Username:
Password:

Need a password?

Each quarter, our peer reviewed journal publishes up to six research- and practice-based articles on Australian youth. Find out more.

1. CARE AND PROTECTION
   
   
2. CARERS
   Analysing research on young carers in Australia
   Young carers resources
   Email discussion list for young carers
   
   
3. DEVELOPMENT
   Newly released: Handbook of adolescent development
   
   
4. DISABILITIES
   Juvenile arthritis resources
   Novel addresses sibling experience
   
   
5. DRUGS
   Online counselling for users and concerned others
   Community Partnerships Initiative grants
   Methamphetamine use and its effects in an adolescent sample
   
   
6. EMPLOYMENT, TRAINING
   Recommendations to help young workers
   Employment-related publications from the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council
   
   
7. FAMILIES
   Inquiry into the impact of illicit drug use on families
   
   
8. FUNDING
   
   
9. FUTURE STUDIES
   Generations in dialogue about the future: the hopes and fears of young Australians
   
   
10. HEALTH
    'The Lancet' focuses on adolescent health
    
    
11. HOUSING, HOMELESSNESS
    The National Youth Commission Inquiry into Youth Homelessness
    As much right: Young homeless people and their future
    'Tenants rights manual NSW: A practical guide to renting'
    
    
12. INDIGENOUS YOUTH
    Customary law and 'promised wives'
    
    
13. INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
    State of the world's children 2007
    Crime and justice in the UK
    
    
14. MEDIA
    New magazine for younger young women
    
    
15. MENTAL HEALTH
    The AeJAMH: recent youth-related mental health papers
    'Where there's hope' -- a resource for families
    SANE: 'Activist' email updates
    'SANE guide for families'
    
    
16. MENTORING
    'Finding heroes': Encouragement for pre-teens
    
    
17. MOVEMENTS, CHANGES, MILESTONES
    Leadership in the MindMatters Project 2007 Awards
    ACROD becomes NDS: New identity for disability organisation
    New children's services leadership organisation in Britain
    
    
18. PARTICIPATION
    Bright minds, bright futures
    
    
19. POLICY
    2007 Australian Social Policy Conference
    Towards a children's policy framework
    
    
20. REFUGEE YOUTH
    The treatment of unaccompanied and separated children in Australia's refugee determination process
    
    
21. RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY
    Coming soon: World Youth Day 2008
    Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence
    
    
22. RESEARCH
    Understanding identity formation -- not?
    Understanding young men
    Measuring self-reliance among users of homelessness services
    
    
23. RURAL YOUTH
    ... and mental health
    Movement of non-metropolitan youth towards the cities
    
    
24. SAFETY, RISK-TAKING
    Go4it: Teaching young people to be 'risk-savvy'
    
    
25. SEXUALITY, SEXUAL HEALTH
    Addressing sexual diversity and homophobia in schools
    
    
26. SUICIDE PREVENTION
    National Suicide Prevention Strategy: The next phase
    MindMatters in action
    
    
27. SURVEYS
    Mission Australia's 6th Annual Survey of Young Australians
    National students' sexual health survey 2007
    
    
28. VIOLENCE
    Responding to sexual assault issues in schools
    
    
29. WELFARE
    Students and support: More 'allowable time' needed?
    
    
30. YOUTH AFFAIRS
    Are we there yet? reaches maximum capacity
    
    
31. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
    New resources from Search Institute
    
    
32. YOUTH SERVICES
    Youth service gaps in Victoria
    
    
33. YOUTH WORK
    Youth work: Code of ethical conduct
    ...in Victoria
    ... and in the ACT and NSW
    Resources for youth workers from Streetwize Communications
    
    
34. DID YOU KNOW ...

YFX April

1. CARE AND PROTECTION

'Communities, families and children Australia' is a new journal developed by the Australian College for Child and Family Protection Practitioners. Launched in Canberra in July 2006 by Prof. Dorothy Scott from the Australian Centre for Child Protection, the journal aims to 'encourage thinking and reflection beyond current models of child protection policy and practice'. Its first edition includes articles on children and young people's participation in research, reflecting an explicit intention of the journal to keep children's experiences at the forefront. For more details, contact ACCFPP, PO Box 1401, Mackay, Queensland 4740; ph: (07) 4957 5400; fax: (07) 4957 5488.

2. CARERS

Analysing research on young carers in Australia

The current issue of the Social Policy Research Centre's newsletter contains a five-page article by Bettina Cass on 'Using the Social Care Framework to analyse research on young carers', an ARC Linkage Grant project in which she's chief investigator. Looking at the literature on care, she places young carers within the 'social care' framework. The project will examine the interconnections of cultural/familial frameworks and policy frameworks that lead young people to become carers, using the social care framework to investigate the socio-economic cultural circumstances of young carers' labour, as well as their sense of obligation and responsibility. 'The theoretical frameworks on care-giving and analysis of the policy settings in which care-giving is situated rarely consider the case of young carers, focusing instead on parental care of children, and adult care for disabled or chronically ill offspring, spouses or older relatives'. This ARC Linkage project funded for 2007-2009 will explore the complex interconnections of cultural/familial and the policy frameworks. The article describes typologies of care, Australian data and existing research on children and young people as carers, socioeconomic constraints due to caring, and young carers' service use. It ends with some questions for researchers about socioeconomic and sociocultural factors, policy and service provision, flexible education, training and employment conditions for the young person. Finally, Cass asks how the nature and intensity of care might be altered under different policy frameworks, so that a young person's ethic of 'caring about' and 'caring for' need not necessarily be extended into responsibility for 'taking care of' (Source: 'SPRC Newsletter', n.95, March 2007, Social Policy Research Centre, University of NSW; http://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/newsletter.htm)

Young carers resources

Young carers ( http://www.youngcarers.net.au) is a national initiative for young carers themselves. It has a page linking carers to groups in their own regions, at http://www.youngcarers.net.au/yc-assoc.html
An excellent page of links to carers' resources can be found on both the Carers Queensland website, at: http://www.carersqld.asn.au/section/13111.html and on the Young Carers NSW website, at http://www.youngcarersnsw.asn.au/MultiPage.aspx?PageID=24

Email discussion list for young carers

A new email discussion list for young carers has been set up: see: http://www.youngcarersnsw.asn.au/ (at the 'Join the YC Club logo). For more details, ph: 1800 242 636 or send an email to: yc[AT]carersnsw.asn.au

3. DEVELOPMENT

Newly released: Handbook of adolescent development

Luc Goossens has edited this work by Sandy Jackson which was incomplete at the time of Jackson's death in 2003. All its chapters have been updated and revised to provide a perspective on adolescent development and behaviour. International in its scope, its 18 chapters cover issues on puberty, self-concept, self-esteem and identity, peer relations, sexuality and intimate relationships as well as leisure, and the predictable problem areas such as drug use. Published in 2006, it is available from Hove publishers in the UK, ISBN 1 84169 200 X.

4. DISABILITIES

Juvenile arthritis resources

Arthritis Australia has a range of free resources on Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, more commonly known as juvenile arthritis. Resources include a brief general guide, a school advisory form, information sheets and a teacher's guide. For further information, contact Arthritis Australia, ph: 1800 011 041; website: http://arthritisaustralia.com.au (Source: 'link magazine', v.16, n.1, 2007, p.16.)

Novel addresses sibling experience

'Sara Webb: Disaster area', a new novel by author Liz Wilks, explores the experiences of siblings of children with a disability. In a review of the novel published in the April 2007 edition of 'link magazine', Siblings Australia director Kate Strohm says that the book 'would certainly help young siblings realise that they are not alone in their struggles. It also raises awareness amongst parents and professionals of the special social issues confronted by siblings, and the importance of strong social networks for the whole family'. Siblings Australia is a non-profit organisation offering support to siblings of children with special needs. See: http://www.siblingsaustralia.org.au (Source: 'link magazine', v.16, n.1, 2007, p.43.)

5. DRUGS

Online counselling for users and concerned others

Counselling Online, a service from the DrugInfo Clearinghouse, has been mentioned before, but please note that its website has been upgraded to make it easier to use, allowing for more interaction between counsellors and clients, easier "login" and registration, and more emergency help information. The service is staffed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year. It's also completely free, anonymous and available throughout Australia to anyone with a drug or alcohol problem, or anyone who is concerned about a family or friend's drug use. See: http://www.counsellingonline.org.au
Note: Youth services that would like to obtain Counselling Online wallet cards or posters to display in their offices should call the DrugInfo Clearinghouse, ph: 1300 85 85 84 or email: druginfo[AT]adf.org.au

Community Partnerships Initiative grants

The Australian Government's 5th round of funding for new grants aimed at preventing and reducing illicit drug use by young people was announced in April, and the list of funded organisations is at: http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/Content/phd-illicit-cpilist5

Methamphetamine use and its effects on anger expression, cognition, emotional intelligence and mood in an adolescent sample

This is a project being undertaken to understand the relationship between methamphetamine use and anger expression, cognition, emotional intelligence and mood in an adolescent sample. Despite methamphetamine use escalating over the past decade, particularly among adolescents, there is little information on how it affects adolescents. Physical and psychological problems associated with methamphetamine use have been identified, including violent behaviour, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, insomnia and psychotic symptoms. Volunteers aged 16 to 20 are being sought for the research project by Swinburne University's Brain Sciences Institute to take part in a confidential and anonymous study investigating the impact of drug use on cognition, emotion and mood. Volunteers with a history of drug use, as well as volunteers who have not previously used drugs, are being sought. For further information, ph: (02) 9214 4444 or email: 4081501[AT]swin.edu.au; http://www.swin.edu.au/lss (Source: the autumn 2007 edition of 'Western Youth', a mental health promotion newsletter for those working with young people in the west and northwest region of Melbourne. 'Western Youth' is produced by the Communications and Corporate Affairs team at ORYGEN Youth Health and distributed twice yearly.)

6. EMPLOYMENT, TRAINING

Recommendations to help young workers

In December 2006, the NSW Commission for Children and Young People released a report containing 19 recommendations to improve workplace experiences, job satisfaction and employment opportunities for children and young people. The 'Children at work: Recommendations' report was compiled in response to the commission's extensive research on the experiences of children and young people in the workplace, published in 2005 as the 'Children at work' report. The recommendations include the creation by the NSW Government of a free employment information, advisory education and referral service for children and young people, as well as for their parents and employers; that employers are given support to extend their understanding of the specific employment needs of children, and that employer organisations encourage and support businesses to offer paid vacation work to children and young people from disadvantaged areas so that they can gain valuable work-based learning experiences. See: http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au (Source: 'Exchange', newsletter of the NSW Commission for Children and Young People, n.28, summer 2006-2007, p.5; 'Children at work: Recommendations', NSW Commission for Children and Young People, Sydney, viewed 4 April 2007, http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/uploads/documents/childwork_recs.pdf)

Employment-related publications from the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council

The Australian Catholic Social Justice Council has produced a number of employment-related publications as part of its Catholic Social Justice Series that may be of interest to those in the youth field. These are 'Choice for whom? A discussion of the 2005 industrial relations laws' (Catholic Social Justice Series n.58), by Dr Tim Battin, and 'From money to meaning: Young people and work' (Catholic Social Justice Series n.56), by the Australian Young Christian Workers Movement. Copies of these publications are available for $6.60 each plus postage from the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, PO Box 1615, North Sydney, NSW 2059; ph: (02) 9956 5811; fax: (02) 9954 0056; email: admin[AT]acsjc.org.au (Source: 'Justice Trends', n.124, March 2007, p.5.)

7. FAMILIES

Inquiry into the impact of illicit drug use on families

Although the official closing date for submissions has passed, submissions by individuals or organisations to this Parliament of Australia, House of Representatives inquiry are still being accepted. The inquiry seeks to find out how to 'better address the impact of the importation, production, sale, use and prevention of illicit drugs on families', and is particularly interested in:
* the financial, social and personal cost to families who have a member(s) using illicit drugs, including the impact of drug-induced psychoses or other mental disorders;
* the impact of harm minimisation programs on families; and
* ways to strengthen families who are coping with a member(s) using illicit drugs.
For more details, ph: (02) 6277 4566 or see:
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/fhs/illicitdrugs/
Electronic submissions are preferred, and should be sent via email to: fhs.reps[AT]aph.gov.au or sent on disk or CD-ROM in WORD or PDF format, addressed to the Committee Secretariat, Standing Committee on Family and Human Services, House of Representatives, PO Box 6021, Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600.

8. FUNDING

Applications are now open for the Foundation for Young Australians' new creative grant opportunity, Your Eyes Only, an opportunity for young people aged 12 to 15 to celebrate their community by submitting something creative about it, as seen through their eyes. The closing date for entries is Monday 18 June 2007. A second funding round will open in July 2007. More details and application forms available at http://www.youngaustralians.org or ph: 1800 252 316.

9. FUTURE STUDIES

While it's nothing new that perceptions of the future are shaped by the images of global or distant threat and disaster, in the past such fears were neither as incessant nor as varied, nor so powerfully reinforced as they are today by the media, with its immediacy and vividness. 'This effect seems certain to intensify as global warming and other threats begin to have a deeper impact on people's lives ... Young people's concerns about the future of the world and humanity matter, and today young people bear an increasingly heavy psychological load of expectations. 'An erosion of faith in society and its future influences the way people see their roles and responsibilities, and the way they see their relationship to social institutions, especially government. (This erosion) denies them a social ideal to believe in and a wider framework of meaning in their lives.'
The text above comes from the 'Australians in society' research program: 'Generations in dialogue about the future: the hopes and fears of young Australians' (Australia 21 Ltd).

Generations in dialogue about the future: the hopes and fears of young Australians

This is a project that aims to further understanding of young people's views of the future and how these views are woven into the stories they create to make sense and meaning of their lives. While the project is focused on young people's future visions, it is also a vehicle for exploring broader questions of identity, belonging, meaning and values. Young people's stories about the future allow for an exploration of issues that research has traditionally looked at through the lens of "education" and "labour-force participation" or "marriage and parenthood". Futures studies reveal the different ways in which researchers have approached the future and people construe the future. They note the human susceptibility to apocalyptic ideas and, at the same time, the mythic need for utopian ideals, both of which are embodied in 'story'. The project is the 2nd in the 'Australians in society' research program initiated by Australia 21, a non-profit, public-interest research company). Their 1st project, 'Pathways to success and wellbeing for Australia's young people', sought to identify ways to help young people to optimise their wellbeing and to realise their full potential against a background of often adverse trends in their physical and mental health and wellbeing. The Generations in dialogue project takes up themes discussed in the earlier 'Pathways to success and wellbeing project, namely, the importance of cultural ‘intangibles' to wellbeing, and the role of narrative in their lives. It marries the sciences with the humanities and the arts, quantitative with qualitative approaches. More at: http://www.australia21.org.au/whats_new.htm

10. HEALTH

'The Lancet' focuses on adolescent health

'The Lancet' is currently publishing a series of papers with a focus on adolescent health. Topics include pubertal transitions in health, sexual and reproductive health among adolescents, adolescent substance abuse, and adolescents living with a chronic condition. For the full list of papers in the series, plus a number of audio files of comments made by members of the expert panel who launched the series in London on 26 March, visit 'The Lancet' website: http://www.thelancet.com/online/focus/adolescent_health (viewed 2 April 2007).

11. HOUSING, HOMELESSNESS

The National Youth Commission Inquiry into Youth Homelessness

The National Youth Commission (NYC) inquiry, mentioned in the previous edition of this newsletter, now has a website where you can find out more, and provide input. See: http://www.nyc.net.au The inquiry is holding hearings at various places around Australia, and these are listed on their website at:
http://www.nyc.net.au/hearings
Announced on 8 March 2007, the inquiry will examine why youth homelessness continues to be a major problem in Australia. The closing date for written submissions is 15 June 2007. In order to present evidence to the hearings, contact the NYC ph: (03) 9940 1573 or info[AT]nyc.net.au Submissions can also be forwarded to NYC, c/- YDA at 420 Victoria Street, Brunswick, Victoria 3056 or PO Box 198, Brunswick VIC 3056 (or see http://www.nyc.net.au/contact). The inquiry's comprehensive findings are to be made public in September. (Source: 'Yikes!' newsletter of the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria, v.5, n.2, April 2007; and the NYC website viewed 18 April 2007.)

As much right: Young homeless people and their future

This is the theme for the February 2007 edition of 'Parity', the publication of the Council to Homeless Persons. The edition is divided into six chapters: the rights framework, the policy framework, key themes in youth homelessness, protecting the rights of the child and a concluding chapter. Articles include 'Child and youth homelessness: A nation's shame' by Alistair Nicholson (former Chief Justice of the Family Law Court of Australia); 'Contextualising the housing continuum: Housing and homelessness for young people in regional South Australia' by Margo Johnson (Sector Development Officer with Shelter SA); and 'Homeless twice: Homelessness among young refugees', by Dr Steve Francis (Policy Manager, Centre for Multicultural Youth Issues). See the 'Parity' website at: http://www.chp.org.au/parity (Source: 'Parity' v.20, n.1, 2007.)

'Tenants rights manual NSW: A practical guide to renting'

This book would be a useful resource for both tenants and those involved in any aspect of tenancy matters and advocacy. It's a completely revised and updated version produced in association with the Tenants' Union of NSW by Phillippa Bellemore. This manual 'clearly explains what rights tenants have, and shows how problems and disputes can be resolved before they become major issues'. Topics covered include starting and ending a tenancy, social housing, share housing and a chapter about the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal. The book also includes 32 sample letters covering various tenancy situations. For more information or to order the book, contact The Federation Press, ph: (02) 9552 2200; fax: (02) 9552 1681; email: info[AT]federationpress.com.au; website: http://www.federationpress.com.au (Source: The Federation Press website, viewed 4 April 2007, http://www.federationpress.com.au/bookstore/book.asp?isbn=9781862875579#bookcontents )

12. INDIGENOUS YOUTH

The Dr Ross Ingram Memorial Essay Competition is open to any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person who is working, researching or training in a health-related field. The organisers are looking for essays that present original and positive ideas aimed at promoting health gains and health equity for Australia's Indigenous peoples. Winning entries will be published in the 'Medical Journal of Australia' Indigenous health issue (the second issue in May each year), and attract a prize of $5,000. Other essays of high merit may also be published. The essays should be no more than 2,000 words long, and must be submitted by 14 January 2008. More details at: http://www.mja.com.au/public/information/RossIngramCompetition.html

Customary law: Sex with under-age 'promised wives'

This is the title of an article by customary law and comparative law expert Ken Brown published in the March 2007 edition of the 'Alternative Law Journal'. Brown looks at the issue of sex with under-age 'promised wives' within Indigenous communities, making particular reference to two recent cases in the Northern Territory involving middle-aged male offenders. Brown argues that some judicial officers 'attach too much weight to claims made by defendants seeking to justify their actions by reference to cultural factors and traditional beliefs. As a corollary they do not properly take into account the feelings of, or harm done to, child victims or the expressed need of the relevant legislation to protect young girls'. Outlining the differences between 'authentic' customary law and 'distorted' customary law, Brown comes to the following conclusions: ' ... in the twenty-first century, modern international human rights conventions implemented to protect women and children should carry more weight than the claims of middle-aged men that they are acting in accordance with their culture and traditional beliefs ... There is no reason why, with consultation and education, custom cannot evolve to accommodate human rights agendas on gender equality and the protection of children.' (Source: 'Alternative Law Journal', v.32, n.1, 2007, pp.11-15.)

13. INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

The State of the world's children 2007: Women and children: The double dividend of gender equality

Eliminating gender discrimination and empowering women will have a profound and positive impact on the survival and wellbeing of children, according to this UNICEF report. 'The state of the world's children 2007' examines the discrimination and disempowerment women face throughout their lives, and outlines what must be done to eliminate gender discrimination and empower women and girls. Gender equality produces the 'double dividend' of benefiting both women and children and is pivotal to the health and development of families, communities and nations. However, despite progress in women's status in recent decades, the lives of millions of girls and women are overshadowed by discrimination, disempowerment and poverty. The report discusses how gender equality will move all the Millennium Development Goals forward, and shows how investment in women's rights will ultimately produce a double dividend: advancing the rights of both women and children. The report lists 7 key interventions to enhance gender equality, relating to education, financing, legislation, legislative quotas for women, women empowering women, engaging men and boys, and improved research and data. 'The state of the world's children 2007' costs US$20.00. (Source: UNICEF, http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_36587.html viewed 18 April 2007.)

Crime and justice in the UK

In the winter 2007 edition of the UK's National Youth Agency newsletter 'The Edge', Claudia Webb, of the Operation Trident Independent Advisory Group, discusses the escalation of gun crime in recent years in major cities across the United Kingdom, particularly within black communities. Drawing on observations made during her 20 years' experience as an inner-city community worker, Webbe says that urgent multi-dimensional, multi-agency and cross-sector action is required to reverse the growth of gun culture and gun crime in these areas. She says that 'tackling youth crime and prevention requires innovation, dynamism and risk in order to reach the hearts and minds of young people ... only the sustained involvement of all agencies, communities and parents, working together across all nationalities, will bring an end to this insidious growth'. The Operation Trident Independent Advisory Group was formed to help tackle the growing problem of gun crime among London's black communities. (Source: 'The Edge', newsletter of the National Youth Agency (Britain), n.16, winter 2007, p.8.)

14. MEDIA

Teen voices: A magazine for younger young women

'Teen Voices' is a USA magazine about teen women being themselves. It challenges the mainstream media's harmful images of girls and women by providing an intelligent alternative. 'Packed with original writing, poetry, and artwork by teen women from across the USA and around the world, 'Teen Voices' is a magazine where you can speak for yourself. You can write about any subject.' The editors are calling for input from Australian teens:
'Are you a teen from Australia who wants to share your life experiences with 'Teen Voices'? Tell us about your family, school, religious background, and much more about your life. Email us at smallworld[AT]TeenVoices.com with what you would like to share about being an Australian teen.'  (Source: http://www.teenvoices.com/tvhome.html )

15. MENTAL HEALTH

The AeJAMH: recent youth-related mental health papers

The March 2007 edition of the 'Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health' (AeJAMH, v.16, n.1) features a number of youth-related papers:
* 'The role of an Indigenous health worker in contributing to equity of access to a mental health and substance abuse service for Indigenous young people in a youth detention centre' which describes the development of the role of the Indigenous health worker in the mental health alcohol tobacco and other drugs service at a Queensland youth detention centre and the outcomes achieved to date.
* 'Helping Friends: a peer support program for senior secondary schools' outlines an evaluation of this peer support program, conducted in 22 schools in North Queensland. The program builds on existing peer networks in schools in order to improve social and personal support for students.
Articles can be downloaded from the AeJAMH website:
http://www.auseinet.com/journal/ (Source: AeJAMH website, viewed 16 April 2007.)

'Where there's hope' -- a resource for families

A new DVD for families of young people with mental illness, 'Where there's hope', provides a moving insight into the issues for families living with youth mental illness. It helps reduce the sense of isolation commonly felt by carers coping with a young person's illness for the first time, and offers 'a practice supplement to face-to-face support groups and counselling traditionally employed to support families' as well as the opportunity for carers to view information in their own home environment. It is available for a fee from ORYGEN Youth Health, at: http://www.orygen.org.au

SANE: 'Activist' email updates

SANE Australia now produces a quarterly email update called 'Activist' to keep people up-to-date with mental health issues and with the organisation's work to improve the lives of those Australians affected by mental illness. To receive the email updates, add your name to the SANE Charter of principles, which provides a vision for a better life for Australians living with a mental illness, support for mental health services, help for family and carers, support in the community and an end to stigma. See: http://www.sane.org/action/action/activist.html (Source: SANE Australia website, viewed 4 April 2007; SANE Australia, 'Activist' email update, autumn 2007, viewed 4 April 2007.)

'SANE guide for families'

The 'SANE guide for families' is a new resource from SANE Australia designed to help families affected by mental illness to understand mental illness and how best to cope with the illness of a family member. The guide identifies five important aspects involved in dealing with the mental illness of a family member: a positive attitude, finding adequate support, learning appropriate skills to care for someone affected by mental illness, recognising the different ways that different family members can be affected by mental illness, and developing plans for the ongoing care of a family member with a mental illness. The guide was developed in consultation with people directly affected by mental illness, family carers and clinical experts. For more information or to order the guide, see: http://www.sane.org.au (Source: SANE Australia 2007, 'SANE News', n.41, p.3.)

16. MENTORING

'Finding heroes': Encouragement for pre-teens

This practical, colourful book is particularly aimed at young people aged 8–12 years as a way to help them develop self-esteem before their 'tumultuous teenage years'. Published in 2006, 'Finding heroes' is designed to foster resilience and emotional intelligence in young people. Based on the idea that 'heroes are just ordinary people on amazing journeys', this book uses stories from the lives of wide range of well-known real-life and fictional heroes (including Louise Sauvage, Anne Frank, Guy Sebastian, Nelson Mandela and Harry Potter), and vignettes from the lives of 'ordinary' young people, to inspire young people to overcome challenges in their own lives and achieve their full potential. Much of its material could easily be adapted for classroom use and could also be used as a counselling resource or as inspirational reading material for the individual reader. 'Finding Heroes' was co-authored by educator and writer Dr Jon Carnegie and Jim Stynes, Irish-born former Australian Football League star and founder of youth organisation the Reach Foundation. (Source: Allen and Unwin 2006, 'Inspirational book for primary school-aged children', media release, n.d., viewed 2 April 2007, http://www.allenandunwin.com/Media/pdfs/9781741147575.pdf )

17. MOVEMENTS, CHANGES, MILESTONES

Leadership in the MindMatters Project 2007 Awards

This is the first year that MindMatters has made awards to individuals and schools who've shown strong leadership in promoting the health and wellbeing of young people under the MindMatters umbrella. Awards were presented for a number of reasons, including for providing valuable community partnership links, using a whole-school approach to health and wellbeing, engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and for facilitating professional development. See: http://online.curriculum.edu.au/mindmatters/index.htm and for details of award recipients, see: http://www.beecoswebengine.org/cache13/NL_APR_07.html

ACROD becomes NDS: New identity for disability organisation

ACROD, Australia's peak body for disability services, has changed its name to National Disability Services (NDS). NDS is the only organisation that represents the broad spectrum of disability service providers at both national and state levels. NDS membership includes 600 not-for-profit organisations supporting people with all forms of disability. NDS has a range of national and state policy advisory committees covering disability accommodation services, social participation, open employment, disability business services, children, young people and their families, workforce development, ageing and disability, and occupational health and safety. For more information about NDS, ph: (02) 6282 3200; website: http://www.nds.org.au (Source: 'link magazine', v.16, n.1, 2007, p.45.)

New children's services leadership organisation in Britain

Reflecting reforms within the children's services sector in Britain, the Confederation of Children's Services (Confed) and the children's element of the Association of Directors of Social Services have merged to form a new organisation known as the Association of Directors of Children's Services. The new organisation aims to 'provide a single focus for leadership of children's services' in Britain. For more information, visit the ADCS website: http://www.adcs.org.uk (Source: 'The Edge', newsletter of the National Youth Agency (Britain), n.16, winter 2007, p.3.)

18. PARTICIPATION

Bright minds, bright futures

The Foundation for Young Australians is seeking passionate and ambitious young leaders to come together to engage and inspire young Australians for the trial of the 'Bright minds, bright futures' project. The foundation is currently looking for passionate 25- to 40-year-old community and business leaders to get involved in the project by contributing a small amount of money, as well as their skills and time. Once recruited, these leaders will work together with the foundation using their combined resources to develop a youth project. 'Bright minds, bright futures' offers an alternative to existing models of philanthropy by giving participants a higher level of engagement in determining how their contributed funds are spent. It also provides a unique opportunity for young leaders to build networks with other successful and like-minded people. For further information about the project, contact Susie te Velde, Co-Investment Manager, Foundation for Young Australians, ph: (03) 9670 5436; email: fya[AT]youngaustralians.org; website: http://www.youngaustralians.org (Source: 'FYI', the newsletter of the Foundation for Young Australians, March 2007, p.3.)

19. POLICY

2007 Australian Social Policy Conference

This conference is taking place on 11-13 July 2007. Its theme, Social policy through the life course: Building community capacity and social resilience, encapsulates two interrelated issues in social policy. The first concerns life-course transitions, including the diverse challenges and opportunities which people experience within their age, gender, social, economic and cultural contexts. The second focuses on identifying the interconnections between social investment policies, services and programs which build both community capacity and social resilience for individuals in their social networks. Themes and keynote speakers are outlined at: http://www.sprc.unsw.edu.au/ASPC2007. Inquiries: ph: (02) 9385 7802 or email: aspc2007[at]unsw.edu.au
Registration: Hotel Network, ph: (02) 9411 4666 or aspc[AT]hotelnetwork.com.au
http://www.hotelnetwork.com.au/conference.php

Towards a children's policy framework

The NSW Commission for Children and Young People is currently developing a children's policy framework to improve policy development and policy outcomes relating to children, young people, their families and their community. An article in the summer 2006-2007 edition of the Commission's 'Exchange' newsletter discusses the need for such a framework in relation to recent public debates about P-plate drivers and young driver deaths to illustrate the manner in which 'policy debates about children and young people sometimes take place and how decisions are made about important issues that affect their lives'. The article notes how media stereotyping of young drivers and P-plate drivers as 'dangerous' and 'inexperienced' influenced this debate, and how statistical data on these drivers was 'often selectively used to support a "campaign" for a particular solution'. It says that public debate 'quickly became so tightly focused on regulating provisional licenses that it lost sight of the harm that some of its suggestions might cause to other aspects of young people's lives', particularly those relating to access to transport and safety. It is the commission's hope that the development of a policy framework for children and young people will ensure that children and young people receive the 'well-researched and considered' policy responses that they deserve. (Source: 'Exchange', n.28, summer 2006-2007, p.4.)

20. REFUGEE YOUTH

The treatment of unaccompanied and separated children in Australia's refugee determination process

The report, 'Seeking asylum alone: A study of Australian law, policy and practice regarding unaccompanied and separated children', by Mary Crock, was funded by the MacArthur Foundation (Chicago), the Australian Research Council and the Myer Foundation, and published by Themis Press. It's part of an international study being conducted in conjunction with Harvard University, and with researchers in the USA and the UK (Seeking asylum alone: Unaccompanied and separated children and refugee protection in the US, UK and Australia). In a short article in the December 2006 edition of 'Australian Children's Rights News', Mary Crock (Assoc. Prof. and Assoc. Dean of Postgraduate Research at the Faculty of Law at the University of Sydney) gives an overview of her research on the experiences of 85 of the 290 unaccompanied children who arrived in Australia seeking asylum between 1999 and 2003. Crock identifies the need for 'an intensive intervention program targeting young people who came as asylum seekers -- together with the unaccompanied child refugees who continue to arrive under the offshore resettlement program'. Crock says that such a program ought to include appropriate literacy education, counselling and psychiatric care and mentoring into both skilled and unskilled occupations. She notes that securing a 'substitute family' is a key ingredient to all child refugee 'success stories' in Australia and New Zealand. The report is online at:
http://www.law.usyd.edu.au/scigl/Publications.htm
(Source: 'Australian Children's Rights News' (newsletter of the Australian section of Defence for Children International) n.42, December 2006, pp.1, 3-12.)

21. RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY

Coming soon: World Youth Day 2008

In August 2005, Pope Benedict XVI announced Sydney as the host city for the 23rd World Youth Day, to be held from 15-20 July 2008. For more information and to find out how you can be involved in this global event, visit the World Youth Day website: http://www.wyd2008.org (Source: 'Justice Trends', n.124, March 2007, p.6.)

Center for Spiritual Development in Childhood and Adolescence

This centre, a global initiative of the US-based youth development organisation Search Institute, views spiritual development as an 'important and understudied domain of human development' and aims to promote research and practice in this area. For further information, including a resource library, visit http://www.spiritualdevelopmentcenter.org (Source: Search Institute catalogue, Spring 2007.)

22. RESEARCH

Understanding identity formation -- not?

In the latest issue of the SRA Newsletter (Spring 2007), Prof. William E. Herman tells of his dismay at the misconceptions of tertiary students with regard to Erik Erikson's theories of adolescent identity formation. Herman uses extracts from students' essays that show how they misconstrue identity formation to be something quite unlike Erikson's actual ideas, and posits the view that these misconceptions are usually the result of popular text books that don't use any quotations from Erikson's own writing. This helps perpetuate inaccurate generalisations about identity formation in relation to children and young people. 'Although my comments might be considered controversial or radical by some, I would argue that scholars today need to teach material from original sources to ensure that the interpretation of theory does not veer too far off course'. (Source: 'SRA Newsletter', Spring 2007, p.1, 9; Society for Research on Adolescence, http://www.s-r-a.org )

Understanding young men

'THYMOS: Journal of Boyhood Studies' is to be published biannually by the Men's Studies Press. It's an international interdisciplinary journal that aims to be a forum for the inclusive study of boyhood, young masculinities and the sociocultural position of boys worldwide. Its editors welcome historical, anthropological/ethnographic, sociological and literary/media-critical contributions, and 'invite manuscripts on an ongoing basis for peer review and publication, currently for the third issue' (Spring 2008).
A table of contents and abstracts of the first issue are available at: http://mensstudies.com/newlook/online/page3/page3.php?cover=Thymos.jpg&cat=toc&vart=j or http://boyhoodstudies.com/THYMOScurrent.htm

Measuring self-reliance among users of homelessness services

A research team from the Social Policy Research Centre has been commissioned by the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program's Coordination and Development Committee (through the Australian Government Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) to design and implement a survey to measure how much and in what forms SAAP homelessness services improve clients' self-reliance. An article in the March 2007 edition of the Social Policy Research Centre newsletter outlines the conceptual and methodological challenges faced by the research team in the development of a 'concise and relatively simple survey instrument capable of administration with clients by busy service providers'. After a pilot phase among a small number of services in Sydney and Melbourne, the survey has recently been distributed to a representative sample of 65 SAAP services across Australia. The project is due for completion in the middle of 2007. For further information about the project, contact the SPRC's Dr Tony Eardley, email: t.eardley[AT]unsw.edu.au (Source: 'SPRC Newsletter', n.95, March 2007, pp.9-11.)

23. RURAL YOUTH

... and mental health

The cover story of the autumn 2007 edition of 'SANE news', SANE Australia's regular newsletter, deals with the topic of young people and mental health in rural Australia. It looks at the specific problems faced by young people with a mental illness who live in rural and remote areas, outlines current initiatives to address this problem (including beyondblue and SANE Australia initiatives and the Commonwealth Government's new headspace initiative), and highlights the need for innovation, cooperation and additional funding to improve mental health support services for young people living in these areas. The article includes a list of useful websites for further information on young people and mental health in rural Australia and a list of SANE Australia's youth-related resources is published on the page following the article. (Source: SANE Australia 2007, 'SANE News', n.41, pp.4-6.)

Movement of non-metropolitan youth towards the cities: LSAY Research Report No 50 by Kylie Hillman and Sheldon Rothman, February 2007, Australian Council for Educational Research Ltd

This report is the latest in the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) series, a research program jointly managed by ACER and the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), and is the first Australian study to use a national longitudinal data set to study young people's geographic mobility. It focuses on a group of young people who were living in non-metropolitan areas in their final years of secondary school, and the pathways they followed in the years following secondary school, including their geographic mobility and participation in education, training and employment. Rural communities have long felt concern about the rate at which young people leave for urban areas. This report analyses the issues involved by mapping the experiences of the same group of young people over an extended period of time. The data used in this report are drawn from LSAY studies of the progress of cohorts of young Australians as they make the transitions from secondary school to work and further education and training, beginning in Year 9. The sample for this report was selected on the base of their home location at the time of the survey in 1997, when the majority were in Year 11, and follows their experiences until the end of 2004 when their modal age was 23 years. The report (ISSN 1440-3455 ISBN 978 0 86431 502 1) can be downloaded from the ACER website at: http://www.acer.edu.au/research/projects/lsay/research.html

24. SAFETY, RISK-TAKING

Go4it: Teaching young people to be 'risk-savvy'

Young people should be taught to handle risk effectively rather than to avoid risk-taking altogether, according to Anne Evans, chief executive of Heads, Teachers and Industry (HTI), a British not-for-profit organisation working with education, business and government sectors to 'develop exceptional school leaders for the future of young people'. Writing in 'The Edge', the newsletter of Britain's National Youth Agency, Evans says that society generally takes too narrow a view of risk, associating it primarily with danger. She says risk can also be associated with opportunity, innovation and discovery, and that children and young people should be 'taught to understand risk so that they can deal with it effectively, not swaddled in cotton wool so they are deluded that risk does not exist'. To this end, HTI has launched 'Go4it', a national campaign and awards scheme 'to recognise and reward schools that are building a risk- and innovation-positive culture'. (Source: 'The Edge', n.16, winter 2007, p.7.)

25. SEXUALITY, SEXUAL HEALTH

Addressing sexual diversity and homophobia

Pride & Prejudice is a six-week educational program that explores the notion of sexual diversity and homophobia with secondary school students. It interactive and challenging, providing students with an avenue to discuss sensitive issues and topics. The package includes a video, an outline of each session with the aims, the key skills required to undertake the session and optional homework. It is not a sex education program; the essence of the program is to involve gay and lesbian people in the implementation of the program, and to provide a safe environment where students can explore issues of sexual diversity and homophobia with their peers through discussion. The program is a realistic attempt to challenge rather than change student attitudes and beliefs. This involves the provision of accurate information and the opportunity for all viewpoints to be aired safely. To find out more, see: http://www.prideandprejudice.com.au or email program creator Daniel Witthaus: Daniel[AT]prideandprejudice.com.au (Source: Pride & Prejudice program overview, Pride & Prejudice website, viewed 13 April 2007.)
NOTE: Findings from an evaluation of the program conducted in Tasmanian schools were published in the March 2007 edition of 'Youth Studies Australia' (v.26, n.1).

26. SUICIDE PREVENTION

National Suicide Prevention Strategy: The next phase

A paper published last year in the 'Australian Health Review' recommends that a number of changes be made to the National Suicide Prevention Strategy to ensure that the strategy provides sufficient support to a number of groups with a high suicide risk, particularly those with a history of mental illness and self-harm. The paper notes that while the NSPS recognised people with mental illnesses and self-harm problems as having an increased risk of suicide, funding for programs directed at these groups was not a focus of the strategy. Building the evidence base for suicide prevention is also recommended. The authors suggest that such changes are timely and will ensure the maximisation of suicide prevention activities in Australia, as the NSPS is about to move into a new funding phase. For more information, visit the Australian Health Review website: http://www.aushealthreview.com.au (Source: Robinson, J., McGorry, P., Harris, M.G., Pirkis, J., Burgess, P., Hickie, I. and Headey, A. 2006, 'Australian Health Review', v.30, n.3, pp.271-76.)

MindMatters in action

A MindMatters award for a whole-school approach to health and wellbeing was made to a Victorian secondary college in Bendigo, for their work in leadership and excellence in student wellbeing. Award recipient Sandra Hamilton describes the program at Golden Square Secondary College, a Year 7-10 college which acted on a perceived need to be proactive in the area of health and wellbeing. After a major curriculum review, the school introduced a year-level teams approach to teaching, in line with the emerging Victorian Essential Learning Standards and the increased emphasis on pastoral care and wellbeing. The Mindmatters resource was the scaffolding for developing this whole-school approach to mental health promotion and suicide prevention. A significant commitment of resources was involved in adding a wellbeing member at each team level, a home group advisor who teaches their class in the core team, and teams of teachers working collaboratively on curriculum and pedagogy. The role involves providing resources for teachers on student wellbeing and health promotion, identifying students at risk, and being a contact for parents concerning wellbeing. Part of this whole-college commitment to wellbeing involved a thorough review of approaches to behaviour management, student codes of cooperation and staff codes of practice. For further information on Mindmatters, see: http://online.curriculum.edu.au/mindmatters/index.htm and for details of other 2007 award recipients, see: http://www.beecoswebengine.org/cache13/NL_APR_07.html (Source: email, Sandra Hamilton, Wellbeing Coordinator at Golden Square Secondary College,
hamilton.sandra.a[AT]edumail.vic.gov.au, 12 April 2007.)

27. SURVEYS

Mission Australia's 6th Annual Survey of Young Australians

This survey is now open, at http://www.missionaustralia.com.au/youthsurvey The survey is for all Australians aged 11 to 24 years, and closes on 29 June 2007.

National students' sexual health survey 2007

A decision by the Australian Government to cease funding for the Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health National Survey, due for its next wave of data collection later this year, has been reversed. This survey has been carried out every five years since 1992. Lobbying by children's advocates, including NSW Commissioner for Children and Young People Gillian Calvert has been successful, and the survey will be funded for 2007. (Source: 'Exchange', newsletter of the NSW Commission for Children and Young People, n.28, summer 2006-2007, p.6.)

28. VIOLENCE

Responding to sexual assault issues in schools

Victoria's Western Region Centre Against Sexual Assault (WestCASA) is regularly contacted by schools in the West to present information on sexual assault. Anecdotal evidence suggests that young people often do not have an accurate definition of consent or sexual assault. Evidence based research supports the need for this information to be delivered by facilitators that young people can relate to. In response to this, WestCASA has developed PEER (Promoting Equal Empowering Relationships), a new school-based violence prevention peer education program. It is modelled on another Victorian program, Respect Protect Connect, developed by Women's Health in the South East and the South East Centre Against Sexual Assault. PEER facilitators are a trained group of volunteers -- young men and women aged 18 to 30 who are available to go into schools in the Western Metropolitan Region to run 90-minute, single-sex workshops on consent and healthy relationships. These workshops aim to increase young people's awareness of sexual assault, clarify the meaning of consent, help them think about what a healthy relationship looks like, and provide referral options for survivors of sexual assault. More details from WestCASA, ph: (03) 9687 8637 or email: info[AT]westcasa.org.au
Also see the page of news items on the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault website, at: http://www.aifs.gov.au/acssa/whatsnew.html

29. WELFARE

Students and support: More 'allowable time' needed?

The March 2007 edition of 'rights review', the newsletter of the Welfare Rights Centre, highlights the difficulties faced by some students in obtaining Austudy or Youth Allowance payments either because they have run out of 'allowable time' to finish their studies or are studying at Masters level. The article calls for the provisions for 'allowable time' to be revised to 'provide exemptions in appropriate cases'. (Source: 'rights review', v.25, n.1, 2007, p.14.)

30. YOUTH AFFAIRS

Are we there yet? reaches maximum capacity

Are we there yet? the national youth affairs conference being held in early May, has announced that due to the huge number of registrations, the venue's maximum capacity has been reached, and registrations are closed. However, there is a waiting list: print out the registration form from the YACVic website at: http://www.yacvic.org.au (using the "Register by Mail" icon) fill it in and fax it to YACVic: (03) 9639 1622. Completing and faxing in the first three pages of the form only is recommended. The conference program is on the YACVic website as a PDF. NOTE: Peer refereed papers presented at the conference will be published as an academic paper in the conference proceedings, which are to be published by ACYS Publishing.

31. YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

New resources from Search Institute

Search Institute, a US independent non-profit organisation mentioned in this newsletter in many previous editions, has a mission 'to provide leadership, knowledge and resources to promote healthy children, youth, and communities' and is known for its tenet about the 40 assets needed for 'positive youth development'. Search Institute regularly produces a catalogue outlining its range of youth asset development resources designed for parents, teachers, youth workers, young people themselves and anyone with an interest in youth development. Its latest catalogue includes resources such as:
'Respect: A girl's guide to getting respect and dealing when your line is crossed'
'Building everyday leadership in all teens'
'Mentoring for meaningful results', and
'Mobilising adults for positive youth development'
More at: http://www.search-institute.org

32. YOUTH SERVICES

Youth service gaps in Victoria

In November 2006, the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic) published its major research report for 2006-2007. 'Youth support services: Who's carrying the can?' outlines gaps in the provision of a range of youth services throughout Victoria, and is based on evidence gathered from a wide range of sources in the youth sector in Victoria. For further information, contact YACVic ph: (03) 9267 3799 or toll free: 1300 727 176; fax: (03) 9639 1622; email: info[AT]yacvic.org.au; website: http://www.yacvic.org.au (Source: Rose, J. and Atkins, C. 2006, 'Youth support services: Who's carrying the can? A report into youth service gaps in Victoria', Victorian Council of Social Service and Youth Affairs Council of Victoria, Melbourne.)

33. YOUTH WORK

While we read much about the training of GPs for a better understanding of the crisis needs of youth, we read a lot less about the training of youth ministry workers, who, like GPs, are also often the first point of contact for a young person in crisis. Scripture Union Queensland, as regular readers of this newsletter, have written to YFX to convey to readers news about their Diploma in Youth Work. The course has been created to meet the needs of the growing school chaplaincy industry: 'we find chaplains increasingly need training in relation to referral, pastoral care, responding to self-harm and suicide, and how to network with local faith communities and youth services.' The diploma is a qualification that specifically addresses the need for this training for both potential and practising youth workers for Christian ministry with young people. To find out more about the course, contact Francis Kneebone at ymis[AT]suqld.org.au or see: http://www.ymis.suqld.org.au/moodle

Youth work: Code of ethical conduct
...in Victoria

The Youth Affairs Council of Victoria Inc. invites comments on a draft code of ethical conduct for youth work in that state. The draft is on the YACVic website, along with a document to gather feedback, at: http://www.yacvic.org.au The draft code has been developed following preliminary consultations with a range of youth sector representatives and builds on existing research and codes of ethical practice from both Australia and overseas. Should you require a hard copy, contact YACVic's Jen Rose on (03) 9267 3722.
NOTE: It's anticipated that a final version of the Victorian youth sector code of ethical practice will be released on the final day of the National Youth Affairs Conference, Are we there yet? being held on 1-3 May in Melbourne.

... and in the ACT and NSW

The March 2007 edition of 'YAPRap', the newsletter of the Youth Action and Policy Association NSW, contains a copy of the Code of Ethics for Youth Work originally developed a number of years ago by Dr Howard Sercombe in conjunction with the youth sector in Western Australia. The code has since been adopted by the youth sector in the ACT and is endorsed by YAPA, which is working to have the code adopted as a national code of ethics for youth work. The code consists of a prologue and 12 principles for ethical youth work practice, including transparency, confidentiality and self-awareness. The code can be viewed on the YAPA website at: http://www.yapa.org.au/youthwork/ethics (Source: 'YAPRap', v.17, n.3, 2007, p.16.)

Resources for youth workers from Streetwize Communications

Until 30 April, Streetwize Communications publications will be half price. Download their order form from http://www.streetwize.com.au and fax it to (02) 9319 5553.

34. DID YOU KNOW ...

In January this year, Australia ratified the optional protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.