Aboriginal Families Study

What’s working and what’s not working for Aboriginal families taking part in the Brighter Futures early intervention program is the focus of the new Aboriginal Families Study.

The study will interview up to 120 Aboriginal families who have participated in Brighter Futures, including those who left before meeting their case plan goals and those who are still in the program. The study aims to identify the sorts of services and staff competencies that best encourage participation and positive outcomes for Aboriginal families.

Community Services Centre for Parenting and Research is leading the study in conjunction with the UNSW Social Policy Research Centre that is responsible for the broader evaluation of Brighter Futures which is due in late 2010.

The study will be held in a number of sites starting with Western Sydney, Wollongong, Shellharbour, Nowra, Bateman’s Bay, Bega and Lismore. More areas will be involved later.

Community Services is looking for people to interview families and caseworkers on an occasional basis until September 2010.

Briefings were held in August at the study sites to invite early intervention teams from non-government Brighter Futures lead agencies and Community Services offices to participate. These included CareSouth, Mission Australia, SDN Children’s Services, Casino Neighbourhood Centre and the Consortium of Neighbourhood Centres in Northern Region. Other non-government organisations will participate in the study over coming months.

For more information, see the project brief or contact Hyllus Munro on 02 9716 2381.