INFORMATION, DISSEMINATION AND
MARKETING PROGRAM
4
T he Information, Dissemination and Marketing Program aims to
improve public understanding and inform the policy process
about factors affecting marital and family wellbeing through:
the timely documentation of Institute research findings in widely
accessible and professionally produced publications;
the extensive dissemination of research and other findings and
the provision of efficient support for Institute-hosted conferences
and seminars;
the provision of a comprehensive national information resource
on family-related matters;
the development of appropriate information products and services
for the use of researchers, government and the community;
the provision of a network and resources to support the National
Child Abuse Prevention Strategy; and
the provision of resources to support the Stronger Families
Learning Exchange.
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
PUBLISHING
The Publishing unit documents Institute research findings and other family-related
research in Australia and overseas in a variety of publications designed for the widest
possible audience. Institute work informs: governments, for use in policy review; the
academic community, for research and teaching purposes; the “helping” professions, for
their work with and for families; and the wider community, to assist their understanding
of family and societal change.
The most visible output from a research that drafts of all proposed new titles undergo
agency is its contribution to the literature. rigorous internal and external review.
Throughout 2001–2002 the Institute con-
Drafts are reviewed in-house by the Director
tinued to publish relevant and timely infor-
and the Deputy Director (Research), and by
mation in the area of family research.
other researchers with particular expertise in
The publishing program includes the Insti- the area relevant to the publication. In addi-
tute’s flagship publication Family Matters, tion, each proposed new Institute title is
and a range of titles published under the reviewed by independent external reviewers,
Institute imprint or in conjunction with who are asked to refer to the Institute’s Guide
other organisations and commercial pub- for External Review of Manuscripts in preparing
lishing houses. In addition, research under- their evaluation reports. No draft may pro-
taken by Institute staff, or by external ceed to editing, production and publication
researchers using Institute data, is published without the approval of the Director.
in journals and conference proceedings, or
Acceptance of all Family Matters material is
appears in major Institute reports. Staff pub-
subject to a formal review and assessment
lications are listed by author name in Sec-
process, and material is reviewed by refer-
tion 6 of this Annual Report.
ence to the Institute’s Criteria for Acceptance
To ensure the maximum reach and widest of Family Matters Articles.
possible readership for Institute publications,
most material published in print form is also Family Matters
published electronically on the Institute’s
Web site. This occurs simultaneously in the The research journal Family Matters is the
case of free publications, or subsequent to Institute’s main dissemination medium, its
initial publication in the case of the sub- primary purpose being to keep its local and
scription-based Family Matters (see Informa- international readership informed about
tion Development chapter in this section). Institute research and activities. Thus the
Institute places a high priority on its own
research contribution to each edition. It is
Review processes
also the role of Family Matters to keep its read-
Again this year, works were published in ership informed more generally of relevant
accordance with the Institute’s established family-related research by publishing articles
publishing review policy which requires from other Australian and overseas sources.
52 Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
Although designed to be accessible to a form and context, to provide for chil-
broad readership, Family Matters is a fully ref- dren’s healthy development. Included
ereed academic journal, which is recognised were articles on: vulnerable children and
by the Department of Education Science their families; the school experiences of
and Training for the purposes of Research the children of gay and lesbian parents;
Data Collection, and is included in the Reg- the family’s perspective of work and
ister of Refereed Journals. The Institute holds family; and parenting in the Torres Strait
copyright to all articles published. Islands. The edition included seven major
research articles authored or co-authored by
The content of Family Matters reflects a mix
Institute researchers.
of articles and a diverse range of perspectives
and analyses of family research and policy Family Matters, no. 60, Spring/Summer
options. In addition to research papers, reg- 2001 (104 pages) was a special, extended
ular informational columns include new “anniversary edition” featuring articles
developments in family law, a book notes celebrating one hundred years of Feder-
section on new publications acquired by the ation, the 25th birthday of the Family
Institute’s library, a comprehensive listing of Court of Australia, and the 21st birthday
forthcoming conferences and seminars, and of the Australian Institute of Family Stud-
an opinion column. Readers’ letters to the ies. Included were major articles on:
editor are welcomed and may be published
changing families since 2001; families
in Family Matters.
and socio-demographic trends over the
General response – both written and spoken, century; changing patterns of social secu-
formal and informal – to the enhanced design rity and related policy issues; a history of
of Family Matters continues to be positive. children and parenting; and a history of
This is reflected in the improved subscription child protection. There was a feature
trends (reported in the Marketing and Com- essay on the establishment of the Family
munications chapter in this section), and Court, and an 18-page feature on the his-
encourages the view that the journal will con- tory and role of the Institute since its
tinue to be the main “voice” of the Institute. inception in 1980. The edition included
A subscription rate applies to Family Matters, seven major research articles authored or co-
but it is also distributed to an extensive free authored by Institute researchers.
list (see Marketing chapter in this section).
Family Matters, no. 61, Autumn 2002
Family Matters is published three times a (92 pages) drew on Institute and other
year, in Winter, Spring/Summer and Autumn.
Australian and overseas research to
In 2001–2002, in accordance with Institute
focus on the theme of work and family
policy, Family Matters continued to publish
life. Included were articles on: access to
the work of external authors as well as
family-friendly work arrangements; non-
reporting directly on Institute work.
standard working hours and family life;
Family Matters, no. 59, Winter 2001 (92 how single mothers combine paid work
pages) highlighted a diverse body of and family responsibilities; and the
research on children in their family implications of men’s extended work
contexts. The underlying concern was hours. The edition included seven major
how children and their families could research articles authored or co-authored by
best be supported, whatever their family Institute researchers.
Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report 53
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
New releases analysis reveals that the variation in
access to a range of work practices is
In addition to the three editions of Family greater among employees working in the
Matters and the 2000–2001 Annual Report, same workplace than the variation
the following publications were released between workplaces.
during the year.
Children’s Health and Development: New
Research Report series Research Directions for Australia, edited by
Ann Sanson, Research Report no. 8, pro-
Works in the Research Report series are sub-
duced in June and released in July 2002
stantial finished reports. With their indi-
(72 pages). The three papers in this report
vidually illustrated covers, Research Reports
form an essential part of the background
comprise an up-market companion series to
to the Institute’s involvement in the Lon-
the unadorned A4-sized Research Paper
gitudinal Study of Australian Children
series, and most (but not all) have a price
(LSAC). The first paper, “New ways of
attached.
causal pathways thinking for public
Three Research Reports were produced health”, argues for why interdisciplinary
during 2001–2002. research is now so crucial. The second
paper, “The relevance of child and ado-
Australian Institute of Family Studies: Col-
lescent development for outcomes in
lected works 1980–2001, compiled by
educational, health and life success”,
Deborah Whithear, Research Report
makes the case for the importance of
no. 6, December 2001 (108 pages). To
experiences and environments in the
mark its 21st anniversary, the Institute
early years for outcomes across the life-
has brought together in one volume a
span, and for the effectiveness of early
complete list of all the publications it has
intervention. The third paper, “Longitu-
been associated with since its inception in
dinal studies of children and youth:
1980. The 2,000 or so citations contained
implications for future studies”, helps to
in the volume were generated by the
frame the role of LSAC by summarising
Institute’s bibliographic database, Aus-
existing longitudinal research on children
tralian Family & Society Abstracts. Taken
in Australia and overseas.
together, they constitute an impressive
contribution to the literature on families Research Paper series
and a useful reference work and guide to
The Research Paper series (previously called
the Institute’s research output.
Working Papers) is another means by which
Family-Friendly Work Practices: Differences Institute research findings and methodolo-
Within and Between Workplaces, by Matthew gies are made public. The series enables the
Gray and Jacqueline Tudball, Research dissemination of Institute research (often
Report no. 7, March 2002 (52 pages). This during the course of a project) to policy
report, which examines the extent to makers, practitioners and researchers with
which access to family-friendly work the aim of encouraging dialogue with
practices is influenced or determined research and policy communities and thus
by differential access within or between obtaining review and feedback about the
organisations, was sponsored by Esso nature, direction and quality of Institute
Australia and Mobil Oil Australia. The research.
54 Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
Three new Research Papers were published Ageing yet diverse: The changing shape of
in the financial year. Australia’s population, by Ruth Weston,
Lixia Qu and Grace Soriano, Australian
Determinants of Australian mothers’ employ-
Family Briefing no. 10, September 2001
ment: An analysis of lone and couple
(6 pages). Australia is experiencing falling
mothers, by Matthew Gray, Lixia Qu,
fertility in the context of increasing life
David de Vaus and Christine Millward,
expectancy – and thus an ageing popu-
Research Paper no. 26, May 2002 (32
lation. This paper looks at population
pages). This paper uses data from the 1996
growth and its components, the chang-
Australian Census to analyse factors which
ing demographic face of Australia, and
explain the employment gap between
the family-related experiences of those
lone mothers and couple mothers.
entering old age.
Social capital: Empirical meaning and meas-
urement validity, by Wendy Stone and Longitudinal Study of Australian
Jody Hughes, Research Paper no. 27, May Children publications
2002 (72 pages). This paper draws on The Longitudinal Study of Australian Chil-
data collected in a national random dren (LSAC) is a landmark new study initi-
survey of 1,500 households, to develop ated by the Commonwealth Department of
and test three competing approaches Family and Community Services as part of
to measuring social capital, useful for the Government’s Stronger Families and
application in different types of settings Communities Strategy.
and for different research questions.
The first of the LSAC publications was
Why marriages last: A discussion of the lit- released in June.
erature, by Robyn Parker, Research Paper
Introducing the Longitudinal Study of Aus-
no. 28, produced in June and published
tralian Children, by members of the LSAC
in July 2002 (32 pages). Drawing on the
Consortium, LSAC Discussion Paper
literature, this paper discusses some of
no. 1, June 2002 (64 pages). This first
what is known about why many mar-
formal publication from LSAC presents
riages last for very long periods and
an overview of the study, incorporating
considers how knowledge of the ways
description of the rationale for the study,
in which marriages can be made to last
its relevance for policy development, the
can help young couples create and main-
conceptual framework, broad and specific
tain their own enduring and rewarding
research questions, and study design. The
marriages.
bulk of the paper is taken up with a dis-
cussion of current thinking about how
Briefing Paper series
the research questions will be addressed,
The Australian Family Briefing series is and what data are to be collected.
designed to present information about Insti-
tute research to the media and relevant key National Child Protection
audiences in a form that is succinct, timely, Clearinghouse publications
policy relevant and media friendly.
Four publications emanated from the
One six-page, A4-size Briefing was released Institute-hosted National Child Protection
in the financial year. Clearinghouse in 2001–2002.
Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report 55
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
Two attractive, reader-friendly Newsletters and prevention, and community capacity
contained information on the latest activi- building. In what is the first of an ongo-
ties, projects, research and resources in the ing series, seven of the Stronger Families
area of child abuse prevention: Fund projects are profiled. There are liter-
ature highlights and forthcoming confer-
National Child Protection Clearinghouse
ences sections.
Newsletter, vol.9, no. 2, Summer 2001,
compiled by Katie Kovacs (32 pages).
Commissioned reports
National Child Protection Clearinghouse
A number of studies were completed in the
Newsletter, vol.10, no. 1, Winter 2002,
course of 2001–2002 resulting in the pro-
compiled by Katie Kovacs (36 pages).
duction of the following five reports.
Two Clearinghouse Issues Papers addressed
A study of Australian relationship education
specific areas of enquiry:
service activities, by Simons, M. and Parker,
Child abuse and the Internet, by Janet R., Report commissioned by Department
Stanley, Issues Paper no. 15, Summer 2001, of Family and Community Services.
(20 pages).
Child Abuse and Family Violence in Abo-
The role of mass media in facilitating com- riginal Communities – Exploring Child
munity education and child abuse prevention Sexual Abuse in Western Australia, by Stan-
strategies, by Bernadette J. Saunders, and ley, J., Kovacs, K., Cripps, K. and Tomi-
Chris Goddard, Issues Paper no. 16, Winter son, A., Report for the Western Australian
2002 (24 pages). Government Inquiry into Responses by
Government Agencies to complaints of
Stronger Families Learning Family Violence and Child Abuse in Abo-
Exchange publications riginal Communities (2002).
As part of the Government’s Stronger Fami- Patterns and Precursors of Adolescent Anti-
lies and Communities Strategy, the Com- social Behaviour, by Vassallo, S., Smart,
monwealth Department of Family and Com- D., Sanson, A., Dussuyer, I. and the ATP
munity Services has contracted the Institute team, First report from the collaborative
to establish the Stronger Families Learning partnership between the Australian Tem-
Exchange with the aim of supporting parents, perament Project at the Australian Insti-
families and communities in their role of tute of Family Studies, and Crime Pre-
caring for young children by contributing to vention Victoria, Melbourne (2002).
the evidence base about the effectiveness of
Strategic Directions in Child Protection:
early interventions for families.
Informing Policy and Practice, by Tomison,
The first of the Learning Exchange publica- A. and Stanley, J., Report by the National
tions, the Bulletin, was recently released. Child Protection Clearinghouse for the
South Australian Department of Human
Stronger Families Learning Exchange Bulletin,
Services (2001).
no. 1, Autumn 2002 (32 pages). This
informative, lively, colourful and reader- Using the UK Children in Need Assessment
friendly bulletin contains many interest- Framework in Australian Family Support Pro-
ing items on “action research”, action grams, by Wise, S., Report to the Financial
research evaluation, early intervention Markets Foundation for Children (2001).
56 Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
Other publishing activities Australian Temperament Project – the
2002 ATP survey provided a valuable oppor-
This year the Institute’s Publishing Unit, in tunity to update the visual identity of this
conjunction with contracted graphic design long-running study. A fresh new image and
houses, has been closely involved in the modern colours were thus introduced for
process of creating logos and visual “iden- ATP stationery and for use on the study
tities” for three Institute projects. questionnaires distributed in June.
Stronger Families Learning Exchange – the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children
logo selected for this project was developed – design briefs outlining requirements for
from artwork originally commissioned by tagline and the look, livery and logo of this
the Institute for the cover of its Winter 1999 major new study were prepared and sent to
edition of Family Matters which focused on three design houses who were invited to
the Government’s (then) new stronger fam- tender. Some of these are presently under
ilies strategy, thus visually reflecting the consideration for further development.
Institute’s continuing connection to the
Stronger Families and Communities Strat-
egy. The logo made its first appearance on
the inaugural issue of the Stronger Families
Bulletin last Autumn.
Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report 57
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
The Marketing and Communications unit promotes the Australian Institute of Family
Studies to the community through the marketing and distribution of Institute research
products, media liaison and public information dissemination, and through the adminis-
tration and promotion of Institute conferences and seminars.
Institute conference Journalists made more than 600 requests for
information or comment from the Institute.
Planning for the Eighth Australian Institute There were 225 reports or articles which
of Family Studies Conference, Steps forward included mention of the Institute’s research
for families: Research, practice and policy, was or expertise recorded for the year.
well in hand at the end of the financial year.
The conference will be held at the Mel- The media coverage of the Institute’s
bourne Exhibition Centre on Southbank on research led to a steady flow of enquiries
12–14 February 2003. from the public and professionals working
with children and families about the various
studies, and forms the Institute’s principal
Media liaison
means of reaching the general public. The
The print and electronic media are an reports received from Media Monitors are
important means by which the Institute detailed below.
communicates its research findings to the
community. Contact with the media is Table 4.1 References to Institute research in
the media 2001-2002
undertaken in accordance with the Insti-
Reports by program area and topic
tute’s media policy, and generally takes
three forms: provision of information or Children and Parenting
Child care 15
comment about Institute research; com- Australian Temperament Project 6
ment about current research on families Work and family 10
not undertaken by the Institute, including Other 7 38
overseas research; and referral to other Family and Marriage
Divorce 8
researchers or relevant agencies outside the Fertility 39
Institute. The main Institute points of con- Work and family 15
tact with the media are the Acting Manager, Census 15
Marriage and cohabitation 39
Strategy and Communication, the Insti- Other 29 145
tute’s Family Information Centre, and Insti- Family and Society
tute researchers. Cost of children/Foregone earnings 9
Lone mothers 4
In a year where there was sustained media Work and family 15
interest in issues such as fertility, child care, Other 4 32
and work and family life, Family Matters arti- Longitudinal Study of Australian Children 7
cles, Research Reports and Research Papers National Child Protection Clearinghouse 3
that touched on these themes were widely 225
Source: Media Monitors
reported.
58 Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
The standout issue of 2001–2002 was work Table 4.2 References to Institute research by
and family. With research into this area media type and location 2001-2002
occurring across the research program, the Media type
Institute was well positioned to contribute Newspaper 83
information and comment on many aspects Magazine 7
of this extremely complex issue. Research Radio 60
Television 75
Papers, Research Reports and Family Matters
225
articles that focused on work and family
Media location
were all extensively reported on their
National 22
release, as were reports from previous years. Adelaide 16
The Institute’s data on foregone earnings Brisbane 14
from child rearing, and data on the costs of Canberra 16
Darwin 8
children, were also frequently cited as the
Hobart 6
focus of public debate shifted to maternity Melbourne 44
leave and fertility. Institute researchers Sydney 36
became regular contributors to print, radio Perth 10
Regional 53
and television reports on the impact of 225
work on family life, and the longer-term Source: Media Monitors
impact of declining fertility rates.
Marketing, sales and distribution Family Matters subscriptions raised $63,519.
Almost 4,000 copies of each edition were
The year 2001–2002 saw the publication of distributed, with 2,000 of these being sold
three Research Reports; three Research Papers; to subscribers. The remainder were distrib-
one Australian Family Briefing; and the first uted to members of Parliament, media,
publication from the Longitudinal Study of research and policy organisations with
Australian Children (LSAC Discussion Paper whom the Institute has exchange agree-
no. 1). These free publications were distrib- ments, and by legal deposit into state and
uted at conferences, to select mailing lists, university libraries.
and via the Institute’s Family Information
Centre. They are also available on the Insti-
tute’s internet site. Revenue from books pub-
lished in previous years was $14,603.
Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report 59
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
FA M I LY I N F O R M AT I O N C E N T R E
The objectives of the Institute’s Library, known as the Family Information Centre, are to
support the work of the Institute and to provide a national information resource on the
family by collecting family-related information and making it available as widely and cost-
efficiently as possible.
The Family Information Centre contributes dynamics and relationships, family law,
to the Institute’s research by anticipating social justice, social problems and child abuse
research needs, proactively identifying knowl- and protection, public and mental health,
edge and resources that will inform the Insti- family economics and research methodology.
tute’s work, and supplying staff with needed International materials are collected selec-
information, materials, resources and services. tively, and Australian materials intensively.
With its collection and services, the Family The catalogue, which is searchable on the
Information Centre plays an important role Internet, is enhanced with tables of contents
in the Institute’s dissemination of family- and abstracts to improve bibliographic acces-
related information. With so much now sibility. Catalogue holdings are added to the
being published in electronic format, the National Bibliographic Database so that the
Centre increasingly provides access to elec- collection may be accessible to over a thou-
tronic resources or Web addresses, rather sand other networked Australian libraries
than to hard copy materials. and their patrons. The National Bibliographic
It also plays a strategic role for the Institute Database is the fundamental tool underpin-
by hosting communication projects, such as ning resource sharing among Australian
the National Child Protection Clearing- libraries. Participation in the National Bibli-
house and the Stronger Families Learning ographic Database, the largest database of its
Exchange, both provided under contract kind in Australia, provides a mechanism for
for the Commonwealth Department of efficient cataloguing and document supply.
Family and Community Services.
Clients are the Institute’s staff, and stake- Services
holders of the communications projects man- Clients are provided with a number of serv-
aged by the library. An important resource for ices – current awareness, reference/help desk
the wider community, the Family Informa- and document delivery.
tion Centre is used by government officers,
service providers, researchers, trainers, teach- Current awareness
ers and students, and the media.
Various electronic current awareness serv-
ices provide Institute researchers with infor-
Collection and resources
mation on the latest publications in their
The library collects on, or provides access to, respective research areas and inform them
topics such as the sociology of the family, of recent developments in relevant legisla-
child development and psychology, family tion and policy.
60 Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
National Child Protection Clearinghouse clients. In particular, it provides an improved
and Stronger Families Learning Exchange Web-enabled user-friendly catalogue for users
clients are alerted to new acquisitions in to identify research materials available in the
their fields of interest by Literature highlights library’s collection or online. Highly config-
sections of Bulletins and Newsletters. urable, the catalogue can be tailored to the
needs of various clients with unique require-
Reference/information service ments, and different versions can be provided
While librarians provide comprehensive ref- for different clients. The new software will
erence services to Institute staff if required, also improve efficiency of cataloguing, circu-
following a user survey the library is moving lation and serials management.
to a system whereby researchers are enabled Software has been developed in-house this
to perform their own searches of statistical year to manage the large number of requests
and bibliographic electronic databases. This processed for journal articles. Nearly 2,400
trend will continue in the coming year with requests have been handled by the new in-
the purchase of further electronic database house software.
licences.
During this last year, the library collection
An information service is available to the outgrew the available space, and strategies
general public during normal business were explored to provide room for the next
hours with informational requests received five to ten years’ growth. It was required
by phone, email, letter, or in person. An that storage would enable easy access to the
appointment system for visitors regulates collection for staff and users, and satisfy
service usage and increases efficiency in occupational health and safety require-
service provision. However, probably due to ments for library staff. Storage had to be
the large amount of information made capable of being disassembled, moved and
available on the Institute’s Web site, decreas- re-assembled, and, as the library is in a
ing use is being made of this service. prominent location in the building, had to
be in keeping with the “public face” of the
Document supply/delivery
Institute. Most importantly, the storage
Document supply/delivery transactions for must represent value for money for the
2001–2002 totalled nearly 4,000 – a 25 per Institute. After careful consideration, it was
cent increase on the number for the previ- decided that these requirements would be
ous year. A mix of commercial document satisfied by the library moving to a com-
delivery services and interlibrary arrange- pactus storage system. The equipment has
ments was used for the provision of mate- been ordered and planning is under way to
rials to Institute staff. ensure least disruption for library clients
during the installation period.
Challenges faced during
2001–2002
During the last year, the Family Information
Centre began a major upgrade of its library
management software. Now substantially
completed, the upgrade offers enhanced
features for Institute staff and external
Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report 61
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
INFORMATION DEVELOPMENT
The role of the Information Development Unit is to develop methods to facilitate informa-
tion dissemination of Institute research and other Australian family research and informa-
tion so that access is available to Institute staff and externally to researchers, government
and the community. In line with Commonwealth government policy, online dissemination
via the World Wide Web is an increasingly important means of dissemination.
Activities designed to achieve this objective full text report or article on the Web, thus
during the 2001–2002 year are: the contin- providing a time-saving facility highly
ued production of the Institute’s biblio- valued by clients.
graphic database Australian Family & Society
Australian Family & Society Abstracts is now
Abstracts and its supply to a number of
an established information service in the
external hosts for a range of products to
social sciences and one of a number of
reach a maximum audience; ongoing com-
national bibliographic databases which
pilation of Family Thesaurus; the develop-
together provide access to Australia’s
ment and maintenance of databases for spe-
research literature. Public access to AF&SA
cial projects; the continuing development
is available on:
and maintenance of the Institute’s World
Wide Web site and the National Child Pro- Informit Online – a Web-based online
tection Clearinghouse Web site; and the service of Australian research databases
development of Web sites for the Longitu- hosted by RMIT Publishing;
dinal Study of Australian Children and the AUSTROM – the Australian social sciences
Stronger Families Learning Exchange. CD-ROM;
AustHealth – Australian health issues
Australian Family & Society CD-ROM;
Abstracts
ATSIRom – Aboriginal and Torres Strait
The Australian Family & Society Abstracts Islander CD-ROM;
(AF&SA) database project began in 1983
Family & Society Studies Worldwide
with the aim of providing Australia-wide
CD-ROM; and
and international access to information and
research on Australian family issues. The Family & Society Studies Worldwide on
database records citations and abstracts to Biblioline on the Web (the last two items
the research, policy and practice literature are US products produced by the National
about Australian families and the social Information Services Corporation).
issues that impact on them.
Australian Family & Society Abstracts is in
During 2001–2002 more than 3,600 new demand in the tertiary education and gov-
items were added to AF&SA bringing the ernment sectors, and well used by non-gov-
total number of indexed documents to ernment organisations and professionals.
49,300. Of the documents indexed this The database is the source of a number of
year thirty three per cent link directly to the information resources on the AIFS Web site,
62 Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
for example specialist subject bibliographies accessibility issues as required by the Com-
and the weekly current awareness list of monwealth Disability Strategy, and the stan-
new journal articles. And, with its aim to dards set by the World Wide Web Consor-
record all Australian family research since tium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines,
1980, AF&SA made possible the recent Insti- Priority Level 1, is the aim for all Institute
tute publication Collected works: 1980–2001: publications on the Web.
Australian Institute of Family Studies, a volume
An “Email and Web Use” policy was devel-
of more than 2,000 citations providing a
oped and approved in August 2001. This
comprehensive list of work undertaken at the
provides Institute staff with guidelines for
Institute during the past twenty-one years.
acceptable use of email and the Web and is
available on the Staff Intranet.
Internet project
Since its launch in March 1996, visits to the
The Institute’s Web site aims to report on Institute’s Web site and subsidiary sites have
Institute programs and activities, dissemi- almost doubled each year. In 2001–2002,
nate information from its databases, publi- accesses by Australian visitors were predomi-
cations and resource collections, and pro- nantly from the government sector (219,910),
mote the development of networks with followed by media/networks (169,179), busi-
other individuals and organisations con- ness (127,920), and education (77,134). All
cerned with family research and policy. sectors showed an increase on 2000–2001 fig-
The Web site and subsidiary sites (National ures, with government (federal, state, local)
Child Protection Clearinghouse, Youth Sui- recording five times the number of accesses
cide Prevention project, Longitudinal Study than in the previous year.
of Australian Children, and Stronger Fami-
Main sections of the Institute’s Web
lies Learning Exchange Web sites) have
site include:
shown strong growth during the year, now
offering more than 2,600 pages. To stream- About the Australian Institute of Family
line the development of new pages a focus Studies – the Institute, the Board, the staff;
for this year has been on implementing Cas- What’s new – at the Institute and on the
cading Style Sheets and templates on all Web site;
new pages and pages that require updating.
Staff vacancies;
The requirements of the Commonwealth Media releases;
Government’s Online Strategy have been
Publications;
fulfilled, a fourth and final Online Survey
report completed, our Online Action Plan Research program – descriptions and
updated, and an amount of retrospective progress of projects;
and continuous work performed to meet Information resources – a free weekly
online service obligations, guidelines and current awareness service of journal
standards. Attention has been paid to abstracts selected from the Australian
Table 4.3 Total Web pages accessed successfully
1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002
172,049 318,925 582,657 951,572 1,769,933
Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report 63
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
Family & Society Abstracts database, an terminology in Australian family studies;
online version of Family Thesaurus, bib- and three, a special links page to online arti-
liographies, links to conference papers, cles and reports about Ageing and aged
articles and reports on the Web; care, Marriage and relationship education,
Social capital and community development,
Databases online – the Institute’s library
and Work and family.
catalogue, National Child Protection
Clearinghouse projects database, and Promoting the Institute and its work
information about Australian Family & via the Web
Society Abstracts;
aifs-alert is an email list for Institute
Email discussion lists – childprotect, announcements. Subscribers receive notifi-
MARE – Marriage and Relationship Edu- cation approximately once a week about
cation, lsac-refgroup, and closed lists for new publications and information services,
the SFLEX and LSAC projects; media releases, additions and updates to the
Institute seminars – dates and details Web site, the new journal abstracts listing,
about the Institute’s monthly seminar and forthcoming seminars and conferences.
program; More than 500 people from government
Forthcoming conferences – Australian agencies, non-government organisations,
and international conferences that focus universities, business, and the media, pre-
on family research, policy and related dominantly from Australia, have subscribed
areas; to date.
Courses and training programs – for par- National Child Protection
ents, students and professionals on Clearinghouse Web site
family-related topics offered in Australia;
Use of the National Child Protection
Links – an extensive collection of links to
Clearinghouse Web site has increased 28 per
other organisations and resources in Aus-
cent on last year (pages downloaded
tralia and overseas (relevant government
increased from 237,773 to 328,000). Con-
agencies, research and policy centres,
tinued demand has been recorded for Clear-
trends and statistics, online articles and
inghouse Issues and Discussion Papers
reports, e-journals etc);
online, topical bibliographies, the Directory of
Site map – to assist navigation, accessible child abuse prevention organisations, and
from all main pages; and links pages. The “What’s new” page contin-
Legal Notice – containing Copyright, Pri- ued to alert visitors to State and Territory news,
vacy, and Disclaimer statements, accessi- new publications, training seminars and con-
ble from the home page and other key ferences, and to promote key child abuse pre-
pages. vention events and issues from around the
world. The childprotect email discussion list
New features/pages added during this finan-
moderated by the Clearinghouse’s research
cial year included: first, a Search engine
staff has been very active during the year with
for author, title, and keyword access to all
discussion covering a broad range of issues.
Web resources; second, access to an online
version of Family Thesaurus, the source of New pages on the Clearinghouse Web site
subject terms in Australian Family & Society include: Issues paper no. 15, Child abuse
Abstracts, and also used as a reference for and the Internet; “Internet Safety”, a page
64 Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
providing links to a number of sites which Stronger Families Learning
discuss safety issues and offer guidelines for Exchange Web site
parents of children and young people using
The Stronger Families Learning Exchange
the Internet; and, “Guidelines for Police
(SFLEX) project, funded under the Stronger
Clearances and Checks” for those people
Families and Communities Strategy, aims to
working with children and adolescents.
contribute to the formation of an evidence
Longitudinal Study of Australian base from which to inform policy, practice
Children Web site and research in strengthening families and
communities. An integral part of the Learn-
The Web site for this large national study,
ing Exchange is the SFLEX Web site,
set up to explore family and social issues
launched in May 2002. The Web site aims to
and address a range of research questions
provide clients and stakeholders with a vari-
about children’s development and wellbe-
ety of services including access to resources
ing, was launched in April 2002. Informa-
on community development, early inter-
tion about the sample and data collection,
vention and prevention and action research
the personnel responsible for the study,
and information exchange via regular
publications, links to related longitudinal
printed and electronic bulletins. In addition,
studies worldwide, and how to join a Ref-
a password protected part of the site has
erence group to be informed of ongoing
been established to support the information
progress of the study are now available.
and action research needs of Stronger Family
The site will be used to inform and com-
Fund projects and associated stakeholders.
municate with all interested parties.
Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report 65
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION
CLEARINGHOUSE
The mission of the National Child Protection Clearinghouse is to help families and com-
munities create an environment conducive to the wellbeing, care and protection of children.
The National Child Protection Clearing- Australian Family & Society Abstracts. Four
house is funded by the Commonwealth and a half thousand items are represented
Department of Family and Community Ser- on the database.
vices as part of the Commonwealth’s
As well, the Clearinghouse maintains and
response to the problem of child abuse. The
develops a specialised database to document
Clearinghouse has operated from the Aus-
child abuse prevention projects and activi-
tralian Institute of Family Studies since
ties. Information is collected on prevention
1995. It aims to inform policy, practice and
programs to serve as models from which
research into child abuse prevention and
other program providers may benefit, and to
provides the following functions:
provide a picture of child prevention activ-
ity throughout Australia. This information
Knowledge base is incorporated into an electronic database
The Clearinghouse forms a knowledge base with 1,300 items and mounted on the Inter-
from which to inform policy, practice and net site.
research in child abuse prevention by col-
lecting resources and providing access to Communications
information. Research and practice litera-
The knowledge base is used to generate
ture, other informational resources and spe-
a number of communications activities.
cialised databases are brought together into
Information resources of the Clearinghouse
an electronic and hard-copy repository of
are disseminated to a network of 8,000
information on child abuse prevention,
clients through regular paper and electronic
which comprises over 5,000 items. Resources
publications. Interested people may join
are made widely accessible via a Web-based
the mailing list to receive two Issues Papers
catalogue.
and two Newsletters per year, or may access
Materials are made available to clients by electronic copies on the Web site. Issues
the interlibrary system or directly through Papers focus on a topic of particular rele-
membership for small, non-government, vance to the field, while Newsletters include
community-based organisations. Eighty-one feature articles plus information on the
such organisations use the collection via the latest publications and resources, develop-
membership scheme. ments in policy or legislation, and forth-
coming conferences and workshops.
Bibliographic information about the pre-
vention of child abuse and neglect is Up-to-date information on child abuse pre-
incorporated into the Australian Institute vention is provided and maintained on the
of Family Studies’ computerised database, Internet site. In addition to descriptions of
66 Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
the mission statement and functions of the relating to child abuse prevention and pro-
Clearinghouse, the site currently includes tection. The list’s intended participants
the full text of all Clearinghouse publica- include service providers, government offi-
tions; dates for forthcoming conferences; a cers and researchers. Currently there are
list of Australian and international organi- 419 subscribed members of childprotect e-list.
sations concerned with child abuse preven-
In order to have some control over the
tion (with links to their Internet sites); reg-
issues being discussed and the quality of the
ularly updated bibliographies on specific
electronic interchanges, childprotect is run as
aspects of the prevention of child abuse and
a closed, monitored and moderated list.
neglect; and access to the Child Abuse Pre-
vention Programs Database. The Clearinghouse provides education and
training seminars in rural/remote areas
The Web site is well used, with about
throughout Australia. As well, Clearing-
253,000 requests for electronic pages during
house staff participate in relevant work-
the last year.
shops, conferences and related activities,
presenting papers and seminars and pro-
Advisory services viding an information stall.
Clearinghouse staff draw on the knowledge
base to provide advisory services. A library Research initiatives
help desk service is provided for clients who
The Clearinghouse undertakes research
do not have access to a computer or related
projects on child protection and child abuse
electronic communications infrastructure.
prevention. In 2001–2002, the Clearing-
The Clearinghouse’s research staff are avail-
house has been involved in a number of
able to help with more specialised questions.
projects where the purpose has been to
The take-up of this service increases signifi-
identify the ways in which child abuse pre-
cantly each year, and a total of 1,792 requests
vention and child protection is being under-
were responded to during 2001–2002.
taken in various parts of Australia, to inform
child protection reform process, and to
Networking/outreach develop a child abuse prevention research
agenda. A detailed report of the research ini-
Networking is facilitated by the provision
tiatives is contained in the Research Pro-
of the Child Abuse Prevention Programs data-
gram section.
base which includes contact details for
participants.
Professionals working in the field may join
the email discussion list, childprotect, to dis-
cuss research, practice and policy issues
Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report 67
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
STRONGER FAMILIES
LEARNING EXCHANGE
The Stronger Families Learning Exchange aims to contribute to the evidence base about
the effectiveness of early interventions for families and to support the work of Stronger
Families Fund projects.
In December 2001, the Institute was con- Exchange holds over 3,000 records in its cat-
tracted by the Department of Family and alogue database directly related to this area
Community Services to provide a Stronger (i.e. on topics such as stronger families, family
Families Learning Exchange as part of the strengths, action research, community devel-
Stronger Families and Communities Strat- opment/capacity building, resilience, parent-
egy. The Strategy is a national program ing/parent education, early intervention,
which encourages coordination and inte- primary prevention, and early childhood.
gration of local services to help communi- Another 4,000 records on these topics are
ties find new ways to strengthen family indexed in the Institute’s Australian Family &
functioning, with a focus on early child- Society Abstracts database.
hood development and effective parenting.
Pin numbers have been provided to primary
The Learning Exchange will provide infor- stakeholders to enable special Web-based
mation, resource sharing, training and access to the Institute’s databases and library
advice on family wellbeing, primary pre- services, and a help desk service responds to
vention and early intervention. Its primary queries or provides customised printouts
stakeholders are Stronger Families Fund per- on request.
sonnel and government officers working
with these personnel, but its services extend
Internet site
to the wider community concerned with
family wellbeing. The new Stronger Families Learning Exchange
The first six months of the project have Web site contains two sections – a public
been devoted to setting up a number of access section and a password-protected
resources and services, and to promoting extranet. The public access Web site con-
these resources and services to Australian tains, in addition to descriptions of the
community organisations and to other objectives and functions of the Learning
potential stakeholders. Exchange:
electronic resources and links to signifi-
Library collection and services cant organisations;
A collection of Australian and international dates for forthcoming conferences;
early intervention and prevention research
the electronic version of the first Bulletin;
and practice literature and resources has been
established, and will be developed further a “good practice” in early intervention
over the life of the project. Currently the database.
68 Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report
Information, Dissemination and Marketing
This part of the Web site received over 6,000 Training and support
requests for electronic pages in its first three team activities
months of availability.
A major component of the Learning
The password-protected part of the Web Exchange is the provision of action research
site – the extranet – contains the following evaluation support to 60–70 Stronger Fam-
features: ilies Fund projects, funded under the
data from Stronger Families Fund projects; Stronger Families and Communities Strat-
egy. The Institute has developed a Training
the closed e-discussion list (sff-discuss) for
and Support Team of researchers to support
primary stakeholders to discuss research,
the funded projects. The Team will assist
policy and practice issues;
projects to design and carry out an action
templates and training/informational
research evaluation of their project, provid-
resources.
ing advice and support on issues such as:
action research processes; research design
SFLEX publications and methods; the analysis and interpreta-
The Learning Exchange publishes six- tion of data; and the production of project
monthly bulletins, in hard copy and elec- reports. A detailed report on the activities
tronic format, containing information of the Team is contained in the Research
about the Stronger Families and Communi- Program section.
ties Strategy, Stronger Families Fund project
descriptions and news, best practice and
research.
The first bulletin has been produced and
distributed to a mailing list and to individ-
uals or organisations requesting copies.
Demand for the publication has been
considerable, and to date more than 11,000
copies have been distributed throughout
Australia. An electronic copy of the Bulletin
has also been posted on the Web site.
Australian Institute of Family Studies 2001–2002 Annual Report 69