A high prevalence of maltreatment, abuse, neglect and the onset of subsequent trauma has been well-documented among both young people with disability and young people residing in foster and kinship care. However, no uniform policies or guidelines currently exist for the delivery of trauma-informed models of care to build the capacity of foster and…

Vida Bath was the only girl of six children born into a chronically poor family. Her birth certificate lists her father as a "general labourer." Her family travelled around New South Wales and southern Queensland, going wherever there might be work. She remembered being scared when her father had been drinking, especially on Friday…

Inquiries into the removal and mistreatment of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children, national regret, and national apologies constitute a congested political landscape in contemporary Australia. Within two years, two formal apologies were delivered by the prime minister, Kevin Rudd, to individuals who had suffered forced removal from family and…

There is a growing body of international literature about birth parents' negative experience of child protection services. This article reviews some of this literature and adds recent Australian materials to it. It is then argued that the over-reliance on "the best interest of the child" construct is the base from which these negative…

Every Australian citizen expects state and territory governments to protect children from child abuse and neglect. Protecting children from harm is seen as good. This however is not a simple matter. The ultimate act in protecting children is to remove them from parental care. This causes trauma for the child and pain and distress for parents no…

DRUMBEAT is a flexible program that combines experiential learning with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and engages young people and adults who may be anxious or resistant to "talk based" therapies. The DRUMBEAT program is taught to young people and adults across Australia in schools, youth services, drug and alcohol rehabilitation…

The prevalence of child abuse and neglect is an international concern that justifies the existence of child protection systems. An important first principle for all such statutory child protection systems is to ensure that the system itself does no further harm. It can be argued that there are specific circumstances within which well-meaning…

In 2000 ACEI began an exploration of the potential role that a code of professional ethics might have in the Association. The Public Affairs Committee recommended that the Executive Board appoint an ad hoc Ethics Committee. That committee, under the leadership of Nita Barbour, accepted its charge to provide guidance to colleagues who struggle to…

This paper operationally defines a set of indicators for the decision to separate the child and family in child abuse cases. Application of the indicators to 152 cases of suspected child abuse in Australia found that severity of abuse, parenting, and the family social system were most predictive of a final separation outcome. (Author/DB)

A parent-aide program using volunteers (experienced mothers) to support abusing parents and prevent reabuse of children proved 97 percent effective in Southern Adelaide, South Australia. The cost-benefit ratio of the program appeared very low and the reabuse rate was less than for other clients assessed during the five-year review period.…

Suggests a connection between schooling and various forms of sexual and/or physical violence (male to male, male to female, and adult male to child) and identifies and critiques the major orientations of mainstream, sociocultural, and feminist anti-violence pedagogies. Identifies the contours of an alternative anti-violence pedagogy. (GR)

This booklet discusses the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, focusing on the Convention's effects on the rights of children in Australia. It summarizes the main articles of the convention and explains the international legal structures by which the rights of children are protected. The booklet then examines human rights…

"Every Child" is Australia's premier early childhood publication, aimed at anyone involved in the care and education of children from birth to eight years--in particular child care professionals, teachers, child care students and the parents of young children. Published quarterly, it contains informative and entertaining articles on such…

This paper argues the importance of moving beyond the state of affairs that makes victims "either" of children "or" of teachers by exploring the conditions of possibility for the idea of a victimless school. The argument is developed drawing data from a study being conducted by the authors into the impact of risk management on…

Home-Start is an international organization in which volunteers offer regular support, friendship, and practical help to young families under stress in their own homes in order to prevent family crisis and breakdown. It is available to any family with at least one child under 5 years of age. This book presents a snapshot of the day-to-day…