Journal articles on the topic 'Australia – Social policy – Evaluation'
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Hughes, Emma, Chris King, and Sharon Kitt. "Using the Australian and New Zealand Telehealth Committee framework to evaluate telehealth: Identifying conceptual gaps." Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare 8, no. 3_suppl (December 2002): 36–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1258/13576330260440790.
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summary Telehealth is strongly supported in policy rhetoric as being economically significant to Australia, but evaluation standards have been insufficiently developed to ensure that this is the case. The use of one such evaluation standard, the Australian and New Zealand Telehealth Committee (ANZTC) framework, for telehealth evaluation in Australia makes good sense. However, that framework emphasizes economic and technical considerations at the expense of social contexts. Furthermore, there must be questions about the utility of a framework which, it appears, has been used to evaluate only a single telehealth project in Australia. The combination of the economic rationalism of health-care policy and the technological determinism of a tool model of information and communication technologies (ICTs) can result in evaluations that fail to match the complexities of the intersection of health-care and ICTs. Using the ANZTC framework while at the same time focusing on explaining, rather than just describing, the links between interventions and outcomes seems a reasonable compromise. This involves understanding complex socio-technical networks and relationships, and requires investigators to engage with the gulf between private opinions, public statements and actual behaviour.
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Baum, Fran, Adam Graycar, Toni Delany-Crowe, Evelyne de Leeuw, Carol Bacchi, Jennie Popay, Lionel Orchard, et al. "Understanding Australian policies on public health using social and political science theories: reflections from an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Workshop." Health Promotion International 34, no. 4 (April 19, 2018): 833–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/heapro/day014.
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AbstractThere is strong, and growing, evidence documenting health inequities across the world. However, most governments do not prioritize policies to encourage action on the social determinants of health and health equity. Furthermore, despite evidence concerning the benefits of joined-up, intersectoral policy to promote health and health equity, it is rare for such policy approaches to be applied systematically. To examine the usefulness of political and social science theory in understanding the reasons for this disjuncture between evidence and practice, researchers and public servants gathered in Adelaide for an Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) Workshop. This paper draws together the learnings that emerged from the Workshop, including key messages about the usefulness of various theories as well as insights drawn from policy practice. Discussions during the Workshop highlighted that applying multiple theories is particularly helpful in directing attention to, and understanding, the influence of all stages of the policy process; from the construction and framing of policy problems, to the implementation of policy and evaluation of outcomes, including those outcomes that may be unintended. In addition, the Workshop emphasized the value of collaborations among public health researchers, political and social scientists and public servants to open up critical discussion about the intersections between theory, research evidence and practice. Such critique is vital to render visible the processes through which particular sources of knowledge may be privileged over others and to examine how political and bureaucratic environments shape policy proposals and implementation action.
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Chikritzhs, Tanya. "Tools for Policy and Prevention: The Australian National Alcohol Indicators Project." Contemporary Drug Problems 36, no. 3-4 (September 2009): 607–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/009145090903600315.
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Alcohol is a leading cause of preventable death, disease, and disability in Australia. The National Alcohol Indicators Project (NAIP) is funded by the Commonwealth Government of Australia to monitor and report on trends in alcohol consumption and related harms across states and communities with special emphasis on the wide dissemination of information and evaluation of policy change. Using aetiologic fraction and surrogate methods, the NAIP has established a minimum set of reliable indictors of alcohol-related harms for monitoring and evaluation purposes, including: alcohol-attributable deaths and hospitalizations; police-reported road crash and violent offences related to alcohol intoxication; alcohol sales data, and national alcohol consumption surveys. The NAIP uses a range of strategies for maintaining policy-relevant outputs that are both scientifically rigorous and readily accessible by non-researchers, including: a range of dissemination modes which potentially appeal to diverse audiences (e.g. bulletins, submissions, journal articles); proactive communication of outputs to potential audiences; timely response to key stake-holder information needs; and a strong commitment to capitalizing on opportunities for alcohol policy evaluation at local, state, and national levels.
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Cameron, Georgiana, Erica Frydenberg, and Alun Jackson. "Young Refugees in Australia: Perspectives From Policy, Practice and Research." Children Australia 36, no. 2 (June 1, 2011): 46–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1375/jcas.36.2.46.
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This article aims to bring together perspectives from policy, practice and research in reviewing the experiences of young refugees arriving in Australia. By reviewing international and local research and applying it to the Australian policy context, this article highlights how evidence-based practices for this population are lacking. Risk and protective factors for young refugees are discussed in relation to possible avenues of intervention. In particular, unaccompanied refugee minors are seen as being at heightened risk of social exclusion and mental illness. Quantitative and qualitative literature is integrated to provide an overall picture of young refugees in the Australian context. Studies evaluating psychological interventions and support for refugees, as well as research into how young refugees typically cope with adversities, are used to inform recommendations for school and community-based psychological interventions.
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O’Neill, Deirdre, Valarie Sands, and Graeme Hodge. "P3s and Social Infrastructure: Three Decades of Prison Reform in Victoria, Australia." Public Works Management & Policy 25, no. 3 (January 15, 2020): 214–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1087724x19899103.
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Once regarded as core public sector business, Australia’s prisons were reformed during the 1990s and Australia now has the highest proportion of prisoners in privately managed prisons in the world. How could this have happened? This article presents a case study of the State of Victoria and explains how public–private partnerships (P3s) were used to create a mixed public–private prison system. Despite the difficulty of determining clear and rigorous evaluation results, we argue that lessons from the Victorian experience are possible. First, neither the extreme fears of policy critics nor the grandiose policy and technical promises of reformers were fully met. Second, short-term success was achieved in political and policy terms by the delivery of badly needed new prisons. Third, the exact degree to which the state has achieved cheaper, better, and more accountable prison services remains contested. As a consequence, there is a need to continue experimentation but with greater transparency.
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Vicary, David, Judy Tennant, Tiffany Garvie, and Caroline Adupa. "Can you hear me?: The active engagement of Aboriginal children in the development of social policy by non-Aboriginals." Children Australia 31, no. 1 (2006): 21–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1035077200010956.
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In recent years significant focus has been placed on the first few years of a child’s life and how their experiences during this time can shape their future development (McCain & Mustard, 1999). Social policy and programs that enhance the capacity of children and their families so that positive outcomes for children are ensured are being developed and implemented throughout Australia. This paper takes up the topic, initially introduced in Children Australia (Vicary et al. 2005), but turns the focus to Aboriginal children. Despite the advances in early years policy and programs development, marginalised children, particularly those from Aboriginal backgrounds, continue to be overlooked in terms of consultation (Vicary 2002).The ramifications of this lack of consultation are profound in terms of cultural appropriateness and sensitivity. The Western Australian Office for Children and Youth has refined a model for the engagement of Aboriginal children in social policy consultation. The model is inclusive of diversity and targets the children who normally would not have their voices heard in the development of social policy. The following paper will describe the Aboriginal Child Engagement Model developed by the Office for Children and Youth in consultation with children, young people and adults from Aboriginal backgrounds. The model consists of six steps, and takes the non-Aboriginal worker from the initial engagement phase through to evaluation and relationship consolidation. The proposed model is further delineated by a case study.
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Bills, Andrew, and Nigel Howard. "Social inclusion education policy in South Australia: What can we learn?" Australian Journal of Education 61, no. 1 (February 3, 2017): 54–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0004944116689165.
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In this article, we interrogate the policy assumptions underlying a significant South Australian public education re-engagement initiative called Flexible Learning Options, formulated within South Australia’s social inclusion policy agenda, beginning in 2006. To this end, we applied Baachi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented to be?’ policy analysis framework to a historical range of departmental Flexible Learning Options policy documents and evaluations to uncover how Flexible Learning Options (1) understands the problem of early school leaving, (2) defines the notion of being an ‘at risk’ young person and (3) interprets and enacts the intervention process for young people identified as ‘at risk’ of early school leaving. Our policy analysis indicates re-engagement in learning – as measured by improved retention – to be the key Flexible Learning Options policy driver, with schools ‘silently’ positioned as a significant part of the retention in learning problem. The Flexible Learning Options engagement in learning intervention directed at ‘high-risk’ students’ works to remove them from schools into places where personalised support and an alternative curriculum are made available. ‘Lower risk’ students are given a combination of in-school and off-school learning options. Our What’s the Problem Represented to be? analysis also reveals that (1) the notion of ‘risk’ is embodied within the young person and is presented as the predominant cause of early school leaving; (2) how the educational marketplace could work to promote Flexible Learning Options enrolment growth has not been considered; (3) schools are sidelined as first choice engagement options for ‘high-risk’ young people, (4) secondary school redesign and family intervention as alternative reengagement strategies have largely been ignored and (5) through withdrawal from conventional schooling, the access of many Flexible Learning Options to students to an expansive curriculum delivered by teachers within well-resourced school learning architectures has been constrained.
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Spencer, Rochelle, Martin Brueckner, Gareth Wise, and Banduk Marika. "Australian indigenous social enterprise: measuring performance." Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy 10, no. 4 (October 10, 2016): 397–424. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jec-10-2015-0050.
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Purpose Using an integrated framework for performance management of nonprofit organizations, this paper aims to present an analysis of the activities of an Indigenous social enterprise in the town of Yirrkala in northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. The evaluation focuses on the social effectiveness of the organization and its ability to help generate income and employment and drive social capital creation. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is informed by data derived from “yarns” with social enterprise staff and semi-structured interviews conducted with key informants who were selected using snowball sampling. Data were transcribed and analyzed thematically. Findings The analysis reveals that the organization provides a successful community-based pathway for increasing Indigenous economic participation on local terms at a time of regional economic decline and high levels of Indigenous unemployment nationally. Practical implications The measured effectiveness of Nuwul highlights the need for targeted policy support for Indigenous enterprises and that social entrepreneurship is far more likely to be successful in a supportive government policy environment, a critical need for government-initiated policies to encourage the formation of Indigenous social enterprises that are entrepreneurial and innovative in their solutions to poverty and marginalization. Such policies should not only aid the establishment of Indigenous ventures but also facilitate their long-term growth and sustainability. Originality/value Although Indigenous entrepreneurial activities have been found to be effective in addressing Indigenous disadvantage in Australia, little is known about their community impact. The article provides original empirically grounded research on the measurement of Indigenous entrepreneurial activities and their wider community impact. The data show, against the backdrop of mixed results of government efforts to drive Indigenous economic mainstreaming, that the entrepreneurial activities analyzed in this paper are an example of more flexible and culturally appropriate pathways for achieving Indigenous equality in rural and remote regions of Australia.
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Carey, Timothy A., James M. Fauth, and George C. Tremblay. "Rethinking Evaluation for Improved Health Outcomes: Implications for Remote Australia." American Journal of Evaluation 41, no. 2 (February 14, 2019): 234–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1098214018824040.
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Despite enduring and unacceptable disparities in health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians as well as people living in rural and remote locations, evidence indicates that health services are not routinely evaluated. This article describes an exploration of a context where evaluators and community partners have achieved considerable success in implementing and sustaining ongoing monitoring and evaluation for enhanced service effectiveness in rural and underserved communities of New Hampshire. The purpose of this project was to establish the principles supporting this success and to set the stage for future research investigating the applicability of these principles to the remote Australian context. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 15 people from different organizations and in different positions within those organizations. The results invite a reconsideration of the way in which evidence-based practice is conceptualized as well as the role of external evaluators. The study has important implications and recommendations for both policy and practice.
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Mann, Jennifer, Sue Devine, and Robyn McDermott. "Integrated care for community dwelling older Australians." Journal of Integrated Care 27, no. 2 (April 15, 2019): 173–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jica-10-2018-0063.
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PurposeIntegrated care is gaining popularity in Australian public policy as an acceptable means to address the needs of the unwell aged. The purpose of this paper is to investigate contemporary models of integrated care for community dwelling older persons in Australia and discuss how public policy has been interpreted at the service delivery level to improve the quality of care for the older person.Design/methodology/approachA scoping review was conducted for peer-reviewed and grey literature on integrated care for the older person in Australia. Publications from 2007 to present that described community-based enablement models were included.FindingsCare co-ordination is popular in assisting the older person to bridge the gap between existing, disparate health and social care services. The role of primary care is respected but communication with the general practitioner and introduction of new roles into an existing system is challenging. Older persons value the role of the care co-ordinator and while robust model evaluation is rare, there is evidence of integrated care reducing emergency department presentations and stabilising quality of life of participants. Technology is an underutilised facilitator of integration in Australia. Innovative funding solutions and a long-term commitment to health system redesign is required for integrated care to extend beyond care co-ordination.Originality/valueThis scoping review summarises the contemporary evidence base for integrated care for the community dwelling older person in Australia and proposes the barriers and enablers for consideration of implementation of any such model within this health system.
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Vicary, David, Judy Tennant, Jade Santa Maria, and Sarah Wadley. "Children as decision makers." Children Australia 30, no. 4 (2005): 4–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1035077200010853.
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Involving children and young people in planning, decision making and the evaluation of services and programs inevitably raises the eyebrows of adults working in the areas of service delivery, program development and policy formulation. Some adults may question young people’s ability to see the ‘big picture’ and to make decisions, and even their right to be engaged in the first place. In challenging these ideas, the Western Australian Office for Children and Youth established a Children’s Advisory Group (CAG) in 2004 – the first of its kind to be created within the Western Australia Government, and one of the first such groups to be set up in Australia.The current Children’s Advisory Group (CAG) is a diverse group often primary school children aged 9-12 years from the Perth metropolitan area. They are actively involved in all aspects of the Office’s operation. The CAG has been evaluated throughout its inaugural year of operation, both in terms of process and impact, and has been found to have a significant impact upon government policy and practice. This paper will outline the process for the establishment and implementation of a CAG and the evaluation of a CAG on government policy. It will highlight evaluation findings and discuss future directions.
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Schultz, Cynthia L., Kosmas X. Smyrnios, Carolyn F. Grbich, and Noel C. Schultz. "Caring for Family Caregivers in Australia: A Model of Psychoeducational Support." Ageing and Society 13, no. 1 (March 1993): 1–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0144686x00000623.
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ABSTRACTThe present paper describes and traces the emergence of an innovative psychoeducational model of support for family caregivers of dependent elderly persons, its associated systematic evaluation and leadership training process, provides details of a small group programme and its underlying philosophy, and reports on outcome evaluation research ascertained from both quantitative and qualitative data analyses. Details of these analyses are presented within the context provided by a three-level model of support, which recruits and trains professionals from a range of disciplines to help families in caregiving situations. The 72 treatment and 29 waiting-list control subjects were assessed at pretreatment and at posttest on measures of anxiety and psychological well-being. Statistically significant differences emerged between the treatment and waiting-list control groups on these measures. Positive changes for programme participants were further demonstrated by contextual analysis of evaluative responses. Implications for practitioners, educators, and policy specialists, as well as for research and programme development are discussed.
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Upadhyaya, Jyoti Kumari, and Graham Moore. "Sustainability indicators for wastewater reuse systems and their application to two small systems in rural Victoria, Australia." Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering 39, no. 6 (June 2012): 674–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/l2012-057.
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Currently there is no tool to assess the sustainability performance of reuse systems in Australia. This research fulfills that gap by developing a set of sustainability indicators (SIs). A unique methodology was developed based on understanding of the reuse systems, reviewing and examining the issues related to reuse, and Australian policy and guidelines in terms of sustainability. It was established that a sustainable reuse system should be based beyond the triple bottom line approach, and involve consumers in decision making, address institutional issues, and focus on the outcomes rather than the output, with a system approach. Twenty seven SIs were identified under five categories: environmental, technical, social, economical, and institutional. The case studies demonstrated the application of the SIs in sustainability assessment of two reuse systems: (1) tree plantation and (2) lake discharge for augmenting environmental flow. The evaluation was done based on multi criteria decision assessment.
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Abbott, Malcolm, Jo Barraket, Erin I.-Ping Castellas, Kiros Hiruy, Roksolana Suchowerska, and Libby Ward-Christie. "Evaluating the labour productivity of social enterprises in comparison to SMEs in Australia." Social Enterprise Journal 15, no. 2 (May 24, 2019): 179–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/sej-09-2018-0064.
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Purpose The social economy – including not-for-profits, cooperatives, mutual organisations and social enterprises – is playing a stronger role than ever in the delivery of public policy. Yet, these organisations are often anecdotally viewed as relatively inefficient providers. The purpose of this paper is to compare the profitability and labour productivity of social enterprises in the State of Victoria in Australia with that of small- and medium-sized business enterprises (SMEs) in the same state. This paper found that, although social enterprises generally generated smaller profits and, therefore, could be less profitable, their relative level of labour productivity (value added and income to labour employed) was comparable or higher than that of SMEs. This paper responds to the need for comparative insights about social enterprise performance and considers the implications of these findings for new public governance. Design/methodology/approach The social economy – including not-for-profits, cooperatives, mutual organisations and social enterprises – is playing a stronger role than ever in the delivery of public policy. Yet these organisations are often anecdotally viewed as relatively inefficient providers. Findings This paper found that, although social enterprises generally generated smaller profits and, therefore, could be less profitable, their relative level of labour productivity (value added and income to labour employed) was comparable or higher than that of SMEs. This paper responds to the need for comparative insights about social enterprise performance and considers the implications of these findings for new public governance. Originality/value This is the first work that has been done of this sort that has looked specifically at Australia circumstances.
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Dean, Anne-Marie, Mandy Matthewson, Melissa Buultjens, and Gregory Murphy. "Scoping review of claimants’ experiences within Australian workers’ compensation systems." Australian Health Review 43, no. 4 (2019): 457. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah17244.
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Objective The aim of this scoping review was to map the literature on the lived experiences of injured workers in Australia in order to better understand the factors that inhibit the transition back to work and improved health. The ultimate aim of the study was to identify areas for further research into workers’ compensation systems and practices that are associated with improved occupational rehabilitation outcomes. Methods PubMed, ProQuest, Embase and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) were searched for eligible articles published in English in peer-reviewed journals from 2001 to 2017. Narrative data synthesis was used to analyse the data collected from included articles. Results Twelve articles examining injured workers’ experiences within Australian workers’ compensation systems were identified. Injured workers reported similar experiences across states and territories in Australia. Four common themes and three subthemes were noted, namely: (1) relationships and interactions; (2) injured workers’ perceptions (subthemes: mental health effects, social effects and financial effects); (3) the workers’ compensation process; and (4) independent medical evaluations. Conclusions There are common difficulties that injured workers experience within Australian workers’ compensation systems that are reported to impede rehabilitation and return to work. A less harmful, more cooperative approach to worker rehabilitation and compensation is needed. What is known about the topic? Different workers’ compensation systems exist throughout Australia. Little is known about injured workers’ perceptions of their experiences within these systems in Australia and whether these experiences are similar or different across systems. What does this paper add? This scoping review synthesises available evidence showing that injured workers report negative experiences of workers’ compensation systems, and that this experience is similar across the different systems. This review also identified a clear need for future research on workers’ compensation systems in order to promote evidence-based approaches to best support the occupational rehabilitation of injured workers. What are the implications for practitioners? Evidence suggests a more holistic, biopsychosocial approach is required by practitioners when facilitating an injured worker’s recovery and return to work. This approach is also vital when considering legislative reforms, such as workers’ compensation systems, processes and practices.
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Cross, Cassandra. "Reflections on the reporting of fraud in Australia." Policing: An International Journal 43, no. 1 (November 15, 2019): 49–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm-08-2019-0134.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the reporting of cybercrime in Australia, specifically the reporting of fraud. Design/methodology/approach Using an evaluation of the (former) Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network (ACORN), this paper provides a commentary on the report findings, including both positive and negative aspects of the reporting mechanism. Findings The paper focuses on three key challenges that were identified in the evaluation: victim satisfaction; quality of data; and unintended consequences. Each of these topics is outlined and located within a broader context to better understand the evaluation findings. Research limitations/implications This viewpoint paper is a commentary based upon an evaluation of ACORN which itself has several limitations of its methodology. Despite this, the evaluation provides important insights into the challenges that currently exist with the online reporting of fraud offences both in Australia, and worldwide. Practical implications This paper emphasises the structural and systemic issues that exist for the reporting of fraud in Australia. It therefore warns against placing blame exclusively on police agencies as responsible for these results. Instead, it advocates the need for society to take a more coordinated and collaborative approach to the policing of fraud, which includes law enforcement, government and industry partners. Social implications The paper documents some of the underlying reasons for additional trauma and harm experienced by victims of fraud in their efforts to report their incident and receive what they perceive to be an appropriate criminal justice response. These must be acknowledged in order to make the required change. Originality/value This paper is a commentary and reflection on the current way in which fraud is reported in Australia. It points to a need to rethink this approach in some key areas. It highlights the critical need for an education campaign to dispel some of the myths that exist in relation to realistic police responses to fraud, and also calls for the need to consider alternatives to the exclusively online system currently in operation, as well as larger questions about notions of justice and appropriate responses to fraud victims.
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Collyer, Fran, and Catherine Heal. "Patient Satisfaction with Sex Re-assignment Surgery in New South Wales, Australia." Australian Journal of Primary Health 8, no. 3 (2002): 9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py02039.
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An evaluation of the effect of sex re-assignment surgery on a group of patients attending a private clinic in Sydney, Australia. Fifty-seven patients who underwent full male-to-female sex re-assignment surgery between 1987 and 2000 completed a satisfaction survey. Several factors that might influence the extent of satisfaction with surgical outcome were explored, including age, work status, social life, and the appearance and function of the new genitalia. Patients reported significantly improved social and personal satisfaction following surgery, compared with five years previously. The study challenges outcomes from previously reported studies with regard to the age of patients at the time of surgery, and the finding that from the patient's perspective, there is no fundamental association between a successful surgical outcome and a satisfactory post-operative life experience.
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Feng, Y., and A. Elshaug. "The Association of Neighbourhood Built and Social Environment and Cancer: Evidence From Australia." Journal of Global Oncology 4, Supplement 2 (October 1, 2018): 135s. http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/jgo.18.75400.
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Background and context: Australia is among the worst countries in terms of cancer incidence and displays substantial variations in cancer outcomes across multiple geographic scales. Aim: This research project aims to examine how neighborhood social and environmental attributes interact with individual risk factors, affect cancer outcomes and contribute to the geographic variations in cancer outcomes. Specifically, it will answer the following research questions: What neighborhood built and social environment attributes are associated with individual health outcomes? How do neighborhood features influence cancer outcomes, at multiple geographic scales? At what geographical scales the variations in cancer outcomes are the most pronounced and how much is contributed by neighborhood attributes? What initiatives and guidelines should be developed and at what level: local neighborhood, regional, state, national level? Strategy/Tactics: Innovative geospatial techniques will be developed to analyze cancer risk factors and variations at multiple spatial levels utilizing population-based hospital inpatient data in NSW, Australia Program/Policy process: The study is the first population-based study evaluating how neighborhood influences cancer outcomes from multiple scales in the Australian context. The project has tangible potentials to be translated into initiatives and practices. This includes various levels such as local neighborhood, state and national level for the prevention and control of cancer and ultimately improve cancer outcomes in Australia. Outcomes: A large proportion of geographic variations in cancer outcomes are contributed by differences in the neighborhood built and social environment characteristics, which interact with individual risk factors and have synergistic effects on cancer outcomes. What was learned: Neighborhood physical and social environment has a strong effect on cancer outcomes. Through modification of neighborhood attributes, we can reduce the exposure to neighborhood risk factors and promote healthy lifestyle choices, which, in turn, reduce cancer incidence and improve survival rates. Effective initiatives and guidelines for cancer control should be developed and at all government levels including the local neighborhood, regional, state, national level.
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Osborne, Julie, Brendon McDougall, Sonia Van Gessel, Anna McGlynn, Karen Patterson, Jane Cockburn, Amy Young, et al. "Implementation and evaluation of a novel integrated care program in South Eastern Sydney, Australia." International Journal of Integrated Care 19, no. 4 (August 8, 2019): 127. http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ijic.s3127.
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Pearson, Leonie J., and Kerry Collins. "Does social-ecological context influence state-based water management decisions? Case study from Queensland, Australia (1980–2006)." Water Policy 12, no. 2 (November 9, 2009): 186–202. http://dx.doi.org/10.2166/wp.2009.055.
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The past several decades have seen significant changes in how governments approach water management decisions. This paper reviews 12 major water management decisions in Queensland, Australia, during 1980–2006. The resilience paradigm was used to place the water management decisions in a social-ecological systems context rather than the traditional water resource context. The social-ecological context was interrogated through three parameters: scientific knowledge, environment and institutions for each of the decisions. Results indicate: (a) a trend for increased adoption of formalised integrative (social, economic and environmental factors) evaluation methods (such as benefit cost analysis and environmental impact assessment) in the scientific knowledge parameter of social-ecological context; (b) the environmental parameter (e.g. drought) influenced the timing of water decisions; and (c) a possible threshold was found within the institutional context, i.e. change of State leadership, which determined the regime or type of water decision under consideration e.g. supply or demand dominated management. These findings provide insight to policy makers and scientists on the importance of social-ecological context in the assessment of State water decisions.
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Baum, Fran, and Sharon Friel. "Politics, policies and processes: a multidisciplinary and multimethods research programme on policies on the social determinants of health inequity in Australia." BMJ Open 7, no. 12 (December 2017): e017772. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017772.
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IntroductionThe development and implementation of multisectoral policy to improve health and reduce health inequities has been slow and uneven. Evidence is largely focused on the facts of health inequities rather than understanding the political and policy processes. This 5-year funded programme of research investigates how these processes could function more effectively to improve equitable population health.Methods and analysisThe programme of work is organised in four work packages using four themes (macroeconomics and infrastructure, land use and urban environments, health systems and racism) related to the structural drivers shaping the distribution of power, money and resources and daily living conditions. Policy case studies will use publicly available documents (policy documents, published evaluations, media coverage) and interviews with informants (policy-makers, former politicians, civil society, private sector) (~25 per case). NVIVO software will be used to analyse the documents to see how ‘social and health equity’ is included and conceptualised. The interview data will include qualitative descriptive and theory-driven critical discourse analysis. Our quantitative methodological work assessing the impact of public policy on health equity is experimental that is in its infancy but promises to provide the type of evidence demanded by policy-makers.Ethics and disseminationOur programme is recognising the inherently political nature of the uptake, formulation and implementation of policy. The early stages of our work indicate its feasibility. Our work is aided by a Critical Policy Reference Group. Multiple ethics approvals have been obtained with the foundation approval from the Social and Behavioural Ethics Committee, Flinders University (Project No: 6786).The theoretical, methodological and policy engagement processes established will provide improved evidence for policy-makers who wish to reduce health inequities and inform a new generation of policy savvy knowledge on social determinants.
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Markiewicz, Anne. "Closing the Gap through Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity and Responsibility: Issues in the Evaluation of Programs for Indigenous Communities in Australia." Evaluation Journal of Australasia 12, no. 1 (March 2012): 19–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1035719x1201200103.
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This article outlines key considerations and issues inherent in undertaking effective evaluations of programs developed for Indigenous Australians, written from the perspective of a non-Indigenous evaluator. The considerations identified include a number of professional practice areas, namely the need for evaluators to: operate with an understanding and appreciation of the historical and systemic context experienced by Indigenous Australians; work from the basis of a solid code of ethics and practice standards; and operate with high levels of cultural sensitivity and the ability to appreciate Indigenous world views and differences. Another central consideration identified in the article is that evaluators need to hold a commitment to produce useful and useable evaluation findings that can inform future program design and social policy in relation to improving the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. The article develops a number of principles for evaluators to follow in evaluating programs developed for Indigenous Australians. These include: having respect for the importance of historical, socioeconomic and psychological context; commitment to ensuring relevance in methodologies and approaches used; reciprocity in considering the benefits for participating Indigenous communities; and responsibility in undertaking effective communication and consultation. While most evaluators would agree with the above principles and values, the latter can be more challenging to apply in practice and examples of their application to evaluation, and the inherent challenges in the Indigenous context, are described. Such challenges include: operating within the restrictions of government silos with difficulties portraying the complex interrelationships that reflect the lives of Indigenous Australians; reaching consensus on evaluation design and implementation; working within restricted time frames with lack of opportunity to appreciate and reflect the unique differences among Indigenous communities across Australia; limitations inherent in engaging a broad and representative group of Indigenous stakeholders; and lack of control by the evaluator over the dissemination and influence of evaluation findings and results that link with subsequent decision-making processes.
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Bornmann, Lutz, Robin Haunschild, and Werner Marx. "Policy documents as sources for measuring societal impact: how often is climate change research mentioned in policy-related documents?" Scientometrics 109, no. 3 (September 9, 2016): 1477–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11192-016-2115-y.
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AbstractIn the current UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) and the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA), societal impact measurements are inherent parts of the national evaluation systems. In this study, we deal with a relatively new form of societal impact measurements. Recently, Altmetric—a start-up providing publication level metrics—started to make data for publications available which have been mentioned in policy documents. We regard this data source as an interesting possibility to specifically measure the (societal) impact of research. Using a comprehensive dataset with publications on climate change as an example, we study the usefulness of the new data source for impact measurement. Only 1.2 % (n = 2341) out of 191,276 publications on climate change in the dataset have at least one policy mention. We further reveal that papers published in Nature and Science as well as from the areas “Earth and related environmental sciences” and “Social and economic geography” are especially relevant in the policy context. Given the low coverage of the climate change literature in policy documents, this study can be only a first attempt to study this new source of altmetrics data. Further empirical studies are necessary, because mentions in policy documents are of special interest in the use of altmetrics data for measuring target-oriented the broader impact of research.
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Sorensen, Roslyn, Anne J. Lloyd, Cathelijne Van Kemenade, and Paul R. Harnett. "Managing quality in cancer services: why improvement isn't easy." Australian Health Review 29, no. 4 (2005): 406. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah050406.
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Optimising the quality of care is an imperative for health services worldwide, including in Australia. Recognition that poor quality often has its roots in system failures is beginning to shift strategies for improvement to the systems of care, although the tendency remains to focus on eliminating the practice variations of individual clinicians. In those instances where systems improvement is addressed, strategies tend to be generic and technical, and often unrelated to the context in which they are applied. This paper reports an interim evaluation of a quality management program in cancer services implemented in a Sydney metropolitan teaching hospital dispersed across multiple campuses. The paper aims to inform the debate on quality improvement by reporting not only on what was achieved, but why change seems to be so hard. We found that organisational and social factors that influence the quality of health services were not sufficiently addressed, compared with technical factors. We conclude that service quality needs to be repositioned as an organisational goal, and implemented via a structured process that addresses organisational and social factors, as well as technical factors.
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Clark, Antony, David B. Preen, Jonathon Q. Ng, James B. Semmens, and C. D'Arcy J. Holman. "Is Western Australia representative of other Australian States and Territories in terms of key socio-demographic and health economic indicators?" Australian Health Review 34, no. 2 (2010): 210. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah09805.
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Objective.To evaluate the extent to which Western Australian (WA) represents the broader Australian population in terms of key socio-demographic and health economic indicators. Methods.We compared key demographic, social and health economic indicators across all Australian States and Territories from Australian government publications in the census years 1991–2006. Jurisdictional averages (JAs) were calculated as the mean (±s.d.) or median (±range). Observed jurisdiction indicators were compared with the JA and ranked according its representativeness of the JA. Results.WA was among the three closest jurisdictions to the national JA for all socio-demographic and health economic indicators examined, with the exception of uptake of private health insurance (ranked 6th) and per-capita health expenditure (ranked 5th). The Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory were least representative for the majority of indicators. Excluding the proportions of people living in rural or remote areas (0–100%) and of indigenous origin (0.4–28.8%), variations in the indicators across the jurisdictions were relatively small. Conclusions.Population differences between Australia’s States were small, whereas Australia’s Territories were least representative of the JA. WA was the most representative population of Australia’s eight jurisdictions and continues to be in a strong position to contribute to knowledge of the Australian health system that is applicable Australia-wide. What is known about the topic?The Western Australian Data Linkage system (WADLS) is a highly successful and productive research tool that facilitates population-based health research. A potential criticism and concern of this research surrounds the representativeness of the WA population to other Australian States and Territories. Anecdotally, there is a perception that WA’s isolation from other Australian populations may lead to systematic socio-demographic and socioeconomic differences; thus limiting the generalisability of research findings. What does this paper add?This paper compares Australia’s State and Territory population profiles and allows researchers to determine the extent to which contextual issues concerning key socio-demographic and health economic indicators may affect the external validity of population-based research arising from any one jurisdiction. What are the implications to practitioners?In the absence of previous evaluations in this area and with the continued emergence of new data linkage systems around the country, this information is important for health researchers and policy makers who may wish to draw conclusions and make policy decisions that rely upon extrapolating findings from population-based studies.
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Broadley, Karen, and Chris Goddard. "A Public Health Approach to Child Protection: Why Data Matter." Children Australia 40, no. 1 (November 3, 2014): 69–77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cha.2014.37.
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In Australia, many researchers and policy makers believe that statutory child protection systems are overburdened and ineffective. The way forward, they suggest, is a public health model of child protection. A public health approach comprises four steps: (1) collecting surveillance data; (2) establishing causes and correlations; (3) developing and evaluating interventions; and (4) disseminating information about the effectiveness of intervention activities to the public health community. However, in Australia there are no reliable surveillance data. There is no information about ‘person’. Information is not collected about the characteristics of children (e.g., ethnicity) and parents (e.g., mental illness) reported to child protection services. Data are not comparable across place. This is because the states and territories have their own child protection legislation, definitions and data recording methods. Data are not comparable over time. This is because many jurisdictions have introduced new data recording systems over recent years. This paper concludes that it is essential to develop an effective child protection surveillance data system. This will ensure that services are located in areas and targeted towards populations in greatest need. It will enable large-scale evaluation of the effectiveness of prevention and intervention activities.
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Mendes, Philip, and Justin Rogers. "Young People Transitioning from Out-of-Home Care: What are the Lessons from Extended Care Programmes in the USA and England for Australia?" British Journal of Social Work 50, no. 5 (April 15, 2020): 1513–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcaa028.
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Abstract Young people transitioning from out-of-home care (generally called care leavers) are recognised globally as a vulnerable group. In the last eighteen months, four Australian jurisdictions have extended state care till twenty-one years in an attempt to advance the life opportunities of this cohort. These initiatives are strongly influenced by extended care programmes in the USA and England, which have reported improved outcomes for care leavers. This article interrogates formal public evaluations of these extended care programmes with a particular focus on their eligibility criteria that have determined which groups of care leavers are included or alternatively excluded and the identified strengths and limitations of the programmes. Additionally, we consider cross-cultural differences in leaving care populations and variations within the broader social policy context of these jurisdictions, which may also impact on the effectiveness of policy transfer. Some conclusions are drawn about key factors that may enhance the success of extended care programmes.
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McKie, John, and Jeff Richardson. "Social preferences for the inclusion of indirect benefits in the evaluation of publicly funded health services: results from an Australian survey." Health Economics, Policy and Law 6, no. 4 (August 8, 2011): 449–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s174413311100017x.
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AbstractThe inclusion of both monetary and non-monetary indirect benefits in economic evaluations of public health programmes and services can have significant distributive effects between patient groups. As a result, some patients may be advantaged and others disadvantaged for reasons not directly related to health outcomes or (direct) treatment costs. In pluralistic democracies, there is a case for consulting the community on the fairness of policies that have such distributive implications. This paper reports the results of two pilot studies aimed at uncovering the preferences of the Australian public for the inclusion of indirect benefits in the evaluation of services for its national health scheme, Medicare. The initial survey found some support for taking account of non-monetary indirect benefits – for example, the social contribution made by parents of young children and carers of elderly relatives. By contrast, there was little support for giving high taxpayers priority access to general Medicare services, to life-saving organ transplants, or to very costly drugs, despite the indirect social benefits of doing so. However, such support increased significantly in the follow-up study when the outcomes were characterised as certain, identifiable and health related, and the opportunity costs of failing to take account of indirect benefits were made very clear. The follow-up survey provided evidence of public scepticism about the willingness or ability of government to use additional tax receipts for socially beneficial purposes, and/or a preference for programmes and services that focus on health rather than welfare more generally.
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Nord, Erik, Jeff Richardson, and Kelly Macarounas-Kirchmann. "Social Evaluation of Health Care Versus Personal Evaluation of Health States: Evidence on the Validity of Four Health-state Scaling Instruments Using Norwegian and Australian Surveys." International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care 9, no. 4 (1993): 463–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0266462300005390.
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AbstractIn most of the cost-utility literature, quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gains are interpreted as a measure of social value. Given this interpretation, the validity of different multi-attribute health-state scaling instruments may be tested by comparing the values they provide on the 0–1 QALY scale with directly elicited preferences for person trade-offs between different treatments (equivalence of numbers of different patients treated). Norwegian and Australian public preferences as measured by the person trade-off suggest that the EuroQol Instrument assigns excessively low values to health states. This seems to be even more true of the McMaster Health Classification System. The Quality of Well-being Scale appears to compress states toward the middle of the 0–1 scale. By contrast, the Rosser/Kind index fits reasonably well with directly measured person trade-off data.
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Beckley, Lynnath E., and Amanda T. Lombard. "A systematic evaluation of the incremental protection of broad-scale habitats at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia." Marine and Freshwater Research 63, no. 1 (2012): 17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/mf11074.
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Incremental increases to marine conservation areas in response to changing goals, policy, threats or new information are common practice worldwide. Ningaloo Reef, in north-western Australia, is protected by the Ningaloo Marine Park (state waters), which was expanded incrementally in 2004 so that 34% of the park now comprises ‘no-take’ sanctuary zones. To test the hypothesis that all habitats (benthic cover types) at Ningaloo are actually protected at this 34% level, a systematic conservation planning exercise was conducted using existing broad-scale habitat data (as a surrogate for marine biodiversity) and C-Plan decision-support software. Although subtidal and intertidal coral communities were found to be adequately protected, other habitats, particularly those in deeper waters seaward of the reef, did not attain the 34% target. Efficient incremental additions to the sanctuary zones to allow increased representation of these under-represented habitats were explored with C-Plan. It is recommended that systematic conservation planning incorporating new biodiversity and social information (now becoming available) be undertaken for the next iteration of the Ningaloo Marine Park management plan. This analysis at Ningaloo Reef serves as a useful example of a post hoc systematic approach to guide incremental expansion of existing marine protected areas in other parts of the world.
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Williams, Colin C. "Explaining the Informal Economy: an Exploratory Evaluation of Competing Perspectives." Hors-thème 70, no. 4 (January 28, 2016): 741–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.7202/1034902ar.
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The aim of this paper is to conduct an exploratory analysis of the wider economic and social conditions associated with larger informal economies. To do this, three competing perspectives are evaluated critically which variously assert that cross-national variations in the size of the informal economy are associated with: under-development (modernization perspective); high taxes, corruption and state interference (neo-liberal perspective), or inadequate state intervention to protect workers (political economy perspective). Analyzing the variable size of the informal economy across 33 developed and transition economies, namely 28 European countries and five other OECD nations (Australia, Canada, Japan, New zealand and the USA), the finding is that larger informal economies are associated with under-development as measured by lower levels of GNI per capita, employment participation rates, average wages and the institutional strength and quality of the bureaucracy, higher levels of perceived public sector corruption, lower levels of expenditure on social protection and labour market intervention to protect vulnerable groups, but also restrictions on the use of temporary employment contracts and TWAs. The outcome is a tentative call to combine a range of tenets from all three perspectives in a new more nuanced and finer-grained understanding of how the cross-national variations in the size of the informal economy are associated with broader economic and social conditions. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for theory and policy, including the need for further analysis of the different impacts on the size of the informal economy of a wider range of indicators of modernization, corruption, taxation and types of state intervention.
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Nicolaisen, Morten Skou, and Patrick A. Driscoll. "An International Review of Ex-Post Project Evaluation Schemes in the Transport Sector." Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management 18, no. 01 (March 2016): 1650008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/s1464333216500083.
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There are a number of ex-post (or post-opening) project evaluation schemes used by national transportation authorities in, among others, England, Scotland, France, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Norway and the US. Additionally, many of the multilateral and bilateral lending institutions, such as the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank conduct ex-post project reviews of transport projects in the rail and road sectors. This paper presents a literature review of the various ex-post evaluation schemes in order to establish a state-of-the-art in ex-post road and rail project evaluation, develops an analytic typology of ex-post evaluation schemes and finally presents an in-depth case study of two ex-post evaluation schemes in Norway and England in order to provide a more detailed analysis of the process, structure and policy learning potential within ex-post project evaluation. In comparison to the extensive focus on ex-ante project appraisal, ex-post evaluations have received significantly less attention from academics and practitioners alike. The main findings are as follows: (1) Despite the widespread use globally of ex-post evaluation schemes in the transport sector, there remain significant differences in quality, coverage and comprehensiveness of the schemes. There is a striking lack of standardised methods of conducting ex-post evaluations at the national level, inhibiting the comparability and learning potential; (2) Even with legal mandates and decades of practice, data archiving and retrieval is a widespread problem for national transport planning agencies and (3) How to handle the counter-factual option (i.e. do-nothing/do-minimum/null option) is still very much an open question, which has significant impacts upon the forecasted and outturn benefit/cost ratios and environmental/social impacts.
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Gibbs, Chris, Barbara Murphy, Kate Hoppe, Deepika Ratnaike, and Harry Lovelock. "Improving collaborative mental health care across Australia: development and evaluation of the Mental Health Professionals Network (MHPN) initiative." International Journal of Integrated Care 18, s2 (October 23, 2018): 57. http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ijic.s2057.
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Engel, Lidia, Stacey Rand, Renske Hoefman, Jessica Bucholc, Cathrine Mihalopoulos, Anne Muldowney, Anna Ugalde, and Nikki McCaffrey. "Measuring Carer Outcomes in an Economic Evaluation: A Content Comparison of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers, Carer Experience Scale, and Care-Related Quality of Life Using Exploratory Factor Analysis." Medical Decision Making 40, no. 7 (July 25, 2020): 885–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0272989x20944193.
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Background. To incorporate the spillover effects experienced by carers providing informal care in health policy decisions, new carer-related preference-based measures have been developed for use in economic evaluation, which include the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers (ASCOT-Carer), Carer Experience Scale (CES), and Care-Related Quality of Life (CarerQoL). The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which these 3 instruments measure complementary or overlapping constructs. Methods. Data were derived from an online survey undertaken with carers residing in Australia. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to ascertain the underlying latent constructs of the 3 measures. Results. Data from 351 informal carers yielded a 5-factor model describing general quality of life outside caring, problems due to caring, fulfilment from caring, social support with caring, and relationship with the care recipient. Most of the ASCOT-Carer and the CarerQol items loaded onto the first and second factors, respectively. The greatest overlap was observed between CarerQol and CES items loading onto the other 3 shared common factors. Limitations. Online data collection resulted in inconsistent responses, which had to be removed to yield logical data. A convenience sampling approach may have compromised the generalizability of study findings. Conclusion. Although some overlap was observed, the 3 carer-related preference-based measures seem to tap into different constructs of carer-related quality of life and caring experiences and cannot be used interchangeably.
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Tabatabaei-Jafari, Hossein, Jose A. Salinas-Perez, Mary Anne Furst, Nasser Bagheri, John Mendoza, David Burke, Peter McGeorge, and Luis Salvador-Carulla. "Patterns of Service Provision in Older People’s Mental Health Care in Australia." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 22 (November 17, 2020): 8516. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228516.
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Australia has a population of around 4 million people aged 65 years and over, many of whom are at risk of developing cognitive decline, mental illness, and/or psychological problems associated with physical illnesses. The aim of this study was to describe the pattern of specialised mental healthcare provision (availability, placement capacity, balance of care and diversity) for this age group in urban and rural health districts in Australia. The Description and Evaluation of Services and DirectoriEs for Long Term Care (DESDE-LTC) tool was used in nine urban and two rural health districts of the thirty-one Primary Health Networks across Australia. For the most part service provision was limited to hospital and outpatient care across all study areas. The latter was mainly restricted to health-related outpatient care, and there was a relative lack of social outpatient care. While both acute and non-acute hospital care were available in urban areas, in rural areas hospital care was limited to acute care. Limited access to comprehensive mental health care, and the uniformity in provision across areas in spite of differences in demographic, socioeconomic and health characteristics raises issues of equity in regard to psychogeriatric care in this country. Comparing patterns of mental health service provision across the age span using the same classification method allows for a better understanding of care provision and gap analysis for evidence-informed policy.
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Zurynski, Yvonne, Lisa Altman, Christie Breen, and Susan Woolfenden. "An evaluation of care coordination for children with chronic and complex conditions in Australia: experiences and needs of healthcare providers." International Journal of Integrated Care 18, s1 (March 12, 2018): 94. http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ijic.s1094.
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Dang, Van Thac, and Wilson V. T. Dang. "Multi-criteria decision-making in the evaluation of environmental quality of OECD countries." International Journal of Ethics and Systems 36, no. 1 (October 7, 2019): 119–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijoes-06-2019-0101.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to use multi-criteria decision-making methods to assess environmental quality of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Design/methodology/approach Weights of criteria are determined by means of entropy weight method. VIKOR method is used to rank different OECD countries based on their environmental quality. Findings The results show the best and the worst environmental quality of different OECD countries. The top five countries of environmental quality are Spain, Israel, Belgium, Japan and the USA. These countries have the best quality of environment. By contrast, the worst five countries of environmental quality are Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Chile. Originality/value The findings have implications regarding environmental quality. The results suggest that governments should engage in policy-making that improves their environmental quality. Specifically, those having poor quality of environment should protect the environment and reduce the negative impact on environment. For example, reduce emission of CO2 to lessen the impact of climate change, improve the quality of air and water, reduce waste generation, increase biodiversity and enhance forest resources. Improvement of environmental quality will improve our social and economic life as well as health conditions.
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Tennant, Elaine, John Eastwood, Katherine Todd, Erin Miller, and Kathryn Costantino. "An Evaluation of the Barriers to Health and Social Care for “Hard to Reach” Groups enrolled in an Integrated Care Initiative in Sydney, Australia." International Journal of Integrated Care 17, no. 5 (October 17, 2017): 392. http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ijic.3710.
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Perenyi, Aron, Roxanne Zolin, and Alex Maritz. "The perceptions of Australian senior entrepreneurs on the drivers of their entrepreneurial activity." International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research 24, no. 1 (January 8, 2018): 81–103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijebr-12-2016-0424.
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Purpose Why is self-employment an attractive option for certain seniors and what drives seniors into business start-ups? In this study, the motivations and preferences of senior entrepreneurs in Australia, to become self-employed, by means of business start-ups, are explored. The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical basis for policy implications. Design/methodology/approach A mixed methods study is conducted. Members of the National Senior’s Association in Australia were interviewed and surveyed. The semi-structured interviews identified the key factors influencing senior entrepreneurs in relation to self-employment and entrepreneurial choices at a later career stage. The survey collected information on intentionality, motivation, skills, opportunities, success, satisfaction, participation, barriers, benefits, education and training, and perceptions of policy support for senior entrepreneurs. Findings Respondents gave an account of the prevalence of pull factors motivating their choice of an entrepreneurial career. Multivariate statistical analysis of survey responses showed that senior entrepreneurs are more driven by opportunity than necessity and are primarily internally motivated. Research limitations/implications Results of this study suggest a weak link between motivation by others and the act of start-up, but this may also imply that those seniors who are more likely to become entrepreneurs are more likely to ignore the impulses from their social context. This requires further investigation to ensure a robust identification of drivers and an elimination of contextual effects. Further research is suggested to compose a relevant model structure in different contexts and a representative sample to confirm the model outcomes. Originality/value This is the first mixed methods study of the antecedents of senior entrepreneurs’ start-up intentions in Australia. The study also uses entrepreneurial activity as opposed to intention as its dependent variable, which allows for a more accurate evaluation of antecedents to the senior entrepreneurship phenomenon.
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Scott, Dorothy. "New directions for trust funding: Strengthening families and communities." Children Australia 22, no. 1 (1997): 4–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1035077200008026.
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Some leading philanthropic trusts and foundations in Australia, like those in North America, are increasingly interested in moving away from a reactive funding model in which they merely respond to requests for funding to a more proactive model in which they develop, in collaboration with those in the field, the broad parameters of innovative programs they wish to support, and then invite agencies to make expressions of interest in relation to these program dimensions.Selected programs need to be committed to evaluation and prepared to help disseminate their innovations and experiences to the field. It is this last step, from innovation to dissemination, which has often not been taken in the past, resulting in lost opportunities for valuable and cutting edge pilot projects to make an impact on practice and policy.
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Gillespie, Rob, and Marit E. Kragt. "Accounting for Nonmarket Impacts in a Benefit-Cost Analysis of Underground Coal Mining in New South Wales, Australia." Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis 3, no. 2 (May 8, 2012): 1–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/2152-2812.1101.
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Strategic inquiries into coal mining by Australian Governments advocate increased use of comprehensive benefit cost analyses and nonmarket valuation studies when assessing individual project proposals. The study reported in this paper addresses these Government concerns, by integrating results of a choice experiment into a benefit cost analysis undertaken for a Colliery in the Southern Coalfield of New South Wales, Australia. Results of the study were used to aid the State government in evaluating proposals for continued underground coal mining. We show that impacts of mine subsidence on streams, swamps, and Aboriginal sites negatively affect community wellbeing. Social welfare increases with the length of time that the mine provides direct employment. We demonstrate how implicit price estimates from the choice experiment can be incorporated into a benefit cost analysis of continued mining. Benefit cost analyses were carried out for a range of policy scenarios—including policies that would restrict mining activities at the Colliery and protect environmental and cultural features in the Southern Coalfield. Notwithstanding the environmental impacts generated by mining operations, continued mining is shown to be a more economically efficient course of action.
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Scholz, Brett, Julia Bocking, Peter Hedt, Vinh N. Lu, and Brenda Happell. "‘Not in the room, but the doctors were’: an Australian story-completion study about consumer representation." Health Promotion International 35, no. 4 (July 20, 2019): 752–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daz070.
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Abstract Current mental health policy requires consumer involvement in all levels of health service management (i.e. planning, implementation, delivery and evaluation). However, current models often limit consumers to ‘representation’ roles that are criticized for silencing consumer views. This study compares understandings of consumer representatives’ and health professionals’ participation in decision-making processes in the mental health sector in Australia. Story completion methods were employed, with 34 participants (21 consumers, 8 health professionals and 5 people identifying both as consumer and health professional) completing a story stem about either a consumer representative or a health professional changing a committee meeting agenda. Using a thematic approach, three overarching themes were developed: how consumer representative roles remain unvalued, how such lack of value translates to not achieving co-production and how consumer representative roles can be better supported through allyship or subversion against organizational cultural norms. Findings suggest that organizational cultural norms in health settings need to be more inclusive of consumers to maximize the benefits of partnerships and fulfil policy expectations. Two methods for greater empowerment of consumers working in mental health are through allyship with non-consumer health professionals who support the goals of the consumer movement, and subversion of current practices.
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Zurynski, Yvonne. "Integrated care for children with medical complexity living in rural Australia – an evaluation of family experiences using the Paediatric Integrated Care Survey." International Journal of Integrated Care 21, S1 (September 1, 2021): 116. http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ijic.icic20530.
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Nguyen, Trang, Kim Sweeny, Thach Tran, Stanley Luchters, David B. Hipgrave, Sarah Hanieh, Tuan Tran, Ha Tran, Beverley-Ann Biggs, and Jane Fisher. "Protocol for an economic evaluation alongside a cluster randomised controlled trial: cost-effectiveness of Learning Clubs, a multicomponent intervention to improve women’s health and infant’s health and development in Vietnam." BMJ Open 9, no. 12 (December 2019): e031721. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-031721.
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IntroductionEconomic evaluations of complex interventions in early child development are required to guide policy and programme development, but a few are yet available.Methods and analysisAlthough significant gains have been made in maternal and child health in resource-constrained environments, this has mainly been concentrated on improving physical health. The Learning Clubs programme addresses both physical and mental child and maternal health. This study is an economic evaluation of a cluster randomised controlled trial of the impact of the Learning Clubs programme in Vietnam. It will be conducted from a societal perspective and aims to identify the cost-effectiveness and the economic and social returns of the intervention. A total of 1008 pregnant women recruited from 84 communes in a rural province in Vietnam will be included in the evaluation. Health and cost data will be gathered at three stages of the trial and used to calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios per percentage point improvement of infant’s development, infant’s health and maternal common mental disorders expressed in quality-adjusted life years gained. The return on investment will be calculated based on improvements in productivity, the results being expressed as benefit–cost ratios.Ethics and disseminationThe trial was approved by Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (Certificate Number 2016–0683), Australia, and approval was extended to include the economic evaluation (Amendment Review Number 2018-0683-23806); and the Institutional Review Board of the Hanoi School of Public Health (Certificate Number 017-377IDD- YTCC), Vietnam. Results will be disseminated through academic journals and conference presentations.Trial registration numberACTRN12617000442303.
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Dessaix, A. "Implementation Learnings From a Cancer-Prevention Multirisk Factor Public Education Campaign." Journal of Global Oncology 4, Supplement 2 (October 1, 2018): 133s. http://dx.doi.org/10.1200/jgo.18.50200.
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Background and context: The Cancer Council New South Wales (CCNSW) is one of Australia's leading cancer charities and is uniquely 95% community funded. Cancer prevention is one of five strategic priority areas for CCNSW. An estimated to 37,000 cancer cases are preventable each year in Australia; 33% of cancers in men and 31% in women. The CCNSW developed and implemented the 1 in 3 Cancers Campaign in 2016, the first Australian multirisk factor cancer prevention campaign. This was also the organization's first experience in implementing a social marketing mass media campaign. Over two years, the campaign's primary objective was to raise awareness that one in three cancers are preventable, to highlight why preventing cancer is important and practical steps for prevention. Aim: To undertake an organizational review of internal learnings from the development, implementation and evaluation of the 1 in 3 Cancers Campaign and make recommendations for future campaign practice. Strategy/Tactics: Cross-organizational perspectives were provided from 20 Cancer Council staff from the areas of cancer prevention, research, fundraising and community engagement through a one-day workshop. Program/Policy process: Workshop participants: 1) reviewed best practice social marketing processes, 2) reviewed published evidence on mass media public education campaigns, 3) against this framework, determined internal organizational learnings from the 1 in 3 Cancers Campaign and made recommendations for future practice. Outcomes: A summary report of key lessons learnt from the implementation of the 1 in 3 Cancers Campaign and recommendations for future practice. What was learned: Areas of strengths were identified including cross-organizational collaboration, the development of an interactive cancer risk quiz, good community awareness of the campaign and key message take out. Areas for improvement included the need for greater resource investment (namely staff capacity, skills and budget), greater lead times for thorough campaign planning and the need to focus on singular behavioral cancer risk factors in communication messaging rather than multiple risk factors. The workshop concluded that well-planned, well-resourced mass media campaigns were an important evidence-based strategy for future cancer prevention practice.
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MUIR, KRISTY, KAREN R. FISHER, DAVID ABELLO, and ANN DADICH. "‘I didn't like just sittin’ around all day’: Facilitating Social and Community Participation Among People with Mental Illness and High Levels of Psychiatric Disability." Journal of Social Policy 39, no. 3 (March 31, 2010): 375–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0047279410000073.
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AbstractPeople with mental illness can be profoundly disabled and at risk of social exclusion. Transitional models of supported housing have limited effectiveness in improving community participation. Stable, individualised psychosocial housing support programmes have been found to assist in improving mental health and decreasing hospitalisations, but little is understood about whether or how these programmes facilitate social and community participation. This article argues that, if certain supports are available, supported housing models can assist people with high levels of psychiatric disability to participate meaningfully in the community. To make this case, the article uses findings of a longitudinal evaluation of a supported housing model in Australia: the Housing and Accommodation Support Initiative Stage One (HASI). HASI is a partnership between the New South Wales Government Departments of Health and Housing and non-government organisations. It is a coordinated approach that provides clients with housing and community-based clinical support, as well as support with daily living skills and community participation. An analysis of questionnaire, database, interview and clinical data is used to demonstrate how HASI contributes to increased social and community participation. The article concludes with policy implications for supported housing models that aim to facilitate meaningful community participation for people with mental illness.
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Leshinsky, Rebecca, and Clare M. Mouat. "Towards better recognising ‘community’ in multi-owned property law and living." International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis 8, no. 4 (October 5, 2015): 484–501. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijhma-07-2015-0031.
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Purpose – This paper aims to advance best practice by gaining insights into key multi-owned property (MOP) issues challenging policymakers and communities. Ontario (Canada) and Victoria (Australia) are internationally recognised for best practice in MOP living and law. Yet, both jurisdictions struggle with the emerging urbanism related to condominium MOP. Design/methodology/approach – Different ways of recognising community in MOP urbanism will be examined against public policy and political theory perspectives promoting social sustainability. A rich mixed-data and content analysis method is relied upon which synthesises three pillars of MOP community governance: harmonious high-rise living; residential-neighbourhood interface; and metropolitan community engagement. The article cross-examines Canadian policy and law reform documents and Australian dispute case law from the state of Victoria to explore and showcase critical MOP management, residential and policy issues. Findings – A theory-building typology formally recognises “community” as an affective performance across MOP governance contexts: cosmopolitan, civic-citizen and neighbourly. These ideal types differentiate community affects in and beyond (case) law and land-use planning: from determining alternative dispute resolution remedies; addressing neighbourhood and metropolitan NIMBY-ism in urban consolidation to bridging the critical policy and civic gap between the limits and aims of socially sustainable MOP vertical-tenured community affects. Research limitations/implications – Strong cross-jurisdictional MOP community lessons exist, as other cities follow best practice in legal and governance structures to effect change at the frontiers of twenty-first century urbanism. Originality/value – Past studies emphasise classifying dispute issues, single-issue concerns or historical and life cycle evaluations. This theory-building article advances why and how community must be better understood holistically across community contexts to inform cutting-edge governance practices.
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Donnelly, Sarah. "Mandatory reporting and adult safeguarding: a rapid realist review." Journal of Adult Protection 21, no. 5 (October 3, 2019): 241–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jap-03-2019-0011.
Full textAbstract:
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse the concept of mandatory reporting in adult safeguarding in the jurisdictions of Australia, Canada, England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Design/methodology/approach A rapid realist evaluation of the literature on this topic was carried out in order to answer the question: "what works, for whom and in what circumstances?” Particular attention was paid to Context(s), Mechanism(s) and Outcome(s) configurations of adult safeguarding reporting systems and processes. Findings The evaluation found a range of arguments for and against mandatory reporting and international variations on the scope and powers of mandatory reporting. Research limitations/implications This review was undertaken in late 2018 so subsequent policy and practice developments will be missing from the evaluation. The evaluation focussed on five jurisdictions therefore, the findings are not necessarily translatable to other contexts. Practical implications Some jurisdictions have introduced mandatory reporting and others are considering doing so. The potential advantages and challenges of introducing mandatory reporting are highlighted. Social implications The introduction of mandatory reporting may offer professionals increased powers to prevent and reduce the abuse of adults, but this could also change the dynamic of relationships within families, and between families and professionals. Originality/value This paper provides an accessible discussion of mandatory reporting across Ireland and internationally which to date has been lacking from the literature.
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Murphy, Julian R., and Erika Arban. "Assessing the Performance of Australian Federalism in Responding to the Pandemic." Publius: The Journal of Federalism 51, no. 4 (August 14, 2021): 627–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/publius/pjab026.
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Abstract This article provides a comprehensive evaluation of the federalism-implicated aspects of Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The article’s research question is: to what extent was Australia’s federal structure responsible for the relative successes and failures of the national pandemic response? The method chosen to answer this question is largely theoretical, supplemented by aspects of institutional and policy analysis. That is to say, the inquiry identifies what were widely considered to be important policies, and considers the extent to which the formulation and implementation of those policies was furthered or hindered by the institutions and relations forming Australia’s federal structure. Five policy areas are considered, namely: the National Cabinet; social distancing and related policies; international travel and quarantine; interstate travel; and cities and local government. The conclusions reached are that a number of policy responses achieved federalism’s objectives of enhancing local decision-making power, increasing state and federal cooperation, and cabining policy failure. While Australia’s was not an unmitigated success story, on the whole the pandemic galvanized and reinvigorated Australia’s federal structure and institutions.
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Cooper, Martin, Richard Midford, and Julie Anne Jaegar. "Carnarvon Partysafe: Designing a Community Mobilisation Project in Western Australia's Remote North West." Australian Journal of Primary Health 7, no. 3 (2001): 63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py01048.
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Recent studies are increasingly shifting away from viewing drug and alcohol problems as individual medical disorders and recognising the significant role of environmental and community factors. In keeping with this, the Partysafe project, being implemented in the remote North West town of Carnarvon in Western Australia (WA), is utilising a community mobilisation approach to reducing harm associated with alcohol consumption in private residences. Carnarvon, like most rural communities in WA, has a higher rate of alcohol consumption than in the metropolitan region, hence its selection as the target site. An additional reason for selecting a remote town was the belief that national and state level prevention strategies cannot always be successfully implemented due to a region?s unique social and environmental influences. This paper discusses the community mobilisation methodology, giving a practical insight into the specific interventions and evaluation techniques developed for the Partysafe project. The process of identifying community-based alcohol issues and the problems associated with implementation and evaluation are illustrated. A combination of archival quantitative data and community based qualitative data will be used to assess the project?s success. Collection and use of this data is also practically depicted.