Research Reports and Articles

Submission to the Strengthening Community Associations Review

Fri, 25 May 2012 02:24:49 GMT

YANQ welcomes the opportunity to discuss much needed legislative reform of eligibility for incorporated associations' management committees. We believe that the removal of discriminatory and arbitrary barriers to participation in society can be the basis for successful rehabilitation of people who have been in prison and can benefit the community more broadly. The suggested reforms give association members greater freedom and responsibility in the management of their organisation.

We support a model where all periods of disqualification for people convicted of offences are removed. We support this model because we believe it will be of great benefit to our clients and to the community. It will also benefit our Network as we have been disadvantaged by being unable to use the expertise and experience of persons captured under this legislation, including Network member Debbie Kilroy OAM, who has subsequently received one of the highest accolades provided to Australian citizens.

Click here to view the full submission

Do you know of someone who has relinquished care of a family member with a disability?

Tue, 15 May 2012 05:21:51 GMT

A research project on The Impact of Relinquishing Care of a Child with a Disability is being undertaken by UnitingCare Queensland and the University of Queensland. The project involves interviewing families who have relinquished care of a family member with a disability. This research project wants to raise these issues in the Queensland context - and gather the family perspective on what would constitute a better response to such families. We want to influence the policy and practices of professionals.

So far three families have been interviewed. To strengthen the message of th e research, at least ten families need to be interviewed. Please feel free to distribute the flyer and participant information sheet below to families that may be interested in participating in this research. If they have any questions, they can contact Sabrina Stokes on 0451 082 545 or on m.taylor3@uq.edu.au.

Click here to fownload the participant information sheet

‘Just Staying at a Mates,’ a Series about Couch Surfing & Homelessness

Tue, 15 May 2012 05:11:18 GMT

As many who work with young people know, couch surfing, or the temporary movement of young people from the couches of friends and family when they are unable to return home, is a huge issue with the context of homelessness. It is misunderstood, misrepresented and most of the time invisible to society. The Y foundation has recently embarked on a blog series which aims to break down some of the discussion around couch surfing, and present different perspectives of what couch surfing is, why it's important to address and what areas services should be looking at to improve the situation.

Their first post is by David Farrugia, a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Ballarat on the social, cultural and economic factors contributing to couch surfing in modern Australia.

http://yfoundations.org.au/index.php?option=com_easyblog&view=entry&id=32&Itemid=103

Source: NTYAN enews and Y foundation e news 9 May, 2012.

Do you know someone who is 'growing up after foster care?'

Mon, 14 May 2012 04:42:04 GMT

Young people with an intellectual disability leaving non-kinship foster care are a vulnerable group.

The transition to adulthood is a difficult time.
Many young people experience negative adult life outcomes and become engaged with tertiary systems and crisis support services.
Better supports are needed to help these young people make a successful transition to adulthood.

Castaway Campaign

Mon, 14 May 2012 01:27:17 GMT

Youth Advocacy Centre is kickstarting the campaign against 17 year olds in adult prisons with the Castaway Campaign!

So what exactly is the Castaway Campaign all about?

In short, 17 Year olds in Queensland are currently subjected to the adult Criminal Justice System. Queensland is the only Australian State or Territory where this happens. This law contravenes the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

17 year olds are the Castaways of our justice system. They are denied the rights of children in our criminal justice system and denied the rights of adults in our community.

In this campaign we aim to:

Reframe the “17 year old” issue to highlight their unique legal limbo
Educate young people on activism and law reform
Raise awareness with key community leaders of the issue

Interested in finding out more? Go ahead and get involved!

Re-engagement Project

Thu, 10 May 2012 04:13:26 GMT

YANQ's work in re-engaging young people in education and training has been ongoing since 2003. 2012 marks the commencement of a three year research project specifically aimed at producing a best practice framework drawn from case studies of alternative re-engagement sites in Queensland.

Goals of the broader Re-Engagement Project

Goal One
To map re-engagement services available to young Queenslanders – i.e. services that support young people to re-engage with meaningful learning of some form.

Goal Two
Encourage a deeper understanding within the youth sector, governments and the community about disengagement and the types of re-engagement services that can work in different communities.
Goal Three
Develop, articulate and publish models of successful re-engagement services.

...

Disability in Indigenous Communities - Addressing the Disadvantage

Wed, 09 May 2012 01:02:45 GMT

By Damien Griffiths - Ramp Up - 20 April

The First Peoples Disability Network (Australia) is helping to create a strong voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, writes Damian Griffis.

By any measure, Aboriginal people with disabilities are amongst the most disadvantaged Australians. They often face multiple barriers to their meaningful participation within their own communities and the wider community.

This continues to occur for a range of reasons including the fact that the vast majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disabilities do not identify as a people with disability. This is because in traditional language there was no comparable word for 'disability'. Also the vast majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with disabilities are reluctant to take on a further negative label - particularly if they already experience discrimination based on their Aboriginality.

As a consequence, 'Disability' is a new conversation in many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Submission to Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory Bill

Tue, 08 May 2012 06:18:48 GMT

YANQ is committed to building a strong and independent future with indigenous people in Australia, and we believe that the current martial intervention in indigenous communities is completely contrary to the outcomes we are all seeking. Top-down governance is at odds with the proven good practice outcomes of communtiy control over decision-making. This submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs outlines our view.

Click here to download the submission

The Lancet tackles adolescent health

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:42:39 GMT

Radio National broadcast a report on a special series on adolescent health that has just been published in the British medical journal Lancet (broadcast 30th April 2012)

Click here to listen to the program

Global campaign to end child detention wants 428 video messages from Australia

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:39:34 GMT

May focus month puts Australia’s ongoing immigration detention of children in the spotlight.

www.youtube.com/speakupbehindbars

May 2012 marks the twelfth month of detention for the youngest child in an Australian facility. In May, Australia also becomes the first in a series of countries being highlighted by the Global Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children. This campaign was launched on 21st March 2012 at the UN Human Rights Council. Australian campaign members will use the month of May to push for an end to Australia’s policy of indefinitely detaining all children and families before moving them into the community. International examples from Belgium, the UK and Sweden show that child detention can be prevented, thus benefiting both the child and the State. The video petition “Speak up behind Bars”, aims to collect at least 428 local YouTube messages of support for detained children, to match the number of children currently in immigration detention.