Our research partners and projects

The NSW Child Development Study is administered by the University of New South Wales and includes a partnership with the Department of Communities and Justice. It is a longitudinal population study of life-course risk and resilience for mental health and wellbeing among a cohort of 91,635 NSW children born between 2000 and 2006. It links administrative records from multiple NSW agencies spanning health, education, child protection and criminal justice, with cross-sectional assessments collected in early and middle childhood. Many papers have been produced from this study to inform policy and practice. Visit the NSW Child Development Study website for more information. Also view the FACSIAR Lunch and Learn webinars in February, April, and July 2022 presented by the NSW CDS researchers. The April webinar page has a list of the FACSIAR evidence to action notes that provide plain English translations of the findings from this study.

Led by the University of New South Wales, this research aims to inform policy and practice that supports better health, development and social outcomes for NSW children, particularly disadvantaged children. Health and human services data have been linked for more than 2 million NSW children born since 2001 and their parents. This includes data from the health, child protection, education, justice and social housing sectors. The research will help us better understand the experience and outcomes for children involved with child protection services.

The study will examine how common child protection services involvement is during children's lives and the characteristics of children and families who are at risk of such involvement. This information is important for understanding who might benefit from prevention and early intervention services. The research will also look at the health, development and social outcomes of children involved with child protection services, including the impact of programs and services that may improve children's outcomes.

This project is a partnership with the University of Sydney’s Law School. The research examines the way that various sources of evidence are used in Children’s Court child protection matters and analyses the factors that influence judicial and legal thinking, and the orders that result. It links information about the decision for children to enter care to their longer-term outcomes. The research aims to provide the basis for guidance to judicial officers, lawyers and those called upon to give evidence about children’s best interests in these matters. It uses sources including review of court reports, analysis of Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study data and interviews with caseworkers, lawyers, legal representatives for children and parents, Children’s Court clinicians and judicial officers.

A major research project led by Southern Cross University and industry partner the Australian Childhood Foundation. Partner universities include Trinity College Dublin, Charles Sturt University and Australian Catholic University. The Australian Research Council and the Australian Childhood Foundation are funding this research over three years. The project aims to critically examine the relational practices that enable and constrain positive trusting relationships and social connections within and beyond the immediate residential care setting. This research will ask young people, workers, therapeutic specialists and managers in therapeutic residential care (Intensive Therapeutic Care; ITC or Intensive Therapeutic Care Significant Disability; ITC-SD) about the practices used to support young people to develop trusting relationships, what helps and what gets in the way. This is the first large-scale mixed-methods study in Australia on this topic.

This quantitative research study in collaboration with the University of Wollongong will establish a new regional linked dataset for the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) linking data from births, deaths, the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC), health, education, ambulance, child protection and out-of-home care (OOHC) for children born in the region from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2012. The study aims to:

• Describe the 12-month prevalence of health service use for mental health, self-harm or suicide-related reasons in school aged children in the regional area
• Describe the contribution of childhood adversity to risk of health service use for mental health, self-harm or suicide-related reasons in school age children.
• Explore the contribution of health service use for mental health, self-harm or suicide-related reasons, and childhood adversity on attainment of educational outcomes across primary and high school.

For further information please see https://www.uow.edu.au/united-nations-sustainable-development-goals/goal-3-good-health-wellbeing/supporting-student-well-being/

This project is an outcomes evaluation of Uniting’s Extended Care pilot program with the Nous Group. The evaluation will assess the extent to which the program has improved participants’ social and economic outcomes, supported them to transition to independent living, and generated savings to government by improved outcomes. The results of the evaluation will inform the design and delivery of the Extended Care Pilot Program and aftercare programs more broadly to improve outcomes for young people transitioning from care. For more information about the program, visit the Uniting website.

This qualitative PhD research will explore the impact of health information on how courts make decisions about infants who are removed from birth and are considered for placements in out-of-home care (OOHC) and how the principle of ‘what is in the child’s best interests’ is understood by child protection workers and health professionals when making these decisions. This study will utilise a case study approach to conduct the research involving documentation overview of relevant cases, literature, legislation and the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as individual interviews of DCJ staff.

The study aims to determine:

• What health concerns do child protection workers and health professionals consider in their decision making when infants are placed in OOHC?
• To what extent do the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (NSW) and the Contact Guidelines support or require evidence-based practice for infants in OOHC?
• How is the best interests principle understood by child protection workers and health professionals for infants who are being considered for placement in OOHC?

Findings from this research will provide child protection workers and health professionals an understanding on how decision-makers use health information in relation to infants, a uniquely vulnerable sub-group of children.

This mixed-methods PhD research is being undertaken within the School of Education and Social Work's Research Centre for Children and Families at the University of Sydney. The study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of stakeholders' views regarding the need for, and availability of placements, services and supports for young parents who are in, or have recently exited, out-of-home care in NSW. The study also aims to identify rates and risk factors associated with early motherhood and second-generation child protection involvement within this cohort by analysing administrative data from the Human Services Data Set (HSDS).

This PhD research through the University of Sydney aims to identify the cultural challenges experienced by Aboriginal identified child protection caseworkers working within the Department of Communities and Justice and build new knowledge about how staff can be supported in their role. This qualitative project uses a culturally appropriate method for understanding cultural specific practice and challenges by drawing from the expertise, the insights and experiences of Aboriginal-identified child protection workers directly to provide this analysis and review of the measures of support within the organization and system. This research project recognises self-determination of Aboriginal people as part of assessing the progress and delivery of changes to child protection services and practice for Aboriginal children, families and communities.

St Vincent de Paul Housing (SVDPH) along with the Centre for Social Policy Research at UNSW are undertaking an evaluation of non-housing outcomes for the tenants of Amélie Housing. Amélie Housing is a subsidiary of SVDPH that manages the Social and Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF) housing stock. The research will evaluate tenant wellbeing and trajectories, including the impact that housing and support has had on their wellbeing, and comparing these impacts with other social housing tenant populations via analysis of tenant survey data. The study aims to assess the impact of housing and support services on non-shelter client outcomes, including:

*         Subjective well-being, sense of self-worth and attainment of personal goals

*         Community participation / social inclusion

*         Health

*         Education

*         Employment

The findings of this study will add knowledge about the effectiveness of the SAHF program in regard to its impact on overall tenant wellbeing.

This research project will conceptualise, design, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of systems integration to support and improve the mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal school-aged children and youth (5-18 years). The project is led by the Centre for Indigenous Health and Equity research at Central Queensland University.

The project aims to:

• develop an understanding of what constitutes mental health and wellbeing for Aboriginal children and youth
• develop an understanding of current mental health support and healthcare pathways
• increase the understanding of the extent to which children and youth receive mental health service, and the extent to which services are community driven, youth-informed and culturally competent, and
• develop and model potential improvements to mental health support and healthcare pathways.

Findings from this research will include recommendations for better cross-agency collaboration to support Aboriginal children and young people.

The soaring rates of Indigenous children living in out-of-home care requires an urgent response. This Aboriginal led research is being conducted through UNSW’s Social Policy Research Centre, and UTS’ Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, in partnership with Aboriginal organisations. It is the first of its kind to investigate the rates, outcomes and experiences of successful and sustainable restoration for Aboriginal children in out-of-home care. The project intends to identify successful child restoration initiatives and produce an empirical roadmap for navigating service systems with the goal of restoration. The project expects to make a substantial contribution to this largely neglected research area that will benefit parents and families, communities, practitioners, policy makers and academics. This is a four-year study beginning in September 2021 and is funded through the Australian Research Council.

The researcher has recommended reading: https://theconversation.com/why-are-first-nations-children-still-not-coming-home-from-out-of-home-care-196379

This PhD project with the Guunu-maana (Heal) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program, The George Institute for Global Health, aims to explore the meanings of home and desired housing outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social housing tenants living in urban New South Wales, particularly in South East Sydney. Findings from this research will assist in developing and piloting a tangible resource, such as an information booklet that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social housing tenants can use when navigating housing services. See here for further information about this project.

Joining the Dots is a data-linkage study with the University of New South Wales of infants born in NSW and the ACT with a diagnosis of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) between 2001 and 2018. The study aims to determine the rates of death, hospital admissions and academic outcomes among this cohort. The findings will assist to identify the causes of disadvantage in families affected by perinatal substance dependency, addiction and abuse and will provide recommendations of how the Department of Communities and Justice can best support these families.

Led by the University of Sydney, the COPE-A Study is the world’s first randomised controlled trial of an integrated treatment for co-occurring post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder among adolescents aged 12-25 years. The project aims to improve the treatment of this vulnerable population and reduce the significant personal and societal costs of post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder.

The Department of Communities and Justice is supporting the 45 and Up Study, which is Australia’s largest ongoing study of health and ageing, made possible thanks to the contribution of our 250,000 NSW participants. The study is a world-class resource that is helping researchers better understand how Australians are ageing and the factors that promote good health and wellbeing. The 45 and Up Study is managed by the Sax Institute in collaboration with major partner Cancer Council NSW, and additional partners the Heart Foundation, NSW Health, NSW Department of Communities and Justice, and Australian Red Cross Lifeblood. For more details, visit the Sax Institute website.

This is a qualitative study with the University of Technology Sydney that aims to determine the health and psychosocial needs and experiences of women who are pregnant or have recently given birth, and have a history of recent injecting drug use. The study seeks to understand practitioner perceptions of whether healthcare and social services are providing appropriate support to, and meeting the needs and expectations of, this cohort of women.

This research partnership with the University of New South Wales, with its foundations in two Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage grants, provides data from across the Department of Communities and Justice for analysis within the Mental Health Disorders and Cognitive Disability (MHDCD) databank. The MHDCD databank comprises data on 2,731 people who have been in prison in NSW from Police, Corrective Services, Justice Health and other health areas, Courts (BOCSAR), Juvenile Justice, Legal Aid, Disability, Housing and Community Services to allow a whole of life (lifecourse) picture of institutional involvement. The databank has been used to investigate the pathways of people with mental and cognitive disability who come into contact with criminal justice agencies including lifecourse costs and benefits. The array of allied projects includes an ARC Linkage grant focusing on Indigenous Australians with MHDCD, and their and their families and communities’ experiences of the systems and system interactions. The databank is being updated to provide another decade of the cohort’s data with agreement from the original datasets’ custodians.

Researchers from the University of Wollongong have been commissioned by the NSW Health to undertake the AccESS Study. The findings will contribute to the Department of Communities and Justice’s understanding of different service accessibility pathways for children and young people presenting problematic and harmful sexual behaviour.

The Positive Parenting Program (Triple P program) aims to prevent severe behavioural, emotional and developmental problems in children by enhancing the knowledge, skills, and confidence of parents. This trial will examine the impact of the Triple P Program in areas of disadvantage across Queensland compared to matched communities in NSW in which the Triple P System has not been systematically implemented. The aim of this trial will be to evaluate whether communities that have had a planned application of the Triple P program experience lower levels of factors associated with persistent disadvantage.