bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Families Create Action Support Networks Family Power: Social Change Project
Authors: Wright Cliff
Published: March 2016

A visit to Australia (February 12-16, 1979) by Dr. Masamba ma Mpolo, Secretary of the Office of Family Education, World Council of Churches, Geneva, has stimulated great interest in the Family Power: Social Change project, which is part of the family ministries programme of the World Council of Churches.

The project is rooted in insights I find exciting — the belief that families need not just succumb to external pressures and become victims of outside forces; they need not wait for commercial interests, television and radio, newspapers and magazines, films and advertisements, patronizing and matronizing social service bodies to tell them what to do, what to think, what to buy, what value systems to uphold, what goals for living to accept. They can become more self-reliant, more liberated, less other directed, be makers of history. Fatalistic, hand-wringing despair can be replaced by courageous grappling with issues, in a spirit of hope. In line with the Old Testament prophets, families can both denounce evil elements involving injustice and manipulation, and can announce new possibilities for a more truly human society (see Paulo Freire, Cultural Action for Freedom, Penguin).
Children of One Parent Families
Authors: English Brian A.
Published: March 2016

Social policy may be defined in a general sense as the conscious process by which members of a society, or some large sub-section of a society, collectively seek enduring solutions to the problems that affect them. Social policy refers particularly, but not only, to the actions of governments and to the activities of large organisations and institutions. It is now generally accepted that the concerns of social policy have at least to do with questions of social justice, equity and environmental protection, although there is much debate about specific application of these values or of the lower order values that might be derived from them

An extensive literature on social policy now exists. This literature deals with the principles or philosophy underlying the process of formal policy making, the development and current extent of policies in selected nations or in relation to specific population groups or social problems and also deals in a normative way with the actual activities to be undertaken in the formulation and implementation of social policies.
Understanding Parenthood
Authors: Charlesworth Stephanie
Published: March 2016

The subject of parents and children is so immense and so much discussed that it takes a certain effrontery to write yet another article on it. I do, however, have a slightly original slant in that I am not concerned so much with how parents affect their children, but with the effects that children have on their parents.

Practically everybody has strong impressions of their own parents, even if they are not parents themselves, so that everyone has some kind of experience of parent child relationships. Sometimes this experience leads to understanding and insight: sometimes it leads to distortion and bias. In order to move away from the sort of discussion that is either an exchange, or a confrontation of various people's experiences, I propose to use two different approaches. The first will try to elucidate the structure of the dominant contemporary mode of parents-children relationships. The second will examine alternative ways of viewing parent-child relationships.
Promoting Client and Worker Competence in Child Welfare
Authors: Maluccio Anthony N.
Published: March 2016

In the field of child welfare there is general agreement about the inadequacies and questionable effectiveness of the service delivery system. Study after study suggests that there is a wide gap between the promise of child welfare services and their performance. For instance, while the goal of a permanent home for each child has become accepted at the philosophical level, it is still far from being realized in practice, for many children are drifting in temporary, inappropriate placements.

Various solutions to these problems are usually offered, including more staff, more and better training, improved practice technology, and social action or social reform. While all these remedies are important, none would deal adequately with a recurring problem, namely, the failure of the service delivery system to promote the competence of clients and social workers in carrying out their roles and coping with life challenges. Much could be accomplished if we reconceptualized and changed practice so that it might be more conducive to the effective functioning of clients as well as social workers.
Cot Death
Authors: Williams Alan
Published: March 2016

Every fourth morning in Melbourne a mother goes to pick up her baby from its cot only to find that her baby is dead. This statement, which ignores the seasonal incidence of cot death, does indicate however both the frequency and the tragic drama of cot death.

The first recorded case of probable cot death in Australia was recorded in 1810. I say probable as we have no means of knowing whether it would really fit the currently accepted definition of cot death which is “the sudden and unexpected death of an infant in whom a thorough post mortem examination does not disclose an adequate cause of death”. Some infants do die suddenly and unexpectedly from diseases such as myocarditis, meningitis, and gastro-enteritis. But these conditions are readily recognised by the pathologist who examines the baby after death. It is when he is unable to find evidence of any such lethal disease after a thorough examination that he records his verdict as cot death, or as it is usually labelled these days, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS.
‘In Care’—Kill or cure
Authors: Crossley Rosemary
Published: March 2016

Most readers will be aware of Rosemary Crossley’s work with Anne McDonald and the court case which gave Anne permission to leave the institution and live with Rosemary. The following article reflects Rosemary’s strong concern with respect to the care of residents of institutions. We publish the paper because it reflects the personal view of someone who has been involved in the care of children with disability.
Families, Children and Alcoholism
Authors: Hasen Maurie
Published: March 2016

In dealing with alcohol abuse, a focus on the family is of importance. Conversely, in dealing with problematic children or families there is good reason to recognise the possibility of alcohol abuse. Awareness of the possible adaptiveness of alcohol in the family may assist the professional in helping the family to move.
The ‘Only Child’ as an Issue in Adoption Policy: Myth & Evidence
Authors: Kraus J.
Published: March 2016

Neither State nor private adoption agencies in Australia give preference to childless applicants over applicants who already have one child. This policy is presumed to be in ‘the best interest of the child’, and is based on the belief that being an only child leads to maladjustment. Empirical evidence indicates, however, that in general only children are in fact better adjusted than children from larger families. Consequently, not only has the existing policy no substance but also it denies natural justice to the childless couples who have to wait to start their adoptive family.

In the past two decades there has been a complete reversal of the supply/demand situation in the area of child adoption in Australia. At present, the number of children available for adoption is so small relative to the number of potential adopters, that approved applicants have to wait for up to eight years in N.S.W. before they can expect to have a child allotted to them. The length of this waiting period seems excessive not only in terms of the applicants’ expectations but also in terms of ordinary common sense values of the general community. If the situation is to be remedied, there is a need for a more flexible adoption policy suited to the prevailing social circumstances. A facet of this policy, which could shorten the waiting period possibly by half if adapted to the existing situation, is the proviso that all other things being equal childless applicants are given no preference over applicants who already have a natural or adopted child.
Permanency Planning: a redefinition
Authors: Maluccio Anthony N. , Fein Edith
Published: March 2016

As a practice method, permanency planning has been on the scene long enough to require re-evaluation of its underlying theory and implications for social work. The authors therefore offer a comprehensive definition of permanency planning and describe its major features in detail.

Concern about the phenomenon of drift in foster care has given rise to the practice called permanency planning — the process of taking prompt, decisive action to maintain children in their own homes or place them permanently with other families. This is an important movement in child welfare, and there is a continuing need to clarify its meaning so as to promote its development in theory and practice. Following a brief review of the literature, we therefore propose a comprehensive definition of permanency planning and delineate its major components.
Emergency Department Guidelines for Suspected Child Abuse
Authors: Barbour Janie
Published: March 2016

These guidelines are given to medical practioners at the Adelaide Children’s Hospital. They demonstrate how recognition of child abuse is introduced to this group of practioners.

“The index of suspicion must be high”.

We as the front line of this hospital must be aware of parents with the potential to abuse; the child seen by them as sufficiently difficult, who provokes their potential; (it involves all socio-economic groups) and circumstances sufficiently stressful to tip the balance!
Stress, Empathy and Child Abuse
Authors: Lieberman Florence
Published: March 2016

Poverty and external stress are often emphasized as the primary precipitants of child abuse. Such a perspective does injustice to the complexity of the interactions between parent and child, to the intricacies of human behavior and to the realities of child abuse. Though social, economic and other deprivations influence, develop and exacerbate physical, mental and emotional difficulties, they do not explain sufficiently why some individuals neglect and abuse children, and others in the same situation do not. This paper will develop ideas about stress and empathy as they contribute to the problem.
Child Protective Services: A Comparative Examination
Authors: Swain Phillip A.
Published: March 2016

Human service networks are completely unwieldy and changeable, and analysis of them is no simple task. Nevertheless, the examination of two such systems – in Michigan, U.S.A. and in Victoria, Australia – ought to enable some conclusions to be drawn as to the effectivenesss and implications of two alternative implementations of basically similar policies for the protection of children. Such an examination is here attempted, using for comparison the Child Protection Units operating under the auspice of the Michigan Department of Social Services in Michigan, U.S.A., and those operated by the Children’s Protection Society in Victoria, Australia.
Child Abuse
Authors: Walton Barbara
Published: March 2016

The following articles won for the author, Barbara Walton, the Australian Child and Family Welfare journal award for journalism. The articles were published by the Shepparton News in aseries of three articles in March, 1980. In June, 1980 it was announced that the Coulburn Valley branch of the Children’s Protection Society had received a grant of $32,000. It was considered that the articles by Barbara Walton had contributed to the movement to strengthen the Children’s Protection Society in the area.
Youths in Treatment
Authors: Ford Dennis , Beltchev George
Published: March 2016

It is the present trend in dealing with youthful offenders that diversion techniques be utilized whenever possible. Staff and administration of existing treatment centres are to be commended for their efforts to reduce the number of youths placed in those institutions for treatment. However, there remains continual pressure from various areas to view these institutions as a desirable placement for any youth having behaviour problems in the community. Every effort should be made to view placement at these institutions as a last, and in most cases, an undesirable alternative treatment. It has been noted by various persons that while institutionalized, a youth learns “new and better techniques for committing additional delinquent acts upon his release (Wittey and Lawrence, 1973 p. 15).” Further rationale for discouraging placement in these institutions have been noted by others in stating that youths are labelled delinquent by being placed in such institutions and that once a youth acquires such a label, there is no effective way to remove it (e.g. Faust, 1973 and Elssuer, 1969).
Child Abuse — The Legal Framework
Authors: Chisolm Richard
Published: March 2016

A previous issue of this journal has been devoted to child abuse, and of course there is endless discussion in many places of the pros and cons of mandatory reporting laws. But non-lawyers must find it difficult to see the general picture of the laws relating to child abuse. Here is an attempt to provide one.
Non-Accidental Injury to Children: A Possible Treatment Program
Authors: Ford Dennis , Dawson Carol
Published: March 2016

While a great deal of effort has been directed toward the diagnosis of the battered child syndrome, perhaps Australia should direct the majority of its effort and money toward the implementation and evaluation of treatment programmes. It is proposed that the more effective treatment programme is based in the home of the family with initial daily home visits by the therapist to implement and teach proven techniques.
The Response to Disaster of Individuals & Families Within Their Community
Authors: Wraith Ruth , Gordon Rob
Published: March 2016

In a natural disaster situation the predominent experience is confusion. It occurs because disastrous events, by their very nature, disrupt the expected familiar pattern of life. The physical environment is usually drastically altered; sometimes it is almost unrecognizable. Death, injury or the threat of them, introduce new and powerful experiences of danger. Evacuation and the influx of combatant and relief workers, replace ordered and familiar community life with a disoriented, emotional mass of people.

In this, as in any situation of confusion, people fall back on what is familiar, to orient themselves. This means they may not immediately recognise what is new and unique to the disaster. They tend to focus on definite, tangible problems. The ovewhelming physical needs are quite rightly the first to be addressed. Many physical requirements have to be met in a matter of hours. When concentrating on providing necessary services, it is difficult to be understanding of the new personal and community responses that take place.
Community Recovery Following the Ash Wednesday Bushfires
Authors: Hill John , Hill Helen , Gray Sue
Published: March 2016

The fires of Ash Wednesday, 1983 have been a significant turning-point in the history of disaster management concepts and practices in Australia. Disaster recovery management has been identified as an important area of management in its own right, containing complex and prolonged programs and activities and requiring the participation of the affected community and involvement from the wide community.

Recovery from disaster is no longer seen merely in terms of response and relief activities, or as a physical process of reconstruction. It is an enabling and supportive process, which allows individuals, families and communities to attain a proper level of functioning through the provision of information, resources and specialist services.
Some Considerations in Planning for and Managing Community Recovery Following Disaster
Authors: Gartland Kerry
Published: March 2016

Understanding of what constitutes a disaster has altered over time in accordance with changing notions of cause and effects. The “Black Death” which swept Europe was then regarded as inevitable, with some religious groups descibing it as “An Act of God”. Perception of disaster has moved from an emphasis on the physical effects of an event, such as cyclone, fire or chemical explosion, to a perception that the extent of deleterious effects is predominately a social issue.

“Sociologically, a disaster is an event, located in time and space, that produces conditions whereby the continuity of the structure and processes of social units becomes problematic. Disaster agents may differ as to their cause, frequency, controllability, speed and onset, length of forewarning, duration, scope of impact and destructive potential” (Dynes, 1975).
Personal and Family Responses to Disaster: The Longer Term Perspective
Authors: Gordon Rob , Wraith Ruth
Published: March 2016

The disruption of disasters and the protracted recovery period following, can cause a variety of problems in the longer term. The authors identify a number of problems from clinical work with bushfire-affected families, including deterioration in the general fabric of family life, disruption of children's developmental pathways, reactivation of past traumatic experiences, and changes in self-concept and identity. The community context of assistance is emphasised.
”Killing the Fire Dragon”. Recovery from Bushfires in a Semi-Rural Environment
Authors: Hill Helen
Published: March 2016

Following the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983 it became apparent that communities affected by the fires would require additional resources and support at a local level in the task of helping people recover from disaster. Since experience has shown that communities recover best when they are able to plan and manage their own recovery, the State Government accepted a recommendation of the Department of Community Services, to fund through Local Government the short -term appointment of Community Development Officers, who would be responsible to the Area Co-ordinationg Committee. These individuals would be members of the affected communities with particular skils in helping people, families and the community to gain access to the information, resources, services and supports they would need.
The Myths of Response to Disaster by People and Communities
Authors: Gordon Rob , Wraith Ruth
Published: March 2016

This article first appreared in “The Macedon Digest”, Volume 1, No. 3, September 1986. Published by the Australian Counter Disaster College, Mt. Macedon, Victoria.
Culture Shock Can Hurt
Authors: Grassby A. J.
Published: March 2016

It is important right at the outset to define the problem about which we are concerned and its dimensions.

I have to take some issue with the reference to the “migrant family”.

In a multi-cultural society such as ours we must recognise that we, the non-Aboriginal people, are all migrants of one generation or seven.
Foster Care for Intellectually handicapped children
Authors: Volard Jill , Forrest Frank
Published: March 2016

Over the past twenty years, concepts and ideas about the care of the intellectually handicapped have been changing. These changes are largely based on the principle of “normalisation” which originated in Scandinavia and in essence implies that the intellectually handicapped should experience as nearly as possible, and in keeping with their special needs and capabilities, normal community living (Nirge).
Facing Decision in an Artificial Insemination by Donor Programme
Authors: Bonython Alison
Published: March 2016

A service offering artificial insemination with Donor semen (A.I.D.) commenced in June 1976 at the Royal Women's Hospital. This service was established mainly because adoption is no longer readily available to anyone with problems of infertility, the number of adoptable children having been dramaticaly reduced over the last 3 years. Twenty-five percent of infertile couples are so due to the husband's infertility. With the advent of programmes such as at the Royal Women's Hospital, these couples are able to consider an alternative means to having a family, especially if they can extend their view of parenthood beyond the biological aspect, to the rearing of children.
Economic Climate Worsens for Families
Authors: Scott David
Published: March 2016

“I don't know how they manage,” is the usual middle class response to being told of the incomes of people dependent on pensions and low wages. Genuine concern is tempered by the knowledge that in some way ‘they’ do manage. There is no apparent starvation, few reports of malnutrition. There are no people begging in the streets or living in packing cases, except of course the aborigines, who have always been seen as exceptions.
Outreach — Strengthening Families Under Stress
Authors: Lindsay Rae
Published: March 2016

The Family Service Centre, a voluntary social work agency attached to the University of Western Australia first opened its doors to clients on the 16th May 1977.

The idea of establishing a broadbased family centre attached to the Social Work Department at U.W.A. was first mooted in 1974 in the Department's Triennium Submission for 1976-78 to the Australian Universities Commission and still remains a novelty in the Australian social work education scene. The sixth A.U.C. Report, in fact, expressed considerable interest in the idea by stating that "it might support a contribution to the academic staffing of such a development on the same basis as a University teaching hospital". Unfortunately, the lapse of this Report for political reasons, meant that this and other proposals contained in it were either shelved, lapsed or had to be reactivated within a different policy framework.
The New South Wales Community Welfare Act 1982 and Foster Parents
Authors: Chisholm Richard
Published: March 2016

The Community Welfare Act 1982 was passed by the New South Wales Parliament and received Royal Assent on 25 May 1982. However, it is not yet in force: the Act itself provides that it will come into force on a day appointed by the Governor and notified by proclamation. This means it can come into force when the government decides that it should. It is possible for parts of it to be brought into force at different times.

The Act is long and complex. Rather than attempt a general overview of it, this paper will consider what the Act says on issues of special concern to foster parents.
British Responses to Juvenile Delinquency: Incorporating Experiences in England and Wales and Where Relevant, Scotland
Authors: Yach Dianna M.
Published: March 2016

“Once upon a time … violence and disorder were unknown in Britain. The hallowed traditions of the ‘British way of life’ were founded upon civility, reasonableness and an unquestioning respect for law and authority …” (Pearson).
Children's Rights: What Children Think about them
Authors: Nixon Mary , Haron Fatimah
Published: March 2016

Child abuse and neglect can be thought of as violations of children's rights. Declarations of children's rights have been formulated by adults; they are intended to be internationally valid, but little attempt has been made to find out what children themselves think about their rights, in any country.

This study compared the views of Malaysian children and young adults with those of Australians. In both countries the right to love, affection and understanding ranked highly. Few children ranked highly their rights to freedom from fear of harm, or to protection; young adults ranked them more highly than the children. Most young people perceived schools as holding views very different from their own on children's rights. If schools are to perform a useful function in preventing abuse and neglect, children's views of schools may need to change, perhaps through changes in the schools.
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy: The Need for Service Integration
Authors: Batten Robyn
Published: March 2016

Baron Karl Frederick Van Munchausen was famous throughout Europe in the 18th century for tales of his adventures which were of doubtful authenticity. In 1951 the term Munchausen syndrome was coined to describe adults who fabricated histories of illness, produced false physical signs and laboratory findings to deceive doctors and receive unwarranted medical treatment and operations. Munchausen syndrome by proxy was first described by Dr. Roy Meadow (1977) as a form of child abuse in which an illness is fabricated in a child by a parent.
An Alternative to the Concept of Children's Rights . .
Authors: Foreman Lynne
Published: March 2016

In the past few years discussion concerning the composition of children's rights seems to have oscillated between the conservative statements of such august bodies as the United Nations (1) and the extreme stand of those who advocate “kid power”. (2) The. meaning of the term “children's rights” has become obscured and is in danger of becoming a gimmicky catchphrase which ignores the broader framework of intertwining rights, interests and obligations that involve interaction between the child, the family, the State and other individuals and groups who have an interest in their welfare.
Service Delivery to Indo-Chinese Refugee Children — The South Australian Experience
Authors: Lim Saik
Published: March 2016

This paper will discuss some of the issues arising from the South Australian experience in the resettlement of Indo-Chinese refugee children. The main emphasis of this paper will be on the issue of service delivery to these refugee children and the problems arising from their adjustment to a new and foreign environment.
The Education of Spanish Speaking Children in Australia – a Case to Answer
Authors: Valiente Miguel R.
Published: March 2016

Australians are being bombarded day after day with a series of words and expressions which fortunately — or perhaps unfortunately — are becoming more and more familiar to the ear of Mr Average: ‘ethnic’, ‘multicultural’, ‘multilingual’, ‘social integration’, ‘cultural shock’, ‘cultural identity’, ‘social interaction’, just to mention a few of them. Fortunately, because it indicates that it is being accepted in an increasingly natural way the fact that the migrant phenomenon is a dignified social reality which has and will continue to have a leading role in the shaping of the present and future structure of Australia politically, economically and culturally. The general, although still slow, acceptance of this basic truth represents a healthy sign and an indication that our society appears to be moving in the right direction.
Marital Breakdown as Bereavement: A Partial Explanation for Access Disputes
Authors: Smiley G.W.
Published: March 2016

The increasing incidence of marriage breakdown in this country has resulted in greater numbers of children being involved in the social arrangement of access. Yet confusion and ambivalence are the usual responses to contact between the child and separated parent. Courts and the general community seem to hold the view that access is beneficial to children but such benefits are not clearly enunciated or understood.
Legal Aid for Children: Some Reflections
Authors: Lucas Brian
Published: March 2016

In its Second Main Report, Law and Poverty in Australia, the Commission of Inquiry into Poverty expressed the view that “legal representation for children appearing before the children's court, whether in the criminal or protective jurisdiction, is necessary if justice is to be done.”

This view coincides with the opinion of the Supreme Court of the United States of America in In re Gault. It has been said that this decision “unleashed a frontal assault on the juvenile court system.” It confirmed that juveniles were entitled to “due process” and the same protection which the Fourteenth Amendment and the Bill of Rights afforded to adults.
Children's Rights
Authors: Turner J. Neville
Published: March 2016

The recent soccer tradegy at Brussels has no doubt many explanations, but one thing is certain. The offending Liverpool football supporters largely consisted of youths who had been greatly deprived in their childhood. Anyone who has been to Liverpool will be aware of the miserable living conditions that many families find themselves in. It is hardly surprising that children from this upbringing turned into hooligans who so disgraced their country.

Children are the citizens of the future. The future of Australia too depends on the children of today. It is therefore urgent that we protect the interests of children, who, of course, do not have a voice of their own.

This Bureau is one of the few organizations in Australia concerned to see that legislation is passed which is truly in the best interests of children. There are many areas which give rise to great concern.
All Responsibility and No Care
Authors: Carney Terry
Published: March 2016

The theme of this Conference is All Care and No Responsibility while the title assigned to this paper is All Responsibility and No Care. Consistent with what I understand to be the focus of this title, the paper will examine various aspects of the system of governmental and no governmental care for the child deemed to be in need of some protective care from the state. The paper will concentrate on the present arrangements for admitting a child to wardship and consider possible alternatives to wardship and alternatives to institutional care for wards.
Defining the Residential Task
Authors: Brown Christopher
Published: March 2016

It is important to seek an accurate working definition of the residential care worker's major tasks. This involves making some arbitrary divisions between aspects of caring functions. Some of these divisions relate to aspects such as physical care functions, creating a total living situation, relating to families, and using resources of specialists. These aspects are presented diagrammatically and discussed. It is concluded that a definition of residential care functions is one key in the future development of residential care services.
Are There Sheep in Heaven? — The Social Worker, the dying Child & his Family
Authors: Campbell Marie
Published: March 2016

There is no more emotionally searing situation for those in the healing and helping professions than a diagnosis of fatal illness in the child, with death the inevitable outcome. Medical and nursing staffs of hospitals are deeply committed to preserving life for the child, and with advances in medical science, every effort is made to ward off the threatening illness, and achieve increased recession, in the continuing hope that some cure may be found. In this battle for life, the emotional needs of the child himself too often have been denied, overlooked or not considered as part of the total caring programme. It is only more recently that the response and adaptation of the child himself to a life threatening illness are being recognised as requiring the same consideration and skill which is given to the management of the disease.
Behavioural Casework and Failure to Thrive
Authors: Herbert Martin , Iwaniec D.
Published: March 2016

To see the twins, Jimmy and Wayne Grant, together — on one of our home visits — is to understand something of what the paediatric term ‘failure to thrive’ means. Jimmy is a chubby, rose-cheeked boisterous two-year old. He appears to be a happy, mischievous boy, running, playing, talking and laughing. He comes to his mother for help and comfort and cuddles up to her spontaneously. He responds readily to her attention and affection. She smiles at him, picks him up, sits him on her lap, plays with him, answers his questions, watches his movements, warns him when he is in danger.

On the edge of the room, like a stranger, stands Wayne — posture rigid, staring fixedly at us. He isasad, lethargic looking child, very small and extremely thin. His pale face throws into relief the dark shadows under his eyes. He remains in one spot, as if at attention; by now he is gazing unswervingly at his mother. She takes no notice of him. When asked to call Wayne over to her she looks in his direction; as she does so her face hardens and her eyes are angry. She addresses him with a dry command; when he hestitates she shouts at him.
Child Abuse: The Safety of the Home
Authors: Goddard Christopher R.
Published: March 2016

Child abuse is now perceived to be a major social problem. It is only in recent years, however, that this phenomenon has become part of public consciousness. Social workers, residential workers, doctors, infant welfare sisters, police and others are apparently spending more of their time dealing with the problem. This increasing demand on the professional's time has been matched by the growth of material written on Child Abuse: Kalisch, (1978), provides some two thousand references, the vast majority appearing in the last twenty years.

The literature, however, is predominantly concerned with identification of the child at risk, the incidence of child abuse, and the establishment of systems dealing with the problem. Unfortunately very little has been written about a central and crucial issue: the safety of the home.
Children's Rights — Are They Wrong?
Authors: Clyde Margaret
Published: March 2016

This is the year after International Year of the Child; most readers will perceive this as an unnecessary statement as there would be few of us who have not been affected by IYC in some way. Some of us would have attended meetings, conferences, seminars and the like to listen to a veritable plethora of learned, witty, earnest and serious speakers discourse on the rights of the child, and participate in the resulting debates. Others of us made ourselves unpopular with friends and relatives alike by extolling the virtues of IYC, T shirts, sweat shirts, car stickers, badges and other gaudy memorabilia, not to mention raucous renditions of the ubiquitous “Care for Kids” song at some largely inappropriate moment.
Some Children at Risk in Victoria in the 19th Century
Authors: Judge Cliff , Emmerson Roma
Published: March 2016

The Gold Rush in 1851 meant sorrow and suffering for many adults. The story of children of this period is not as well known. The roving life of parents in search of gold, their fluctuating fortunes and frequent fatal accidents in the mines contributed to the plight of their offspring. In 1852 Canvas Town on the west side of St Kilda Road, in Melbourne, held over 7,000 people. There were, of course, many waifs and strays who suffered the hardships of a canvas town and the general social misfortune of the times. The ground was swampy and children’s diseases often swept the encampment. Death was commonplace. There was also a large number of children in gaols in 1858, not because they had committed any crime but because there was simply nowhere else to go. Finally a number of children during this era were confined to workhouses by magistrates.
Diabetes mellitus and extrapulmonary tuberculosis: site distribution and risk of mortality
Authors: MAGEE M. J. , FOOTE M. , RAY S. M. , GANDHI N. R. , KEMPKER R. R.
Published: March 2016

Scarce data exist on the relationship between diabetes and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). We evaluated whether diabetes impacts site of TB and risk of death in patients with EPTB. We evaluated a cohort of TB cases from the state of Georgia between 2009 and 2012. Patients aged ⩾16 years were classified by diabetes status according to medical records. Site of EPTB was determined by culture and/or state TB classification. Death was defined by all-cause mortality. Of 1325 eligible reported TB cases, 369 (27·8%) had any EPTB including 258 (19·5%) with only EPTB and 111 (8·4%) with pulmonary TB and EPTB. Of all TB cases, 158 had diabetes (11·9%). In multivariable analysis, the odds of any EPTB was similar in patients with and without diabetes [adjusted odds ratio 1·04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·70–1·56]. The risk of death was 23·8% in patients with EPTB and diabetes vs. 9·8% in those with no diabetes (P < 0·01); after adjusting for covariates the difference was not significant (aRR 1·19, 95% CI 0·54–2·63). Diabetes was common in patients with EPTB and risk of death was high. Improved understanding of the relationship between diabetes and EPTB is critical to determine the extent that diabetes affects TB diagnosis and clinical management.
PRANGOS ABIETICOLA (APIACEAE), A NEW SPECIES FROM SOUTH ANATOLIA, TURKEY
Authors: Aytaç Z. , Duman H.
Published: March 2016

Prangos abieticola Aytaç & H.Duman (Apiaceae) from southern Anatolia, Turkey is described and illustrated. This new taxon grows on calcareous rocks in open Abies cilicica (Antoine & Kotschy) Carrière and Pinus nigra J.F.Arnold subsp. nigra var. caramanica (Loudon) Rehder forest in the middle of the Taurus Mountains (C3 Antalya and Konya Province). It is endemic and closely related to Prangos heyniae H.Duman & M.F.Watson and P. ferulacea (L.) Lindl. The diagnostic morphological characters of similar taxa are discussed.
TWO NEW SPECIES OF ANDEAN BEGONIA (BEGONIACEAE)
Authors: Tebbitt M. C.
Published: March 2016

Two new species of Begonia (Begoniaceae) from Andean South America are described and illustrated. Begonia heliantha Tebbitt is classified in B. sect. Eupetalum and is known from the Puno Region of Peru and has also been tentatively identified from photographs taken in La Paz Department of Bolivia. Begonia urubambensis Tebbitt is affiliated with a group of species currently classified in B. sect. Knesebeckia. This group of species is informally named here the B. acerifolia group. Begonia sect. Knesebeckia is polyphyletic since the B. acerifolia group does not include the type species of the section. Ongoing research aims to recircumscribe this section. Begonia urubambensis is not assigned to a section given the changes needed to the sectional classification system. Begonia urubambensis is a narrow endemic of La Convención Province (Cusco Region) of Peru. Begonia heliantha is assigned the IUCN category of Data Deficient (DD), while B. urubambensis is assigned the IUCN category of Vulnerable (VU-D2).
The Rights of Australia's Children in a Global Context
Authors: Mason David
Published: March 2016

By world standards, human rights, including the rights of children, are relatively well respected and protected in Australia. But, on human rights generally and concerning children in particular, there are significant gaps and areas where we need to do better. This emerges clearly from a review of the state of Australia's children such as that presented in this special journal issue. It is also clear that we need to develop structures to perform just this kind of national stocktake on a national basis, and to have the results translated into effective action.
“Justice and Security For Our Children”: The Rights of Children and Education
Authors: Preston Noel
Published: March 2016

Jean Jacques Rousseau is arguably the grandfather of the modern discussion amongst educational theorists regarding the rights of the child. His own childhood was by contemporary standards a disaster and that of his own children even more so; nevertheless Rousseau laid down a programme for the education of one fictional male child, Emile. The proposal was radical in as much as it implied a child-centred focus for learning rather than a content-centered approach associated with the classical and mediaeval curriculum. Writing just before the dawn of modern democratic practices and two centuries before conventions of human rights, this romantic rogue reformer, was midwife to the tradition in education which focusses on the child. The discussion of this paper emerges from that tradition.
Child Abuse: Prevention and Infliction by the Removal of the Child From the Home
Authors: Bishop Frank
Published: March 2016

This paper incorporates three separate levels of information acquired slowly from clinical experience:

a)

From clinical research into maltreated children and their parents.

b)

From the assessment and treatment of maltreated children removed from parental care and adopted as Special Needs Children with unfroseen results.

c)

From the assessment for legal purposes of the emotional status of parents who have seriously injured or killed their children and who had not received treatment in their own childhood, despite their severe distress levels.

Their are five separate types of childhood experience which may interfere seriously with that individual's capacity to be a parent when this time arrives. They are:

1. Physical maltreatment; 2. Maternal deprivation; 3. Institutionalisation in early childhood; 4. Constant destructive criticism from a parent; 5. Premature demands for parenting behaviour.
The Sexually Abused Child: Female and Male Victims Compared
Authors: Hiller P.C. , Goddard C.R.
Published: March 2016

In the last fifteen years a great deal of material has been published on child sexual abuse. All violence within the home retains a significant element of secrecy, but child sexual abuse has remained a shadowy secret longer than other forms of intra-familial assault. The battle to draw attention to physical abuse of children within the family was hard fought but controversy over child sexual abuse retains its intensity.

There are disagreements over the scale of the problem (Glaser and Frosh, 1988; Search. 1988) and the research findings concerning the effects of child sexual abuse vary ‘wildly’ (O'Hagan, 1989:53). Some myths about the problem however, have been successfully challenged. The stranger is no longer seen as the main danger and it is recognised that most perpetrators are members of the victim's immediate or extended family or known to the victim (Goddard, 1988).
Aboriginal Children and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Pertinent comment from the NCBA Report “Where Rights are Wronged”
Authors: Durrant Jenny
Published: March 2016

Where Rights Are Wronged: A critique of Australia's compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Childwas published in March of this year. It is a report of the National Children's Bureau of Australia for the Children's Rights Coalition by consultants Graeme Brewer and Phillip Swain.
Aboriginal Concepts of the Family
Authors: Walker Yolanda
Published: March 2016

The Aboriginal family unit has seen many changes since European invasion. Like families all over the world, the Aboriginal family is the place where social behaviour is constructed, interpreted and transmitted from one generation to another. This is a process which has continued since the invasion of white man. Aboriginal people see the family as a place of nurturing, with the ability to provide and teach. When one or both of these factors is not functioning adequately, a family breakdown can occur.
A rejoinder: the real story of the H&CS Enterprise Competency Standards
Authors: Burgell Bob
Published: March 2016

The article ‘A Word Salad - Enterprise Based Competencies in Child Protection’, Children Australia 18 (2) 1993 by Dr. Lesley Cooper, examines the Victorian Department of Health and Community Services (H&CS) Skills Enhancement Project (SEP). H&CS plainly rejects the negative criticisms of the skill analysis work which the article espouses.
Somebody's children: Child exports to the colonies
Authors: Goddard Chris
Published: March 2016

White Australia was founded by exporting convicts from Britain. According to Fabian and Loh (1980) until the 1820s, about a quarter of those convicts were aged 18 years or less. While this is now common knowledge, the full scale of child exportation from Britain has only recently come to public attention.

The interest that this former child welfare practice has aroused is largely due to the work of a social worker. Margaret Humphreys, who founded the Child Migrant's Trust.
To attach or not? …the burning question
Authors: O'Neill Cas
Published: March 2016

This article explores the difficulties and joys of older child adoption. While many children and their families grow towards a secure attachment over months or years, this will probably never be of the same intensity as that between parents and their biological children. For some families, the role of loving caretakers may be the best possible outcome for a child with attachment difficulties.
Fathers' involvement in child rearing: Chasing an ideal or challenging barriers?
Authors: Holland Annette
Published: March 2016

Identifying and describing factors which influence men's participation in child rearing has been the focus of major studies on fatherhood over the past two decades. Traditional divisions of labour within the domestic sphere are being redefined and challenged as greater equity in parental role tasks has become a desirable characteristic of contemporary family life. Recent research has shown that many men, far from being reluctant participants in parenting tasks, frequently experience discouragement in their attempts at greater involvement in the raising of their children. This paper reports on studies which describe institutional, interpersonal and intrapersonal barriers which men may experience in their attempts to create a more nurturant style of fatherhood, including fathers' reactions to these barriers.
The prevention of child abuse, part one: Community resources
Authors: Hawkins Russell M.F. , McDonald Rosalie A. , Davison Sandra , Coy Steve R.
Published: March 2016

The literature reveals greater emphasis on the causes and consequences of child abuse than on its prevention. A field study in an Australian capital city shows that while substantial amounts of information and services for people experiencing problems with parenting exist in the community, access to these sources is problematic. Improvements in efficiency or increases in funding will not, by themselves resolve the problem and strategies to change the more fundamental problem of public denial of the problem of child abuse will be required.
Co-ordination of services for children suffering with emotional, psychological, behavioural and social disorders
Authors: Luntz Jennifer J.
Published: March 2016

In many areas of human services delivery high quality service provision is only possible through inter-agency co-ordination. This article discusses the literature as applied to school aged children and adolescents suffering with emotional, psychological, behavioural and social disturbances although the issues and principles have much wider applicability. Enthusiasm and goodwill are essential but insufficient components of good co-ordination. Also necessary is the development of co-ordinative structures. The paper is the first in a series of three. It defines concepts essential to a discussion of the area, looks at some general issues and describes models used in three American States which could be adapted to local conditions. The second paper will look at the collaborative efforts taken to adapt the ideas presented in this paper In a region of Metropolitan Melbourne and the third will present the model which evolved through the collaborative process.
Breaking the cycle: Taking responsibility for independence
Authors: Wilson Sandy , Waterhouse Merrin , Simons Val , Prichard Leanne , Moeara Max , Dorrough Damian
Published: March 2016

Young people in care need assistance to develop the skills and support networks necessary for successful independence. The Transition from Care Program was developed by the Department of Family Services and Islander Affairs in Queensland to meet this need. The authors describe this program and provide the details of a study conducted to compare the social circumstances, over time, of a group of young people who participated in the program. It was found that the young people became progressively better prepared for independence over the period of the study.
Putting an end to physical punishment
Authors: Newell Peter
Published: March 2016

This paper was presented at a seminar on ending the physical punishment of children, held in Melbourne in September, 1994.
The organised abuse of children in rural England: The response of Social Services, Part Two
Authors: Goddard Chris
Published: March 2016

This is the second part of an interview with a manager in a British Social Services Department; the first part appeared in Children Australia, vol. 19, no. 3.