bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessing Effects of Prices and Advertising on Purchases of Finfish and Shellfish in a Local Market in Texas
Authors: Capps Oral , Lambregts Johannes Adrianus
Published: February 2017

Estimates of demand parameters for disaggregate finfish and shellfish products were obtained using scanner data from a retail food firm in Houston. Demand for the various products was elastic (except for oysters); in general, cross-price effects play a statistically significant role in pounds sold per 1000 customers. Own-advertisement effects are important, but cross-advertisement effects are generally marginal. Seasonality is a key factor in purchases of most finfish and shellfish products.
Incorporating the Impacts of Uncertain Fieldwork Time on Whole-Farm Risk-Return Levels: A Target MOTAD Approach
Authors: Misra Sukant K. , Spurlock Stan R.
Published: February 2017

Given an equipment complement, a specific crop mix has a probability distribution for whole-farm net returns. Increasing crop acreage while holding the set of equipment constant will reduce fixed costs per acre, but it will also increase the length of time required to complete crucial field operations such as planting and harvesting. Thus, the probability of encountering weather-related delays in fieldwork will increase. This increase in delays may cause a decline in yields and changes in the distribution of net returns. This paper develops a Target MOTAD model capable of capturing intra-year impacts on profit that arise from the timing of planting and harvesting operations as well as inter-year impacts on profits that are due to variations in economic and weather-related factors. The model relies on estimates of available fieldwork time and a crop's harvestable yield in different time periods throughout the harvest season.
An Evaluation of Cost of Production Information Usage by County Agents
Authors: Bailey DeeVon , Eck Douglas W. , Glover Terrence F.
Published: February 2017

County agents receive cost of production information primarily from state extension services and then disseminate it to agricultural producers. A survey gathered data on agent usage of this information. A Poisson regression analysis using count data was performed to determine the factors influencing the number of times county agents directly referred to published cost of production (enterprise budget) information in a year. The agent's understanding of budget information use in management decisions, the availability of budgets, and his/her receiving the budgets in multiple forms (e.g., sheets, booklets, or software) had significant positive impacts on the use of budgets by the agent.
Feeder Cattle Price Differentials in Georgia Teleauctions
Authors: Turner Steven C. , Dykes Nancy S. , McKissick John
Published: February 2017

Three Georgia feeder cattle teleauction markets were analyzed from 1977 to 1988 to estimate the impacts of cattle characteristics and market conditions on prices. Cattle characteristic price impacts were similar to those in previous studies. The impact of feeder cattle futures price on teleauction price was positive but varied across markets. Optimal lot size ranged from 143 to 276 head. In one market, 14 lots were necessary to generate positive price impacts. Additional buyers were estimated to have a $.30/cwt per buyer impact on price.
Employer Size, Human Capital, and Rural Wages: Implications for Southern Rural Development
Authors: Kraybill David S. , Yoder Michael J. , McNamara Kevin T.
Published: February 2017

A recent trend in rural development policy emphasizes small business development in place of industrial recruitment. To analyze some of the likely effects of expanding the proportion of small firms in local economies, an empirical wage rate model incorporating employer size was developed, and parameters were estimated using household data from rural Putnam County, Georgia. The estimates indicated that large employers offered higher wages than small employers and that the wage premium they offered was greater for blacks than for whites. These results support Thomas Till's argument that southern rural counties with relatively large black populations should not abandon efforts to attract large employers. Other factors associated with higher wages included level of education, previous labor force experience, and employment in certain occupations and industries.
An Analysis of Value-Added Agricultural Exports to Middle-Income Developing Countries: The Case of Wheat and Beef Products
Authors: Lee Jung-Hee , Henneberry David , Pyles David
Published: February 2017

This study determined probable future directions in U.S. value-added agricultural exports to middle-income developing countries (MIDCs) under the assumption of continued income growth. Import share equations for U.S. bulk, semi-processed and value-added wheat or beef products, as a percent of total U.S. wheat or beef product exports to each MIDC, were econometrically estimated using the ordinary least squares (OLS) technique. The empirical results indicate that in most MIDCs, increases in real per capita income have negative effects on the import share of processed wheat products while having positive effects on the import share of bulk wheat. However, import shares of U.S. processed beef products are likely to increase with income growth in most MIDCs.
Information and Herd Health Management Practices in Texas Dairies
Authors: Howard Wayne H. , Knight Thomas O. , Shumway C. Richard , Blake Robert W. , Tomaszewski Michael A.
Published: February 2017

The dissemination of information by extension agents on dairy management practices used to control mastitis and the reception and use of that information by producers are investigated. Producers are surveyed to determine current practices used. The relationship between milk yield, somatic cell count, management practices, and producer and production characteristics is estimated. Subjective probabilities are elicited from “experts,” extension agents, and producers concerning the impact and cost of various management practices. Subjective marginal value products and marginal input costs are computed and compared for the respondent groups. Stochastic dominance is used to rank the relative importance of the practices as perceived by the respondents.
Price Enhancement, Returns Variability, and Supply Response in the U.S. Dairy Sector
Authors: Thraen Cameron S. , Hammond Jerome W.
Published: February 2017

Dairy producers operating in the U.S. have been protected against market price variability by the federal price support program for over 35 years. During the late 1970s tax outlays to operate this program grew at a rapid rate. While many authors have addressed the economic implications of the existing dairy price support program, few have explicitly considered the relationship between risk aversion, capital investment, milk production, and support price policy in this process. This paper considers the role of uncertainty and risk-averse behavior and suggests that these elements are crucial to an economic analysis of the current program and future dairy policy issues.
Live Hog and Pork Imports: Past and Projected Consequences for the U.S. Pork Sector
Authors: Brandt Jon A. , Young Robert E. , Alam Shamsul , Womack Abner W.
Published: February 2017

The U.S. pork sector is modeled to simulate the effects of alternative import levels on prices, production, consumption, farm receipts, and consumer expenditures. Over the 1983–1985 period, producers annually received $600 million less due to increasing imports than if imports had remained at the 1979–1982 average. Farm prices and slaughter were lower by $2.21 per hundredweight and 1.1 million head annually, respectively. Four simulations reflecting alternative import paths over the period 1986–1992 were examined. With lower imports (relative to current levels), production and farm prices rise significantly in the long run; consumers purchase less and pay more.
Demand for Plant Nutrients in Tennessee Disaggregated by Mixed Fertilizers and Direct Application Materials
Authors: Roberts Roland K. , Garrod Peter V.
Published: February 2017

When obtaining nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potash (K), purchasing decisions concerning the quantity and the form of each plant nutrient must be made. Logit models are estimated for the choice-of-form decision by considering those variables influencing the probability that plant nutrients will be purchased in Tennessee as part of a mixed fertilizer or as direct application materials. Parameter and elasticity estimates can be used by fertilizer manufacturers and distributors to anticipate changes in the composition of demand for plant nutrients in Tennessee.
Productivity-Concentration Relationship in The U.S. Meatpacking Industry
Authors: Ward Clement E.
Published: February 2017

Previous research found a positive relationship between concentration and total factor productivity in food manufacturing. One industry (i.e., meatpacking plants [SIC 2011]) was selected for independent analysis due to a relatively sharp increase in concentration in recent years. The methodology chosen was similar to previous studies. Total factor productivity increased 2.4 percent per year, and labor productivity increased 3.3 percent per year for meatpacking plants over the 1958–82 period. Concentration in meatpacking did not positively or negatively affect total factor productivity or labor productivity over the 25-year study period.
Agribusiness And The Agricultural Economics Profession: Research Agendas In Agribusiness
Authors: Litzenberg Kerry K.
Published: February 2017

This paper presents a summary of work by various groups on the potential for agribusiness research by agricultural economists over the past decade. Methodology to establish research priorities in agribusiness are reviewed. This review leads to a consideration of the agribusiness research issues including: funding sources, identifying users of agribusiness research, data needs, and limitations of agribusiness research programs.

The final part of the paper presents a potpourri of suggested research initiatives in agribusiness research for agricultural economists. Research in these areas may be difficult for a number of reasons including: decreased reliance on economic theory as the sole paradigm, providing competitive advantage to a single agribusiness firm while balancing public and private needs and funding sources, and data confidentiality. Suggestions for outlets for academic research are presented.
Microeconomic Effects Of Reduced Yield Variability Cultivars Of Soybeans And Wheat
Authors: Dillon Carl R.
Published: February 2017

Economic analysis was conducted on hypothetical agronomic research on new crop cultivars for Arkansas dryland soybean and wheat producers. In relation to farmers' attitudes toward risk, the microeconomic effects and level of adoption of yield variability reducing cultivars were analyzed utilizing a production management decision-making model formulated with mathematical programming techniques. The study indicated that negative covariance between crops continues to be an effective means of reducing production risk associated with yield variability. However, under varying circumstances, agronomic research on the breeding of new soybean and wheat cultivars with reduced yield variability is worthwhile if there is only slight concurrent reduction in expected yields.
Introducing Foods Produced Using Biotechnology: The Case Of Bovine Somatotropin
Authors: McGuirk Anya M. , Preston Warren P. , Jones Gerald M.
Published: February 2017

A mailed questionnaire wasr used to assess consumer concerns and potential consumption response attributable to the introduction of bovine somatotropin (bST). Responses from 605 households in Virginia are described and analyzed. Logit models were estimated to identify which issues shape consumers' decisions to alter milk purchases contingent on the introduction of bST and to determine whether socioeconomic characteristics explain consumers' attitudes toward these issues. Estimates based on survey responses point toward sizable reductions in fluid milk purchases if bST is introduced. Large retail price reductions are predicted to be insufficient to offset these estimated decreases. Consumer education and marketing strategies are discussed.
The Effects Of Changes In Federal Income And Social Security Taxes On Farmers
Authors: Compson Michael , Durst Ron
Published: February 2017

This paper examines the impact of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the Social Security Amendments of 1983 on effective tax rates and average tax payments for farmers. The 1987 and 1988 Internal Revenue Service Individual Public Use Tax Files were used to estimate 1987 and 1990 tax rates and burdens. Results suggest that despite recent reductions in marginal income tax rates, the Federal income tax continues to be progressive. However, the regressive nature of the social security and self-employment tax greatly reduces the progressivity of the combined Federal income and payroll tax burden. For most farmers, combined social security and self-employment tax payments exceed Federal income tax liability.
Rihanna Works Her Multivocal Pop Persona: A Morpho-syntactic and Accent Analysis of Rihanna's Singing Style
Authors: Jansen Lisa , Westphal Michael
Published: February 2017

Singing is a very dynamic and innovative mode of communication through which artists often express themselves with a set of various voices. Today, pop music circulates across national boundaries and English is the main medium of communication in transnational pop culture. In this special context different varieties of English meet at a high density. Rihanna's singleWorkis an example of this prevalent multivocality in pop music culture. Her language performance attracted public attention of various sorts as she audibly incorporates several Caribbean English Creole (CEC) features. While some critics describe her lyrics as ‘gibberish’ (cf. Noelliste, 2016), others acknowledge her performance as a ‘reclamation of her Barbadian heritage’ (Gibsone, 2016). The example of Rihanna shows that singers can be transporters of English varieties: she is a Caribbean artist who started a successful career in the US, and whose music today has global reach. Singers, like Rihanna, are thus mobile, transnational linguistic agents. On the one hand, she physically travels the world playing concerts to her audiences. On the other, her persona, music, videos, and further media commodities are part of the global ‘mediascape’ (Appadurai, 1996). In other words, her products easily spread across the globe and are reproduced, transcending national and social boundaries. New technologies (e.g. smart phones, tablets) and applications (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) facilitate as well as accelerate the transnational dissemination of media resources. Moreover, singers show that the linguistic (and cultural) resources as such are mobile. Different language influences are formed into individual linguistic repertoires. Singers often playfully employ certain features to highlight parts of their identity or locate themselves in a particular music genre.
Guidelines for Editing Africanist Texts for Publication
Authors: Henige David
Published: February 2017

The Association for the Publication of African Historical Sources (presently headquartered at the Department of History, Michigan State University) is now administering one umbrella National Endowment for the Humanities grant for editing, translating, and publishing significant African texts, and hopes to administer more in the future. In aid of this, the following guidelines, which should for the moment be considered to be in a draft stage, are offered in an effort both to bring uniformity to these editions and to stimulate thinking towards making the guidelines more thorough and enduring. Readers are urged to send suggestions for the latter to: David Henige, Memorial Library, 728 State St., Madison, WI 53706, U.S.A. If all goes well, it might be possible to publish an improved set of guidelines in next year's HA.

As discussed briefly below, efficient mobilization of word processing programs should enable intending editors to achieve better results at less cost. Such word processing programs as are now available are probably not equally suitable and any readers who have used any programs extensively or who have developed variants of their own, with respect either to editing or to linguistic transcription, are also urged to submit brief statements (up to ca. 1000 words) as to their experiences, whether good or bad. These could then be published en ensemble, also (probably) in the 1991 HA.
Micro-habitat selection and population recovery of the Endangered Green PeafowlPavo muticusin western Thailand: implications for conservation guidance
Authors: SUKUMAL NITI , DOWELL SIMON D. , SAVINI TOMMASO
Published: February 2017

The endangered Green PeafowlPavo muticusis one of the most threatened vertebrate species in South-East Asia and has undergone a rapid decline in both distribution and population density. The remaining populations are mostly limited to protected areas where an understanding of their ecological requirements is required to ensure that conservation management is effective. To clarify this, we investigated their population status and ecological requirements in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, western Thailand. Line transect surveys across five sections of the Sanctuary revealed variation in population density, apparently linked to recent levels of human activity and management. Comparison of encounter rates along transects with those recorded in similar surveys conducted 21 years previously showed an increase in numbers in most of the peripheral areas of the sanctuary whilst numbers in the core area have remained stable. Using camera trapping and radio tracking to investigate habitat selection all year round, our results showed that the Green Peafowl preferred areas with an open understorey but a high percentage cover of ground vegetation. During the breeding season they preferred to cluster near streams to establish a display site, whilst in the non-breeding season they ranged more widely but still preferred areas of open understorey and high ground cover. We present some evidence of temporary avoidance of areas recently frequented by large predators (tiger and common leopard). Our results suggest that increased patrols to control hunting help to allow Green Peafowl populations to recover. We suggest that measures that allow recovery of populations of species such as Green Peafowl will ultimately enhance large predator conservation through increasing their prey base.
Child neglect and theLittle Children are Sacredreport
Authors: Flaherty Nettie , Goddard Chris
Published: February 2017

Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle ‘Little Children are Sacred’: Report of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, which has come to be known as the ‘Little Children are Sacred’ Report, was released in late June 2007 (Wild & Anderson 2007). The Report has received little analysis. Rather it is the response by the Commonwealth Government to the Report's findings that has dominated debate. Despite repeated accounts of child neglect provided to the inquiry, these accounts seemed to be viewed as the landscape in which child sexual abuse occurs, rather than a significant and urgent issue in their own right. The relegation of child neglect to background mirrors what research elsewhere tells us about what happens to child neglect referrals; lacking the sense of immediacy and danger of child sexual abuse, they are frequently minimised or overlooked.

This paper is an attempt to refocus attention on the Report itself through a lens of child neglect, and suggests that in limiting the terms of reference to child sexual abuse, the Report missed the opportunity to engage with the significant issue of child neglect and the practice of child protection work in cases of child neglect.
Pre-service teachers' understanding of child abuse and their professional role in child protection
Authors: Brown Alice
Published: February 2017

Universities play an integral role in training teachers in the areas of understanding and preparedness to deal with child abuse and neglect while at the same time advocating for the ‘rights of the child’. Unfortunately pre-service teachers are at risk of being ill-prepared to meet their mandated and teaching responsibilities if their course content is not approached strategically. While numerous studies have investigated teachers' understandings of child abuse and the barriers in detecting and reporting this abuse, this research investigates pre-service teachers' understandings of child abuse and their preparedness to deal with the signs, symptoms and disclosures of child abuse. This paper reports on findings concerning pre-service teachers ‘views of their professional role in child protection and their recommendations for content to be included in their undergraduate degrees in teacher education.
Residential care in Australia, Part II: A review of recent literature and emerging themes to inform service development
Authors: Bath Howard
Published: February 2017

This is the second of a two-part discussion about the development of residential care services in Australia. It contains a review of some of the recent literature on residential care from Australia, the UK, Canada and the USA. It concludes with a look at the major themes and issues that emerge from this literature as well as the service trends and developments canvassed in Part I.
The effectiveness of public foster carer recruitment campaigns: The South Australian experience
Authors: Delfabbro Paul , Borgas Mignon , Vast Robyn , Osborn Alexandra
Published: February 2017

Between 2004 and 2006, the State Government of South Australia funded a foster carer recruitment service to increase the number of foster carers within the State. Based on a combination of public advertising, community consultation, and a step-by-step process of assessment, the service was successful in attracting considerable public interest in foster care. However, only limited success was achieved in recruiting new foster carers. To investigate this, a retrospective survey of 347 people who made contact with the recruitment service was conducted. The survey examined several factors that might have acted as barriers to becoming a foster carer, including: perceptions of the quality of the service, the nature of the assessment process, concerns about foster care, and personal characteristics and circumstances. The results showed that concerns about the nature of foster care (e.g. nature of the children, their families and fear of being falsely accused of abuse) discouraged around 30% of respondents, but that the majority declined to continue because of inopportune personal circumstances or a fear of failure. The findings highlight the importance of providing greater community information regarding foster care prior to large-scale campaigns, as well as undertaking more specifically targeted recruitment strategies.
Children in out-of-home care: What drives the increase in admissions and how to make a change
Authors: Hansen Patricia , Ainsworth Frank
Published: February 2017

In Australia the number of children removed from birth parents and admitted to State care, i.e. foster care, kinship care, other home-based care, group homes or residential care, continues to rise. Because the number of foster carers (the preferred care option after kinship care) has fallen and the recruitment of new carers has become more difficult, this rise in admissions to care is a critical issue. This paper explores those factors that drive the increase in the number of children that are taken into State care and makes suggestions about how this trend might be reversed. New South Wales is used as the example for this purpose although the points made are applicable in other States and Territories.
Hiding behind the past: Understanding historical abuse in out-of-home care
Authors: Gaffney Kate
Published: February 2017

This article addresses common misconceptions about the historic abuse of children in Victoria during the mid-twentieth century, including those contained in the 2006 official Victorian Government apology to state wards. The article has two aims – firstly, to consider allegations of abuse and some common reactions to, and explanations of those allegations; and, secondly, to test the abuse allegations against the 1954 and 1960 Victorian Children's Welfare Regulations concerning the use of corporal punishment in Children's Homes. The author contends that historical relativism and the notion that abuse allegations can be explained as a feature of changing attitudes towards children and discipline do not stand up to scrutiny and inhibit useful examination of the causes and consequences of abuse in out-of-home care.
Child well-being in comparative perspective
Authors: Bradshaw Jonathan
Published: February 2017

In previous comparative research on child well-being, most attention has been paid to how well-being varies. This paper draws on international comparisons of child well-being to explore a number of hypotheses as to why it might vary. In particular, it seeks to explore why subjective well-being among children might vary between countries. It argues that subjective well-being – what children say about their lives – should be taken seriously and we should be concerned that what they say varies so much. The conclusion is that even though we cannot explain these variations, we can ensure that every effort is made to enhance well-being in schools, in the home, and more directly, by social and emotional education
Beyond safety and permanency: Making well-being a focus of policy and practice for children in state care
Authors: Courtney Mark E.
Published: February 2017

This essay explores some of the reasons why child welfare policy has too often avoided an explicit focus on child well-being. The historical origins of child welfare services contribute to avoidance of child well-being in policy discourse. In addition, program administrators are reluctant to explicitly take responsibility for the well-being of children they serve because of concerns about added liability, the belief that public institutions other than the child welfare system should be held responsible, and the fear that child welfare services will be unable to ameliorate the damage that children often suffer before entering care. Three empirical studies of child welfare populations in the US are used to examine the inextricable links between child safety, permanency and well-being. It is argued that broadening child welfare policy to embrace child well-being as a policy goal will only enhance the likelihood that child welfare agencies will improve child safety and permanency outcomes.
Building community capacity for children, youth and families
Authors: Chaskin Robert J.
Published: February 2017

Communities have long been seen as of central importance to individuals and families, and as critical lever for change. In recent years, the emphasis on community as an organizing principle to address a range of social problems and developmental needs of children and families has been increasing. This paper explores the question of why community is important for children and families, what communities can provide for their well-being, and how they might be strengthened. It outlines some of the reasons behind the interest in community as a locus for policy and practice, explores the idea of ‘community capacity’ and how to build it, and distills the principal strategies used by contemporary efforts to build capacity in disadvantaged communities. Finally, it examines both the promise and the limitations of a community capacity framework as an orientation toward social change and as an approach for addressing the needs of disadvantaged children and families.
Authors: Stephenson Angela
Published: February 2017

The following review is by Angela Stephenson, an early childhood specialist working with diverse groups of parents in Adelaide. She uses The Benevolent Society's Play Power Parent Workshop with her parent groups who have babies and toddlers. She is finding that the workshop activities and resources are both accessible and flexible, and that they help the parents to use everyday moments to engage with their young children, to learn how they grow and develop, and to understand why simple, playful interactions throughout the day are necessary for healthy brain development.
Child death inquiries Moving beyond the rhetoric of learning
Authors: Gibbs Judith
Published: February 2017

The process of reviewing deaths of children who had formerly been known to a child protection agency is emotive, and its value is often contested. This paper is written with the frontline practitioner in mind, and grapples with the complexities of how inquiries can make a difference in the world of all relevant stakeholders. It is contended that a goal of individual and systemic learning can be achieved if inquiries take place in a healthy, collaborative learning culture, if they are embedded in a multi-sectoral systemic framework, and if a reflective analysis is undertaken. Such inquiries would prioritise an understanding of the individual, organisational and systemic factors that influence thinking, feeling and doing. When constructed and experienced as opportunities for individual and collective learning, inquiries have the potential to add value to the whole service system and the practice of frontline workers, along with meeting the need for public accountability.
With us, not to us Towards policy and program development in partnership with children
Authors: Vicary David , Clare Mike , Tennant Judy , Hoult Tine
Published: February 2017

Internationally, there is a growing trend for children and young people to participate in decisions affecting their lives (Bellamy 2002; Hart 1997). The active participation of children and young people is clearly articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). However, despite the international movement towards children's participation, there are precious few opportunities for Australian children and young people to contribute to policy and research debate in a sustainable manner. A review of the literature demonstrates that there are few ongoing research or policy advisory groups made up of children and young people, and those that are operational are generally auspiced by Children's Commissioners (e.g. New South Wales) and policy offices addressing the issues of children and young people.

In Western Australia, when children and young people are consulted, the dialogues tend to be short-term and issue-specific in nature. This paper will briefly discuss a number of techniques employed to engage Western Australian children and young people in dialogues about important issues affecting their lives. Using these examples, the barriers that challenge efficacious children's and young people's participation are discussed; finally, some suggested ways forward are delineated.
Mirror families: Creating extended families for life
Authors: Brunner Claire , O'Neill Cas
Published: February 2017

Foster care is in crisis in most western countries, including Australia. Increasing numbers of children are being placed in out-of-home care at a younger age due to arange of issues, including parental substance abuse.

Mirror Families is an early intervention model which seeks to address the underlying causes of the foster care crisis. It supports positive, lifelong outcomes for vulnerable children and young people who are at risk of being placed outside their birth families or who are already in kinship, foster and permanent care.

This paper focuses on how a ‘village’, or extended family, can be created for each child so that lifelong (and beyond) supportive relationships can be established and nurtured. The key question which informs the model is: ‘Who will be therefor the grandchildren?’
Young children's rough and tumble play: Developing effective policies for educators of pre-schoolers
Authors: Tannock Michelle T.
Published: February 2017

This article outlines rough and tumble play of young children in early childhood settings and strategies for educators seeking to manage the play. Descriptions and a categorization of the elements of rough and tumble play observed as part of a research study are presented which serve as a foundation to interpret and manage the play. An example of effective policy development is presented in support of educators developing effective strategies to successfully incorporate rough and tumble play in their early childhood settings.
Proactive responses to offensive behaviours in out-of-home care
Authors: Larmar Stephen , Clark Julie
Published: February 2017

Children and young people in out-of-home care experience significant challenges in the adjustment process. All family members are affected by the transition of a child or young person into the family and so carers require a unique set of skills and strategies to respond appropriately. This paper is the second in a series of four papers examining responses to a range of challenging behaviours seen in children and young people placed in out-of-home care contexts. The first paper explored strategies that carers could employ to deal with oppositional behaviours identified in the child or young person. This paper considers offensive behaviours that may be evidenced in children and young people, and practical approaches which carers can utilise to respond proactively to such behaviours.
Who's left holding the woman?: Practice issues facing hospital social workers working with women who have infants removed at birth by NSW Department of Community Services
Authors: Wickham Michelle
Published: February 2017

Over the past three years, there has been a significant change in the focus of hospital social work intervention with pregnant women–from supportive counselling relating to motherhood, to systems advocacy within the child protection context.

Hospital social workers in this field have frequently been faced with the inevitable conflicting interests of supporting parents and protecting infants. However, the recent changes have thrown up various ethical questions, and issues of integrity and advocacy, in what is a complex area of practice.

This paper seeks to examine some of the current practice issues for social workers in this area. By examining the current context and literature, several practice themes will be considered and explored. In examining this issue at both the micro level of current hospital social work practice and the macro level of legislative and systemic issues, several best practice suggestions are considered within the context of the author's current workplace.
Children in foster care– Five years on
Authors: Delfabbro Paul , King Daniel , Barber James
Published: February 2017

This paper reviews the findings of the South Australian longitudinal study and the extent to which findings are borne out in subsequent national and international research. Included in this paper is an analysis of several issues in out-of-home care, including the disparity between child and carer numbers, the nature and effects of placement instability, the complexity of child behaviour and family contact. Using some recent findings of the ongoing National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW) study in the United States, the paper shows how many of the South Australian findings have been also borne out in other studies with larger sample sizes and more sophisticated measures. These comparisons suggest that the out-of-home care experiences of children living in both countries may share many similarities. Findings obtained in either country may be more easily translated to inform policy and practice internationally than has been previously thought.
Children's voices: ‘Home is where their heart is’
Authors: Higgins Jenny , Buoy Lynette
Published: February 2017

This paper discusses the negative effects on children who are placed in out-of-home care and the need for early intervention and support for families to enable children to remain at home.
The ‘best interests of the child’ Historical perspectives
Authors: Musgrove Nell , Swain Shurlee
Published: February 2017

In the middle of the nineteenth century, Australian responses to children in need were significantly influenced by the belief that such children posed a threat to society. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, child welfare legislation states that ‘the best interests of the child must always be paramount’ (Children, Youth and Families Act 2005, Victoria). This paper surveys some of the local and overseas influences which directed child welfare practice and policy towards a philosophy in which the wellbeing of the child is central. It suggests that the concept of the child's personal welfare influenced the understandings of welfare officials long before the term ‘best interests’ was widely employed, but also that this transition in thought did not necessarily correlate with marked improvements in the outcomes for children within the welfare system.
The rights of the child in global perspective
Authors: Quartly Marian
Published: February 2017

This paper considers the development of the idea of children's rights, firstly at an international level, and then nationally and locally. Focussing on the central ‘right’ as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) – that ‘the child … should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love, and understanding’ – the paper points to a contradiction implicit here between the child imagined as a rights-bearing individual and the child imagined as in need of protection, by the family and, if necessary, by the state.
One Door: A unified approach for caregivers
Authors: Smith Susan , Sturmfels Debbie
Published: February 2017

New Zealand currently operates separate doors and different entry pathways for people wishing to adopt, foster or offer permanent care for a child. This presentation outlines the work now underway to develop a unified application, preparation, assessment, training and support system for applicants wishing to care for a child, whether by adoption, guardianship or as a transitional (foster) caregiver. Placing the child at the centre, One Door uses a framework comprised of six core attributes for parenting a child not born to you; safety; attachment; resilience; identity; integrity; and support. A challenge for the One Door design team will be the application of the model to the family/whänau caregiver whose entry into the care system is, in the main, through necessity not desire.
The child's best interests … or near enough? A lawyer's perspective
Authors: Zito Ferdinand
Published: February 2017

The ‘best interests of the child’ is rhetoric often applied and to an obscure legal concept. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most important standards, if not the most important, to be applied when attempting to determine what might be the interests of children at law. But as might be the case with other supposedly fundamental principles, there is much ambiguity in the meaning and uncertainty in the application of this principle and the standard it presumes to impose. Not surprisingly, many questions remain unanswered. Firstly, what exactly is the paramount status of the best interests standard? Secondly, in deciding the best interests of the child, does the ultimate responsibility lie with the judge or does it require some judicial deference to community values, as presumably expressed in the legislation? Lastly, does the standard, as it stands today, run the risk of being so general that its application can easily be distorted? Indeed, given the inherent difficulties in articulation and application of the standard, it might be unrealistic to expect mere legal provisions to ease social and emotional tensions that exist in the realm of child welfare today. As children themselves generally do not make applications to the court, their interests inevitably will be dependent on those of other parties, such as parents and the various professionals who assist them. As long as these principles are sought to be upheld in a system which is philosophically and practically adversarial, our ability to promote, maintain and protect the best interests of children will be inhibited. Is near enough good enough … or is it just the best we can do?
Longitudinal trends in child protection statistics in South Australia: A study of unit record data
Authors: Delfabbro Paul , Hirte Craig , Wilson Ros , Rogers Nancy
Published: February 2017

In Australia, it is commonly reported that rates of child protection notifications have increased over time. More and more children in any given year are subject to a child protection notification. On the whole, these conclusions have been based on cross-sectional notification counts or rates recorded in a given year (e.g. AIHW 2009). Although useful, such analyses are limited in that they do not account for the fact that child protection incidents are unevenly distributed across individual cases. Crosssectional analyses also do not indicate the incidence of notifications within a given cohort of children.

In this paper, we summarise the longitudinal and comparative analysis of data relating to children born in 1991, 1998 and 2002. The results highlight the increasingly early involvement of child protection systems in children's lives, higher annual incidence rates, as well as increasingly steep cumulative involvement curves for cohorts tracked from their year of birth. The implications of these findings for mandatory reporting policies are discussed.
Piloting a parenting skills program in an Australian rural child protection setting
Authors: Flaherty Rosemaria , Cooper Rodney
Published: February 2017

This rural pilot study examined the effectiveness of a brief parenting skills intervention delivered to parents/carers of children who had experienced moderate to severe child abuse. The participants were 35 parents/carers living in rural New South Wales, Australia, who were recruited through referrals to a rural community health service. Participants were assessed pre and post the brief parenting skills education program using a battery of standardised self-report measures. Participants were randomly assigned to an immediate intervention group or a 3-month waitlist control group. The intervention was a three session ‘1-2-3 Magic’ parenting program.

T-test analyses indicated that carers who received the intervention reported significant improvements in their mental health and discipline practices, and a significant reduction in child problem behaviour compared to the waitlist control group.

The results of the study suggest that a brief psycho-educational parenting group intervention may be effective for carers of abused children in the short-term.
Children Australia: A proud past and an exciting future
Authors: Pitman Tony
Published: February 2017

Children Australia is entering a new and exciting era in its development. After some 35 years as an academic and practice-oriented publication, the Journal is now set to continue this tradition, but also to broaden its scope in response to the increasing complexity of working with children, young people and their families and carers.

Over nearly four decades, we have enjoyed the support of a number of organisations, key activists in the field and practitioners. Established in 1976 under the title of Australian Child and Family Welfare, the Journal was published by the Children's Welfare Association in Victoria as the quarterly journal of the Child and Family Welfare Council of Australia and funded by the Children's Welfare Foundation. Publication of the journal coincided with a number of key policy changes through the 1970s, and in 1979, during the International Year of the Child, it addressed a range of themes that were paramount in the minds of academics and practitioners both in Australia and overseas. The 1980s saw new challenges in the sector, computerisation, the amalgamations of a range of children's agencies, and devolution of services from government in to the non-Government sector, together with major economic change. By the late 1980s, Australia was in recession and many in the sector were facing major organisational changes, particularly in Victoria under the Kennett government.
Relocation following parental separation
Authors: Taylor Nicola
Published: February 2017

Each year many families relocate to live in new places, but disputes will not usually arise over this when the family is intact because the two parents, and perhaps the children, will reach the decision about shifting together. Nevertheless the move will mean these children are likely to experience the loss of familiar surroundings and close friendships, need to change (pre)schools and start afresh with many aspects of their lives. It is when the parents are already living apart that a proposed relocation by one of them might mean the Courts are called upon to examine the interests at stake and determine the outcome. Relocation in this context has particular poignancy for the children involved because, if their parent's application to relocate is approved by the Court, this might marginalise the role of their other parent in their life.

It is not, of course, uncommon for separated parents to have to move in the aftermath of their relationship breakdown as they re-establish themselves in separate households and negotiate their children's care and contact arrangements. However, when the proposed relocation by the resident parent involves moving such a distance from the non-resident parent that contact visits become problematic, then the potential for a major dispute exists. This is particularly so when there has been a pattern of frequent contact and the non-resident parent refuses to acquiesce in the move. While these cases can be very difficult to resolve by agreement, some separated parents are able to negotiate the relocation without seeking recourse to the legal system.
Emotional intelligence as a framework for understanding core child protection skills
Authors: Withers-Mayne Christelle
Published: February 2017

Child protection is a specialised field but it appears that few studies have attempted to define and explain the competencies, such as self-awareness, self-management and relationship-building, that are fundamental to child protection work. This paper suggests that the construct of emotional intelligence provides a useful framework for articulating these key areas of competence in child protection. To this end, a model of emotional intelligence competencies and associated skills is proposed. Workplace strategies for developing emotional intelligence in the context of child protection are then explored. These include reflective supervision, with its emphasis on thinking, feeling and doing, and interactive training exercises.
Developments in Australian laws requiring the reporting of suspected child sexual abuse
Authors: Mathews Ben , Goddard Chris , Lonne Bob , Short Stephanie , Briggs Freda
Published: February 2017

Thousands of Australian children are sexually abused every year, and the effects can be severe and long lasting. Not only is child sexual abuse a public health problem, but the acts inflicted are criminal offences. Child sexual abuse usually occurs in private, typically involving relationships featuring a massive imbalance in power and an abuse of that power. Those who inflict child sexual abuse seek to keep it secret, whether by threats or more subtle persuasion. As a method of responding to this phenomenon and in an effort to uncover cases of sexual abuse that otherwise would not come to light, governments in Australian States and Territories have enacted legislation requiring designated persons to report suspected child sexual abuse. With Western Australia’s new legislation having commenced on 1 January 2009, every Australian State and Territory government has now passed these laws, so that there is now, for the first time, an almost harmonious legislative approach across Australia to the reporting of child sexual abuse. Yet there remain differences in the State and Territory laws regarding who has to make reports, which cases of sexual abuse are required to be reported, and whether suspected future abuse must be reported. These differences indicate that further refinement of the laws is required.