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This paper explores the role of evidence and its use in a cluster of Australian community-based child development programs. The paper draws on findings from a 2016–2017 study commissioned by a not-for-profit organization to review their programs' alignment with government evidence-based program expectations. Cunningham and Duffee's (2009) evidence-based practice style typology is utilized to examine how different purposes of use drive styles of and approaches to evidence sourcing, application, and reporting. Perspectives on what constitutes evidence and how such evidence is valued, used, and reported can vary considerably between individual programs, irrespective of enforced standards and expectations. It is argued that a single-dimensional approach to program evidence-based evaluation and reporting is not appropriate and potentially damaging in contexts where community-based programs have different purposes, structures, cultures, and intentions. Given a program's particular evidence-use style, evidence-based criteria, processes, and reporting requirements should be matched accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, like many high-income countries, food insecurity is associated with increased risks of chronic diseases, sub-optimal development outcomes in children, and mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. Food insecure households employ a range of strategies, including the use of food charity, to help alleviate hunger and meet cost of living pressures. The aim of this paper is to investigate the lived experience of food insecurity for welfare-dependent households, and to examine these experiences within a structural violence framework. Structural violence investigations seek to understand the distal causal factors that can help explain poor health patterns and inequities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with customers (n = 78) of food pantries, soup kitchens, and community development programs (June 2018 to January 2019) in the state of Victoria, Australia. Thematic analysis established evidence of controlling, demeaning and depriving practices in the interactions between the participants and the services and staff at national welfare providers and food charities. The same providers and charities nominally set up to address the exact situations in which participants found themselves. The findings of this study suggest that food and social services are an on-the-ground setting through which structural violence is enacted and experienced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large number of international medical graduates (IMGs) working in Australia, and many other countries around the world, has received significant attention from the media, governments and academia. These institutions utilise a number of classificatory schemes in order to categorise IMGs. Such classification is often stigmatising, yet goes largely unquestioned. In this paper I show that the 'official naming' of IMGs in Australia, as well as the naming of IMGs by staff in hospitals, is historically, politically and socially produced. Following Bourdieu's call to also study how the classified classify, the paper goes on to examine ways in which IMGs name and categorise each other, drawing on ethnographic research. I argue that IMGs use classification themselves, strategically, in order to modify their marginalised position within the 'social space' of the hospital. The article questions taken-for-granted assumptions about classified groups such as IMGs and leaves an opening for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been claimed that effective responses to child sexual abuse (CSA) must engage with the specific cultural, social, and religious contexts of the target communities. For Jewish communities in Australia, the program J-Safe was established to raise awareness, create cultural change, and empower the Jewish community to be able to prevent, recognize, and address child sexual assault within the school setting. This paper reports on the experiences of teachers in two Jewish-day schools who had participated in the J-Safe Project’s protective behaviors teacher training program. Participants’ accounts of the training indicate the Project builds teachers’ knowledge and supports teachers’ skill development in the areas of incidence, behavioral indicators and responding to disclosure suggest the training has relevance for the Jewish teaching context. However, the extent to which the training was successful at engaging with culturally specific norms within the Jewish community seems to have been limited, although it may be that the participants were not atypical from the wider group who participated in the J-Safe Project training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year 2014 marked the abolition of the Baby Bonus and its replacement with a substantially reduced parenting payment. While often criticised as "middle-class welfare," or publicly denounced due to its purported misuse by disadvantaged mothers, this paper argues that the Baby Bonus provided valuable financial assistance to families experiencing high financial stress. To investigate young women's experience of receiving the Baby Bonus, 19 semistructured interviews were conducted with young mothers in Melbourne who had recently had babies. Many were experiencing financial stress and this payment provided much needed financial support for the basic costs arising from having a baby. Several mothers perceived work as a luxury that was out of reach due to high childcare costs relative to their earning capacity and therefore saw Paid Parental Leave as a further privilege unavailable to them. Our results suggest that while the concerns of policymakers to achieve the best use of scarce resources are critical, it should also be acknowledged that the policy change may have serious implications for many young mothers and may exacerbate disadvantage, and young mothers' sense of alienation, ultimately leading to greater inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognition of human rights on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status by the United Nations has led to the development of new policies concerning homophobia and transphobia in educational contexts. This paper examines new Australian education policies impacting gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (GLBTIQ) teachers. A policy review uncovered a range of protections for GLBTIQ teachers in contexts such as the State of Victoria, alongside restrictions. Experiences of policy discussed in pilot study data from surveys of 63 Victorian GLBTIQ teachers, and in-depth interviews with nine Victorian GLBTIQ teachers, revealed that GLBTIQ teachers were relatively unaware of the protections available to them, compared to their awareness of protections for students. Many teachers were out as lesbian or gay to some staff members but fewer had come out to students. Teachers in religious schools had more difficulties, causing some to leave the sector. Further promotion of protections and more research are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is state-run in Australia, and within each of the eight states and territories there are both government and independent schooling systems. This paper details the position of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (GLBTIQ) students within Australian education policy documents nationally, focusing on the three largest states and educational sectors in Australia. Survey data are used to report on the schooling experiences of over 3000 Australian GLBTIQ young people aged 14–21 years. Data from interviews with key policy informants identify both the obstacles to implementing policies, and how such obstacles have been overcome. Much official policy sees sexuality education as promoting inclusive, protective and affirming messages around GLBTIQ students. There exist significant correlations between policy and a variety of well-being and psycho-social outcomes for GLBTIQ students, including lowered incidence of homophobic abuse and suicide, and the creation of supportive school environments. Ideal policy visions are outlined, along with practical recommendations of relevance to a variety of stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Young people transitioning from state out-of-home care are arguably one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society. Many have been found to experience significant health, social and educational deficits. Most western countries have now introduced specific policy and practice initiatives to improve the life chances of care leavers, but there have been varied conclusions about the efficacy of those programs. This paper argues that a community development support model based on a partnership between professional social welfare workers and local community networks is most likely to enhance opportunities for the social inclusion of care leavers. Particular reference is made to the leaving care and after care support program introduced by St Luke's Anglicare in the Australian rural city of Bendigo which has included key program initiatives around housing, employment and mentoring. Some conclusions are drawn based on the experiences of service users about 'what works' in leaving care programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Though several studies have focused on risk factors associated with excess weight gain, little is known about the extent to which socio-cultural beliefs about body sizes may contribute to risk of excess weight gain, especially in non-Western migrant communities. Drawing on socio-cultural and attribution theories, this study mainly explored socio-cultural beliefs about an ideal body size among Australian residents who were born in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Implications of body size beliefs for risk of excess weight gain after immigration have also been discussed. Design: Employing a qualitative design, 24 in-depth interviews were conducted with Australian residents who were born in SSA. Thematic content analysis was undertaken to ensure that participants' experiences and views were clearly captured. Results: According to the participants, a moderately large body size is idealised in the SSA community and post-migration weight gain is commonly regarded as evidence of well-being. While desirability of a moderately large body size was noted by some participants, others were concerned about health risks (e.g. high blood pressure) associated with excess weight gain. Moreover, body size ideals seemed to be different for men and women in the SSA community and these ideals were mainly promoted by family and friends. Participants reported that women with very slim (skinny) body sizes are often regarded as persons suffering from health problems, whereas those with 'plumpy' body types are often considered beautiful. Participants also noted that men are expected to look well-built and muscular while those with big bellies are often seen as financially rich. Conclusions: Participants' interpretation of post-migration weight gain as evidence of well-being calls for urgent intervention as risk of excess weight gain appear to be high in this immigrant group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender has often been overlooked in the lives of people with intellectual disability, resulting in a limited understanding and service response. This is in part due to a lack of knowledge about the way people with intellectual disability negotiate and build a gendered identity. In this article we present research undertaken with six young women with an intellectual disability who worked with the first researcher to co-develop some stories from their lives. We show how, facilitated by an innovative method which focused on meaningful engagement, the women told stories of richly gendered lives and subjectivities. Their stories showed how gender can be a desired and productive subjectivity, and how consideration of gender can help to identify resistance and agency in their lives. Their stories illustrate how gender is necessary in forming a comprehensive understanding of the lives of women with intellectual disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Opioid dependence is a complex health condition often requiring long-term treatment. The main objectives of treatment are to reduce dependence and the associated morbidity and mortality. Opioid replacement therapy (ORT) is an effective pharmacological therapy for opioid dependence. The aims of this research were to explore barriers and enablers to ORT in rural areas of Australia. Design and Methods: A qualitative study design incorporating semi-structured interviews was used to explore views of people in ORT. Interviews were analysed for emergent themes and issues. Results: Barriers to ORT were restrictiveness, stigma, the medication and structure of the program. Enablers were structure of the program, access to takeaway doses, effect on drug use and the medication. Discussion: To improve access and retention in ORT programs action is needed to facilitate programs meeting the needs of rural people, including reducing cost of medication, addressing the restrictiveness of programs and effect on employment opportunities, and stigma associated with drug use and addiction in communities. Conclusions: Barriers and enablers to ORT programs exist in the rural areas studied. Geographical distance, inability to gain and maintain social connections including employment, and lack of community education addressing stigma are significant barriers to ORT in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Resilience is an important and underdeveloped area of research, and there are few studies that describe levels of resilience among youth samples. A major aim of this research is to explore the utility of an adapted form of the 10‐item Connor Davidson Resilience Scale and to clarify the association between this construct and a robust measure of subjective wellbeing. Method: A representative sample of 1000 Victorians aged 16–25 years participated in a telephone interview comprising the modified 10‐item Connor Davidson Resilience Scale and the Personal Wellbeing Index. Results: The modified 10‐item Connor Davidson Resilience Scale demonstrated adequate inter‐item reliability and factored as intended. A moderate, positive correlation was found between the modified 10‐item Connor Davidson Resilience Scale and the Personal Wellbeing Index. Significance testing revealed group differences for gender, age, and annual household income. The results are also used to establish theoretical “normal” ranges for resilience in Victoria's youth population. Conclusion: The results from this study support the modified 10‐item Connor Davidson Resilience Scale as a valid and reliable measure of young people's resilience using traditional psychometric tests. Moreover, this is the first study to describe the levels of resilience among Victorian youths and to evaluate these data alongside a robust measure of subjective wellbeing. The implications of the findings for government policy and service delivery are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Health graduates face personal and work-related stressors during the graduate year. The extent to which employers and health graduates have a shared understanding of graduate stressors is unclear but may impact graduate support and transition into the health profession.Aim and design:The aim of this exploratory qualitative study was to identify factors that impact health graduates’ transition and integration into the workplace, comparing the perspectives of health graduates and organisational representatives.Method:Individual and small group semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 medical and 26 nursing graduates and five organisational representatives from a regional health organisation in Victoria, Australia. A thematic analysis was undertaken on the data.Findings:Five main categories were identified: dealing with change, dealing with conflict, workload, taking responsibility and factors that influence performance.Conclusion:Similarities and differences in the perspectives of health graduates and organisational representatives were identified. These findings have implications for current graduate support programs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Death anxiety is a known phenomenon in older people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) hospitalised for end-of-life (EOL) care. Little is known about how nurses assuage death anxiety in this population. Aims: To investigate strategies used by nurses to assuage death anxiety and facilitate a good death in older CALD Australians hospitalised for EOL care. Methods: Advanced as a qualitative descriptive inquiry, a purposeful sample of 22 nurses was recruited from four Victorian healthcare services. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis processes. Findings: Nurses used three key strategies: recognising death anxiety; delineating its dimensions; and initiating conventional nursingcaring behaviours to help contain it. Contrary to expectations, cultural similarities rather than differences were found in the strategies used. Conclusions: Nursing strategies for recognising, delineating, and managing death anxiety in older CALD people hospitalised at the EOL is an important component of quality EOL care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]