Steven Roche

Agency and its Constraints among Biological Children of Foster Carers

ABSTRACT There is currently limited understanding of biological children of foster carers and their experiences of foster care placements. This article presents findings from focus groups with biological children that shed light on their perspectives and experiences. Findings indicate biological children are competent social actors who contribute to, and seek to influence, the care environment in their homes. However, due to a lack of recognition, information, and support, biological children’s agency is constrained and their challenges exacerbated. This article argues for increased recognition, information and support for biological children, advocating for a “whole-of-family” approach to foster care practice and policy.

The Salvaging of Identities among Homeless Men: Reflections for Social Work

Abstract This research reveals the social and individual processes that dominate the experiences of homeless men through an exploration of their struggle to achieve ontological worth. Drawing on eight in-depth interviews with homeless men who are experiencing homelessness, this research demonstrates this struggle is because of the situated nature of identities that homeless men continually reconstruct and renegotiate. It proposes that relations to this set of identities are relevant to homeless men, in particular the construction and reconstruction of their identities within homelessness. The central findings of this research reveal that homeless men actively manage their identities to cope with the instability inherent to the experience. The implications of this for social work practice are explored, focusing on the importance of self-conception and the restoration of positive identities.

Geographical inequity in social work research: A snapshot of research publications from the global South

Social work is observing an increasing awareness of geographical inequity in knowledge creation and dissemination, an interest in research by scholars from the global South, and debates about the extent to which the multiple contexts of social work are recognised. This article extends understandings of these research dynamics through reviewing recent articles authored in the global South and published in the 10 largest social work journals, subjecting them to analysis across institutional affiliation, author order and research type. Findings highlight an absence of knowledge from the global South, identifying major gaps in social work theorising, research and knowledge.

Child protection practitioners: Including children in decision making

School of Allied Health, Australian Catholic University, Watson, ACT, Australia 2 Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University, Watson, ACT, Australia School of Allied Health and Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University, Watson, ACT, Australia Correspondence Elise Woodman, School of Allied Health, Australian Catholic University, 223 Antill Street, Watson, ACT 2602, Australia. Email: elise.woodman@acu.edu.au

Improving formal service responses for refugee families in Australia

Effective formal services, including both mainstream and specialist migrant and refugee services, are critical to supporting the resettlement of refugee families in Australia. In a study with refugee families and specialist service providers, most families reported that they used multiple services when they first arrived in Australia, largely dependent on facilitation by case managers and case workers from humanitarian settlement services, as well as other specialist services. Families’ use of formal services peaked on arrival and decreased over time.

Our Safety Counts: Key Findings from the Australian Survey of Kids and Young People Perceptions of interpersonal safety and characteristics of safe institutions

2. What do children and young people consider is already being done to respond to safety issues and risks in institutions? The ASK-YP Survey was the final phase of a study conducted by ICPS, commissioned by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which examined children’s experiences and perceptions of safety in institutions. Issue 13 builds on Issues 11 and 12, which presented the findings from the first part of the study. It focuses on what children and young people said they need, and how well they thought institutions are doing. Issue 14 presents further survey findings. Images from the survey have been used throughout this issue.

Our Safety Counts: Key Findings from the Australian Survey of Kids and Young People Help-seeking and institutional responses to safety concerns.

2. What do children and young people consider is already being done to respond to safety issues and risks in institutions? The ASK-YP Survey was the final phase of a study conducted by ICPS, commissioned by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, which examined children’s experiences and perceptions of interpersonal safety in institutions. Issue 14 builds on Issues 11 and 12; which presented the findings from the first part of the study; as well as Issue 13, which presented the survey findings on children and young people’s perceptions of interpersonal safety within institutions and how well they thought institutions were doing. Images from the survey have been used throughout this issue.