No. 142, June 2008: Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies

ACYS > ACYS publications > Youth Field Xpress > Archived editions > No. 142, June 2008

YFX, n.142, June 2008

ABUSE

The role of teachers in child protection

A feature article in the May 2008 edition of 'Education Review' looks at the dilemma of teachers, at the forefront of reporting child abuse, who have to deal with "confusing state-based laws" and a lack of training. The article emphasises the important role of teachers in this area, and cites Prof. Chris Goddard, director of the National Research Centre for the Prevention of Child Abuse at Monash University, who says that "School is often the only sanctuary for these children. When they're living in a difficult or violent situation, they see school as a real place of safety. Teachers will see this in kids where often they'll arrive early in the morning and be reluctant to go home ... The reality is that teachers spend more time with children than anyone else. They are very familiar with the child; they have experience dealing with the child. Their role is very important." According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's 'Child Protection Australia 2006-2007' report, the percentage of child abuse notifications that came from educators ranged from 20 per cent in Tasmania and the ACT to 11 per cent in NSW and Victoria. In all states and territories, teachers are in the top three of mandated reporters. However, the lack of a national law around mandatory reporting means that the types of abuse they are required to report vary across the states and territories. The following websites offer further information on detecting and responding to child abuse:
http://www.childhood.org.au
http://www.stopchildabuse.com.au
http://www.nrcpca.monash.org/
http://www.burstingthebubble.com/what-is-child-abuse
http://www.brokenspirits.com/information
(Source: 'Education Review' , v. 18, n.3, May 2006, pp.6-7; http://www.educationreview.com.au)

ATTITUDES AND OPINIONS

2008 National survey of young Australians

Reminder: The closing date for this annual survey by Mission Australia is Friday 27 June 2008. For details, see http://www.missionaustralia.com.au/youthsurvey

Australia 2020 Summit: final report

This report from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is intended to provide a record of the Australia 2020 Summit and recommendations on each of the discussion areas for consideration by the Australian government. See: www.australia2020.gov.au/final_report/index.cfm

BEHAVIOUR

The "R" Youth Program

The "R" Youth Program intends to raise awareness about inappropriate behaviour and give young people an understanding of their behaviour and strategies for effecting positive change. The program aims to help raise empathy, build positive relationships and tools for emotional management, and build resilience and personal values into daily life. (Source: Enough is Enough Anti-violence Movement Inc, viewed 17 June 2008,
http://www.enoughisenough.org.au/programmes/community/ )

CARE AND PROTECTION

'Australia's children: Safe and well'

The Australian Government has released a discussion paper to guide nationwide consultations on the development of a coordinated approach to the protection of Australia's children. The discussion paper 'Australia's children: Safe and well', which has been prepared with input from stakeholders, identifies six key areas "where there is room to improve connection and coordination across various parts of the system and across jurisdictional boundaries ... to ensure children are better protected." Over the next three months, the government will be holding discussions with "key stakeholders, experts and others interested in protecting children" including state and territory governments, community organisations, researchers and those with direct experience of child protection systems -- children, young people, families and communities.
Six areas are identified as requiring a coordinated, national approach. Public comments on the discussion paper will close on 30 June 2008. A copy of the paper 'Australia's children: Safe and well', together with details on the process for providing comments, is available on the FaHCSIA website. See: http://tinyurl.com/3pw358, which takes you to the relevant page at: http://www.fahcsia.gov.au

Young people's views in Queensland

The Queensland Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian recently published two reports concerning the views of children in care:
'Views of children and young people in foster care: Queensland 2008'; and
'Views of young people in residential care: Queensland 2008'.
Also released with these publications were shorter child-friendly publications which are to be distributed to children and young people in alternative care in Queensland (the 'Your views' booklets).
'Views of children and young people in foster care: Queensland 2008' is the second report in this series, while 'Views of young people in residential care: Queensland 2008' is the first report to present separately the views of young people in residential care.
The publications are based on research undertaken by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian. It is the largest survey of its kind and involves the direct participation of children and young people. The research addresses issues such as the experiences and perceptions of children and young people in relation to their care situation, their perceptions of their Child Safety Officer, and the child protection system generally. These reports can be viewed at:
http://www.ccypcg.qld.gov.au/about/publications/ViewsChildrenYoungPeopleinCare.html (Source: email, Prue Holzer, Senior Research Officer, National Child Protection Clearinghouse, Australian Institute of Family Studies 'childprotect' mailing list, 2 June 2008.)

CARERS

Young people to benefit from $27m carer package

On 11 June 2008, the Australian Government announced that it will provide $27 million to boost respite for Australia's young carers and for carers of young people with a severe or profound disability. The government will provide around $20 million over three years in respite support for carers of young people with a severe or profound disability to continue to provide immediate and short-term respite to around 6,000 carers. See the media release at: http://www.jennymacklin.fahcsia.gov.au/internet/jennymacklin.nsf/content/young_people_11jun08.htm (Source: cited by the Youth Coalition of the ACT newsletter, 'YC E-Bulletin', 12 June 2008; email: ebulletin@youthcoalition.net)

CRIME AND JUSTICE

Inquiry into children and young people 9-14 years in NSW

In NSW, the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Children and Young People held an inquiry about children and young people aged from 9-14 years in NSW. Submissions to the inquiry closed on 5 May 2008. Details at: http://tinyurl.com/2ay28w

Restorative justice in schools

In the criminal justice system, restorative justice is the convening of a conference of all affected parties -- first practised in New Zealand in the early 1990s as a way of reaching a consensus in a family group dealing with youth offenders. Restorative justice is now found in many Australian states and, in some jurisdictions, has been extended to adult offenders.
The May 2008 edition of 'Education Review' describes the work of Dr Brenda Morrison, researcher and writer on whole-school approaches to restorative justice. She's the author of 'Restoring safe school communities: A whole school response to bullying, violence and alienation'. (Source: 'Education Review', v.18, n.3, May 2008, pp.12-13, 23, http://www.educationreview.com.au)
The 'Education Review' article also describes a recent study of the effectiveness of restorative practices in New Zealand schools, commissioned by the Office of the Commissioner for Children and undertaken by Maxwell and Buckley of Victoria University in Wellington. The study 'Respectful schools: Restorative practices in education' is available at http://www.occ.org.nz It looked at 15 schools that introduced restorative practices in recent years, all based on core principles such as inclusion and repair of harm. A range of approaches is described, including the development of a restorative classroom to manage in-class problems, using a restorative thinking room, having "restorative chats" with one staff member and a student (and sometimes the victim), and conducting "mini-conferences", with the conducting of school community conferences for the most serious offending. The article noted that "In all the schools, the implementation of the practices were borne out of concern over student failure, truancy, bullying, behavioural problems and parental disengagement with their children's education. The schools' attitudes to the new approaches were generally enthusiastic and all the teachers endorsed the value of the practices in behaviour management. All but three of the schools reported a reduction in school exclusions and an overall improvement in the culture of the schools. The setbacks reported were due largely to lack of funding, the time factor and lack of staff training and commitment. The survey identified the school principal as being a key player in the establishment of the core values and practices. Essential also was the availability of specialist support persons such a social workers, resource teachers, counsellors, nurses and cultural advisors; and staff training." (Source: 'Education Review', v.18, n.3, May 2008, pp.12-13, 23, http://www.educationreview.com.au)

CULTURE

Arts and culture in Australia: A statistical overview, 2008

This Australian Bureau of Statistics document (http://tinyurl.com/4kcgp7) contains information on a range of topics including employment in culture, time spent on cultural activities, attendances at cultural venues and events, expenditure on culture, and imports and exports of cultural goods and services. It also provides profiles of the cultural sectors, grouped according to the Australian Culture and Leisure Industry Classification. State and territory data is included. (Source: ABS 1301.6.55.001 - 'Tasmanian Statistical News', June 2008, viewed 13 June 2008,
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/1301.6.55.001?OpenDocument )

Related story: Australians' second most popular cultural venue is ...

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says figures show that libraries are the nation's second most popular cultural venue, behind cinemas. The figures on library habits were released to coincide with National Library and Information Week. (Source: ABC news, viewed 14 June 2008, http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/21/2251700.htm.)

DRUGS

Research on drugs in the family

Tim Moore at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) is conducting a research project on the issue of supporting young people who have a relative with an alcohol or other drug issue, and who are involved caring for them. For more information, email tim.moore@acu.edu.au or phone (02) 6209 1229.

Scotland's first national drugs strategy puts families at its centre

Backed with 94 million pounds over three years, the Scottish Government has made parents their priority in a drive to better inform families about drugs. Their ten-year drugs strategy is described at:
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/Archive/813784/Scottish-governments-national-drugs-strategy/

New 'Criminal Justice Bulletin' series to focus on cannabis-related issues

The National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC) is a consortium led by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and is an Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing initiative. One of NCPIC's consortium partners, the Australian Institute of Criminology, will be producing an additional bulletin in its 'Criminal Justice Bulletin' series that will deal with a range of cannabis-related issues from a criminal justice perspective. The first such bulletin, dated 1 May 2008, is titled a six-page document titled 'Policing and cannabis use in Australia' written, by Julia Tresidder and Carly Shaddock. See: http://ncpic.org.au/ncpic/media/aic-bulletins/

EDUCATION

The issue of disadvantage: Australian College of Educators

In the May 2008 edition of 'Education Review', the president of the Australian College of Educators (ACE), Prof. Denise Bradley, aired her ideas on what Australia could do to address educational disadvantage. Her piece reads in part: "ACE is a unique forum of people concerned about education who come from all sectors and all points within those sectors. As well as operating as individuals within our own spheres of influence our association could begin to talk to other professional bodies about establishing alliances to advocate and craft an effective national approach to the issue of disadvantage and lobby governments to adopt it. This might make it possible for schools in the most disadvantaged areas to offer hope rather than reinforce hopelessness and lead to a real attack on the endemic problems of educational disadvantage in our country." (Source: 'Education Review', v.18, n.3, May 2008, p.14; http://www.educationreview.com.au)

EMPLOYMENT

Recruiting older tradespeople to teach skills to younger people

The Workforce Development Mature Age Initiative seeks to recruit older tradespeople to teach skills to younger people wanting to enter a trade. The initiative retrains tradespeople to become teachers once they reach the "physical limits" of working in their fields -- the scheme aims to address threats to the state's workforce and economy posed by an ageing population and a lack of skilled workers. The pilot program has been implemented in the construction sector by the Business Services Industry Skill Board. So far, 45 participants (including mechanics, electricians, and stevedores) have graduated from the first course; 11 of these graduates have attained teaching roles. Their training was delivered by TAFE SA and two other training organisations through a mix of traditional classes, self-paced study and video conferencing so participants could manage their work and personal commitments. (Source: 'AdelaideNow' (online newspaper) 28 May 2008, viewed 14 June 2008, http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23770328-2682,00.html)

ETHNIC YOUTH

Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues: International students: Economic commodities or future Australians?

The May edition of the CMYI's 'e-news' is packed with useful information on refugee youth, CALD youth and ethnic youth issues in general. In one item, Hayden Nicholls, CMYI Communications Officer, looks at the issues facing international students at Australian universities. Recent studies indicate that many international students are struggling to find the appropriate supports and services in the Victorian community, outside of educational institutions that may or may not be well linked with other services. See:
http://www.cmyi.net.au/CMYIeNews

FAMILIES

ABS 4442.0: Family characteristics and transitions, Australia, 2006-07

This publication presents results from the 2006-07 Family Characteristics and Transitions Survey (FCTS) and compares them to results from the 2003 and 1997 Family Characteristics Surveys (FCS), providing information about changing patterns of family and household composition in contemporary Australia. Information on family transitions such as relationship history, relationship expectations, children born and fertility expectations is also presented in this publication. More at: http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4442.0?OpenDocument

FUNDING AND SPONSORSHIP

Pioneering youth program "shows resources companies how to become better neighbours"

A youth program operating in the remote communities of western South Australia is promising to become a model for resources companies wanting to genuinely "connect" with their Indigenous neighbours. An initiative of Adelaide-based "top four" energy company, Beach Petroleum Limited (ASX "BPT") and Save the Children, the three-year program was launched late last year with a $600,000 grant from Beach. This represents one of South Australia's largest single corporate expressions of assistance for resources-linked remote communities. The program aims to provide practical "life skills" for young people in Ceduna, Koonibba, Yalata and Oak Valley. Organisers announced in May that in just four months since the launch, program staff had already held an intensive series of meetings with elders and community groups in the four communities. These talks had successfully provided sufficient feedback to lay the groundwork for the development of a strategic "plan of action" to guide mentoring and educational activities for the first program in Yalata. "Under the protocols of the sponsorship, we have been given sufficient time to go out and meet with different groups to gain a real presence in the four communities and, more importantly, to gain their trust and respect." (Source: Save the Children's Programs Manager, Ms Joan O'Connor, and media release downloadable as a PDF at:
http://www.beachpetroleum.com.au/files/investorrelations_media.htm )

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Transport accidents and suicide top causes of injury death among Australian youth

'Injury among young Australians' is a report issued by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in June 2008. It shows that, in 2005, injury as a whole was responsible for two-thirds of all deaths of young people aged 12 to 24 years, and for one in six hospitalisations. Transport accidents and suicide are the two leading causes of injury death among young people. Deanna Eldridge from the AIHW's Children, Youth and Families Unit explains that despite a halving of injury death rates over the two decades to 2005, injury remains the major cause of death for young people. The decline in injury death rates was almost entirely due to a 70 per cent decrease in transport accident deaths in young people. However, while the suicide death rate among young people has fallen, hospitalisation rates for intentional self-harm increased by 43 per cent between 1996 and 2006. The increase was much greater for young women (a 51 per cent increase) than for young men (a 27 per cent increase). Read more at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/index.cfm/title/10500

Australia's health 2008

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report 'Australia's health 2008' will be launched at a one-day conference of the same name on 24 June 2008. It is the fifth conference of its kind to be held by the AIHW, and is taking place in Canberra. The event will provide insights into key issues facing the health of Australians and their health services. For further information, contact: Alison Diamond, GPO Box 570 Canberra ACT 2601; ph: (02) 6244 1287; fax: (02) 6244 1299; email: conference2008@aihw.gov.au
See: http://www.aihw.gov.au/eventsdiary/ah08/index.cfm

ARACY's e-Zine gets launched this month

ARACY is launching a new service to provide its members "and supporters" with "the latest news on what's 'making the news' on issues relating to the health, development and wellbeing of children and youth". The first edition of ARACY's e-Zine is due out this month.

Young people in nursing homes

A pilot program launched in Victoria in early June will address the issue of young people in nursing homes, which sees young Australians living with progressive neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, prematurely housed in aged care nursing facilities. The 15-month Continuous Care pilot program, funded by the Victorian Department of Human Services 'my future my choice' scheme, is the first of its kind. Developed by MS Australia in conjunction with other groups in the disability sector, the pilot will establish a framework to help identify and introduce early intervention methods of care to prevent young people from being placed in nursing homes.

GP resource kit, a 'practical' guide to providing health care to adolescents in general practice

'Enhancing the skills of general practitioners in caring for young people from culturally diverse backgrounds' is the second edition of a practical resource kit designed to support GPs in their provision of health care to adolescents in general practice. Written by Peter Chown, Dr Melissa Kang, Dr Lena Sanci, Verity Newnham and Prof. David Bennett, the resource is a joint initiative of the NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health (at the Children's Hospital at Westmead) and the NSW Transcultural Mental Health Centre. Each chapter in the kit begins with a 'flashcard' which summarises the key practice points for that particular chapter. Copies of the kit can be obtained for a fee: $35 for one copy, $30 for 2 or more copies (incl. GST and excl. postage and handling charges). Contact: Kids Health, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead NSW 2145; ph: (02) 9845 3585; fax: (02) 9845 3562; email: kidsh@chw.edu.au The kit can also be downloaded from http://www.caah.chw.edu.au Both the hard copy and the online version will be released soon (June or July 2008).

HOMELESSNESS

'Which way home? A new approach to homelessness': green paper and public discussions

The 'Which way home?' green paper aims to promote public discussion on homelessness, highlight the challenges faced by people who are homeless and suggest ways forward. The green paper explores three options: mainstreaming homelessness services, getting rid of SAAP or strengthening SAAP. The Minister for Housing, Tanya Plibersek invites your participation in the public discussion of the paper: your contribution will inform the development of the white paper to be released in September 2008, which will set out the government's ten-year plan for tackling homelessness. The media release states that, "despite 17 years of strong economic growth it is unacceptable that 100,000 Australians are homeless on any given night, including 10,000 children". See: http://www.tanyaplibersek.fahcsia.gov.au/internet/tanyaplibersek.nsf/content/green_paper_22may08.htm
Submissions may be made online. The process is quick and you can come back to your submission from this link as many times as you like until you mark your submission as complete. See
http://homelessness.nationalmailing.com.au/ Submission may also be posted to: Homelessness Green Paper Submissions PO Box 7442, Canberra BC ACT 2610. Submissions close 27 June 2008.
Mission Australia, the non-denominational Christian community service organisation, has welcomed the 'Which way home' green paper as a "great step forward in addressing one of Australia's biggest social issues". It comments that a "key feature of this new paper is its commitment to coordination and integration of mainstream and specific services to reduce homelessness", and welcomes "the ambitious goals for ending homelessness and targets to measure progress" touted in the green paper. "Australia has a poor track record when it comes to homelessness. We often take an out of sight, out of mind approach" and "[n]o society as wealthy as Australia should tolerate homelessness". Moreover, Mission Australia called for an investment in "high-quality prevention models to stop people becoming homeless" and for "short-term crisis accommodation that moves people out of homeless for ever. We need to explore concrete pathways to long-term affordable housing support through out Australia". (Source: Mission Australia, ttp://www.missionaustralia.com.au/component/content/article/315)

INCOMES AND EXPENDITURES

Poverty and disadvantage among young Australians: NSW peak body calls for action

A report released by the Youth Action and Policy Association of NSW has called for a government inquiry into the poverty and disadvantage that is leaving far too many young people behind. The YAPA study found that the multiple disadvantage experienced by some young people has not been solved despite the economic growth of the last decade. The full report is at: http://www.yapa.org.au/yapa/policy/poverty.pdf (Source: Youth Action and Policy Association of NSW, http://www.yapa.org.au; cited by the Youth Coalition of the ACT newsletter, 'YC E-Bulletin', viewed12 June 2008; email: ebulletin@youthcoalition.net)

University students face 'unreasonable financial pressures'

Australian National University vice-chancellor Ian Chubb says too many students are struggling to balance study with paid work. (Source: ABC News online, http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/06/04/2264396.htm; cited by the Youth Coalition of the ACT newsletter, 'YC E-Bulletin', viewed 12 June 2008; email: ebulletin@youthcoalition.net)

INDIGENOUS YOUTH

Our children, our future: achieving improved primary and secondary education outcomes for Indigenous students

This report, by Louise Doyle and Regina Hill, published by the AMP Foundation, Effective Philanthropy and Social Ventures Australia, outlines eight interventions aimed at improving the educational outcomes of Indigenous children and young people. It covers current educational challenges and provides a framework for making philanthropic investments that will produce sustainable outcomes. See the PDF from the Social Ventures Australia website at: http://tinyurl.com/5q93ur

Literacy and remote Indigenous youth: Why social practice matters

This was a seminar offered by CAEPR in early June by Jerry Schwab and Inge Kral of the Australian National University's Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research (CAEPR). It focused on the important role that youth-oriented organisations and programs have to play in supporting access to literacy resources and stimulating learning that is attractive to youth in remote contexts where school attendance and retention rates are poor. See: http://www.anu.edu.au/caepr/events08.php

The Northern Territory intervention

'Reviewing the Northern Territory intervention one year on: Conceptual and methodological considerations and some observations' is a forthcoming seminar from the director of the Australian National University's Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, Jon Altman. See: http://www.anu.edu.au/caepr/

Also available on the CAEPR website is 'Living through a National Emergency: A view of the Intervention from Ground Zero', by Bill Fogarty (CAEPR) and Marisa Fogarty (School for Social and Policy Research, Charles Darwin University) (streaming audio and MP3 at: http://www.anu.edu.au/caepr/events08.php The seminar provided a perspective on the Northern Territory intervention from two doctoral research scholars who were in the community conducting research as the Intervention broke. The paper analyses the initial reactions of both the people and local organisations of the region.

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

Volunteers rally to combat street crime in Auckland

Young people in South Auckland, tired of having their neighbourhood associated with bad news, have organised themselves to change things. Following a fatal shooting, local youth workers from the 274 Youth Core youth work program in Otara, have got a prevention program running, and have begun to help at-risk youth to focus on doing good. More at:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=107&objectid=10515886

UK youth workers get free training in combating knife crime

The UK's anti-knife crime organisation, Be Safe, is offering free training to youth professionals as part of the UK Government's initiative to drive down weapon-related crime. Details in the bulletin 'Youth Work News', which is part of the online magazine, 'Children and Young People Now', 9 May 2008; http://www.cypnow.co.uk/AboutUs/ (Source: http://tinyurl.com/4trxft, which takes you to the story on the http://www.cypnow.co.uk/ website, viewed 19 May 2008).

Knife crime: intrinsically connected to a wider cultural problem

The online pages of the UK's media coverage of youth issues makes for rather depressing reading, and would seem to show a country riddled with problems in its youth cultures, where people talk disdainfully of youth in terms of hoodies, knife crime and behaviour problems in schools. However YFX came across another perspective on this, from Howard Williamson, Professor of European Youth Policy at the University of Glamorgan, and a member of the UK's Youth Justice Board. In a short opinion piece reflecting on the values that guide society, he comments that the "violent crime, especially the knife and gun crime, often perpetrated in our major cities by young people on other young people has gripped the popular imagination. It is easy to get caught up in the images of guns, gangs and weapons. But it is not 'out there'; it is intrinsically connected to our wider culture ..." Read more in 'Children and Young People Now', 28 May 2008, http://tinyurl.com/6l8ukv or http://www.cypnow.co.uk/Archive/811957/Time-question-values-guide-society/(viewed 14 June 2008).

News from the UK's National Foundation for Educational Research

* The National Foundation for Educational Research recently surveyed more than 14,000 teachers in nearly 330 secondary schools in England. While this survey found there had been an overall 10 percentage point rise in the proportion of teachers with degrees in their specialist subjects, it also found that less than half of secondary school teachers have a degree in the subject they teach, according to a report commissioned by the government. Source: http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2283552,00.html
* NFER is one of the four core partners in the consortium selected as the preferred bidder to run the new Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children's and Young People's Services in the UK. Commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the centre is due to be launched in July. Other consortium members are the National Children's Bureau (lead partner), Research in Practice and the Social Care Institute for Excellence. (Source: NFER website, viewed 13 June 2008http://www.nfer.ac.uk/)

UK local government: integrated working across children's services has a positive impact

New research from the Local Authority Research Consortium (LARC) in the UK indicates that more integrated working across children's services is having a positive impact: "As a result of the support they are receiving, children and young people report feeling safer, happier and more confident, and believe they are doing better at school." LARC is a unique partnership between local authorities and research organisations. A collaborative approach whereby LA staff and researchers share the work, "has encouraged the authorities to 'tell their own story' and provided opportunities to learn from each other". The project was designed to use a largely qualitative approach. Over 120 service leaders, managers and practitioners and around 200 children and family members gave their views on early impact and on the support they were receiving. The focus of LARC's first year was to identify the early impact of integrated children's services and the features that promote or hinder success in improving outcomes for children and young people. The research operated in varied localities in each participating local authority (LA), with one locality being chosen as the focus within each LA. The Local Authority Research Consortium was formed at the start of 2007. In its initial year it consisted of 14 local authorities as well as research organisations. It also received financial support from some of the government offices. The key findings of this project are reported on the UK's National Foundation for Educational Research website at: http://tinyurl.com/3z4jko

Youth running free

Free running, or parkour, is known in the UK as the practice of jumping obstacles in the surrounding environment, such as walls, buildings and rocks. The activity is growing in popularity there, but is not officially recognised by Sport England and, currently, it has no national governing body. This means youth groups setting up parkour projects are struggling to get help or guidance.
Neil Ramshaw, sports development officer at Newcastle City Council, said he wanted to set up a parkour club because of its growing popularity but a lack of guidelines was getting in the way: "We have bodies for football and rugby and there are networks for qualifications that you can go through in order to be able to lead an activity. But there isn't one for parkour because it's such a new concept." Liz Lee, chair of Sussex regeneration project Regen, is helping to set up the UK's first dedicated free running site. She said guidelines would soon be needed because of the cult following of the sport, popularised recently in the film 'Casino Royale'. (Source: 'Children and Young People Now', bulletin, viewed 7 May 2008, http://www.cypnow.co.uk/bulletins/Daily-Bulletin/news/807361/?DCMP=EMC-DailyBulletin)

MEDIA

Combating the negative stereotyping of youth by the media

'Sugar' magazine and BBC Three series 'The Baby Borrowers' are among the nine winners of the UK's 2008 Positive Images Awards, presented recently. The awards, for the media and young people alike, aim to counter negative stereotypes of teenagers and award fair representations of young people. More in the 'Children and Young People Daily Bulletin' at: http://tinyurl.com/4oqtyo, which takes you to the story on the website, http://www.cypnow.co.uk/

MENTAL HEALTH

Recovery: A multicultural story project

The NSW Transcultural Mental Health Centre is collecting personal recovery stories from people of CALD backgrounds who have a mental illness. The TMHC plans to produce a book from this collection to be launched during Multicultural Health Week in July. http://auseinet.com/noticeboard/cc90.php

Understanding mental health and wellbeing: training now underway

The inaugural Auseinet national train-the-trainer program is now underway, with 28 successful applicants attending the first sessions held in Adelaide (28-30 May). These applicants represent a wide range of sectors and settings, from all states and territories. This training is intended to be the first step in Auseinet's National Workforce Development Program, aimed at providing education for the wider workforce in the concepts and principles of mental health, mental health promotion, prevention of mental ill-health and early intervention. http://auseinet.com/wotsnew/atausei.php#atausei

Self-harm

In the UK, depression has been blamed for an "epidemic" of self-harm episodes, according to the UK online magazine, 'Children & Young People Now' (25 April 2008). A British survey of over 800 young people found that 22 per cent of males and females aged 11 to 19 had self-harmed, while 56 per cent said they know someone who had. The study, commissioned by mental healthcare specialists Affinity Healthcare, found nearly half the self-harmers blamed depression for their actions. More at: http://tinyurl.com/5y2kue
As noted in many of this month's youth peak newsletters, there is a new useful booklet on the problem, 'About self-harm: A guide for young people' issued by the UK-based mental health charity, Mind. The booklet is available online at: http://tinyurl.com/4eh26t

Research on students' wellbeing

As part of her doctoral research at the Centre for Children and Young People at Southern Cross University, Shelley Thornton is conducting an action research project into teachers' attitudes, values and beliefs regarding children's wellbeing across three schools in northern New South Wales. The research seeks to identify how teachers support children's mental wellbeing, and looks at the changes that might occur in primary classrooms when teachers focus on developing social and emotional competencies in their students. Her early research shows that teachers are often concerned about students' anxiety, lack of resilience, about parental neglect and indifference to education, and students' lack of motivation to learn, besides issues such as bullying and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Some further information is online at:
http://www.acer.edu.au/professionaleducator/references.html (Source: Australian College of Educators, 'Professional Educator', v.7, n.2, June 2008, pp.24-27.)

MOVEMENTS, CHANGES, MILESTONES

The Foundation for Young Australians

The FYA has a new focus and a new shape, having formed an alliance with the Education Foundation (EF). It has been said that the resulting group will be Australia's second-largest philanthropic organisation. In a joint media release issued in May 2008, the two organisations stated that they aim to formalise the alliance and begin operating as one organisation from the end of July 2008; in the meantime, their existing activities will continue to operate as normal. See the media release online at: http://www.youngaustralians.org or at http://www.educationfoundation.org.au

FYA to produce 'How young people are faring' from now on

One of the activities that will now be undertaken by the Foundation for Young Australians in its new format is the research and publication of the annual survey series, 'How young people are faring'. This important document has been published each year by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum. However, as reported in a previous edition of 'Youth Field Xpress', the Dusseldorp Skills Forum now has a new vision: "an Australian workforce equipped with the skills and knowledge required to meet the growing environmental sustainability imperatives". (Source: DSF website, http://www.dsf.org.au)

Changes of address

Youth Mentoring Network has moved to Level 9, 117 Clarence Street Sydney (postal address: GPO Box 10500, Sydney NSW 2001). Ph: (02) 9085 7287; fax: (02) 9085 7299; email: info@youthmentoring.org.au

PARTICIPATION

Enrol to Vote Week 2008 announced

The Australian Electoral Commission today announced that national Enrol to Vote Week will be taking place in secondary schools across Australia from 28 July to 3 August this year. See: http://enroltovoteweek.aec.gov.au

Youth participation and social inclusion: a new policy agenda?

This is the title of the first in a new series of policy briefs ('Social Policy Issues Brief', n.1, 2008) published by the Social Policy Research Network, University of Sydney. Kathy Edwards contends that participation should be seen as being more complex than an individual "choice" assisted by education and participatory structures. Speaking of participation from a social policy perspective, she argues that policies that result in social exclusion for young people create potential barriers to their participation. Read more in the full text PDF document at: http://tinyurl.com/44uqz6

Roars not whispers in Scotland

This project "wants to increase the number of young people who will represent themselves and others and increase the number of young people who want to take action on issues of concern to them". See: http://www.rnw.org.uk/UnauthorizedHome.aspx

RESEARCH

UK news

The Social Policy Research Unit and the Social Work Research and Development Unit (SWRDU) at the University of York have joined forces to create a single organisation looking into children's issues. The SWRDU is now a research development group within the Social Policy Research Unit called the Children and Young People's Social Work Team. The bigger research unit will now look into child health and disability, child poverty and wellbeing, children in care, and vulnerable children. Work currently being undertaken by the unit includes research on young people who entered the care system in 2003 and 2004 because of abuse or neglect. (Source: 'Children & Young People Now', 11 June 2008; http://tinyurl.com/6ejtzu; http://www.cypnow.co.uk/ )

Call for papers: Re-imagining sociology: The annual conference of the Australian Sociological Association 2008

This conference is due to be held at the University of Melbourne on 2-5 December 2008, and its call for papers closes on Monday, 28 July 2008. The event aims to be "a forum for re-imagining the contribution of sociology in engaging with major emerging social issues in a period of rapid global transformation". More at: http://www.tasa.org.au/conference All abstracts and papers are to be submitted online only (read the general guidelines and requirements before submitting) at:
http://www.mcmconferences.com/tasa/call-for-papers.html

SEXUAL HEALTH

School-based centres help to reach the hard-to-reach

Young people are more likely to use sexual health services if they can access them in schools, according to research by Debra Salmon of the University of the West of England. Two-thirds of young people who attended school drop-in centres in Bristol would not have sought alternative provision, according to a report of this research. The centres were effective at targeting "hard to reach" groups such as boys and vulnerable young people: "61 per cent of the young people we surveyed said they attended because it was at school and easy to access and that they would not have attended alternative provision." The scheme, run by sexual health service Brook, Bristol City Council and Bristol Primary Care Trust, used nurses and youth workers to offer advice and provide treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, contraception and pregnancy testing. Researchers found using youth workers was key to getting boys to use the services. The scheme was set up in response to the government's 2002 UK Sexual Health Strategy, which aims to reduce rates of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases in under 18s. (Source: 'Children & Young People Now', 12 June 2008, viewed 13 June 2008, http://www.cypnow.co.uk/)

A similar story comes from the USA. Christina A Samuels, writing in the UK magazine, 'Ed Weekly', cites a US Government report that shows positive results for teenagers involved in "systems of care" -- coordinated networks of providers and schools that work to get services to adolescents with mental health issues. These students have fewer disciplinary problems, and attend school more regularly within a year and a half of getting services. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the US Department of Health and Human Services, oversees a federal grant program to expand the "systems of care" service-delivery model nationwide. The agency examined the outcomes of youth aged 14 to 18 involved in such programs, and you can read about this at: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/06/04/39health.h27.html

National Hepatitis C Needs Assessment

Hepatitis Australia is conducting a National Hepatitis C Needs Assessment, focusing on the needs of people, especially young people, living with hepatitis C. Data for the needs assessment is being collected through focus groups, telephone interviews and a survey. Recruitment for the questionnaire will cease at the end of June. Hepatitis Australia needs organisations or individuals who would help distribute the questionnaire (online and/or hard copy) through your networks to young people living with hepatitis C. Contact Jacqui Richmond, Project Officer, National Hepatitis C Needs Assessment, mobile: 0407 865 140 or email: Jacqui.Richmond@svhm.org.au The online questionnaire can be accessed via http://tinyurl.com/6ngfqz

'Family life education: A handbook for adults working with youth from a Christian perspective'

This 41-page PDF handbook is designed to help those who provide life-skills information to youth. The handbook seeks to encourage open discussion about sexuality, reproductive health, and HIV in the context of faith communities. It provides accurate public health information on sensitive issues in the context of faith values. While many youth attend churches, faith leaders often do not address issues related to sexuality. Church groups have taken a leadership role in helping HIV orphans, but few have worked vigorously with youth regarding prevention of HIV and pregnancy. The material is not meant to promote religion. The tool provides factual information related to topics and typical questions and answers that will be helpful to youth. Released in 2008, the resource is based on a much larger training manual that was released in 2006. The original manual was devised for six day-long workshops but was being used to try to give large numbers of people basic information. The need for a shorter, more accessible resource arose, and now a self-contained document has been produced as a "useful approach" that could reach more people at a lower cost. This handbook was adapted from
http://www.infoforhealth.org/youthwg/PDFs/FaithBasedFLE/newCFLE_handbook.pdf (Source: New Zealand Association for Adolescent Health and Development newsletter, 'e update', n.123, 9 May 2008, viewed 17 May 2008.)

TECHNOLOGY

More data for researchers, more work for knowledge managers?

Some believe that the once-popular theme of "knowledge management" in organisations is dead, but in reality it has "never been more important", according to the Australian Library and Information Association, who point to a recent report by the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. The report states: "More data will be created in the next five years than has been collected in the whole of human history. Properly managed, this data will form a major resource for Australian researchers. The Australian Government is developing a holistic approach to improving access to research information through institutional data and information repositories, addressing issues such as standards, authentication and making systems work with each other." See the 'Backing Australia's Ability' booklet (PDF format) at: http://backingaus.innovation.gov.au/info_booklet/booklet.pdf (Sources: http://backingaus.innovation.gov.au/info_booklet/on_commit.htm, cited by ALIA's magazine, 'InCite', v.29, n.6, June 2008, p.15.)

VIOLENCE

Governments should 'open chequebook' to combat Indigenous violence

Pat Anderson, co-chair of the Board of Inquiry into Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse and co-author of the 'Little children are sacred' report, says it is high time that governments started acting on the findings of that report. Delivering a keynote address at a recent forum on preventing domestic and family violence in Indigenous communities, Pat Anderson said: "I don't think many of the recommendations from all the work that has been done have been implemented in any way," and she added that both federal and state governments "need to start opening the chequebook so to speak, and begin to prioritise some of the recommendations".
The forum that Pat Anderson addressed was the Indigenous Family Violence Prevention 'Addressing problems, sharing solutions', held on 14 and 15 May. The Indigenous Family Violence Prevention Forum is an annual event convened by the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research in conjunction with its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group. Besides Pat Anderson, other keynote speakers at this year's forum were Prof. Chris Cunneen, NewSouth Global Chair in Criminology at the University of NSW; and Randal Ross, Indigenous Men's Health Research, Indigenous Health Unit, James Cook University. (Source: 'Message Stick': A portal to Indigenous Australian information on the web provided by the ABC; http://www.abc.net.au/message/news/stories/ms_news_2244509.htm; and the Queensland Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research, http://www.noviolence.com.au/)

WAR AND PEACE

Child soldiers

Child fighters are a horrible reality of modern warfare. An estimated 300,000 child soldiers need help to escape the violence and return to their communities. Without support from child protection agencies, many will struggle to re-engage with families and to reconstruct their own lives. A guest speaker on ABC Radio National's 'Life Matters' program (21 May) was Michael Wessels, a child protection specialist and Professor of Clinical Population and Family at Columbia University. In this broadcast radio program, he describes a systematic plan for child soldiers' recovery. (The podcast for the program was available online on 17 June 2008, at: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/stories/2008/2250357.htm)

WELFARE

Australian community sector survey 2008

This Australian Council of Social Service report released in June shows that community services in Australia have experienced a sharp increase in demand. The report provides information on service use, income, expenditure and workforce issues for the community services and welfare sector. See: http://www.acoss.org.au/News.aspx?displayID=99&articleID=4421

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Youth Conservation Corps program in South Australia

The Youth Conservation Corps gives South Australian young people the opportunity to be a part of a wide variety of land care, environment, cultural heritage and conservation projects while gaining the support and training required to secure employment in the environmental industry. The program is open to young people aged 16 to 24 years. Young people do not have to be receiving Centrelink benefits to participate in this program; it is suitable for students, school leavers, unemployed people or those working less than 20 hours per week. Program participants can remain in the program part-time for up to 24 weeks, including on-the-job work experience. Some flexibility exists within the program to meet individual participants' needs. The Youth Conservation Corps is an initiative of the Government of South Australia through the South Australia Works: Linking people, skills and jobs program, in partnership with Employ SA. Employ SA offers a range of youth conservation corps (YCC) projects, funded by the South Australian Government. These projects support local youth by offering free, and nationally accredited training towards Certificate II in Conservation and Land Management. For more information, contact Greg or Danielle at Employ SA, ph: 1800 062 882. (Source: Youth Conservation Corps flyer, viewed 13 June 2008.)

What works for civic engagement: Lessons from experimental evaluations of programs and interventions

This is the title of the May 2008 Child Trends fact sheet. The USA organisation, Child Trends, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research centre that studies children at every stage of development. According to the fact sheet, "There are only a small number of rigorous evaluations of programs to promote youth civic engagement. This limits our conclusions and highlights the need for more experimentally evaluated programs and interventions that target civic engagement outcomes." Among the findings reported in this fact sheet:
* Connecting children with needy populations and/or providing community service opportunities is effective in increasing helping behaviour and perceptions of social responsibility.
* Monetary compensation was not found to undermine future helping behaviours in either experimental evaluation that provided payment for performing community service.
* All three programs that incorporated mentoring, tutoring, or life skill training components in tandem with service learning had positive impacts on civic engagement.
(Source: 'Child Trends E-Newsletter', May 2008; http://www.childtrends.org, and http://tinyurl.com/42oon7)