Social Policy Reports Documents

Seen and Heard: putting children on the homelessness agenda

This Mission Australia snapshot 2011 focuses on the specific needs of homeless children, identifying the number and profile of these young Australians, the reasons why they become homeless, the impact of homelessness on children, service providers’ current practices and families’ experience of the homeless service system. It draws on key findings from national and international research and an exploratory study conducted by a family homeless network.

Facilitating children’s transition to school from families with complex support needs (Part 1 of 2)

This report is a joint publication between Charles Sturt University, University of Western Sydney, Mission Australia and the NSW Department of Human Services – says transition to school programs and third parties acting as mediators between families and schools are among the keys to getting children from disadvantaged families off to a successful start in education.

Facilitating children’s transition to school from families with complex support needs (Part 2 of 2)

This report is a joint publication between Charles Sturt University, University of Western Sydney, Mission Australia and the NSW Department of Human Services – says transition to school programs and third parties acting as mediators between families and schools are among the keys to getting children from disadvantaged families off to a successful start in education.

How homeless men are faring: Some initial outcomes from the Michael Project

'The Michael Project' Snapshot Report - April 2011

The Michael Project is a three-year, private donor funded initiative working with homeless men in the Sydney region. It began operating in October 2007 with the objectives of:
• improving the health, wellbeing and social and economic participation of homeless men;
• improving their access to stable, secure and long term accommodation;
• articulating and developing a new model of support; and
• providing an evidence base for policy and program development in the delivery of homeless services.

This is the second snapshot examining the circumstances of participants in the Michael Project. It focuses specifically on how participants are faring after three months relative to their circumstances when they were initially engaged with the project.

Increasing our understanding of homeless men: The Michael Project

'The Michael Project' Snapshot Report - August 2010

In 2008, the Australian Government set out a national approach to reducing homelessness, with targets of halving homelessness and offering supported accommodation to all those sleeping rough who need it by 2020 (Commonwealth of Australia, 2008). Despite the scale of the issue and the targets set, there is much that is not yet known about people who are homeless. Filling in knowledge gaps in areas such as the length of time people may have been homeless, the prevalence of drug dependence and the extent of trauma experienced, will help ensure policies and practice are tailored appropriately and thus most likely to contribute to achieving the targets set.

This publication reports on findings from new research into a nationally significant service innovation, The Michael Project, and adds to the body of evidence policy makers and practitioners can draw on.

Youth Employment Stategy (YES) - 2010

Youth Prevention Strategy: Preventing a Lost Generation

Youth unemployment is rising. As Australia experiences the early signs of economic recovery, youth unemployment (15‐19 year olds) stands at 16.0 percent (ABS Labour Force Survey January 2010). This is nearly three times higher than the unemployment rate across the whole of the population.

The youth participation rate has also declined consistently over the past two years – 60 percent in January 2008 to a current rate of 56.6 percent. Some communities are particularly impacted by youth unemployment with areas such as the outer eastern parts of Melbourne, the western suburbs of Adelaide and the Central Coast of NSW having teenage unemployment rates of well over 30%.

The changing taste of welfare services - The evolution of Cafe One

This publication focuses on the role the provision of food to disadvantaged people has played in Mission Australia’s history in Queensland - a journey that began with the Brisbane City Mission and continues today through Café One in Wickham St, Fortitude Valley. Engaging with disadvantaged people over food is vital for reasons of food security and social inclusion. People on the fringes of society benefit from having both their nutritional and other needs addressed in a respectful and responsible way.

The Towards New Indicators of Disadvantage Project

Bulletin No.1 - Identifying the Essentials of Life By Peter Saunders. This project is a collaboration between researchers at the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) and analysts from the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), Mission Australia, the Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL) and Anglicare, Diocese of Sydney. The aim of the research is to develop new indicators that can be used alongside existing instruments (e.g. poverty lines) to better identify the extent and nature of disadvantage in Australia.

Rural and Regional Australia: Change, Challenge and Capacity

This is a complex paper that examines non-metropolitan disadvantage in the framework of five key areas: economic capital; institutional capital; social capital; human capital; and natural capital. The report makes a number of recommendations and calls for a whole of government approach – in co-operation with business and community organisations – to decrease inequality between rural/regional and metropolitan centres across a range of areas.