills". Their top five careers of interest included (in order) teacher/teacher's aide, mechanic, hairdresser, childcare, and beauty therapy. These were closely followed by careers in the armed forces and hospitality, alternative therapy, nursing, engineering and being a sportsperson. Counselling, forensic science, makeup artistry and cartoon animation were further down the list. The majority plan to pursue some form of study rather than move straight into the work force. Their educational institution of choice is university (31 per cent) followed by obtaining an apprenticeship (18 per cent) and finally TAFE (15.9 per cent) The majority of respondents (80.7 per cent) said that they would undergo work experience in their field of interest. Despite living in the midst of Australia's mining boom, only 15 per cent of respondents surveyed specifically indicated that they would like to obtain employment within the mining field. The career intentions of these WA youth would seem to exemplify the findings of the Australian Council for Educational Research, which found that more than one third of young Australians from non-metropolitan areas relocated to a major city in the year immediately after leaving school. Jenny van Mens aims to use the survey's findings as a strong foundation for galvanising a joint effort between the Regional Industry Careers Advisor (RICA) roles and the Local Community Partnerships (LCPs) in RICA Service Regions to provide relevant and specific information on careers, structured workplace learning and associated services for youth in the specified age bracket. She also hopes to use the findings to foster greater industry and employer engagement with schools. The article 'Young people's career aspirations' can be downloaded as part of the online edition of 'Australian Career Practitioner' at: http://www.aacc.org.au/careerPractitioner.php (Source: 'Australian Career Practitioner', winter 2007, pp.11-12.)

CARERS

Young Carers Secondary School Resource

Carers Australia has developed the Young Carers Secondary School Resource to help teaching staff to raise awareness of some of the needs of young carers, to help identify young carers and to help everyone to understand the impact of caring on the education of young people. There are a growing number of children and young people who provide care in families where someone has a disability, chronic condition, mental illness, is frail aged or has an alcohol or other drug problem. At least one in ten children has some caring responsibilities at home, meaning there are likely to be two to three young carers in each classroom. Young carers often face many difficulties, including not having enough time to complete homework, feeling worried or distracted at school and problems interacting with their school community. This can be due to teachers and peers not understanding the responsibilities and burdens of these young people. The resource was produced for secondary school teachers by Carers Australia as part of the Supporting Young Carers Project, which is funded by the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. For details, contact Alison Kemmis, Carers Australia, ph: (02) 6122 9917; fax: (02) 6122 9999; email: caa[AT]carersaustralia.com.au; website: http://www.carersaustralia.com.au (Source: Carers Australia 2007, http://www.carersnsw.asn.au/storage/pdfs/media_releases/mr_270907.pdf, viewed 16 October,

CRIME AND JUSTICE

Diversion in Tasmania

In July this year, Tasmania began a 12-month pilot of a Court Mandated Diversion (CMD) program for offenders with a "demonstrable history of drug use". Three levels of diversion are available under the program: Bail Diversion, Sentencing into Drug Treatment and Drug Treatment Orders. Offenders are eligible for the program if they have been found guilty or have pleaded guilty to an offence related to their drug habit. Magistrates Courts in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie are facilitating the program, which has so far seen 18 offenders referred into assessment and treatment. (Source: 'Alternative Law Journal', v.32, n.3, 2007, p.186.)

Pre-court diversion in the Northern Territory

An evaluation of a juvenile pre-court diversion scheme introduced in the Northern Territory in 2000 has found significant differences in the reoffending patterns between juveniles who attended court and those who were diverted from the court process through the use of warnings and conferences. Data for the evaluation were taken from police records of 3,597 juveniles who had been apprehended by the police between August 2000 and August 2005. Results indicated that males who received a diversion were 44 per cent less likely to reoffend than those who went to court, while females who were diverted were more than twice as likely (57 per cent) not to have reoffended as those who made a court appearance. Significant differences in offending related to age, gender, Indigenous status and location were also identified. (See: Pre-court diversion in the Northern Territory: Impact on juvenile reoffending, by T. Cunningham, 'Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice', n. 339, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra, 2007, http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi2/tandi339.pdf and http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi2/tandi339.html)

'JARA : Justice Access Research Alert'

This is a free, bimonthly e-newsletter covering current research and initiatives concerning justice, with a particular focus on economically and socially disadvantaged people. Its contents can be searched through the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW's 'Just Search' web tool, at: http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/justsearch To subscribe, go to: http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/publications/newsletters/jara

An evaluation of the NSW Community Conferencing for Young Adults Pilot Program

This report, by J. People and L. Trimboli, NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Sydney, 2007 (NSW), is available on the BOSCAR site as a PDF via the link at: http://tinyurl.com/2cmb5t It's an evaluation of a pilot community conferencing program for young adults in NSW in the Liverpool and the Tweed Heads circuit local courts. Participants' satisfaction with the program was measured using a structured questionnaire which was completed at the end of each conference by victims, offenders and their support persons. Interviews and focus groups with stakeholders were also conducted. (Source: 'JARA: Justice Access Research Alert', September 2007, n.20, Law and Justice Foundation of NSW, http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/publications/newsletters/jara, viewed 18 October 2007.)

Towards a National Child Protection Strategy for Australia: Discussion draft

This Families Australia paper is online at: http://www.familiesaustralia.org.au/publications/pubs/cpsdraft.pdf. It recommends six core elements that would form the basis of a national child protection strategy: universal services available to all children and families; intervening early to prevent child abuse and neglect; responding to children who have been harmed or are at risk of harm; addressing the over-representation of Indigenous children in the child protection system; national standards; and research. (Source: 'JARA: Justice Access Research Alert', September 2007, n.20 Law and Justice Foundation of NSW, http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/publications/newsletters/jara, viewed 18 October 2007.)

Juvenile justice in Australia 2005–06

This report, by K. Loke, I. Johnston and R. Aalders, is published as part of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's 'Juvenile Justice' Series (no. 3, 2007, http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/juv/jjia05-06/jjia05-06.pdf). It is based on two data collections of the Juvenile Justice National Minimum Data Set: young people under juvenile justice supervision, and juvenile justice episodes (supervision periods). While the number of young people under juvenile justice supervision declined between 2002–03 and 2004–05, there was an increase of 4 per cent in 2005–06. Over 60 per cent of young people were at least 15 years old when they had their first juvenile justice supervision. Most of the young people completed one supervision period during a year, with community-based supervision being much more common than detention-based. Differences were found according to demographics such as age, sex and Indigenous status in both the length and type of supervision. (Source: 'JARA: Justice Access Research Alert', September 2007, n.20, Law and Justice Foundation of NSW, http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/publications/newsletters/jara, viewed 18 October 2007.)

Seeking asylum alone: A comparative study of unaccompanied and separated children and refugee protection in Australia, the UK and the US

This international report by J. Bhabha et al. was published recently in Sydney by Themis Press (http://www.federationpress.com.au/bookstore/book.asp?isbn=9781921113024, viewed 18 October 2007). It describes the nature and scale of the migration of unaccompanied and separated children, drawing on government data, court proceedings and hundreds of interviews with officials, advocates and the children themselves. (Source: 'JARA: Justice Access Research Alert', September 2007, n.20, Law and Justice Foundation of NSW, http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/publications/newsletters/jara, viewed 18 October 2007. Note: Readers of YFX might recall mention in this newsletter of Mary Crock's 2006 work, 'Seeking asylum alone: A study of Australian law, policy and practice regarding unaccompanied and separated children', also published by Themis Press.)

Youth gangs

'Anti-gang strategies and interventions', by Rob White, is a paper published by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) that reviews anti-gang intervention strategies and the limits and possibilities for positive action in regard to gang formation and activities. The paper first provides a general overview of intervention strategies, and then briefly reviews some of the ideas and strategies that have informed government and community action around gang issues at the grassroots level. The paper concludes with a few observations about the need for a holistic and comprehensive approach to issues of gangs and youth violence. Areas of interest in the paper include the family and parenting; school-based interventions; coercive street-based approaches; community- based strategies; and proposals relating to the media. "Although very few programs and strategies have actually been evaluated, the discussion provides a broad spectrum of approaches and programs that might inform future local practice. A key theme of this section is that the best forms of intervention are those based upon principles of participation and social inclusion, including young people themselves." (Source: ARACY website, http://www.aracy.org.au; PDF download at: http://www.aracy.org.au/AM/Common/pdf/Topical%20Papers/AntiGang.pdf ) The paper is neatly summarised as a one-page fact sheet on youth gangs, titled, 'Targeting youth gangs at a grass roots level', and published as an Australian Institute of Criminology fact sheet in its 'AICrime Reduction Matters' series (n.62, October 2007) at: http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/crm/crm062.html

DISABILITY

Resources for siblings

The Association for Children with a Disability's Sibs program -- for individuals who have a brother or sister with a disability or chronic illness -- has produced a series of information sheets or 'Sibsheets' with information for parents, members of the broader community and for 'Sibs' themselves about the experience of Sibs, their needs and support options. Sibsheets can be downloaded free of charge from: http://www.sibs.org.au and are also available in hard copy from the Association for Children with a Disability, ph: (03) 9818 2000 or 1800 654 013; email: mail[AT]acd.org.au (Source: 'YiKES!', v.5, n.4, 2007, p.20.)

DRUGS

Election 2007: Major parties' drugs and alcohol policies

The October 2007 edition of 'Of Substance' magazine contains a feature outlining the drugs and alcohol policies of each of Australia's major political parties. The Australian Democrats, the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal/National Coalition, Family First and The Greens were each asked to submit a statement explaining their approach to drug and alcohol issues; 'Of Substance' has published each of these statements in full in order to help its readers to make an informed decision on polling day. 'Of Substance' can be viewed online at: http://www.ofsubstance.org.au/ (Source: 'Of Substance', v.5, n.4, 2007, pp.8-11.)

An update on young adults' experience of responsible service practice in NSW

Licensed premises in NSW have shown greater responsibility in the service of alcohol over the last five years, according to research released earlier this year by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR). The report 'Young adults' experience of responsible service practice in NSW: An update' outlines BOCSAR's 2006 evaluation of responsible serving of alcohol (RSA) initiatives implemented in NSW in recent years. This evaluation involved interviews with a representative sample of 2,427 young NSW adults. Respondents were first asked whether on their last drinking occasion at licensed premises they showed any of five common signs of intoxication (staggering/falling over, slurred speech, loss of coordination, loud/quarrelsome, spilling drinks). If they reported showing any of these five signs they were then asked whether they had experienced one or more of seven different RSA initiatives. When the Bureau compared these results with those of a similar survey conducted in 2002, it found that in 2006, licensed premises were taking a tougher line toward those showing three or more signs of intoxication. In the 2002 survey, only 12 per cent of respondents who reported showing three or more signs of intoxication said they had experienced some form of RSA intervention. By 2006, this percentage had increased to 28 per cent. The Bureau also found significant increases in the percentage of respondents showing three or more signs of intoxication who were either refused service (up from 3.8 per cent to 11.7 per cent), asked to stop drinking (up from 3.8 per cent to 15.0 per cent) or had transport home arranged for them (up from 6.4 per cent to 9.2 per cent). The report can be found on the BOCSAR website: http://www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/pages/bocsar_pub_byyear (Source: NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research 2007, 'Young adults' experience of responsible service practice in NSW: An update', media release, 23 April, viewed 16 October,
http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/lawlink/bocsar/ll_bocsar.nsf/pages/bocsar_mr_ab09)

ELECTION 2007

electionTracker 2007: Dusseldorp Skills Forum joins forces with Vibewire

The electionTracker website at http://www.electiontracker.net/ is online. Young writers from around Australia can submit articles and comment, participate in forums on ideas, and join the press contingent on the campaign trail in the lead up to the 2007 Australian federal election.

Youth peaks' coverage of election issues

With the announcement of the federal election, many of the newsletters of Australia's peak youth bodies are presenting comparisons of the major parties' policies. The contact details for all the youth peaks, and their corresponding State youth affairs organisations, are listed on the ACYS website at: http://acys.info/directory/organisations/state_organisations/youthpeaks

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING

SkillsOne: Throwing the spotlight on trades and job opportunities

This television and web initiative highlights trades and job opportunities. An initiative of The Institute for Trade Skills Excellence, the site invites interaction from those who are addressing skills shortages in their industries. Its video clips, competitions and articles are useful not just for young people, but also for parents and careers advisors. See: http://skillsone.com.au/ (Source: Dusseldorp Skills Forum, http://www.dsf.org.au/ viewed 17 October 2007.)

A guide for babysitters

Because babysitting is the most common job undertaken by 12- to 15-year-olds in NSW, with 21 per cent of youth in that age-bracket working as babysitters, the NSW Commission for Children and Young People has developed a new resource kit on the subject of babysitting, with practical tips for a safe and positive experience. Besides the guide for babysitters, there's also a guide for parents, and a checklist on babysitting. See: http://tinyurl.com/yqkt8t (which takes you to: http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/) (Source: Email, Jonathan Wood, NSW Commission for Children and Young People, 17 October 2007.)

EQUITY

Diversity in Employment Project

The organisation, Action for Community Living and Australians for Disability and Diversity Employment, has engaged the Equity Research Centre to conduct this project to boost employment prospects for people with disabilities. A comprehensive, on-line survey of disability organisations will be followed up by a number of case studies of good practice within the sector. To participate, contact: Maree Keating, mareekeating[AT]equityresearch.org.au or Juliana Nwobu, juliananwobu[AT]equityresearch.org.au (Source: 'Fair Go', newsletter of the Equity Research Centre, October 2007 edition, http://www.equityresearch.org.au, email: admin[AT]equityresearch.org.au)

FAMILIES

Helping teens with family separation

In September, the national Child Support Agency (CSA) launched a guidebook containing information and resources to help teenagers cope with parental separation. The 45-page book 'Family separation: A guide for teens' was developed after a number of organisations informed CSA of the particular need for a teen-oriented resource on this topic. According to Kids Help Line clinical supervisor Heath Christie, family relationship issues were the number one reason that young people called Kids Help Line in 2006. 'Family separation: A guide for teens' is available both in hard copy and online from the youth page of the CSA's website: http://www.youth.csa.gov.au/ (Source: 'Courier Mail', 27/09/07, p.9.)

FUNDING AND SPONSORSHIP

Churchill Fellowships

A Churchill Fellowship is an award that helps Australian citizens from all walks of life to travel overseas to undertake an analysis, study or investigation of a project or an issue that cannot be readily undertaken in Australia. Australians over the age of 18 are eligible to apply for the award; applicants must be able to undertake at least four weeks of overseas travel for their research. Applications with references will be accepted from 1 November 2007 until 29 February 2008. Contact the Churchill Trust's national office by email: churchilltrust[AT]bigpond.com or ph: 1800 777 231 or (02) 6247 8333, or see: http://www.churchilltrust.com.au

HEALTH

Healthy Futures for Young People Appeal

A new Chair of Adolescent Health at the University of Sydney has been created -- to "champion the health and wellbeing of adolescents", and provide "a voice for this overlooked group within the healthcare system and ... bring new vigour and academic leadership to this important area". University of Sydney Provost Professor Don Nutbeam says the aim of this new position is to "give a voice to youth health, promote research, mentorship and training and make a real difference to the lives of young people". The university will conduct a worldwide search for a suitable candidate to appoint to the Chair, which will be based at the Children's Hospital at Westmead. The Faculty of Medicine and the Medical Foundation of the University of Sydney in partnership with the Children's Hospital at Westmead Clinical School have launched the Healthy Futures for Young People Appeal to raise $4.5 million dollars to fund the Chair. To donate to the Healthy Futures for Young People Appeal, call: 1800 33 00 76.

INCOMES AND EXPENDITURES

Young Australians keen to learn more about money

The Australian Government's Financial Literacy Foundation report, 'Financial literacy: Australians understanding money' was based on a study of the financial literacy attitudes and behaviours of 7,500 Australians, including 553 young people aged 12–17 years. The young Australians surveyed recognise that small steps can make all the difference when it comes to handling money, and the majority of the young respondents were keen to learn more about managing money; about half of the young people surveyed believed that the school years were the ideal time to begin planning their finances. However, their 'high level of awareness of financially literate behaviour', did not always translate into actual behaviour. For example, while 72 per cent of young people agreed that saving a small amount of money on a regular basis from an early age would be the most effective way to save, only half of those interviewed were actually saving money regularly. The report was released in September and can be downloaded from the Australian Government's 'Understanding Money' website: http://www.understandingmoney.gov.au/report/ (Source: Australian Government Financial Literacy Foundation 2007, 'Young people want to learn more about money: New report', media release, 25 September, viewed 26 September, http://www.understandingmoney.gov.au/content/media/releases/0112007.aspx; Australian Government Financial Literacy Foundation 2007, 'Financial Literacy: Australians understanding money', Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra, viewed 27 September, http://www.understandingmoney.gov.au/report/)

Call for submissions to Fair Pay Commission reviews

In September, the Australian Fair Pay Commission commenced reviews into the role of Pay and Classification Scales and of junior and training wages in the Australian labour market. The Commission is calling for public submissions as part of these reviews. It has released two issues papers, which provide background to the reviews, guidance to those making a submission, and lists questions to which the Commission is seeking answers. Submissions do not necessarily have to address all criteria or respond to all questions set out in the reviews, and need not be lengthy. They may contain facts, arguments, opinions and/or recommendations. Where possible, submissions should provide evidence to support the views put forward.
Submissions for the Pay and Classification Scales review close on 14 December 2007, while submissions for the review of junior and training wages close on 29 February 2008. Further information about the Pay and Classification Scales review can be obtained from Joelle Leggett, ph: (03) 8621 8217; information about the junior and training wages review can be obtained from Susannah Palmer, ph: (03) 8621 8254. The issues papers can be downloaded from the Australian Fair Pay Commission website: http://www.fairpay.gov.au/fairpay/ (Source: Australian Fair Pay Commission 2007, 'Commission launches Pay Scale and junior and training wages reviews', media release, 26 September 2007.)

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

Consortium for Street Children and Universal Children's Day, 20 November 2007

The mission of the Consortium for Street Children is to improve the lives of street children worldwide in the areas of prevention and early intervention, HIV/AIDS, violence, street child-centred education, and child participation and empowerment. In November, the consortium will publish its first annual 'State of the World's Street Children' to coincide with Universal Children's Day. See: http://www.streetchildren.org.uk/about_us/ (Background: By resolution 836(IX) of 14 December 1954, the UN General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children. The date 20 November also marks the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959, and of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.)

The Commonwealth Youth Programme

The CYP South Pacific Centre, in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, has embarked upon a major exercise to put youth projects and programs in the Pacific region on the map. See:
http://www.thecommonwealth.org/news/170560/051007mapping.htm

MEDIA

Using film clips to support learning

Australianscreen online is new website built as an educational resource for Australian and New Zealand teachers to use film clips in the classroom. The material includes a range of feature films, documentaries, newsreels, short films and animations produced in Australia over the past 100 years, and sourced from the National Film and Sound Archive and other archive collections that include the National Archives of Australia, the ABC, SBS and AIATSIS (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies). The site was developed by the Curriculum Corporation through the Le@rning Federation, and the material is freely available online for educational users -- and general public. Teachers' notes created by specialist curriculum writers accompany the clips. Expert curators' notes also provide useful background material. (Source: 'Education Review', v.17 n.6, 12 September 2007, p.20, and Australianscreen, http://australianscreen.com.au/education/, viewed 18 October 2007.)

Using the media to direct public policy to support issues for young people

To coincide with its AGM on 6 November, the Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia (YACWA) is holding a day of special events, including a half-day workshop presented by well-known adolescent psychologist and public policy advocate Dr Michael Carr-Gregg. This workshop will focus on how organisations can use the media to attempt to influence what will or won't become a matter of public policy, the content of policies as they are made and the way in which they are implemented once agreed upon by government. To register, contact YACWA: ph: (08) 9485 2750 or 1800 670 231; fax: (08) 9485 2757; email: yacwa[AT]yacwa.org.au (Source: YACWA promotional letter, viewed 15 October.)

MENTAL HEALTH

The specialist youth mental health model: Strengthening the weakest link in the public mental health system

This is the title of one of 17 articles in a special supplement to the 1 October 2007 edition of the Australian Medical Journal of Australia. Its author, Prof. Patrick McGorry of the University of Melbourne begins with some sobering statistics. Mental disorders account for around 50 per cent of the total disease burden among young people aged 12–25 years in Australia. Currently, there are "high levels of unmet need, poor access to and fragmentation of services, and a lack of quality care for adolescents and young adults with emerging mental disorders", a situation requiring "serious policy attention, and additional investment and reform". While some contend that "more ambitious" reforms to the current model of service could be harmful and argue for maintaining the status quo, McGorry makes the point that Australia's current model of services, with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services or CAMHSs, and Adult Mental Health Services (AMHSs) "could be restructured and enhanced through a strengthening and extension of the adolescent component of the current CAMHS model. The upper age limit could be extended to 25 years, and the currently fragile adolescent focus could be more strongly differentiated from the child focus by the creation of more youth-friendly service settings and systems ..." which would be in line with most international definitions of 'young people' such as national youth forums, national health data collections and local government services, which focus on the age group, 12–24 years. "Whatever the structural model selected, it is not contentious that we need effective health care service systems that can rapidly engage young people and provide the comprehensive, integrated treatment and support services they need to achieve clinical remission and full functional recovery. Many young people can be successfully managed through primary care and enhanced youth-oriented primary care service models (e.g. headspace, McGorry et al, 'headspace: Australia's National Youth Mental Health Foundation, where young minds come first'). However, a subgroup of young people with a range of diagnoses requires timely access to more comprehensive, multidisciplinary, youth-specific specialist mental health services." Read this, and other articles in the youth mental health supplement to the MJA at: http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/187_07_011007/contents_011007_suppl.html or request a copy of the supplement from Barbara Reither at headspace, ph: (03) 8346 8213. (Source: 'headspace newsletter', October 2007, http://www.headspace.org.au/newsletter/article05.html, viewed 17 October 2007.)

PPEI (Promotion, prevention and early intervention) and building the capacity of the general practice sector

In partnership with the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN), Auseinet has undertaken a range of activities designed to build the capacity of the general practice sector to implement PPEI approaches to mental health. The latest of these is a monograph series, 'The Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health in General Practice', an overview of the best available evidence to date on the conceptual framework for PPEI and its application to children and older people, with specific reference to identifying mental health problems early, assessing risk factors and enhancing protective factors. See the GP page at: http://www.auseinet.com/resources/gp/index.php

Comorbidity and CALD communities

Co-Exist NSW is the first service in NSW to assist people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities and their families living with comorbidity who may have found it difficult to access mainstream services due to language and cultural barriers. "Comorbidity" describes the experience of living with two or more mental health conditions, or a mental health condition and a substance abuse or problem gambling condition. Co-Exist NSW is funded by NSW Health - Centre for Mental Health, Drug and Alcohol Office, and is a member of the Diversity Health Institute. (Source: Diversity Health Institute Clearinghouse, http://www.dhi.gov.au/)

Comorbidity professional development scholarships

The Comorbidity Professional Development Scholarships are open to alcohol and other drug and mental health workers employed in non-government organisations and help eligible workers to undertake professional development and training. Two scholarship rounds are scheduled for 2007/2008. Round one opens on 15 October 2007, and closes on 12 November 2007. Round two opens on 5 February 2008, and closes on 3 March 2008. Application forms and further information can be obtained from the NCETA Comorbidity project website at: http://www.nceta.flinders.edu.au/projects/comorbidity.html (Source: Australian Network for Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention for Mental Health (Auseinet) web noticeboard, http://auseinet.flinders.edu.au/noticeboard/ausei90.php, viewed 17 October 2007.)

New mental health and wellbeing web site

In September, the Australian Government launched a comprehensive web site that provides up-to-date information on mental health and wellbeing, including information on the Government's mental health programs. The web site is the result of collaboration between the Departments of Health and Ageing; Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs; Education, Science and Training; Employment and Workplace Relations; and Veterans' Affairs. See: http://www.mentalhealth.gov.au (Source: Email, Mental Health Council of Australia, 24 September 2007.)

Development of Indigenous mental health textbook

ACER has been commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing to develop a textbook on culturally appropriate approaches to assessment and interventions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and emotional well being and mental health issues. The textbook is to be developed by clinicians, cultural and educational experts. Researchers from the Kulunga Research Network of the Telethon Institute of Child Health Research will assist with the project. The project is expected to be completed in June 2008. Contact the Australian Council for Educational Research, ph: (03) 9277 5555; http://www.acer.edu.au

More ...

The current edition of the 'Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health' (AeJAMH, July 2007) also features articles on youth mental health (on the impact of television on young people; the construction of youth suicide as a community issue within urban and regional Australia, and on reducing risk factors for adolescent behavioural and emotional problems, a pilot randomised controlled trial of a self-administered parenting intervention). See: http://www.auseinet.com/journal/vol6iss2/index.php

RESEARCH

New FaCSIA Social policy research papers

The Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaCSIA) has recently published a number of research papers (as part of its 'Social policy research paper' series) which have some youth-related components. These research papers can be downloaded from the FaCSIA website:
http://www.facsia.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/research/prps-nav.htm
  • 'Social policy research paper n.29: Income poverty, subjective poverty and financial stress' by Gary N. Marks. "This paper focuses on financial disadvantage among Australians using data from the first two waves (2001 and 2002) of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey. Four measures of poverty/disadvantage are explored in the paper: relative income poverty, relative after-housing income poverty, subjective poverty and financial stress. This paper investigates the extent of financial disadvantage in Australia according to these four dimensions, the relationships of these dimensions with other factors, and the interrelationships between these measures and their performance over time". (Source: FaCSIA website, viewed 12 October 2007, http://www.facsia.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/research/prps-prps_29.htm)
  • 'Social policy research paper n.31: Intergenerational reliance on income support: Psychosocial factors and their measurement' by Helen Berry, Emma George, Peter Butterworth, Bryan Rodgers and Tanya Caldwell. This paper "identifies nine psychosocial factors that explain reliance on income support from one generation to the next. Psychosocial factors are defined as psychological development and social factors and the relationship and interaction between the two. Each of the nine factors is discussed in turn, including the relationship between the factor and income support reliance of parents and children. This is followed by a review of appropriate questionnaire-based measures for each factor. The paper concludes by drawing together the connections between the factors in five core themes, followed by an examination of policy and program development implications". (Source: FaCSIA website, viewed 12 October 2007, http://www.facsia.gov.au/internet/facsinternet.nsf/research/prps-prps_31.htm)

SPORT

What's the score? A survey of cultural diversity and racism in Australian sport

This Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission report sheds light on the strategies to combat racism in sport adopted by 17 national organisations (sporting bodies, federal and state governments, non-government sporting agencies and human rights institutions). The report stems from a HREOC project, funded by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, to survey these different groups to see what steps have been taken by players, spectators and the public to develop a non-discriminatory culture in sport. The project also gathered any available baseline data on the level of participation by culturally and linguistically diverse communities and individuals in sport. (Source: Australian Policy Online, 'APO Weekly Briefing' http://www.apo.org.au/infocast/ viewed 18 October 2007, and HREOC, http://www.humanrights.gov.au/racial_discrimination/whats_the_score/index.html, viewed 18 October 2007.)

TECHNOLOGY

PISA 2003 Australia: ICT use and familiarity at school and home

This Australian Council for Educational Research report by Sue Thomson and Lisa De Bortoli finds serious equity issues in relation to Australian students' access to and use of computers. Using results from the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003, the authors examine the extent of access to ICT in schools, homes and other places, how familiar students are with ICT as they near the end of compulsory education and how they feel about their competence in using available technologies. These characteristics are then compared with students' performance in mathematics in PISA 2003. "The report shows that all Australian students have access to a computer at school, and most also have access to a computer at home. However fewer Indigenous students and fewer students from the lowest level of socioeconomic background have access at home." Those who used a computer at home frequently were shown to achieve at a higher level in mathematics than those students without this advantage, but the report notes that "reporting the association between computer access and usage with performance cannot provide evidence of the impact of computers on learning, since the PISA data do not demonstrate causation. The data do, however, raise issues for further investigation. In particular, the evidence shows that the minority of students who still lack access to computers, or who do not use them, are more likely to under-perform at school. The data also show that these students are not randomly scattered within the population, but are more likely to belong to particular subgroups of the population. This raises equity issues that need to be addressed." See: http://www.acer.edu.au/documents/Mono_62_PISA-ICT_Report.pdf (Source: Australian Policy Online, 'APO Weekly Briefing' http://www.apo.org.au/infocast/ viewed 18 October 2007)

WELFARE

Australia's welfare 2007 conference

The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) is holding this conference in Canberra. It will provide a forum for debate and discussion on some of the welfare issues facing Australia. Youth and families are on the list of topics, and AIHW's flagship publication Australia's welfare 2007, a comprehensive and authoritative source of national information, will be launched at the conference. Details on the AHURI website at: http://www.ahuri.edu.au/

Youth Allowance changes cause concern

The Welfare Rights Centre has expressed concern at the Australian Government's decision to amend Youth Allowance (YA) payment requirements so that young people on Youth Allowance (student) payments who cease full-time study now have to notify Centrelink of their changed study load before they can qualify for Youth Allowance (unemployed) payments. Previously, full-time students who reduced their study load or cease studying altogether could establish their eligibility for YA (unemployed) payments retrospectively. According to the September 2007 edition of their newsletter, the Welfare Rights Centre is concerned that, due to misunderstandings about the differences between YA (student) and YA (unemployed) payments and "complex study load rules", this amendment is "likely to result in young people incurring debts for periods in which they would have otherwise been entitled to YA". (Source: 'rights review', v.25, n.3, 2007, p.14.)

Payments extended to Masters students

As reported in a previous edition of YFX, eligibility for the Austudy Payment and Youth Allowance is to be extended to students undertaking qualifying study at Masters level as of 1 January 2008. (Source: 'rights review', v.25, n.3, 2007, p.10.)

YOUTH AFFAIRS

News from youth organisations

Queensland Youth Council: The Queensland Government is looking for 20 active, passionate and creative young people between the ages of 15 and 23 from across Queensland for the 2008-2010 term of the Queensland Youth Council. Applications will be accepted until the end of October 2007. For details contact adam.wood[AT]communities.qld.gov.au and also see: http://www.communities.qld.gov.au/department/ministerial-advisory-councils/qld-youth-council.html

YOUTH STUDIES

University of Melbourne 2008 course information

The University of Melbourne is currently accepting applications for 2008 entry into the following courses:
  • Master of youth health and education management (MYHEM)
The MYHEM course provides professional development for leaders, managers and practitioners in the youth field working as coordinators, youth workers, nurses, teachers, counsellors and administrators in school, hospital, community and management settings.
  • Student wellbeing courses (Masters, Postgraduate Diplomas and Postgraduate Certificates offered)
The social and emotional wellbeing of students is directly linked to academic learning. Studies in the field of student wellbeing are designed to build the capacity of teachers, and others working in education settings, to address the emotional and social health needs of students.
Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs -- formerly known as HECS places) are available in both of these courses with a choice of part-time and full-time study. For further information, visit: http://www.edfac.unimelb.edu.au/futurestudents/courses/postgraduate/programs/studhealth/index.html (Source: email, viewed 4 October 2007.)