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Links to Wellbeing, specific needs, roles of individuals in family members (SBP), changes in families (Eg COVID Lockdown)

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Stressed about study during coronavirus? | ReachOut Australia

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Stressed about study during coronavirus?

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If school life is overwhelming right now, you're not alone. View our collection of study stress resources to help you get through the disruptions of coronavirus (COVID-19)

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Stress Swaps: Ways to reduce exam stress | Exam stress | ReachOut Australia

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It's safe to say that this school year has been a wild ride. Whether you're learning from home - goodbye, uniform; hello, comfy clothes - or still attending school, chances are you're feeling a little uneasy about everything that's going on.

Staying on top of your studies can be hard enough at the best of times, but the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has thrown in a few extra curveballs. Balancing assignment deadlines, exam prep and a new way of learning can all add up to a pretty stressful situation. Not to mention that learning from home = so many distractions.

But while you might feel stressed and distracted, making a few key changes will help you to stay on track.

Set up a reward system

One of the hardest things about focusing on your studies at home is sidestepping the many distractions and temptations that are on offer there. Who wouldn't find it easier to escape into an eight-hour streamed series when you've hit a wall with your studies, rather than push through it? But instead of denying yourself all distractions, try a work-and-reward system. For each hour of study, you could reward yourself with something: an episode of your fave show, an online game, or a FaceTime call with friends.

Sharing is caring

Sometimes a natural reaction to stress is to switch off, shut down and tap out, by turning off your notifications and pretending that whatever is going on simply doesn't exist. This is especially true with the current global crisis (when all anyone can talk about is coronavirus), when pulling away from your pals and going AWOL might sound like a good idea. But in times of stress, whether it's school-related or otherwise, talking to people is typically the best way forward. Give your friends a chance to lend a hand by letting them know what's up with you. If they're aware that you're having a tough time and aren't travelling so well, they'll check in with you more often.

Love the list

Every school student knows that their brain is busiest JUST as they switch out the lights and try to fall asleep. All of a sudden, their mind is overcome by worries, concerns and thoughts, and sleep seems like a distant possibility. This is particularly true if they're feeling anxious or nervous about an upcoming exam or assignment. Take back control by writing a checklist before going to bed of things you need to do, and things you're worried about. Putting them down on paper is a smart way to make big problems seem a little more manageable.

Quarantine clean

There is no better way to buy time than by creating jobs that require your immediate attention: My assignment will have to wait because I MUST organise my bookshelves in alphabetical order! While a tidy workspace will help you to focus and concentrate - both of which are important for study/school - don't get sucked into the trap of spending all day arranging and rearranging your desk. Try to pick an area to work that has some natural light, and set up a space that is calming and free of clutter.
Download a text version of this comic. Sign up to ReachOut Delivered for an email series on exam stress.

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Stress Swaps: Ways to reduce exam stress

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It's safe to say that this school year has been a wild ride. Whether you're learning from home - goodbye, uniform; hello, comfy clothes - or still attending school, chances are you're feeling a little uneasy about everything that's going on.

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Free Prelim and HSC resourses!

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AceHSC is an online platform where students can accessfree resources to ease their studies and journey from high school into university successfully as possible. Making studying easier, with an extensive library of past trial papers, study guides, assignments, study notes and essays created by students, you can quickly find what you need when you need it.

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By Natasha Stott Despoja

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A fortnight ago, a girl's voice stopped the world. In her compelling address to the United Nations, Greta Thunberg was the essence of "girl power". Yet her treatment was a stark reminder of the scrutiny to which women, including young women and girls, are subjected in public life.

Thunberg was variously infantilised, her appearance and intellect mocked or questioned, she was patronised and her credibility and mental health debated. But her resolve was stronger than her critics and she took the disparagement as an opportunity to highlight the need for diversity and difference in public and political life.

Uphill struggle: Girls and young women see sexism as the biggest issue to deal with. Illustration: Andrew Dyson Credit:

Today we celebrate International Day of the Girl Child. Girls' rights charity Plan International Australia has launched new research revealing girls and young women see sexism as the biggest issue facing them (62 per cent), but they also feel that they are well placed to combat it and to achieve gender equality.

They are influenced by strong female leaders and activists, ranging from Jacinda Ardern and Julia Gillard to girls closer to their age: Greta, Malala Yousafzai and Emma Watson.

We need young women's and girls' voices. We need them engaged in leadership and decision-making. This is the only way to achieve prosperity for all. When I became a senator, I loved receiving letters from young women saying if I could do it so could they.

Girls want to lead social change, but don't necessarily feel they are being heard.

But I find it incomprehensible that, in the almost 24 years since I first set foot in Parliament, when the numbers were around 15 per cent female, the number of women in the ranks would merely double. We now have a record number of women in the federal Parliament yet it's just a third.

Natasha Stott Despoja. Credit:Ben Searcy

At 26, I was a young, single woman, with a part-Croatian surname and had to deal with the novelty and ridiculous stereotypes that came with it. I was subject to relentless references to age and appearance, being told what to wear, enquiries about personal life and headlines focusing on blonde hair. When I was married, one newspaper put a journo on pregnancy watch. At my first business lunch, I was asked if I went into politics to meet a husband (of course not).

Almost a quarter of a century later, I did not anticipate that today women would still confront outdated stereotypes, double standards in the media or debates about their parental or marital status, let alone comment about their appearance or starting a family, when it came to their suitability for politics.

The inherent value judgment in commentary around women in politics remains. When NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was elected, a columnist wrote she "lacks a spouse and children" and when New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern announced her pregnancy, she faced demeaning questions.

As a relatively young senator, I was excited to take my place in the Senate and took seriously my role in encouraging women - of all backgrounds and ages - to get involved in politics. My favourite and most empowering times in the Parliament were when women across the political spectrum worked together to bring about change that benefited women and girls (and the broader community) on issues such as stem cells, transparency in pregnancy counselling and the removal of RU486 from ministerial discretion.

Swedish activist and student Greta Thunberg, centre, takes part in the Climate Strike in Montreal on September 27. Credit:The Canadian Press via AP

I knew legislation could change lives for the better and understood that power was important for women and that people with power don't share it or relinquish it easily. I learnt how uncomfortable some people were with women having power, especially young women.

In recent weeks, we have seen just how uneasy some still are with the idea of a girl leading a political movement. But having vibrant women in public life is not enough by itself. Sustained support for the world's young women - through advocacy, education and mentoring, and through practical support to address the many barriers to their progress - is crucial.

Natasha Stott Despoja with Cheryl Kernot in 1996. Credit:Peter Mathew

Australian young women and girls are tuned into the big issues. They know that the key issues preventing girls around the world from achieving their dreams are sexism, violence, discrimination and lack of education and opportunities to lead.

Overwhelmingly, girls want to lead social change, but don't necessarily feel they are being heard. The statistics remind us of the magnitude of the challenges they face. We live in a world in which, every three seconds, a girl is forced or coerced into marriage.

Worldwide, nearly 50 per cent of all sexual assaults are against girls aged 15 years or younger. The leading cause of death for young women aged 15 to 19 living in developing countries is pregnancy. It's a world in which at least 65 million girls are out of school and a girl in South Sudan is more likely to die in childbirth than she is to finish primary school. Education brings power, it brings change, it gives people a voice and agency, and it creates sustainable development.

Sustainable change can never be achieved until girls are able to live free of discrimination and free of violence and the fear of violence. So, alongside work to encourage young women's leadership, we must also create safe environments for them to realise their potential.
Natasha Stott Despoja is the founding Chair of Our Watch and was the youngest woman to enter the federal Parliament.

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Women and girls have come a long way, but not nearly far enough

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By Natasha Stott Despoja Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size A fortnight ago, a girl's voice stopped the world. In her compelling address to the United Nations, Greta Thunberg was the essence of "girl power".

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Individual and Groups

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CAFS Prelim Core 2: Individuals and Groups Flashcards | Quizlet

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Start studying CAFS Prelim Core 2: Individuals and Groups. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.

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See if you can remember the syllabus terms!

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Start studying Resource management- CAFS. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.

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Where to find Key verbs etc. on Showbie!

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Where to find Key verbs etc. on Showbie!

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Put these up on your wall!!

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Survivor - Watch the episode for IG2 page 7&8

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Survivor - Watch the episode for IG2 page 7&8

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Air Date: Wed 18 Mar 2020

After missing out on the immunity challenge win, a hunt for an idol ensues and as always with Tribal Council, not all is as it seems and Jonathan has one last trick up his sleeve.

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Air Date: Wed 18 Mar 2020 After missing out on the immunity challenge win, a hunt for an idol ensues and as always with Tribal Council, not all is as it seems and Jonathan has one last trick up his sleeve.

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Family
A family is defined by the ABS as two or more persons, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering, and who are usually resident in the same household.

Each separately identified couple relationship, lone parent-child relationship or other blood relationship forms the basis of a family. Some households contain more than one family.

Non-related persons living in the same household are not counted as family members (unless under 15 years of age).

Other related individuals (brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles) may be present in the household. If more than one family is present these people can only be associated with the primary family.

Visiting families are not included as part of the household, and the relationships of other visitors are not coded. A household containing only a visiting family (e.g. a family at a holiday home) is coded to a household type of visitors only.

Where all persons present are aged under 15 years, or where information for each person has been imputed, the household is deemed not classifiable to a family. Of people listed as temporarily absent, only spouse(s) and family children are used in coding family composition.

Family reference person: One person in each family is designated as the family reference person. A family reference person must be present in the household on Census night (i.e. listed in the main body of the Census form, not in the part for temporary absentees), and aged 15 years and over. There is a reference person for each family in a multiple family household. The reference person for the primary family is usually defined as the household reference person.

Once a suitable family reference person is established for a family, all people identified within the family unit are allocated Relationship in Household ( ) codes and family composition is determined.

Family Relationships: Family relationships are derived from two questions on the household form (see Appendix A). Question 5 on the paper form asked each person his/her relationship to Person 1/Person 2. Question 53 on the paper form asked for information on usual household members who were temporarily absent on Census night, and their relationship to Person 1/Person 2. Coding of family structure is based on these answers. If Person 1 is not the most appropriate family reference person, coders assign the reference person based on age, marital status and relationship considerations.

If the only person present in the household on Census night is the reference person, it is still possible to form a family unit where a spouse and/or dependent family children are listed as temporarily absent.

An important note here is that people listed as temporarily absent are considered in the family and household coding only. Characteristics of these people are not available at the household of usual residence. Such people may have been enumerated elsewhere in Australia, however there is no method of linking their Census information back to their usual residence.

If relationship is not adequately stated by a respondent, the family structure is derived where possible during processing from other responses such as name, usual residence and marital status.

Relationships between multiple families: Up to three families can be coded in one household: the primary family (usually the first listed on the Census form, or the one with dependent children), and up to two others (referred to collectively as secondary families, and individually as second and third families).

The relationship between the families is coded by the variable Relationship Between Families ( ) . If more than three families are found in a household, only three families are separately classified and any other people are classified as either related family members or non-family members as appropriate.

It can be useful to look at data for primary families only, or look at relationships between families. Family Number ( ) indicates whether the family is a primary or other family, while FRLF details the relationship between the primary family and the second or third families.

Family variables: The basic family classification is Family Composition ( ) . When classifying families, information about temporarily absent family members is used. Other family variables available are:

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander family , , Family Blending (FBLF) , Family Composition (FMCF) , Family/Household Reference Person Indicator (RPIP) , Relationship in Household (RLHP) .

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2901.0 - Census of Population and Housing: Census Dictionary, 2016

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Family A family is defined by the ABS as two or more persons, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering, and who are usually resident in the same household.

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Example of how you could set out your notes

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Example of how you could set out your notes

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Factors affecting access to and availability of resources

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Factors affecting access to and availability of resources

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COVID19

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In Sydney's south west, demand for food from families struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic has skyrocketed. It is the same story across Sydney and the country.

"At the moment, it is food, food, food," said Sharon Ward, the coordinator of Liverpool's Heckenberg Connections centre which since the pandemic has been distributing over 1000 kilograms of donated potatoes, cereal, milk, canned goods and meat to families per week.

The food bank could only keep operating thanks to a $10,000 emergency relief grant from Be Kind Sydney, a charity created by the Sydney Community Foundation and the Sydney Women's Fund in response to the pandemic.

It has launched a $1 million Be Kind Sydney COVID-19 appeal asking Sydneysiders to give anything to keep the lights on at neighbourhood charities as other sources of income and donations fall.

Pat Hall and Sharon Ward have received $10,000 from Be Kind Sydney to keep their food support program helping those in western Sydney. Credit:Rhett Wyman

The appeal was kicked off by $180,000 in relief grants from large philanthropists, including the Snow Foundation, to 20 charities including Heckenberg's food bank.

Donations to non profits are forecast to drop by seven per cent this year as companies and individuals see incomes fall. Next year will be worse: Giving will plummet more than 20 per cent to levels not seen since 2012, according to a JBWere report on philanthropy during COVID-19.

During a webinar on Tuesday by the Centre for Social Impact, philanthropists were urged to dip into their "rainy day" funds to help frontline charities stay afloat.

Sarah Davies, the chief executive of Philanthropy Australia, said many large donors had responded generously by relaxing their giving guidelines and providing more flexibility about reporting requirements. "Half have shifted to untied and unrestricted grants," she told the webinar.

About 45 large givers had also signed a public pledge outlining how they will continue to support the sector, including the Snow Foundation. Snow's chief executive Georgina Byron said it had increased its annual giving from $4 million to $6 million to provide rapid relief.

"We are conscious that we need to give now, but we need to keep giving because next financial year will be even tougher," she said.

"In the bad times you have to maintain your giving, or increase it. It is not the time to reduce giving, not when people are having the toughest time in decades. We are saying to philanthropy, 'you can eat into some of your capital ... there will be good times again'."

A survey of 30 local charities by Be Kind Sydney found an 84 per cent increase in demand for services after the lockdown began.

"People are just desperate," said Pat Hall, the chief executive of Liverpool Neighbourhood Connections.

Without the support from Be Kind, it would not have been able to meet demand, she said.

The money will be used towards the food parcel project, Dinner for Four - which provides ingredients and recipes to families for $7, as well as covering the wages of an extra worker.

Coordinator for Heckenberg centre Sharon Ward said when Ms Hall first told her about the donation, she could have cried.

Laura is a journalist for The Sydney Morning Herald.

Julie Power is a senior reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Be Kind Sydney: new appeal plugs the gap in giving

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Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In Sydney's south west, demand for food from families struggling to stay afloat during the pandemic has skyrocketed. It is the same story across Sydney and the country.

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Gender expectations and leadership - factors that contribute to roles we adopt

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Gender expectations and leadership - factors that contribute to roles we adopt

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Opinion

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If you're a woman in a leadership role at work then you probably already know about the Likeability Trap. Chances are you've encountered it yourself.

It's a term used to describe the double bind women who are bosses find themselves in - to be well-liked without being perceived as a pushover, but not so firm as to be accused of chilliness and autocracy.

Even sainted New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been subject to gender-based comments. Credit:AAP

It sounds faintly ridiculous, but based on decades of research into perceptions of women in the workforce, particularly as they move up the ladder, it's as serious as a closed-door meeting with HR.

Female leadership is a tightrope, and those who doubt the delicate balancing act required to tread it might want to glance back at Julia Gillard, Hillary Clinton, Julie Bishop, and more recently, Jacinda Ardern, who have all drawn criticism for stepping outside of the stereotypical expectations of women in power.

Women are viewed, even subconsciously, as naturally nurturing and warm, while men are perceived as naturally qualified to lead strongly, and any sort of deviation from that model is going to ruffle feathers. In Adern's case being even slightly outspoken triggered the now-infamous Alan Jones line about our PM stuffing a sock down her throat to quiet her.

The findings of the "Women in Leadership Challenge" report, a survey of Australia's top 13 private companies, undertaken a decade ago, found that "the relentless level of scrutiny" applied to women in senior roles lead often to "burnout" and an exit from the workplace.

Gender judo is a practice, whereby you train yourself to behave in a 'warm and nurturing' way with just a sprinkling of Mother Superior.

Law Professor and author of What Works for Women at Work Joan Williams interviewed hundreds of women for her book, and based on their experiences and her own research, she offers a solution: it's called "gender judo", a practice, whereby you train yourself to behave in a "warm and nurturing" way with just a sprinkling of Mother Superior, so you can get the respect you need for a cohesive workplace.

There's just one problem: "likeable" as it applies to women, often translates as being obsequious and conformist. Hardly the characteristics required for innovation within a company. Worse, though, is what likeable means for men: baseline appropriate.

Male bosses don't need to stay up strategising about their tone in an email. They don't need to use exclamation marks to illustrate that they're not a bitch. They don't need to use softeners in their language, words like "just" and "maybe" and they certainly don't need to frame their directives to their team as questions, as in "Would it be Ok if everyone did X?"

Men, in short, don't have to waste time on perceptions - they can just, you know, work. But that might be changing. The aftermath of #Metoo has left in its wake a swathe of men claiming they don't know how to support women in the office.

According to a survey published last month in the Harvard Business Review, 27 per cent of men said they avoided one-on-one meetings with female colleagues. Twenty-one per cent said they were reluctant to hire women for jobs involving close interactions with men.

According to a Women in the Workplace Report by McKinsey & Company and LeanIn.org, men believe it's enough just to advocate for women. They don't see how promoting women makes a difference, and they don't see the value in hiring more women, even though both of those things have been shown to improve gender inequality, overall productivity and lower the chances of sexual harassment.

Instead, almost 40 per cent of the men surveyed said they'd like women to tell them what they want. Which is a nice sentiment, but a bit of a Catch 22 when you consider that women will have to watch their tone, and make sure they appear likeable, if and when they suggest change to their boss. But it speaks to something else - a hesitancy, (finally!), on the part of male leaders, to assume they already know what women want.

Could men finally have to start monitoring their behaviour the way women have for decades?

Women can sometimes confuse being liked with pleasing others, it is very, very different.
Workplace psychologist Samantha Symes

"Both sexes often need to work on likeability" says Samantha Symes, a psychologist who specialises in work counselling in Sydney. "There is power in being liked and people can underestimate this in the workplace.

"Women can sometimes confuse being liked with pleasing others, it is very, very different," says Symes, adding that women often have more elastic boundaries, sometimes to their own detriment.
The key to being a strong, respected manager, says Symes, is to stay curious about colleagues, remembering personal details, while holding enough space between you to still stay professional.

It may seem as if you're playing gender judo, and that in itself can feel exhausting. But it's worth remembering that the current climate has, in many ways, made men more conscious of their tone, too. And while it's probably nothing as precise as the emotional martial arts expected of women, it is at the very least, a nudge in the direction of self-awareness.

Natalie Reilly is freelance writer for The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Brisbane Times and WAtoday.

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Why must women leaders learn 'gender judo' to stay likeable at work?

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Opinion Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size If you're a woman in a leadership role at work then you probably already know about the Likeability Trap. Chances are you've encountered it yourself.

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Gender expectations and the roles individuals adopt (impact on men)

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Gender expectations and the roles individuals adopt (impact on men)

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Men also experience higher rates of suicide and motor accidents, are more likely to drink excessively and smoke, and are more prone to serious health conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, and vascular disease.

Similarly, men are more likely to both perpetrate and experience violence, and to adopt beliefs and behaviours that increase the risk of violence.

It is no surprise that men die four years earlier, on average, than women. A woman can expect to live to just over 84, while a man can expect to live to just over 80.

In a bid to improve men's health and well-being, the American Psychological Association (APA) recently released guidelines for psychologists when working with boys and men.

These guidelines complement the APA's 2007 guidelines for working with girls and women. Both guidelines share commonalities, such as focusing on gender-appropriate therapeutic practices and education.

The APA is acknowledging that gender issues are relevant to everyone, not just women, and that the experiences of men may differ to those of women.

But despite the positive intentions of the guidelines, their release was met by backlash and unfounded criticisms in some parts of the media.
What do the guidelines actually say?
The guidelines aim to challenge some aspects of traditional masculinity that might cause problems in men's lives.

Traditional masculinity encompasses a set of norms, ideas and beliefs about what it means to be a man. Such beliefs include identifying men as self-reliant, emotionally reticent, focused on work over family, and oversexed.

When these beliefs are taken to an extreme level, they can result in poor outcomes for men, such as being dissatisfied in romantic relationships, having mental health problems, and engaging in more risky behaviours.

To illustrate the impact of these traditional ideas of masculinity on men's health and well-being, let's look at three of the ten APA recommendations in detail.

First, the guidelines urge psychologists to address the high rates of problems like violence, substance abuse, and suicide, which are more commonly experienced by men.

The guidelines highlight the link between beliefs about traditional forms of masculinity and the encouragement of aggressive behaviour in boys by family, peers and the media. As a result, men are more likely to display violent behaviours and to be victims of violence.

The guidelines also highlight the negative links between male childhood abuse and victimisation, and later aggressive behaviour, suicidal thoughts, and substance abuse.

Recognising these patterns offers an opportunity for therapists to engage in gender-appropriate conversations and tailor behavioural change to the problems that plague men.

Second, the guidelines highlight the importance of encouraging men's positive involvement in families.

Despite increasing numbers of dual-income households, there is still strong social pressure for men to be the providers and breadwinners rather than taking on nurturing and caring roles. This expectation can come at the expense of men's relationships with their partners, children and extended family.

Encouraging men's positive involvement with their families has been shown to improve health and well-being outcomes for men, their children and their partners.

It may have spillover benefits in making work practices more progressive, with better balance between paid work and time spent with loved ones.

Third, the guidelines highlight the need for boys and men to more willingly seek help and health care.

Men are more likely than women to die from diseases such as colorectal cancer, which can be prevented with the right health care.

In terms of mental health, men's reluctance to express emotions and seek help through therapy may underlie the high rates of self-harm and suicide.

Traditional masculinity also encourages risky and competitive actions in men, resulting in unintentional injuries being the leading cause of death in men under 45.

According to the guidelines, we need to shift beliefs around self-reliance so men feel more comfortable looking after themselves and seeking professional help and services when needed.

Taken together, the APA guidelines have the potential to improve the lives of men. The guidelines squarely focus on the disparities in outcomes between men and women, and provide clear suggestions on improving men's well-being through strategies like strengthening family engagement and changing attitudes towards embracing healthy behaviours.

Many non-profit organisations and advocacy groups are already taking on this challenge to encourage healthy masculinity among boys and men. Our Watch, Australia's national foundation to prevent violence against women and their children, for instance, provides resources and articles for young people on masculinity and what it means to be a man through their campaign, The Line.

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Michelle Stratemeyer, Adriana Vargas Saenz and Elise Holland

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We need to recognise that gender stereotypes also affect men

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Men also experience higher rates of suicide and motor accidents, are more likely to drink excessively and smoke, and are more prone to serious health conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, and vascular disease. Similarly, men are more likely to both perpetrate and experience violence, and to adopt beliefs and behaviours that increase the risk of violence.

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Self esteem, self confidence and relationships with group members

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Self esteem, self confidence and relationships with group members

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Opinion

By Ana Aznar

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During the last couple of decades, new types of parents have emerged. From the anxiously involved helicopter parents to the pushy tiger mums, these differing styles all have one thing in common: they tend to involve over-parenting. This is where parents micromanage their children's lives - giving them little autonomy, putting too much pressure on them to achieve academic and personal success, while allowing few chances for their children to experience failure and frustration.

These are the parents who run back to school when their children forget their sports kit, do their homework, and ask others in the parent WhatsApp chat for the homework when their child does not bring it home. These parents believe their children are always right. They will confront teachers if the child feels they have been unfairly treated, or will confront other parents if, say, their child is not invited to a party.

Those who over-parent are more likely to experience high levels of anxiety, stress and regret, which in turn impacts children. Credit:iStock

As their children grow, these parents decide which subjects their children should choose, and do not allow their adolescents to travel on their own because they are afraid they may be kidnapped. These parents may well accompany their children to university applicant interviews, or even to job interviews. And they are parents who consider themselves their child's best friend rather than their parent.

While there is no doubt that these parental behaviours are acts of love, the problem is that by making sure that the children never fail an assignment, experience a detention, or the disappointment of not being invited to a party, these parents are not letting them fail. As a result, they are effectively hindering their child's development.

The power of failure

By learning to overcome failure, children develop resilience. They learn to deal with frustration and to regulate their emotions properly. And it is crucial children develop these skills during childhood to be able to lead successful lives.

Most of the research on over-parenting has focused on how it has affected university students. But the link between over-involved parents and negative consequences is found when examining children of all ages. Indeed, pre-school and primary school children of over-involved parents tend to experience high levels of shyness, anxiety and poor peer relations.

When examining adolescents and university students, these negative consequences continue. For example, 16 to 28 year-old students who reported having helicopter parents were more likely to have low levels of self-efficacy - the trust that people have in their own abilities and skills - and poor relationships with their peers.

In similar research, young people who reported having over-involved parents experienced higher levels of depression and stress, less satisfaction with life, as well as less ability to regulate their emotions. They also reported a higher sense of entitlement, and increased drug use than young people with less involved parents.

Bad for parents too

Over-parenting does not only have negative consequences for the children, though. Parents who over-parent are more likely to experience high levels of anxiety, stress and regret. This in turn has negative consequences for their children, who may pick up on their parents' anxiety and make it their own.

This may be one of the reasons why the number of university students struggling with anxiety and depression is at an all-time high. Indeed, a recent poll concluded that one in five university students in the UK suffers from high anxiety levels.

So, should all parents back off and not get involved in their children's lives? Not quite. Because to make matters more complicated, research clearly shows that children who have involved parents tend to do better at school, have higher levels of self-esteem, and better peer relations than children whose parents are not as involved.

Children whose parents are warm, loving and have high expectations of them tend to do better than children of cold and undemanding parents. The difficulty lies in establishing what the right amount of love and demandingness is. So, the key aspect that researchers are now trying to establish is what the optimal level of parental involvement is.

There is no doubt that parents want to protect their children and avoid them getting hurt but they also need to consider when that level of protection becomes too much. So, next time your child rings from school asking you to bring in their sports kit, think twice before doing it.

Life inevitably brings problems and disappointment. It is better to teach children how to face these issues rather than to solve all their problems for them. By doing so, parents will help children to develop resilience and the ability to deal with frustration - tools that will allow them to thrive once they leave the parental home.
Ana Aznar, Lecturer in Psychology, University of Winchester

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Over-parenting teaches children to be entitled - let them fail and learn

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Opinion By Ana Aznar Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size During the last couple of decades, new types of parents have emerged. From the anxiously involved helicopter parents to the pushy tiger mums, these differing styles all have one thing in common: they tend to involve over-parenting.

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Activities, information and resources on Roles individuals adopt in groups

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Activities, information and resources on Roles individuals adopt in groups

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Roles Individuals Adopt Within Groups - Lessons - Tes Teach

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Specific roles of individuals In groups, people expect certain sorts of behaviour from leaders. Different people play different roles; sometimes these roles are assigned and sometimes roles emerge as needs arise.

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Prezi - Factors that contribute to roles we adopt

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Prezi - Factors that contribute to roles we adopt

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THE ROLES PEOPLE ADOPT WITHIN GROUPS self - esteem self confidence education previous experience sense of belonging culture heredity The relationship between self-confidence and self esteem is very close. Confidence in ability = challenges Academic qualifications may play a

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Founder of Self Leadership International, , is a Global expert, speaker, and coach on Self-leadership, and in his 2012 book, 'Self Leadership: How to be a More Successful, Efficient and Effective Leader from the Inside Out', he shares this definition:

"Self-leadership is the practice of intentionally influencing your thinking, feeling, and actions towards your objective/s"

Charles Manz was the first to use the term 'Self-leadership' in 1983 and defined it as; "a comprehensive self-influence perspective that concerns leading oneself".

Peter Drucker (2010) said that being a Self-leader is to serve as chief, captain, or CEO of one's own life, and Brian Tracy talks about setting a goal and taking full responsibility for that goal.

Andrew Bryant has developed psychometric tools to measure, and therefore develop, the 3-core competencies of self-leadership:

is the tendency for an individual to focus on and Self-awareness reflect on their own psychological processes and inner experiences as well as their relationships with others.

is the process by which individuals Self-learning take the initiative, in diagnosing their learning needs, goals, resources, and outcomes.

is the process of modulating attention, emotion, and behavior to a given situation/stimulus, for the purpose of Self-regulation pursuing a goal.

For example: As you read this page, what is your inner narrative about yourself as a leader? Have you considered the gaps in your performance? Are you committed to improving your leadership?

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Self-leadership Definition: Self-leadership is the practice of intentionally influencing your thinking, feeling and actions towards your objective/s" (Bryant and Kazan 2012)

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How good are you at self leadership? Take the test!

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How good are you at self leadership? Take the test!

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How good are you in leading yourself? Test your self-leadership skills. Self-leadership can result in more career success, job satisfaction and less stress

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https://form.jotform.com/80106064452245

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Many of us think that we are naturally born self-leaders. After all, we are in charge of our own eating, sleeping, and hygienic care for example, but what most of us don't realize is that we are also 100% responsible for creating the lives we want to be living. No body, and no thing is responsible for our circumstances, and yet we often become marionettes responding to the people, objects, and events around us. We react to the world, rather than create the life we want to live.

The Yew Leaf Self Leadership Program is based on the beliefs that true leadership is rooted in well being, self development expands self leadership, and self leadership takes practice. If there is something not right in your life you will know it, but what will you do about it?

This assessment measures dominant personality characteristics, indicating where you land today on the The Yew Leaf self leadership scale. Have a look and see for yourself!

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Many of us think that we are naturally born self-leaders. After all, we are in charge of our own eating, sleeping, and hygienic care for example, but what most of us don't realize is that we are also 100% responsible for creating the lives we want to be living.

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So to Shane Fitzsimmons, we are so proud to have you leading us right now as our country tackles something so big and so scary.

You are a pillar of strength amongst seas of distress, anger and fear.

We know you need a break, and probably a beer and definitely eight hours uninterrupted sleep right now (as does the rest of your 74,000 firies). But we're so appreciative you're here, looking out for our country, showing us what true leadership looks like in a time of crisis.

Who is Shane Fitzsimmons?

Shane Fitzsimmons joined the NSW Rural Fire Service in 1985 as a 15-year-old, and worked his way up the ranks. He was working in the car industry as well, until he went full time in firefighting in 1994.

He has been in this current role, in charge of the NSW brigades, since 2007. Then aged 44, he was the youngest commissioner in RFS history.

The danger the bushfires present, and the deaths that have occurred this season are horrendous for any fire chief, but for Fitzsimmons, it's even more personal.

Twenty years ago, he lost his own father George Fitzsimmons to a hazard-reduction burning gone wrong.

His dad was 53 at the time, and was working as a volunteer in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in Sydney. Three others also died that day.

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Shane Fitzsimmons is what a real leader looks like.

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So to Shane Fitzsimmons, we are so proud to have you leading us right now as our country tackles something so big and so scary. You are a pillar of strength amongst seas of distress, anger and fear.

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Autocratic, democratic or laissez-faire - what's your leadership style?

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In Lewin's experiments he discovered that the most effective style of leadership was democratic. Overly autocratic styles led to revolution, whilst under a laissez-faire approach, people did not work together and did not work as hard as they did when being actively led.

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Transitioning words - link points to EVIDENCE (examples)

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Transitioning words - link points to EVIDENCE (examples)

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Stressed about study during coronavirus? | ReachOut Australia

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Stressed about study during coronavirus?

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If school life is overwhelming right now, you're not alone. View our collection of study stress resources to help you get through the disruptions of coronavirus (COVID-19)

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LOOK AT THIS TO UNDERSTAND PEEL!

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Students will gain an understanding of how to correctly reference a range of information source types using an online referencing tool. Today we will
​Success Criteria: I will be able to successfully reference a range of information source types in my IRP.
Learning Intention: Students will know how to avoid plagiarism and understand the ethical considerations of academic integrity.
Research Methodology - Weighting 20%
The Research Methodology module focuses on the processes of inquiry and research, allowing students to pursue an area of interest in an The IRP forms part of the internal HSC assessment program. The focus of the Independent Research Project should be related to the course content of one or more of the following areas: Independent Research Project.
* individuals
* groups
* families Students learn about:
* communities
* resource management.

Research fundamentals
* the purpose of research, eg advance knowledge, increase understanding, educate others, inform practice
* the focus of research, eg question/hypothesis
* sampling: methods, sample group, sample size
* types of data: Primary vs Secondary, Qualitative & Quantitative
* sources of data - Individuals & groups, Print & digital
* reliability and validity
* ethical behaviour: respect, integrity, privacy, bias

Students learn to:
* explore a variety of existing research projects/reports and consider the following questions:
- what was the focus of the research?
- what was the sample group and size?
- what type of data was collected?
- what sources of data were used?
* describe the types of data that can be collected from individuals and groups
* examine data from print and electronic sources to determine the key findings
* discuss the advantages and limitations of each of the sources of data
* explain how sampling contributes to reliable and valid research
* assess the importance of ethical behaviour when conducting research by considering the following:
- sensitive research topics
- confidentiality
- research bias
- crediting sources of data by means of bibliography and appendix ( NESA 2019)

All HSC candidates, their teachers and others who guide them must comply with our Honesty in Assessment Standard to maintain the integrity of the HSC. You must be HSC Rules and Procedures Guide
2.1 Maintaining honesty and integrity
entirely honest when completing all your assessment tasks, exams and submitted works. You will be marked only on the quality and originality of the work you have produced.

You must acknowledge any part of your work that was written, created or developed by someone other than you. This includes any material from other sources like Always acknowledge your sources
books, journals, electronic resources and the internet. You don't need to formally acknowledge material that you learned from your teacher in class

Cheating of any kind is unacceptable. Any form of malpractice, including- material directly from books, journals, CDs or the internet - building on someone else's ideas - If you are 2.2 Understanding malpractice
plagiarism, is unacceptable, and treated very seriously. Detected malpractice will limit your marks & jeopardise your HSC.
Malpractice includes: copying part or all of someone else's work and presenting it as your own
- using without giving its source
suspected of malpractice, you will need to show that all unacknowledged work is entirely your own. You might need to: without giving their source
- buying, stealing or borrowing someone else's work and presenting it as your own
- submitting work that someone else, like a parent, tutor or subject expert, substantially contributed to

- paying someone to write or prepare material using someone else's words, ideas, designs or work without crediting them
- giving false reasons for not handing in work by the due date

You might need to prove your work

- prove and explain your work process with diaries, journals, notes, working plans, sketches or progressive drafts that show how your ideas developed
- answer questions about the assessment task, exam or submitted work being investigated to show your knowledge, understanding and skills.

Students can plagiarise Plagiarism
unintentionally. This can happen when they are unaware of what plagiarism is or don't know or understand that they are plagiarising. These students may have:

misunderstood about plagiarism

failed to include reference details when making notes

left out the reference in their assignment by mistake

incorrectly referenced the material

really believed that the work produced was original (NESA 2019)​

Note: When composing your bibliography:
First arrange your sources under headings grouped by types of information
- then alphabetically by author's surname.

Need a Free Tutor? provides free Studiosity online study and assignment help from qualified tutors. Subjects include Maths, English, Science and more.Sign in using your Campbelltown Library Card number
Campbelltown Library
​If you are not already a member it is well worthwhile to pop into your local branch and join up. It's free!
Visit:

​ Studiosity
Homework Centre
Don't forget our Homework Centre that runs here in the school library on Thursdays after school. Pop into the library to collect a parent permission form.

Video - HSC CAFS: Support for parents and carers

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Students will gain an understanding of how to correctly reference a range of information source types using an online referencing tool. Today we will ​Success Criteria: I will be able to successfully reference a range of information source types in my IRP.

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Want to see what quality HSC answers look like? See here

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View sample answers for Community and Family Studies in band 5/6

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More information on PEEL paragraphs - explores a checklist for quality responses

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More information on PEEL paragraphs - explores a checklist for quality responses

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PEEL paragraph. TEEL paragraph.

You've heard the acronyms, but what are they, really? Is there a difference? More importantly, how are you meant to write one and what are you meant do in one?

Don't worry, in this post we going to show you how we've helped students master paragraph writing over the last 18 years. What we going to do is explain in simple terms what a PEEL paragraph is, what it's meant to do, and how to write a spectacular one that will blow your teachers socks off!

What's a PEEL paragraph?

Essentially, a paragraph is an interconnected set of sentences that focus on and support a single idea. A PEEL paragraph is a way of structuring information in a series of connected sentences. PEEL stands for:

A useful way to think of paragraphs is to think of them as part of a hierarchy of information - something akin to a family. That is to say, the more information we to add, the larger and more complex the hierarchy becomes. We can simplify it by thinking of it as having the following three levels in a pyramid:

1. Sentence - The basic component of information. The sentence is a grammatical unit that contains a single piece of information. It can be handy to think of a sentence as a single thought.

2. Paragraph - A collection of sentences that conveys an idea. A paragraph combines the many individual pieces of information - or thoughts - that we need to assemble together to convey a complex idea.

3. Essay - A series of paragraphs that present information about a complex idea. Essays convey complex and detailed arguments to the people that read them. If we want to explain somebody what we think a book is about, then we need to discuss several different themes. This means that we'll need several different paragraphs to convey this information.

A PEEL paragraph presents information in a clearly structured and logical manner. The sentences work together as follows:

1. Point - The first sentence introduces the idea or thing you will discuss. This will be your topic sentence. If you need help with these, read our article How to Write a Topic Sentence.

2. Example - The second sentence should introduce and incorporate an example, or piece of evidence - that supports your point

3. Explanation - The third sentence explains why the piece of evidence supports your point

4. Link - This is a sentence that connects your paragraph with a wider argument, such as a complete essay. The linking sentence will often explain why you think the piece of evidence is important.

Do you have to write TEEL sentences instead of PEEL paragraphs? Yes? Then you're probably wondering if there's a difference.

Use the Matrix P.E.E.L Paragraph Planner to write stress free

Is a PEEL paragraph different to a TEEL paragraph?

Different schools teach paragraph structure in different ways. Some schools will use P.E.E.L and T.E.E.L interchangeably, where the "P" stands for point or the "T" for topic.

Other schools will teach T.E.E.L paragraphs that are a little bit more complex than P.E.E.L paragraphs. For example, when Matrix students are taught to write T.E.E.L paragraphs, the "T" stands for technique and students are taught to present their evidence to support the topic sentence. P.E.E.L paragraphs are a good stepping stone for students in younger years to learn how to develop an argument.

So, while the acronyms are different and one is a little more advanced than the other, the concepts are the same. The idea is to provide a hierarchy to your idea and the evidence that supports it.

When you write a TEEL or PEEL paragraph you are developing and supporting an idea in order to convince an audience of your argument.

Really, whether the acronym is PEEL or TEEL or something else is largely irrelevant. What is important is the systematic process of how you present your information:

1. Introducing an idea

2. Presenting supporting evidence

3. Explaining what the piece of evidence does and why it supports your point

4. And finally, connecting this specific idea to the rest of your essay.

Why write PEEL/TEEL paragraphs anyway?

When you are trying to communicate your thoughts about an idea, you must structure them in a manner that makes them accessible for others to understand. It is important to remember that when you write an essay, you are not writing for you, you are really writing for your audience.

Paragraphs allow you to give others insights into your thoughts. Because of this it is important that you step your reader through your thought processes.

TEEL paragraphs are a good way of presenting information in a way that your readers will understand: they allow you introduce an idea and then explain your thoughts on it in a clear and systematic way.

Now you know what a paragraph is meant to do and what the structure of a TEEL or PEEL paragraph is, let's give you a checklist to work through so you can write insightful paragraphs yourself.

The Ultimate PEEL/TEEL paragraph checklist

While the principle behind writing a paragraph is relatively simple, the process can be a little complex. To make your life easier and your work better, we've going to detail seven things you must do when writing paragraphs.

Let's go!

✔ 1. Have you planned your paragraph?

This one may seem obvious, but is often the one that gets most overlooked: Planning!

When you're in the heat of the moment and getting excited with your insights into a text, it is easy to skip over the planning step. After all, you know what you want to say, right?

Well, knowing what to say, and saying it in a manner that is accessible and understandable to your reader are two different things.

Planning will save you time in the long run, as it will mean that you don't need to go back and keep changing things.

So, how should you plan?

Brainstorming is a good place to start. Think about what you've been asked to discuss and write down all of your ideas on a blank sheet of paper. Try to mark out the connections between these ideas.

This will allow you to start thinking about which examples will best support your points.

You can now start developing your paragraph.

✔ 2. Have you written your topic sentence?

What you need to do, is to take your idea and write it down succinctly in a way that introduces it to your readers.

Because essays are meant to be objective and, to an extent, impartial you should try to avoid using pronouns I or me. It is already clear whose idea it is, because it is YOUR essay.

If you are unsure how to write a good topic sentence, you should read our post: How to Write A Topic Sentence.

As an example, let's consider the following question:

"What message is Shakespeare conveying to audiences through Macbeth's downfall?"

Let's say that we wanted to discuss how Shakespeare is presenting the popular argument that people who overthrow or murder a king or queen are destined to come to a sticky end (they usually die in Shakespeare's plays - often brutally). what would that look like as a topic sentence?

"Shakespeare's depiction of Macbeth's downfall illustrates that those who usurp the throne are destined to fail and be punished."

The above statement is succinct and addresses the question. It also paves the way for you to develop the idea in further detail by presenting an example and discussing why that example supports your point.

Let's see what this would look like.

✔ 3. Have you picked the best example?

A topic sentence without supporting evidence and a supporting argument is just hearsay. You are stating something without backing it up. This won't work if you want good marks, so you need to back it up.

To do this, you need to ask yourself, "what example best supports what I am trying to say?"

You'll probably come up with a couple of different examples that you need to choose between.

If this is the case, and you only need one, you need to pick which one is going to be most compelling or persuasive. So, how do you decide?

Well, you want to think about which example has the more powerful technique to convey information.

A good way to make this decision is to distinguish between higher order and lower order techniques. For example, if one example utilises alliteration and the other metaphor you'd choose the example that uses metaphor. Why?

On the one hand, alliteration is largely a superficial technique, it creates a stylistic effect but doesn't carry a lot of meaning. On the other hand, metaphor is a difficult technique to get right and it carries a lot of meaning to readers.

For example, in Macbeth in Act 5 Scene 5, the titular character realises that his violent and bloody actions may well be for nothing. He says:

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. (5.5.28-32)

In this example, there is alliteration in the first line where life is described as a "poor player" - that is an actor on stage. This alliteration is stylistic, but it doesn't carry as much meaning as the extended metaphor that it is part of - one that describes life as an empty and poorly written play with a hollow and unsatisfactory ending.

Instead, the extended metaphor conveys the most meaning comparing life, Macbeth's life, with that of a fleeting actor who's time is brief and ultimately forgettable. This idea is best conveyed in the metaphor at the end of the larger quotation: "it is a tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / signifying nothing."

Now you know how to pick the example, you need to put it into a full sentence.

✔ 4. Have you incorporated your example into a full sentence?

When you present an example in you PEEL paragraph, you want to present it in a way that carries the most information. You also want to do it in a way that presents it in an accessible and direct manner.

What do we mean, exactly? If you present your example in it's own sentence it is not going to have enough context. And if you don't introduce an example clearly, it can be hard to discern why you're presenting the example.

To get a better idea of this, let's look at what you shouldn't do. Here are some examples of presenting quotations in an inappropriate manner. We'll use this quotation from Macbeth act 5 scene 5: it is a tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / signifying nothing.

1. "[I]t is a tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / signifying nothing."

2. "This is seen in, "it is a tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / signifying nothing."

3. "Macbeth says, "it is a tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / signifying nothing."

The first one of these gives no context for the quotation. The reader doesn't know why you've picked it.

The second one of these is very vague and does't really explain what the quotation is about or why it is important to you or even who says it.

The third one gives a little bit of context about who is saying things, but it doesn't frame it in relation to an argument.

The best way to present an example is to include context and maybe even the technique.

So, what does that look like? Well if we want to provide the context - that Macbeth says it and that he says it in the final scenes of the play before his world comes crashing down - and frame the quotation for the reader - that it is a metaphor and it is characterising the Pyrrhic nature of his victory - then it should like this:

In Act 5 Scene 5, Macbeth begins to face the fact his actions may have been for nothing and uses the metaphor that his life, like the player's, is "a tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / signifying nothing."

As you can see, the above sentence is a sophisticated statement that frames and introduces the example while incorporating the quotation to ensure that the reader knows why you have chosen it.

Now you've introduced the example, you need to explain what's happening in it and why you think it is important.

✔ 5. Have you explained your example?

When you are explaining an example, you need to convey:

1. Why you think it is important

2. What meaning you see it conveying, and

3. How it is conveying this meaning.

As you can see this is a lot of information, so you may need to write two or more sentences to convey it all.

What you want to ensure is that you make your understanding of the three points above clear for your reader. This is the most important part of your argument as it explains your critical thinking process.

It is very important that you don't worry about stating the obvious.

What might be startlingly obvious for you may not be at all clear for your reader.

If we go back to our previous example from Macbeth, we need to explain why this example and our analysis of it supports our argument. Let's recap by looking at what we've come up with so far:

Shakespeare's depiction of Macbeth's downfall illustrates that those who usurp the throne are destined to fail and be punished. In Act 5 Scene 5, Macbeth begins to face the fact his actions may have been for nothing and uses the metaphor that his life, like the player's, is "a tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / signifying nothing."

What we need to do now is to explain why we find this example and technique compelling. Here is our reason:

This example coveys how Macbeth is beginning to realise that his actions have been foolish and rash and that he is likely to lose his life and crown. In dramatic, terms this realisation is called anagnorisis - a moment of critical introspective discovery.

Now we need to write this succinctly for the reader:

"Shakespeare uses this metaphor to convey that the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the world is easily squandered by an individual's moral transgressions. Macbeth's statement is a moment of anagnorisis, he is realising that his immoral acts of violence and barbarism will cost him his life, crown, and legacy."

Notice that this is two sentences and quite detailed. This is because we must provide as much information as we need for somebody else to understand our thinking.

Now to finish the paragraph.

✔ 6. Have you written your linking statement?

The final part of the PEEL sentence is the statement that links it to your broader argument or a closing statement that summarises the argument you've just made.

If the paragraph is part of a larger essay, the linking statement should summarise the content and idea you've just presented and frame it in the context of the wider argument you are making.

If the paragraph is a shorter response to a specific question you need to summarise your argument.

Let's assume that our paragraph is part of a broader argument. In this case, we will need to signal our next argument. Let's say that we're going to develop a discussion of the Great Chain of Being in our next paragraph.

For example, we might argue that in Shakespeare's time, audiences believed in the Great Chain of Being where it was God who chose Kings and Queens. By murdering a king - like Macbeth did Duncan -it would bring God's ire who would eventually right the order by bringing vengeance on the murder and putting a rightful king or queen in their place. Macbeth is aware that he is likely to be replaced, just as a playwright or director can replace an actor who performs poorly.

Our linking statement, then, would look something like this:

Clearly, Macbeth's downfall demonstrates to us that villains will be consumed by guilt but also that they will be punished for challenging the Divine Order of the world.

The above statement summarises the initial argument and signals what we will talk about next.

So, our finished paragraph looks like:

Shakespeare's depiction of Macbeth's downfall illustrates that those who usurp the throne are destined to fail and be punished. In Act 5 Scene 5, Macbeth begins to face the fact his actions may have been for nothing and uses the metaphor that his life, like the player's, is "a tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / signifying nothing. "Shakespeare uses this metaphor to convey that the opportunity to make a lasting impact on the world is easily squandered by an individual's moral transgressions. Macbeth's statement is a moment of anagnorisis, he is realising that his immoral acts of violence and barbarism will cost him his life, crown, and legacy. Clearly, Macbeth's downfall demonstrates to us that villains will be consumed by guilt but also that they will be punished for challenging the Divine Order of the world.

✔ 7. Have you proofed your Paragraph

You've finished writing the paragraph, so you're done, right? No!

What you must do is proof read and edit your paragraph. Good marks come to those who take the time to check their work for mistakes.

You want to read back through your work and look for:

Spelling errors

Grammar errors

Logical inconsitencies

Readability

When you find errors, make sure that you correct them. A good way to check your work for mistakes is to read it aloud.

Just to make sure it is all correct, read through it again before you submit your work.

Ready to ace English?

With Matrix+, we provide you with clear and structured online lesson videos, quality resources, and forums to ask your Matrix teachers questions and for feedback.
Learn more about our Matrix+ Online English course now.

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The Ultimate PEEL Paragraph Checklist | Free PEEL Paragraph Planner

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PEEL paragraph? TEEL paragraph? What's the difference? In this article, we'll clear up the confusion and give you the ultimate paragraph checklist so that your writing has the wow factor that get you all the ✔✔✔! You can also download our FREE step-by-step- P.E.E.L Paragraph Planner to plan and write your paragraphs!!

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Wellbeing for Aged & Informal support for Grandkids

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Wellbeing for Aged & Informal support for Grandkids

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In 2016, the proportion of Australians aged 65 and over was 15%. It is expected to rise to 25% by 2056.

The new 'young old'

In 2013-15, Australian life expectancy at birth was 80.4 years for males and 84.5 years for females (ABS, 2016).

Older Australians are living longer, and this means a new stage of life is emerging between the end of the conventional working age and the onset of old age. These older Australians are remaining productive for longer, working for longer, and continuing to contribute to Australian society. They often lead vibrant, active lives.

Strong social networks are associated with wellbeing in older Australians. Adults who engage in social activities with family and friends are more likely to be in good health. Older adults who engage in physical activities are also healthier.

Generally, females engage in social activities more regularly than males. Women also tend to increase their social activities as they get older, while many men's social engagement drops off at 75 years and older.

It is important to note that those older people who were more physically active and socially engaged when they were younger people, are also more likely to be active and socially engaged when they get older. We need to start when we are younger because our habits persist.

Older Australians are also strongly engaged in volunteer activities. Nearly one quarter of people aged 65-74 years spend time doing voluntary work (ABS, 2011).

Older Australians are also providing a vital source of child care in many families.

Apart from parental care, the most common types of care for children under 13 years who attend school are grandparents(18.6%), followed by before/after school care (14.8%).

The most common types of care for children who don't yet attend school are long day care (36.9%) and grandparents (25.8%). Forty per cent of children under three years of age are cared for on a weekly basis by a grandparent. This care often supplements other forms of child care.

Some grandparents reside in the same household with their children and grandchildren. On average, 5% of Australian children are living in a three-generational home with their parent/s and grandparent/s (Baxter & Warren, 2015). This is particularly common among Indigenous and Asian households. These grandparents often provide some child care.
Main type of care attended by children aged 0-12 years
Source: ABS (2017) Childhood Education and Care, Australia, June 2017

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). (2017). Life Tables, States, Territories and Australia, 2014-2016 (Catalogue no. 3302.0.55.001). Canberra: ABS.

Baxter, J., & Warren, D. (2015). Grandparents in their young grandchildren's lives. In Australian Institute of Family Studies (Ed.), The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children Annual Statistical Report 2015 (pp. 13-40). Melbourne: AIFS.

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In 2016, the proportion of Australians aged 65 and over was 15%. It is expected to rise to 25% by 2056. In 2013-15, Australian life expectancy at birth was 80.4 years for males and 84.5 years for females (ABS, 2016).

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Terms are defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics

Age-specific divorce rates

The number of divorces recorded in the calendar year, by age at decree made absolute, to the estimated resident population of the same age at 30 June.

Blended family

A couple family containing two or more children, of whom at least one is the natural child of both members of the couple, and at least one is the stepchild of either member of the couple. (see also Intact family, Step family)

Child

A person of any age who is a natural, step or foster son or daughter of a couple or lone parent, usually resident in the same household, and who does not have a child or partner of their own usually resident in the household.

Cohabitation (also called 'de facto relationship')

A couple living together in a consensual union when not legally married to each other (that is, when not in a registered marriage). The trends outlined here are restricted to heterosexual relationships.

Couple family

A family based on two persons who are in a registered or de facto marriage and who are usually resident in the same household. A couple family without children may have other relatives, such as ancestors, present. A couple family with children may have adult children and/or other relatives present. (see also One-parent family)

Crude divorce rate

The number of decrees absolute granted during the calendar year per 1000 estimated resident population at 30 June.

Crude marriage rate

The number of of marriages registered during the calendar year per 1000 estimated resident population at 30 June.

Dependent children

All family members under 15 years of age; family members aged 15-19 years attending school or aged 15-24 yeas attending a tertiary educational institution full-time (except those classified as husbands, wives or lone parents). (see also Non-dependent children)

Family

Two or more persons, one of whom is aged 15 years and over, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering; and who are usually resident in the same household. (see also Household)

(Total) Fertility rate

The sum of age-specific fertility rates (live births at each age of mother per female population of that age). It represents the number of children a female would bear during her lifetime if she experienced current age-specific fertility rates at each age of her reproductive life.

Formal care

Regulated care away from the child's home. The main types of formal care include before and/or after school care, long day care, family day care, occasional care and preschool.

Group household

A household consisting of two or more unrelated people where all persons are aged 15 years or over. There are no reported couple relationships, parent-child relationships or other blood relationships in these households.

Household

A group of two or more related or unrelated people who usually reside in the same dwelling and who make common provision for food or other essentials for living; or a person living in a dwelling who makes provision for his or her own food and other essentials for living without combining with any other person. Thus a household may consist of:

One person;

One family;

One family and unrelated individual(s);

Related families with or without unrelated individual(s);

Unrelated families with or without unrelated individual(s);

Unrelated individuals.

(see also Family)

Informal care

Non-regulated care, arranged by a child's parent/guardian, either in the child's home or elsewhere. It comprises care by brothers or sisters (including step siblings), care by grandparents, care by other relatives (including a parent living elsewhere), care by other people such as friends, neighbours, nannies or babysitters.

Intact family

A couple family containing at least one child who is the natural or foster child of both members of the couple, and no child who is the stepchild of either member of the couple. (see also Blended family, Step family)

Lone person

A person who makes provision for his or her food and other essentials for living, without combining with any other person to form part of a multi-person household. He or she may live in a dwelling on their own or share a dwelling with another individual or family.

Marriage:
Age-specific first marriage rates

For men (or women), the age-specific first marriages rates are obtained by dividing the number of first marriages of men (or women) of a given age by the number of never married men (or women) in the same age at June 30.

Median age at first marriage

The age at which half of the first-time grooms (or first time brides) is older and half of is younger.

Median value

The middle value in a distribution such as age and duration which separate a relevant population or sample into two equal groups, with one above the value and the other below the value.

Non-dependent children

In couple or one-parent families, sons or daughters who are aged over 15 years and who are not full-time students aged 15-24 years (except those classified as husbands, wives or lone parents). (see also Dependent children)

One-parent family

A family consisting of a lone parent with at least one dependent or non-dependent child (regardless of age) who is also usually resident in the household. The family may also include any number of other dependent children, non-dependent children and other related individuals. (see also Couple family)

Other family

A family of related individuals residing in the same household. These individuals do not form a couple or parent-child relationship with any other person in the household and are not attached to a couple or one-parent family in the household. For example, a household consisting of a brother and sister only.

Step family

A couple family containing one or more children, at least one of whom is the stepchild of either member of the couple and none of whom is the natural or foster child of both members of the couple. (see also Blended family, Intact family)

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Terms are defined by the Australian Bureau of StatisticsAge-specific divorce ratesThe number of divorces recorded in the calendar year, by age at decree made absolute, to the estimated resident population of the same age at 30 June.Blended familyA couple family containing two or more children, of whom at least one is the natural child of both members of the couple, and at

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This fact sheet highlights some of the key trends in same-sex couple families in Australia. While challenges still face same-sex families, it indicates there have been improvements in societal attitudes to same-sex relationships.

Key messages:

The number of same-sex couple parented families in Australia is growing.

Acceptance of the equality of same-sex couples is steadily increasing, and is strongest among women and young people.

Overall, research evidence indicates that children raised in same-sex parented families do as well emotionally, socially and educationally as other children

Children raised in same-sex parented families may be adversely affected by social stigma.

Introduction

How many same-sex couple families are there in Australia?

Australian families are characterised by increasing diversity - including a rise in the number of same-sex couple families.

The Australian Census started collecting information on same-sex couples in 1996. According to the 2011 Census, there were 33,700 same-sex couples in Australia, a rise of 32% since 2006 (ABS, 2012). Same-sex couples accounted for 0.7% of all couple households in 2011, compared with 0.6% in 2006 and 0.3% in 1996.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS; 2016) estimated that there were 48,000 same-sex couples in June 2015, accounting for 0.9% of all couple families. ABS noted that the apparent rise might partly reflect an increasing willingness for same-sex couples to disclose their relationship. It could also be the case that same-sex partners are now more prepared to form a couple household, rather than to maintain separate homes.

Of the same-sex families in 2011:

52% were male couples; and

48% were female couples.

Same-sex partners were most commonly aged 35-44 years (representing around 30% of all such partnerships) and tended to be younger than opposite-sex partners.

Of same-sex couples, 12% had children, including adult children, living with them. (In the broader population the figure is over 50%.) A significantly higher proportion of female couples than male couples had children living with them (22% and 3% respectively).

An Australian Institute of Family Studies report (Dempsey, 2013) stated that approximately 11% of gay men and 33% of lesbians in same-sex relationships have children. Higgins (2002) noted that children in same-sex parented families may have been raised from birth by a co-parenting gay or lesbian couple, raised by a single parent, or conceived in the context of previous heterosexual relationships.

Same-sex parented families and child wellbeing

Overall, the evidence does not support the view that same-sex parented families are harmful to children, with a review of Australian and international research (Dempsey, 2013) concluding that children in same-sex parented families do as well emotionally, socially and educationally as those in opposite-sex parented families. Further support for this came from an Australian study by Crouch, Waters, McNair, Power, and Davis (2014), which involved a convenience sample of 500 children of same-sex attracted parents, and found that they did just as well on a range of measures of child health and wellbeing, compared to children in broader population samples.

In some of the studies reviewed by Dempsey (2013), selected measures of wellbeing were more positive among children in same-sex parented families compared to other children. However, a key finding of the study by Crouch et al. (2014) was that parents with more perceived stigma related to their same-sex attraction (e.g., being the subject of gossip, social exclusion) provided a poorer assessment of their child's outcomes in physical activity and emotional development, and poorer family cohesion compared with other same-sex attracted parents. That is, the experience of stigma related to having same-sex parents, which might include experiences of bullying or social exclusion, can be a risk factor for the wellbeing of children.

Attitudes towards same-sex relationships

Community views about same-sex couples appear to have changed significantly over the past decade. The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey has collected data on the issues relating to equal rights of same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples in some survey waves. In 2005, 2008 and 2011, respondents age 15 years and over were asked to rate their level of agreement or disagreement with the statement " Homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples do " on a scale ranging from (1) strongly disagree to (7) strongly agree.

Figure 1 shows the proportion of the respondents who indicated some level of agreement (i.e., ratings of 5-7) with the statement across the three years.
Figure 1: Percentage of respondents who indicated their agreement with equal rights of same-sex and opposite-sex couples in 2005, 2008 and 2011

Note: Percentages based on weighted data. Agreements refer to the ratings of 5-7 on a scale from (1) strongly disagree to (7) strongly agree with the statement that homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples.

Source: HILDA (2005, 2008, 2011)

The support for equal rights between same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples has increased steadily from 38% in 2005, to 45% in 2008 to 51% in 2011.

The proportion of respondents who neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement remained stable across the three time points, at 15-16%.

Women were more likely to endorse equal rights for same-sex couples. In 2011, 58% of women agreed with the proposition, compared with 44% of men.

Views on equal rights are inversely associated with age. Figure 2 shows the support for equal rights for same-sex couples was lower with each increasing age bracket. Two-thirds of the youngest age group (15-24 years) in 2011 indicated their support for equal rights, compared with just over one-quarter of the oldest age group (75+ years).
Figure 2: Percentage of respondents who indicated their agreement with equal rights of same-sex and opposite-sex couples by age group, 2011

Note: See note to Figure 1.

Source: HILDA (2011)

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2012). Same-sex couple families: Reflecting a nation. Stories from the 2011 Census, 2012-2013 (Cat. No. 2071.0). Canberra: ABS. Retrieved from <tinyurl.com/bubfrq7>.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016). Labour force, Australia: Labour force status and other characteristics of families, June 2015 (Cat. No. 6224.0.55.001). Canberra: ABS. Retrieved from <www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/6224.0.55.001#>

Crouch, S.R., Waters, E., McNair, R., Power, J., & Davis, E. (2014). Parent-reported measures of child health and wellbeing in same-sex parent families: A cross-sectional survey. BMC Public Health, 14,635.

Dempsey, C. (2013). Same-sex parented families in Australia (CFCA Paper No. 13). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies. Retrieved from <aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/same-sex-parented-families-australia>

Higgins, D. J. (2002). Gay men from heterosexual marriages: Attitudes, behaviours, childhood experiences, and reasons for marriage. Journal of Homosexuality, 42(4),15-34.

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Lixia Qu, Ken Knight and Daryl Higgins

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This fact sheet highlights some of the key trends in same-sex couple families in Australia. While challenges still face same-sex families, it indicates there have been improvements in societal attitudes to same-sex relationships. The number of same-sex couple parented families in Australia is growing.

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This facts sheet explores major trends in Australian family life, including information about children's experience of family, the transition to adulthood, marriage, grandparenting, family support and migrant families. Collecting data from several studies, it is a fascinating picture of key stages in the lives of Australian families.

Key messages

In 2011, 71% of children under 15 years old lived with two biological or adoptive parents. While 82% of children are born into two-parent families, as they grow, progressively fewer live with both biological parents (only 53% by age 17 years).

Children in step-families experience complex living arrangements, sharing time between parents. Each year, one in five children aged 4-17 years were in shared time arrangements five years after parental separation .

In 2011, very few 15-24 year olds were married (1% of males and 4% of females), but a larger number were cohabiting (6% of males and 13% of females). By contrast, around 60% of 25-34 year olds were cohabiting. Around 1% of co-resident couples were same-sex couples.

Grandparents commonly care for grandchildren, with 65% of grandparents aged 40-69 years doing caring duties at least once a week.

In testing times, 84% of Australian born people said they would turn to family for help. In contrast, only 58% of newly arrived migrants, who have fewer family members nearby, said they could turn to family when in need.

In 2013-14, more than 20% of people said either themselves, a friend or family member had been affected by mental illness, alcohol or drugs, or abuse or violence in the past year.

Introduction

Each of us sees family from a different perspective as we grow and move through life.

This special Australian Institute of Families (AIFS) Facts Sheet explores the different phases of family, from the families we live with as children to the families we form as we grow older.

Of course family life, and life more generally, is more complex and challenging for some people in our community. In this Facts Sheet we also present statistics relating to particular stressors facing some Australians, including recent arrivals to Australia.

Children's experiences of family

It is perhaps stating the obvious that family is central to the lives of children.

Living at home

On the night of the 2011 Australian census, of children aged under 15 years old:

71% lived with two biological or adoptive parents;

19% lived with a single mother;

2% lived with a single father;

4% lived with a step-father and a biological/adoptive mother;

1% lived with a step-mother and a biological/adoptive father; and

2% had other circumstances, including being a foster child or living with another relative.

Most children are born into two-parent families, but - as Figure 1 shows - as they grow their circumstances often change. Progressively fewer live with both biological parents.
Figure 1: Children's family composition by child age
Source: Australia Census 2011 Unit record files

Growing up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children is contributing a wealth of information about children's lives in Australia today. The research from this study provides insights on children's circumstances and outcomes across family units, and explores how children's family life changes as they grow.

An important point for children living with a single parent or in a step-family, is that their family life is likely to be relatively complex - especially if they spend time living with or seeing their other parent. According to the Longitudinal Study of Separated Families (2008-2012), 20% of children aged 4-17 years were in shared time arrangements (i.e., spending 35-65% of nights annually with each parent) five years after parental separation, 7% were living mainly with their father, although the majority of children were mainly living with their mother.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2012-13 Family Characteristics & Transitions Survey found that of children with a natural parent living elsewhere:

31% had face-to-face contact with that parent at least once a week;

25% saw that parent at least fortnightly or monthly (but not weekly);

16% saw that parent at least once a year (but not monthly); and

28% saw that parent less than once a year or never.

These patterns of contact varied across ages of children (see Figure 2).
Figure 2: Children's face-to-face contact with a natural parent living elsewhere, 2012-13
Source: ABS 2012-13 Family Characteristics & Transitions Survey
Figure 3: Changing living arrangements through young adulthood
Source: Australian 2011 Census, Tablebuilder

Moving out

A significant event in young peoples' lives is their moving out of the family home. As Figure 3 shows, the percentage of young people living "at home" declines sharply after children reach 17 years of age, such that 47% of 21 year olds are no longer living with their parents or parent, while only 11% of 29 year olds still live in the family home.

However while children increasingly live away from their parents and siblings as they grow, this does not mean the end of these relationships.

The childhood family into adulthood

Despite the changes that many of us go through in our own relationships as our lives evolve, the relationships with our own parents and siblings can remain a dependable source of love and support, just as parents themselves continue to value their relationships with their children after they have left the parental home.

In 2008, the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) study collected information about contact with siblings and parents.

As shown in Figure 4:

Across all ages, those who have living parents very often have at least monthly contact with them, in person or by other means such as phone or email.

Regular face-to-face contact decreases over time, which probably reflects that parents and children do not live sufficiently close for regular visits.

In addition to parents, over 90% of people have a living sibling, as shown in Figure 5. Sibling bonds tend to be strong. Even at ages 75 years and over, 43% of people are still in at least monthly contact with a sibling, including 20% who see their sibling at least once a month.
Figure 4: Our parents in our lives as we grow
Source: HILDA Wave 8, 2008
Figure 5: Our siblings in our lives as we grow
Source: HILDA Wave 8, 2008

Love and marriage

For many, forming a cohabiting or marital relationship is the first pathway into making a family of one's own. Many possible transitions then follow, with relationships often formalised through marriage or registration of a civil union - some of which will later break down.

We can see these different family forms by looking at the relationship status of men and women, by age, in Figure 6.

HILDA data from 2011 shows that, while very few 15-24 year olds are married (1% of males and 4% of females), a significant number are cohabiting (6% of males and 13% of females). It shows that at 25-34 years of age, a small percentage are divorced or separated, and about 60% are living with a partner.

According to the 2011 Census, while most people reporting having a co-resident partner are in a heterosexual relationship, about 1% of couples are same-sex.

While cohabitation is widely accepted as a family form, marriage is still highly valued by many. In HILDA in 2011 people aged 15 years and over were asked to indicate how they felt about marriage. Here are some of their answers:

"Marriage is an outdated institution": 58% disagreed, 32% were in the middle and 9% agreed.

"Marriage is a lifetime relationship and should never be ended": 26% disagreed, 39% were in the middle and 35% agreed.

"It is alright for an unmarried couple to live together even if they have no intention of marrying": 14% disagreed, 24% were in the middle and 62% agreed.

Interestingly, as Figure 7 shows, attitudes vary with current relationship status.

Parenthood is a major driver of new family forms. As children grow and leave home, parents enter a new phase of family life. At each phase there are new and varied challenges.

For older men and women, a significant change is brought about by the death of a spouse or partner, with women more likely than men to be widowed, especially at ages 75 years and over. Some family transitions are ones that enhance our lives, while others take all the support our family can give us to get us through.

Grandparenting

Many parents confront issues related to their participation in employment, and face decisions about caring for children and providing care to others. Below, we focus on one aspect of care that is especially valued by parents: care provided by grandparents. This care not only helps parents manage their work responsibilities, but provides opportunities for development of relationships across generations.

We know that grandparents are often called upon to care for their grandchildren, sometimes instead of, and sometimes as a supplement to, other care arrangements.

According to HILDA in 2011:

65% of grandparents aged 40-69 years sometimes cared for grandchildren (with 28% at least once a week);

27% of grandparents aged 70 years and over sometimes cared for grandchildren (with 10% at least once a week).

Some gendered patterns in grandparent care are apparent, with 54% of grandmothers providing care to grandchildren (25% at least weekly), compared to 46% of grandfathers (18% at least weekly). Of course grandparent care may be provided by a couple. Of the grandfathers providing weekly grandparent care, 90% had a spouse; of grandmothers providing weekly grandparent care, 72% had a spouse.
Figure 6: Relationship/marital status of men and women across all ages
Source: HILDA, Wave 11
Figure 7: Attitudes vary with relationship status
Source HILDA, Wave 11

Who do we turn to for help?

At different times in our lives we all need the help of others, whether for practical, emotional or financial reasons.

In the ABS 2013-14 General Social Survey, most people (95%) aged 15 years and over said they had someone who does not live with them to turn to in the time of a crisis. When asked who they would turn to (they could nominate more than one of the following):

80% said they would turn to a family member;

66% said they would turn to a friend;

22% would turn to a work colleague;

18% would turn to a neighbour; and

21% would turn to a service or professional.

Figure 8 shows that with age, people are more likely to say they would turn to the help of a neighbour than a friend or work colleague. A minority at all ages say they have no-one to call upon in a time of crisis.
Figure 8: Who do we go to for help?
Source: ABS 2013-14 General Social Survey

Newly arrived migrants often have fewer people they can turn to.

Among Australian-born persons, 84% cited their family as a source of support; whereas for those born overseas - particularly more recent arrivals - the picture was different. Of those arriving since 2006, only 58% said they would turn to a family member; rising to 82% for those arriving before 1986.

Newly arrived migrants

Some migrants to Australia arrive here as a family. Some have children, some do not. Some arrive to join family already here and others arrive as single adults. The family circumstances of newly arrived migrants are therefore very diverse, and this of course continues to change after their settlement.

AIFS examined ABS data as to whether migrants who have arrived permanently in Australia since 2003 (referred to in this Facts Sheet as newly arrived migrants) are living with family members or with others. We looked at visa class, since the circumstances of migrants arriving on different types of visas are likely to be very different. We also looked at year of arrival, to see how time in Australia makes a difference to migrants' living arrangements.

As Figure 9 shows, in 2011:

A minority of recently arrived migrants were not living in a family household. This was most likely for the most recently arrived humanitarian migrants (12%).

Another minority were living in a family household, but not as a parent or child. Most commonly the relative was a brother or sister. Again, this was most likely for the most recently arrived humanitarian migrants (10%).

The majority of recently arrived migrants were living with a partner or were children in a family household.

The family circumstances of humanitarian migrants is also being explored within the Building a New Life in Australia study, which is following the settlement journey of a sample of humanitarian migrants who arrived in Australia or were holding a permanent visa in 2013. Wave 1 was conducted in 2014.
Figure 9: Relationship in the household at 2011 of newly arrived migrants, by year of arrival and visa class
Source: Australian Census and Migrants Integrated Dataset, 2011

Looking just at the main applicants on the visa application within this study:

52% arrived with other family members (48% did not).

49% had family in Australia prior to their arrival (51% did not).

11% had family migrate to Australia between their arrival and the time they were first interviewed for the study (89% had not).

27% had limited family connections in Australia, having no family in Australia before or since arrival, and having arrived without family.

Also, 54% had family still overseas waiting to migrate to Australia.

These data clearly show why newly arrived migrants often are unable to draw upon family when they are faced with challenging times.

Families facing challenges

Everyone deals with challenges from time to time - either directly or through being close to someone else who is facing a problem.

The ABS 2013-14 General Social Survey asked people whether certain stressors had been a problem for them or for family or close friends in the previous 12 months. When asked if they had been affected by their own, a friend's or one of their family member's problems:

13% reported they had been affected by mental illness;

7% reported they had been affected by alcohol or drug-related problems; and

3% reported they had been affected by an experience of abuse or violent crime.

AIFS' Australian Gambling Research Centre (AGRC) has been researching people affected by problem gambling:

4.3% of the population experience moderate (3.7%) to severe (0.6%) gambling problems according to self reports in a national gambling survey; and

around 7% of the population is affected by people with severe gambling problems.

While an individual family member's problems can place stress on a family, we should not lose sight of the fact - as reported above - that the help and support of one's family is the first thing that most of us seek when we face life's challenges. In challenging times, family is more important than ever.

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This facts sheet explores major trends in Australian family life, including information about children's experience of family, the transition to adulthood, marriage, grandparenting, family support and migrant families. Collecting data from several studies, it is a fascinating picture of key stages in the lives of Australian families.

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ROLES of parents - impact on kids wellbeing AusGOV

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ROLES of parents - impact on kids wellbeing AusGOV

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Using reports from parents and children in Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), this fact sheet looks at how families are supporting children's physical, learning and social emotional development.

Key messages

Around nine out of 10 children aged 4-9 were eating at least one serve of fresh fruit a day, but only 50% were eating two serves of vegetables.

Parents participation in children's active play decreased as children get older, and over half of parents with children aged 10-11 had some concerns about their child spending too much time doing sedentary things.

Parents most commonly read to children regularly when they were 2-3 years, and most often help with homework when children were in their early years at school (6-7 years).

Parents helped their children grow socially and emotionally by spending time with them, sharing positive relationships, and giving advice and support.

The majority of parents felt they spent enough time with their children and corresponding numbers of children thought their parents spent the right amount of time at work.

This Facts Sheet has been prepared for the 2012 National Families Week, with this year's theme being "Families make all the difference: Helping kids to grow and learn". It provides a range of information on ways in which families nurture and support children's physical, learning and social emotional development.

The focus of this Facts Sheet is on families with children aged up to around 11 years old. We present analyses and data from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to explore what children and their parents have to say about topics related to the growth and development of children in the family context. While families are also important in raising children older than 11 years, there are specific issues facing younger children that are important for setting them on a healthy and happy path in life.

Helping children to grow and learn occurs within families in very many ways, from providing a safe and nurturing home environment, through being involved in children's learning activities at school, home and elsewhere, and giving children the input and direction they need to grow up with the social and emotional capabilities to tackle everyday life. We will explore this here by looking at children's physical, learning and social-emotional development.

While devoting resources to raising children is no doubt a priority of parents with young children, they often have to find ways of fitting both paid work and parenting into their lives. The 2012 International Day of Families (on 15 May) focuses on the theme of "Ensuring work family balance". In recognition of this, we also provide some information on the interaction between work and family, considering both the positive and negative ways in which work can flow through to family life.

Growing Up in Australia

LSAC focuses on two age cohorts of children and their families, with each cohort comprising approximately 5,000 children. The first survey wave was conducted in 2004, when children in the younger cohort were infants (called the "B cohort") and those in the older cohort were 4-5 years old (called the "K cohort"). These two cohorts and their families are followed up every two years, with the most recent data available for analysis having been collected in 2010 (Wave 4), when the B cohort children were aged 6-7 years and the K cohort children were aged 10-11 years.

Helping kids grow up healthy

Helping children grow is fundamental to parenthood. Children need to be given nutrition, sleep and exercise to ensure their healthy growth from infancy onwards.

For infants, breastfeeding is recognised as providing a healthy start to life. In the LSAC sample, 92% of infants were breastfed from birth, 82% were still being breastfed at one month old and 70% were still breastfed at three months old.

As children grow, parents and carers introduce them to other foods. A healthy diet is one that includes fruit and vegetables. According to LSAC, in the 24 hours prior to interview:

Having a healthy diet encompasses more than this, and should take account of the amount and range of food and drink in children's diets.

Focusing on 10-11 year old children, most primary carers appeared unworried about their child's diet. When asked about this:

61% of parents were not concerned about their child eating too much or eating unhealthy foods, 29% said they were a little concerned, and 10% said they were concerned; and

86% of parents were not concerned about their child eating too little, 9% were a little concerned, and 5% were concerned.

Having appropriate levels of exercise is important to children's physical development. Parents may help to encourage their children to participate in active play by engaging in more active pastimes with their children. As seen in Figure 1, this happens more frequently when children are young (2-3 years old) compared to when they are of primary school age (10-11 years). No doubt this in part reflects differences in the nature of children's days as children grow older, with school time and outside-school sports substituting for parental time in these activities.
Figure 1: How often adults in the family played outdoor games with their children
Note: The question asked: "In the past week, on how many days have you or an adult in your family played a game outdoors or exercised with the child, like walking, swimming or cycling?"
Source: All cohorts/waves except B cohort Wave 1

With children often engaged in activities like watching television, using the computer and playing electronic games, parents may be concerned about the inactivity of children. For example, among the primary carers of children aged 10-11 years:

Sleep is also important. Children may have a range of difficulties with sleeping that can be challenging for parents to manage. The nature of these difficulties is likely to change as children grow, as seen in Figure 2, which shows the overall percentage of children who had sleep problems, and the most prevalent types of problems reported. For example:
Figure 2: Children having sleep problems and the types of problems they had
Source: All cohorts/waves

An emerging challenge as children grow, is helping them with the physical changes that accompany the transition to adolescence. The oldest of the LSAC children were aged 11 years at their most recent interview, and so many were just beginning these changes. For primary carers of children aged 10-11 years:

Helping kids learn

In this section, we focus on ways in which families provide opportunities for children to develop learning or cognitive skills. We include information about parents reading to children and helping them with homework. We also explore some aspects of parental engagement with schools.

First, we present parents' reports of whether they thought they were equipped to help with specific elements of children's learning activities. Parents of 6-7 and 10-11 year old children were asked how they felt about their ability to help their child in different aspects of school success, specifically about whether they agreed or disagreed that they knew how to help their child to do well in school and help them with difficult homework. Figure 3 shows that:
Figure 3: Whether mothers and fathers thought they could help children with school and difficult homework
Source: B and K cohorts, Wave 4

Parental input to child learning can begin at a very young age; for example, through parents talking and reading to children. Then, children's developmental needs for learning will vary considerably as they grow and become more independent in the way they acquire new knowledge and skills.

We can see in Figure 4 that:

58% of 2-3 year olds were read to on 6-7 days in the past week, with another 22% read to on 3-5 days in the past week; but

by age 8-9 years, parents are much less likely to be frequently reading to or with their child, with 11% doing so on 6-7 days in the past week and another 17% on 3-5 days.

Figure 4: How often adults in the family read to or with the child
Note: At Waves 1-3, the question asked: "In the past week, on how many days have you or an adult in your family read to the child from a book?". At Wave 4, the question referred to reading with the child from a book.
Source: All cohorts/waves except B cohort Wave 1

Parental involvement with children's homework also declines as children grow older ( Figure 5), which reflects the increasing ability (and need) for children to learn on their own. In particular, as homework for the youngest children often entails reading to parents, this decline will be evident as children read more on their own.
Figure 5: How often parents helped their children with homework
Note: Response categories for the 6-7 year olds were different from those used in the graph. For simplicity of presentation, "daily" has been included in the category "5-7 days"; "a few times a week" in "3-4 days", "once a week" in "1-2 days", "a few times a month" in "< 1 day", and "less often" in "never".
Source: K cohort Wave 3, B cohort and K cohort Wave 4.

Figure 5 shows that:

The main way in which primary-school-aged children's learning develops is through their attendance at school. Parental engagement in school can be an important indicator of how confident parents feel about supporting their child's learning. Figure 6 shows some indicators of school engagement by primary carers when children were aged 6-7 years (in the early to middle years of primary school):
Figure 6: How often primary carers of 6-7 year olds engaged with the school
Source: B cohort Wave 4

Of course, "learning" is more than just achieving at school. Parents also teach children about culture, religion and the world around them. This, for example, might be done by visiting museums, attending concerts, or participating in religious instruction or activities. Among children aged 10-11 years, for example, 44% had been taken by either parent to a concert, play, museum, art gallery or community or school event in the previous month. Also, 30% of children at this age had attended a religious service, church, temple, synagogue or mosque with either parent in the previous month.

Helping kids grow socially and emotionally

Another very important aspect of children's growth is that of how they develop socially and emotionally. The social-emotional wellbeing of children tends to be strongly associated with the characteristics of parents and families, and so the family is an important context for taking care of these developmental needs of children. In particular, parents have an important role in being there for their children, and providing support and guidance when children face difficulties that they cannot face alone. This becomes especially important as children grow and face challenges not only inside, but also outside the family, as happens more as children enter and continue through school.

Helping children to grow socially and emotionally is likely to rely upon parents spending time with children, and developing and sharing positive and happy relationships with them. To examine this, we have included a range of responses from both children and parents that provide some indication of the quality of the time spent and their relationships with each other.

From the child's perspective, one indication of there being quality family time is whether children say that they enjoy spending time with their mother and with their father. When children were asked about this (when aged 8-9 years, and two years later at 10-11 years), the vast majority of children were very positive in their responses ( Figure 7):

Girls tended to be a little more positive than boys overall, with a higher percentage saying it was definitely true that they liked spending time with their mother (80% at age 8-9 years and 77% at 10-11 years). For boys, 71% at age 8-9 years and 68% at age 10-11 years said it was definitely true that they liked spending time with their mother.

Similarly, of children aged 8-9 years, a slightly higher percentage of girls than boys said that it was definitely true that they liked spending time with their father. However, at age 10-11 years, this difference between boys and girls was not apparent.

Most other children said it was mostly true that they liked spending time with each parent. Only a very small minority of children reported that they did not enjoy spending time with their mother or their father.

Figure 7: Whether children enjoyed spending time with their mothers and fathers
Source: K cohort Waves 3 and 4

As reported later on in the work-family balance section of this Facts Sheet, parents' time with children often has to be fit around work time and so parents may feel they do not have enough time with their children.

When primary carers of 10-11 year olds were asked whether they had any concerns about how much time they spent with their child:

Spending time together is valuable as it provides opportunities for parents and children to develop relationships with each other and, in particular, for parents to help children with any issues or difficulties they may be confronting. Children may also see their parents as being an important source of advice and support. Mothers were most often consulted when 10-11 year old children had problems ( Figure 8). For boys, fathers were the next most common source of help when they had problems, followed by friends. Girls were somewhat more likely to go to friends next, followed by their fathers.
Figure 8: Who 10-11 year old girls and boys consulted if they had problems
Source: K cohort Wave 4

More detailed information about how 10-11 year old children perceived their relationship with their parents is shown in Figure 9.
Figure 9: How 10-11 year olds perceived their relationship with their parents
Source: K cohort Wave 4

The data in Figure 9 show that the majority of children reported positively on all aspects of these relationships:

The highest levels of agreement were in matters of trust and acceptance, with more than 80% of children saying it was almost always or always true that their parents accepted them as they were and that they trusted their parents.

The lowest levels of agreement were in relation to sharing thoughts and feelings with their parents (43% said it was almost always or always true that they did this), and talking to parents or having parents ask them about problems (56% said it was almost always or always true that this occurred).

Work and family

While raising children is likely to be a central concern of parents, their parenting time often competes with time spent in paid employment. Finding a way of meeting the demands of paid work as well as taking care of children is difficult for many parents.

As such, there can be negative aspects of work, perhaps because of the time constraints on family that come about because of work hours, or because of a "spillover" of work-related worry or stress into family time. For example, among employed parents of children aged 10-11 years:

23% of mothers said (agreed or strongly agreed) that work makes family time less enjoyable and more pressured, 23% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 54% disagreed or strongly disagreed; and

20% of fathers said that work made family time less enjoyable and more pressured, 26% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 54% disagreed or strongly disagreed.

Figure 10 shows that for mothers and fathers, there was some variation across ages of children in reports of work making family time less enjoyable and more pressured. Both mothers and fathers, if employed, were more likely to report that work made family time less enjoyable and more pressured when children are younger. The differences, however, were not very great, such that even among employed mothers and fathers of children aged 0-1 years, around six in ten parents said that work did not make family time less enjoyable and more pressured.
Figure 10: Employed mothers and fathers reporting on whether work made family time less enjoyable and more pressured
Source: All cohorts/waves

Children can be aware of or affected by the spillover of parents' work into family time. This may result in some children feeling that parents spend too much time working. For example, for 10-11 year olds with a mother or father in paid work:

35% said their father worked too much, 63% said he worked about the right amount and 2% said he worked too little; and

27% said their mother worked too much, 71% said their mother worked about the right amount and 2% said she worked too little.

If we compare these responses to the parents' responses on whether work made family time less fun, some connection was apparent. For example:

When mothers said work made family time less fun, 34% of children also said their mother worked too much. This compares to 22% for children whose mothers said that work did not make family time less fun. (For mothers who were in between these extremes, 29% of children said their mother worked too much.)

When fathers said work made family time less fun, 43% of children also said their father worked too much. This compares to 29% for children whose fathers said that work did not make family time less fun. (For fathers who were in between these extremes, 36% of children said their father worked too much.)

It is important to recognise, though, that parents do not always see paid work in a negative light. In addition to the financial rewards, paid employment can have a range of benefits for parents, including experiencing social interaction and feelings of satisfaction for doing interesting and/or meaningful work. It also provides an opportunity for good role modelling. These positive aspects of employment can flow through to children. For example, among employed parents of children aged 10-11 years:

67% of mothers said (agreed or strongly agreed) that work had a positive effect on their children, 24% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 8% disagreed or strongly disagreed;

67% of fathers said that work had a positive effect on their children, 25% neither agreed nor disagreed, and 7% disagreed or strongly disagreed.

In Figure 11, we can see that as children grow older, parents are increasingly likely to say that work has a positive effect on their children.
Figure 11: Employed mothers and fathers reporting on whether their work had a positive effect on their children
Source: All cohorts/waves

"Work", of course, also occurs in the home. Children can participate in this housework, and this is likely to help their development in learning to take responsibility for particular tasks. Of the 10-11 year olds in LSAC:

Final comments

In this Facts Sheet, we have focused on families and their place in helping children grow and learn. We have provided some information on the various ways in which parents and families contribute to children's development, for children of different ages, up until the ages of 10 or 11 years old. Clearly, families matter also to older children, and as LSAC progresses and the children in the study grow older, we will be able to investigate these issues through the adolescent years.

Although we have focused here on families, it is important to recognise that family members do not undertake these roles in isolation. Various resources are also available to parents who may be seeking guidance on particular aspects of raising children. There are also supports available in schools, communities and neighbourhoods and within extended families that can and do make valuable contributions to the positive development of Australian children.

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Jennifer Baxter, Daryl Higgins and Alan Hayes

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Using reports from parents and children in Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), this fact sheet looks at how families are supporting children's physical, learning and social emotional development. Around nine out of 10 children aged 4-9 were eating at least one serve of fresh fruit a day, but only 50% were eating two serves of vegetables.

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Find a range of mobile apps from Government of interest to families.

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Find the location of more than 16,000 public and private public toilet facilities across Australia. Useful information is provided about each toilet, such as location, opening hours, accessibility, etc.

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Find a range of mobile apps from Government of interest to families. How much will it cost to power? - Find out fast before you buy your new appliance. Department of the Environment and Energy You can check to see if your finances are under control, what areas need attention and simple steps to improve any gaps with this Moneysmart app.

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People - demographics & education

For the 2016 Census in Canterbury - Bankstown, there were 2,544 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 45.9% were male and 54.1% were female.

View the data quality statements for: Place of Usual Residence (PURP) Indigenous status (INGP)

In Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas), the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 25 years. Of the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people 31.0% were children aged 0 to 14 years and 7.0% were people aged 65 years and over.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)

In Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas), 20.8% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were married and 13.6% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)

In Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas), 20.5% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were in a registered marriage and 12.0% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)

Of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas), 38.6% were attending an educational institution. Of these, 36.1% were attending a primary school, 24.5% were attending a secondary school and 21.3% were attending a tertiary or technical institution.

View the data quality statement for Educational Institution Attendee Status (TYSTAP)

Of people aged 15 and over in Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas), 17.2% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 15.8% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 7.0% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

2011 benchmarks are not available for this data item.

View the data quality statement for Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)

People - cultural & language diversity

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)

Respondents had the option of reporting up to two ancestries on their Census form, and this is captured by the Ancestry Multi Response (ANCP) variable used in this table. Therefore, the total responses count will not equal the persons count for this area. Calculated percentages represent a proportion of all responses from people in Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas) (including those who did not state an ancestry).

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

People - employment

There were people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas). Of these 52.8% were employed full time, 28.9% were employed part-time and 12.3% were unemployed.

The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's unemployment rate. More information about Census and labour force status is provided in Understanding the Census and Census Data.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status (LFSP)

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)

The median weekly personal income for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas) was $506 and the median weekly household income was $1,363.

View the data quality statements for: Total personal income (INCP)Total household income (HIND)

In Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas), of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 61.9% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 25.8% provided care for children and 16.1% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 14.0% of people did voluntary work through an organisation or a group.

View the data quality statements for: Unpaid domestic work (DOMP)Unpaid child care (CHCAREP)Unpaid assistance (UNCAREP)Voluntary work (VOLWP)

Dwellings - dwelling characteristics
Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households
There has been change in methodology used to calculate the average number of persons per bedroom. To compare the time series for average number of persons per bedroom please refer to Understanding the Census and Census Data

In Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas), for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 3 persons, with 1 persons per bedroom and 1.6 registered motor vehicles per dwelling.

View the data quality statements for: Number of Bedrooms in Private Dwelling (BEDD)Household composition (HHCD)Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

In Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas), for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $370 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $2,123.

View the data quality statements for: Rent weekly payments (RNTD)Mortgage monthly repayments (MRED)Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

In Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas), of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander households, 15.1% were a couple family with no children, 29.3% were a couple family with children and 29.0% were a one parent family.

In multiple family households, only the family composition of the primary family is recorded. Other household includes lone person households and group households.

View the data quality statement for Family Household Composition, dwelling level (HCFMD)

Dwellings - dwelling structure

In Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas) there were 1,252 private dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Where a dwelling type was stated, 62.0% were separate houses, 16.8% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 21.0% were flats or apartments and 0.2% were other dwellings.

View the data quality statement for Dwelling structure (STRD)

In Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas), of dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, 15.6% were owned outright, 20.1% were owned with a mortgage and 59.9% were rented.

View the data quality statement for Tenure type (TEND)

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People - demographics & education For the 2016 Census in Canterbury - Bankstown, there were 2,544 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. Of these, 45.9% were male and 54.1% were female. View the data quality statements for: Place of Usual Residence (PURP) Indigenous status (INGP) In Canterbury - Bankstown (Indigenous Areas), the median age of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people was 25 years.

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Foods that help our brain study | Exam stress | ReachOut Australia

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The food you put into your body can have a huge impact on how your brain works. This is important to remember around exam time, when you're probably paying more attention to books than brekkie. Learn how the food you eat affects your body so you can choose foods that improve your memory, fuel your brain and help you smash your study schedule.

What's food got to do with it?

Your brain is the most complex part of your body. Like a computer, it runs millions of processes every day. It never stops working, so it needs constant topping up with the fuel it operates on-glucose, which is a type of sugar. Your body obtains glucose from your food, and it's delivered to the brain through the bloodstream. The problem is, your brain can't store glucose, so you need to top up your levels every day.

If your brain isn't properly fuelled, you're likely to feel sad and irritable. You might also have trouble sleeping, poor memory, and difficulty problem-solving. That's not how you want to feel when you turn up for an exam.

Which foods are the best fuel?

Healthy brain food for studying includes:

Protein - meat, fish, eggs, poultry, legumes, nuts and seeds, dried beans and lentils, dairy products and soy products. Protein helps your brain send messages to the rest of your body, and helps create brain chemicals that improve your mood.

Antioxidants - fruits and veggies, including berries, and pomegranate juice. Antioxidants can help delay or even prevent certain effects of aging on the brain.

Omega-3 - oily fish, flax seeds and flax oil, and eggs, chicken and beef. Omega-3s have been found to help your brain work harder and improve your mental health.

Dietary cholesterol - dairy and egg yolks. Your brain relies on cholesterol to create the cells that send messages to the rest of the body.

Monounsaturated fats - avocados, nuts, olive oil, canola oil and peanut oil. Food that contains monounsaturated fats can improve your memory and help your brain work harder, better, faster, stronger.

Caffeine (moderate amounts) - tea, coffee and dark chocolate. In small doses, caffeine can help you feel refreshed and more focused.

Water. Your brain is 73% water, and water is vital to keeping your body (and brain) in tip-top shape.

Try these simple swaps

The best way to feed your brain is to eat a wide range of foods from all food groups. However, when you're hitting the books, it can be a little tricky to put it into practice. So, we've come up with some easy meal-swaps to give you the best diet for studying that will get your brain humming in no time.

Eating well-rounded meals most of the time will help you study better, and lead to better results, both in the short-term and the long-term. While many of the brain foods we've talked about have immediate results (like caffeine), the best results are the ones that show up over time, such as the slowing down of age-related cognitive decline, and the decreased likelihood of degenerative conditions like Alzheimer's.

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Did you know that the food you eat can have an impact on your exam results?

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Effects of stress on the body | Stress | ReachOut Australia

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It's normal to feel stressed sometimes, but if you always feel under-the-pump it can have a really negative impact on your mind and body. This is because stress is supposed to be a short-term response to danger and not a constant state of being. If you know the signs that you're experiencing stress, you'll be better placed to keep it under control.

Is stress always bad?

Feeling stressed can be normal, healthy and helpful - depending on the situation. Stress is the fight-or-flight response that gets you through job interviews, impromptu speeches and those awkward encounters with your ex. In these situations, stress helps you to overcome a short-term challenge that you know you can handle. It's only a problem when it's constant or the situation is out of your control. At times like these, it's important to know how to cope with stress.

What are the signs of stress?

When your body senses danger, it releases stress hormones that cause short-term physical changes. These changes help you to stay focused and alert until things are under control. However, if stress is constant and these changes persist, they can lead to serious problems in the long term.
Read the transcript.
Nervous system

When your stress response doesn't stop firing, it can cause you to feel worried, nervous or unable to switch off. This can lead to tension headaches and migraines. Chronic stress can wear you down and lead to more serious mental health problems, such as anxiety or depression.

Respiratory system

When you're stressed, your breathing quickens to send more oxygen around the body. If you have an existing respiratory condition such as asthma, this can make it harder to breathe. It can also lead to hyperventilation and panic attacks.

Cardiovascular system

Stress causes your heart to beat harder and faster so that it can pump more blood to your major organs and muscles. This will give you more strength to take action, but it can also raise your blood pressure. If that happens regularly, it puts a strain on your heart, which can lead to serious heart problems.

Digestive system

Your liver produces extra glucose when you're under stress, to give you a boost of energy. If this happens regularly, your body will have trouble breaking down the extra glucose, leading to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Due to the rush of stress hormones, you could also get an upset stomach or have acid reflux from the increased stomach acid produced.

Reproductive system and sexuality

Stress is exhausting for your mind and body, so it's common to have a reduced desire to have sex. If you're under constant stress, this can also lead to fertility problems.

Muscular system

Since more blood is being pumped to your muscles, they tense up to prepare for the fight-or-flight response and to protect your body from injury. Usually your muscles release again, but if you're always under stress, they might not get the chance to relax. Tight muscles can lead to back, neck and shoulder pain, headaches and body aches.

Immune system

Your body's stress response stimulates the immune system, which can help in healing wounds and injuries. Over time, though, the stress response can weaken your immune system, which makes you more vulnerable to catching infections and getting sick. It also takes you longer to recover from illnesses.

Integumentary system (skin and hair)

When your body produces more stress hormones, it causes an increase in oil production. Your skin becomes more sensitive and oily, which over time can cause acne.

Hair loss can also be linked to high stress levels.

What can you do about it?

Learning about the effects of stress on the body and how to manage stress will help you to feel happier and healthier in the long run. Coping with stress is about trying to solve the problems that are within your control and learning to accept the things you can't change. We've come up with four questions to ask yourself the next time you're feeling stressed, to help you decide on your next move.

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It's normal to feel stressed sometimes, but if you always feel under-the-pump it can have a really negative impact on your mind and body. This is because stress is supposed to be a short-term response to danger and not a constant state of being.

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Tools and Apps | ReachOut Australia - GOAL SETTING

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Here you'll find professionally-reviewed mobile apps and tools to help you look after your health and wellbeing.

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COVID-19 updates | Coles - Factors affecting access to resources 

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COVID-19 Below are the most recent updates from Coles on the impact of COVID-19. 28TH JAN 2021 The NSW Government announced that as of 12:01am on Friday 29 January, face masks will no longer be compulsory in supermarkets in Greater Sydney.

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Same 🤬 couples, gender stereotypes and housework 

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Same 🤬 couples, gender stereotypes and housework 

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Omg it changed to an emoji because it said same “s e x “ couples haha

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Housework is often understood as a gendered negotiation based on the traditional roles of homemaker (feminine) and breadwinner (masculine). While gender norms have shifted dramatically in the past few decades, theories of housework are still stuck on this 1950s model.

Shifting family structures, including the rising number of same-sex marriages in recent years, mean our understanding of housework needs updating. In our recent study, we highlight that current theories of housework do not adequately address dynamics in same-sex couples.

Read more: How last night's fight affects the way couples divide housework

We present our own approach, arguing that all couples adopt different roles at different life points, and some reject traditional gender identities altogether.

Simply, there is no single way to explain the role of gender in housework. Our theories and data analysis need updating to account for the more diverse ways people behave as men and women in both same-sex and heterosexual relationships.

Housework in theory

Existing theories of housework argue that domestic labour is one way to perform gender for oneself and one's partner within heterosexual couples. The basic assumption is that individuals are socialised from birth into gender roles that dictate appropriate feminine and masculine behaviours.

Traditional gender roles teach young girls that women are responsible for the physical and mental work of ensuring household chores are completed. By contrast, breadwinner roles teach young boys that masculinity is tied to providing for the family economically.

Traditional housework divisions relegate men to a narrow set of housework tasks - maintenance of the home, yard work and home repair.

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Feminist literature has challenged these ideas, arguing that domestic and economic work should not be distributed based on gender.

Young people today are more likely than older generations to reject traditionally gendered expectations in favour of more equal divisions of paid and domestic work. Yet we know that gender remains a major factor in unpaid divisions of household labour.

Housework and same-sex couples

Research shows that same-sex couples have more equitable divisions of housework than heterosexual couples, but the partner who engages in more childcare also does more "feminine" housework tasks. However, the question of how to explain these divisions remains.

Existing theories assume same-sex couples either behave just as heterosexual couples, with one specialising in the home and one in the workforce, or do not divide housework by gender at all.

One argument is that same-sex couples are able to negotiate housework in the "absence" of gender. As the argument goes, one partner does the washing, dishes and vacuuming not because they are male or female but because they prefer these chores, have less money or spend less time at work.

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However, we argue that same-sex couples' housework divisions and relationship dynamics may function in more complicated ways, rather than simply doing or undoing heterosexual gender dynamics.

Women, regardless of sexual orientation, may view a clean and well-dressed table as one way to be a "good" woman. But, for others, housework may tap into more nuanced gender relations. For example, resisting the urge to constantly tidy up after children and partners may, for some women, be a form of feminist rebellion, a challenge to patriarchal norms.

Same-sex couples may have more scope to engage in a greater diversity of housework tasks, without the boundaries of heterosexual norms of "feminine" and "masculine" chores. But their performance of these chores is often interpreted through traditional gender norms (for example, gay men clean, cook and decorate as a sign of femininity) that have homophobic connotations.

Applying heterosexual norms to same-sex couples housework negotiations is fraught with false gendered assumptions and homophobia.

Cultural narratives of gender

To fully explain the way same-sex couples might negotiate housework, we need to leave our old theories of gender behind.

Take two examples. The idea that men using power tools to feel a rush of masculinity is evident in our cultural narratives. Similarly, the notion that women bake cupcakes to shower their families with feminine love is also ingrained in our traditional gender norms.

If we switch the genders here - have women use power tools to be feminine and men bake cupcakes to be masculine - we can see that the logic of these theories falls flat. Of course, men bake and women use tools, but how these tap into gender identities is lacking from existing research.

Men may bake to show care for their partners and this action may tap into other dimensions of masculinity (such as caring and nurturing). Gay men may engage in baking and lesbian women in using power tools as a way to tap into different dimensions of their masculinity and femininity (such as care or empowerment), not to demonstrate their rejection of either gender identity.

Or, housework may have less to do with gender among modern heterosexual and same-sex couples and more to do with preferences, leisure and relaxation.

Important questions

As ideas of gender as a simple binary (masculinity and femininity) are increasingly challenged, the question of how gender affects couples' housework divisions is important. Existing studies on gender and housework ask standard questions about gender (male/female/other) but fail to ask detailed questions about gender identities and gender expressions on a continuum.

Read more: Roses are red, violets are blue, I'll stay forever if you scrub out the loo

Within same-sex couples, housework is less likely to be a source of patriarchal domination, but that doesn't mean gender is absent from negotiations. Today's adults were raised in the context of our society's gender norms, and being in a non-heterosexual relationship requires a re-evaluation of these norms.

This can create flexibility in how gender is expressed to the outside world, to people's partners, and to themselves. And identifying to what extent gender remains coupled to inequality is important, especially given that housework inequality jeopardises relationship quality regardless of sexuality.

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Beyond breadwinners and homemakers, we need to examine how same-sex couples divide housework

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Housework is often understood as a gendered negotiation based on the traditional roles of homemaker (feminine) and breadwinner (masculine). While gender norms have shifted dramatically in the past few decades, theories of housework are still stuck on this 1950s model. Shifting family structures, including the rising number of same-sex marriages in recent years, mean our understanding of housework needs updating.

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Autocratic leadership is vital in many workplace environments. This style is necessary within organizations and companies that demand error-free outcomes. While autocratic leadership is one of the least popular management styles, it's also among the most common.

The autocratic leadership process generally entails one person making all strategic decisions for subordinates. Although it has fallen out of favor in recent decades, the autocratic leadership style is still prevalent.

The reason is simple: It works.

Read on to learn more:

The short answer: "My way or the highway."

There are many contemporary examples of leaders who prefer the "my way or the highway" technique. The autocratic style was made famous by certain military and political leaders, sports coaches and Industrial Age icons. These autocratic, or authoritarian, leaders come to mind:

U.S. Gen. George C. Patton

Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi

Standard Oil founder John D. Rockefeller

U.S. President Richard M. Nixon

In the 1970s, the autocratic style became less popular compared to other contemporary leadership theories. This was partly due to The New York Times' publishing of the Pentagon Papers and The Washington Post's Watergate exposé, which led to Nixon's resignation.

Autocratic leadership has received a ton of criticism due to numerous factors. Here are three:

Historically, autocratic leadership has been associated with tyrants and dictators who used authoritarian means to cajole and threaten underlings into performing tasks.

Autocratic leadership has become the fallback position for managers of people who lack skills, training and experience. Motivational leadership styles are more suitable for environments with experienced staff.

Some people are uncomfortable working for autocratic leaders because they feel it epitomizes authoritarianism, even if it's the most suitable management style for training inexperienced staff or implementing consistent quality control processes.

Autocratic derives from the words auto (Greek for self) and cratic, which implies rule.

Autocratic leaders often view themselves like automobile engines that drive people under their tutelage or command, whether it's a mayor of a large city, a company CEO or an agency director.

It may seem incongruous to think of autocratic leaders as self-driven. But if their role in business, government or other organizations is to drive others to perform at their best and accomplish tasks without making mistakes, then the description is appropriate.

Why are autocratic leaders considered authoritarian?

The term authoritarian, often used in conjunction with autocratic, seems more appropriate to describe leaders who make decisions with little or no input from others. But if you compare autocratic leaders to democratic and laissez-faire leaders, the definition makes sense.

Autocratic leaders don't often illicit opinions or expertise from the people who report to them, as do democratic and laissez-faire leaders. Instead, autocratic leadership implies one person makes all the decisions for a group, team or assembly.

In this context, autocratic leaders have ominous responsibilities. Not only are they expected to make all the decisions, they're expected to make all the right decisions.

History of autocratic leadership

History paints a colorful picture of autocratic leaders. Although some - like Attila the Hun, Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin - were maniacal tyrants, many autocratic leaders were innovators who revolutionized industries and advanced societies.

The combination of progressive ideas, self-determination and autocratic leadership led to some of history's most significant events. These include:

The rise of the Roman Empire under Julius Caesar

The settling of the U.S. Colonies thanks to John Smith

The popularity of the automobile due to Henry Ford

Ford, who helped perfect assembly-line manufacturing and economies of scale, is one of the clearest examples of an autocratic leader who changed society. Although Ford remains a controversial figure as an authoritarian industrial magnet, he created hundreds of thousands of jobs and raised wages for assembly-line workers.

At the opposite extreme, Huey Long and Richard Daley - political bosses of Louisiana and Chicago, respectively - gained immense popularity in their states even as they violated all kinds of laws, including, reportedly, murder.

Was Lincoln an autocratic leader?

President Abraham Lincoln is sometimes categorized as an autocratic leader because of the many autonomous decisions he made throughout the Civil War.

Although Lincoln did not exhibit many of the authoritarian characteristics of autocratic leaders, American history demanded a bold president who was willing to make difficult and unpopular decisions from 1861 to 1865. Lincoln rose to the occasion and became the autocratic leader the United States needed at the time.

Other historic examples of autocratic leaders:

Genghis Khan

King Henry VIII

Queen Elizabeth I

Napoleon Bonaparte

Father Junipero Serra

Queen Isabella I

Discipline, preparation and victory are three pillars of autocratic leadership. These objectives are present on all successful football teams - from the Alabama Crimson Tide to the New England Patriots.

Outstanding gridiron coaches such as Bill Belichick, Bear Bryant, Bill Parcells and Woody Hayes belong on the list of autocratic leaders. None of these coaching legends managed their football programs with democracy in mind, yet all succeeded fabulously in their careers.

In addition to sports, autocratic leadership works well in environments that require near-perfect accuracy, such as manufacturing. The autocratic, or authoritarian style, is necessary with staff that need training quickly and efficiently. Fast-food enterprises frequently fall under this category.

Autocratic leadership is also common in professions where life-and-death decisions occur. Think ambulatory care and hospitals, police, military personnel and fire departments.

Autocratic leadership in the music industry

The music business is often overlooked when it comes to autocratic leaders. Whether it's the maestro of the Boston Pops orchestra or the lead guitarist for a chart-topping band, every successful music ensemble requires a leader to maintain consistency and longevity.

Two unlikely contemporary examples of popular bands with autocratic leaders are Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the Eagles.

Petty, a Florida native and the leader of his self-titled band, is an infamous perfectionist. As a leader, he is autocratic and demanding. Petty is credited with single-handedly leveraging record labels to share a larger take of the profits, from which today's music artists still benefit. Petty is also unabashed about his decision to dismiss the founding drummer from his band for what amounted to a perceived lack of commitment.

Glenn Frey, a Michigan native turned permanent Arizona resident, co-founded the Eagles. Frey has a reputation as an autocratic leader who espoused the "my way or the highway" style throughout the Eagles' successful, if rocky, road to stardom. Frey makes no apologies for his belief that he and co-founder Don Henley were the engines that drove the Eagles to fame and fortune.

Examples of autocratic leadership in business

Contrary to popular opinion, most enterprises are well-suited for the autocratic leadership style at some level. Although start-ups are often best launched under a transformative, democratic or laissez-faire style of leadership, most businesses later benefit from autocratic leadership.

This doesn't mean mature businesses must switch to a top-down autocratic leadership style. It means that autocratic leaders are often recruited to improve efficiencies within specific departments.

The founders of many of today's successful companies learned from industry innovators - including Wal-Mart's Sam Walton, McDonald's Ray Kroc, and Oracle's Larry Ellison - that autocratic leadership is necessary to streamline processes, grow their customer base, and pave the way for long-term survival.

Other industries well-suited for autocratic leadership:

Restaurants: People go to restaurants with big expectations. Whether it's a fast-food chain or an upscale establishment, customers expect consistent service, well-mannered hosts and efficient servers. Whether they order the combo burger and fries or a seven-course gourmet meal, customers expect their food to be good. Dining establishments need an autocratic leadership style to meet these expectations. Even the most cheerful and lively restaurant runs on slim margins that can tolerate minimal mistakes.

Manufacturing: The LCD TV business took decades to perfect through a combination of trial-and-error R&D and autocratic leadership. To meet consumer demand for affordable thin-screen TVs, LCD manufacturers endured significant rejection rates of liquid crystal display panels. Thanks to the implementation of tight quality control tolerances, achieved through autocratic leadership, today's consumers can buy large-screen TVs for $499 that cost upwards of $5,000 in the 1990s.

Aerospace: Autocratic leadership that emphasizes error-free processes leads to safety and affordability in aerospace manufacturing. Considering the millions of commercial, cargo and NASA flights that launch and land safely every year, the aerospace industry deserves credit for consistent passenger safety. Their successes would not be possible without autocratic leaders and innovators.

Famous autocratic leaders

Most successful business and political icons exhibit a variety of leadership styles. This makes it difficult to label them as strictly democratic, laissez-faire, transformative or even autocratic leaders.

Nevertheless, plenty of leaders stand out as having autocratic leadership characteristics. These executives, publishers, producers, directors and coaches display authoritarian traits that contribute to their success:

Lorne Michaels: One of the 20th century's most influential figures, Michaels changed television comedy and altered American culture in subtle and extraordinary ways. As creative producer of NBC's "Saturday Night Live," Michaels launched hundreds of comedians' careers, from Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner to Eddie Murphy and Will Ferrell. Michaels' instinct for tapping into America's pulse and his ability to get the most out of talent are unrivaled on TV. He is known as a demanding producer, but he exemplifies the best traits of an autocratic leader.

Roger Ailes: The president of the Fox News Channel has a reputation as an autocratic leader dating to the late 1960s, when he worked as an advisor to President Nixon. Ailes began his career in television broadcasting before migrating to political consulting. Ailes joined media mogul Rupert Murdoch's launch of the Fox Entertainment Group in the late 1980s. Although controversial and authoritarian, Ailes is an accomplished executive who redefined news broadcasting for the 21st century through his autocratic leadership style.

Helen Gurley Brown: The former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine is notable for many things, not least of which was her ability to consistently turn a profit in publishing for more than three decades. Brown moved to New York City early in her career and blended in immediately. She assumed the helm of Cosmopolitan and revolutionized the women's fashion market, leveraging her position to reflect and influence American culture. Brown was known as a task master in a business that thrives on getting things done with minimal corrections.

John Chambers: The chairman of Cisco Systems, Chambers assumed the CEO position of a relatively unknown Silicon Valley company that made telephone switches. After 25 years, Cisco evolved into an estimated $47 billion company that dominates the networking industry. Today, Cisco stock is one of a handful of bellwether holdings used to measure the U.S. economy. This was accomplished under Chambers' autocratic leadership in which no detail was purportedly too small for his attention.

Ridley Scott: In an industry where box-office receipts measure success, Scott remains one of the few Hollywood directors whose films are profitable and critically acclaimed. A short list of his films includes "Blade Runner," "Alien," "Thelma & Louise," "White Squall," "Gladiator," "American Gangster," "Prometheus" and his recent "Exodus: Gods and Kings." Scott, who began his career as a graphic designer, has a reputation as a perfectionist. Actors are expected to know their lines, positions and cues before the camera starts rolling.

Tony La Russa: The retired manager of the Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox, La Russa is one of Major League Baseball's winningest coaches. La Russa, who earned a law degree and was admitted to the Florida state bar, is ranked third in MLB coaching history with 2,728 victories. La Russa won three world championships, six league championships and 12 division titles during his 33 seasons coaching baseball. On the field, La Russa came across as laid-back, but he was constantly strategizing and studying players.

Quotes about autocratic leadership

These leaders have reputations as being hands-on perfectionists. Here are some quotations that reflect their autocratic leadership styles:

Vince Lombardi: "Leaders aren't born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work."

Henry Ford: "Quality means doing it right when no one is looking."

Tony La Russa: "There are always distractions, if you allow them."

Napoleon Bonaparte: "Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self-interest."

Ridley Scott: "I think, at the end of the day, filmmaking is a team. But eventually there's got to be a captain."

Michael Bloomberg: "Nobody is going to delegate a lot of power to a secretary that they can't control."

Ray Kroc: "You're only as good as the people you hire."

Alfred Hitchcock: "If an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, 'It's in the script.' If he says, 'But what's my motivation?' I say, 'Your salary.'"

Roger Ailes: "Audiences are shifting. Platforms are shifting. Ages are shifting. It's better to be in charge than to have to react to change."

Gordon Ramsey: "Kitchens are hard environments and they form incredibly strong characters."

Lorne Michaels: "To me there's no creativity without boundaries. If you're gonna write a sonnet, it's 14 lines, so it's solving the problem within the container."

John D. Rockefeller: "I do not think that there is any quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance."

Autocratic leadership case study: Blue Cross of California

Leonard D. Schaeffer considered himself an autocratic leader when he became CEO of Blue Cross of California in 1986. At the time, the company was a fiscal disaster, the lowest performing of all the Blue Cross plans around the United States. His job was to turn it around. Schaeffer described his experience in an article in Harvard Business Review: "The Leadership Journey." Here's an excerpt:

"When a business needs to change relatively quickly, it's much more important to just make a decision and get people moving than it is to take the time to conduct a thorough analysis and attempt to influence others to come around to your way of thinking. Therefore, I would define the autocratic leader not as someone who bullies others needlessly but as the managerial equivalent of an emergency room surgeon, forced to do whatever it takes to save a patient's life."

Schaeffer eventually abandoned the autocratic method even though he had used it effectively earlier in his career. Likewise, students who gravitate toward this style can learn how to adapt and perfect their leadership techniques as times change.

Autocratic leaders typically make all major decisions on their own, with little or no input from others. Extreme authoritarian leaders often insist on making even minor decisions.

Leaders needing to control minute tasks often are derided as micromanagers. Although the military traditionally encourages superiors to make unchallenged decisions, civilian organizations may not respond to this leadership style much longer.

The first formal study of leadership, including the autocratic style, is credited to Kurt Lewin and others in an article that appeared in the "American Journal of Sociology" in the 1930s. Lewin and his colleagues found autocratic leaders:

Generally do not solicit or accept input from others for decision-making purposes

Make all company or group decisions

Mandate all workplace methods, policies and procedures

Can exhibit a lack of trust in the advice, suggestions, ideas and decision-making ability of others

Autocratic leadership has pluses and minuses. The prevailing view is that the style depends on the ability of one person while disregarding the input of other skilled people. Still, many workplaces can benefit from autocratic leadership.

Who works well under autocratic leaders?

Individuals who march to the beat of their own drum generally don't work well under autocratic leaders.

By comparison, people who can successfully lead a couple dozen diverse, figurative drummers to stay in sync and keep rhythm without missing a beat make excellent autocratic leaders.

How to leverage the autocratic style to manage successfully

After centuries as the standard management style, autocratic leadership can still succeed in the contemporary arena if leaders keep the following in mind:

Respect subordinates. Exhibit fairness, objectivity and show respect for co-workers. They will see or feel it. Leaders' respect for others engenders mutual respect, which helps defuse workplace discord.

Communicate and explain. Most employees realize autocratic leaders expect them to obey rules and follow procedures. Communicating details helps staff understand the rules. In turn, they are less likely to rebel and more likely to cooperate.

Practice consistency. Employees respect fairness and unbiased treatment. In light of the potential distrust that autocratic leadership may foster, treating all staff consistently generates trust and earns respect.

Allow opinions. Encourage staff to express themselves. Permitting employees to offer suggestions is a valuable component of success among autocratic leaders. Even if ideas aren't adopted, people appreciate the freedom to share their thoughts.

The autocratic leadership style has many variations. It can range from strict authoritarian military leaders, as exemplified by Napoleon and Patton, to modern manufacturing department directors.

At its worst, autocratic leadership can be stifling, overbearing and demoralizing.

At its best, the autocratic style is liberating for people who work well with clear directives under leaders who understand exactly what people do and why their roles are important.

For anyone placed in a position that requires an autocratic leadership style, it's helpful to identify pitfalls that can cause staff to question whether it is the right approach.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages to the autocratic leadership style:

Autocratic leadership pros

Effective when decisions must come quickly, without time to consult others

Prevents businesses or projects from becoming stagnant because of poor organization or lack of leadership

Keeps individuals, groups or teams from missing important deadlines

During stressful periods, autocratic leaders can be more effective, and their teams appreciate their leadership

Autocratic leadership cons

Invites potential abuse by overly powerful personalities

Can stifle staff and discourage team creativity

Modern employees may not react well to authoritarian leadership

Can discourage open communication between leaders and subordinates

Exceptional leaders adopt the style that fits their vision, behavior and personality. The autocratic leadership style still works well in some institutions, such as the military, manufacturing, restaurants and companies with aggressive sales quotas.

The downside of autocratic leadership

Autocratic leadership isn't as prevalent as it once was for several reasons. These include:

Better-educated workforces and the growth of knowledge-based industries that encourage decision-making at all levels

Mentoring as a leadership style, popular among millennials who generally frown on authoritarians

Democratic, laissez-faire and transformative leadership styles that incorporate many levels of decision-makers

The upside to autocratic leadership

As we move further into the 21st century, now is a good time to reassess the age-old benefits of autocratic leadership.

People who dislike this style often point to its demoralizing "my way or the highway" mentality. But we shouldn't be quick to abandon autocratic leadership when it's appropriate.

Even creative businesses - such as advertising, product design and social media firms - reach a point when autocratic leadership is necessary. When a marketing campaign, advertising program or product design moves into the launch phase, for example, its success or failure hinges on precision timing.

That's where autocratic leadership comes into play.

Whether it's an athletic shoe company like Nike or a social media powerhouse like Facebook, autocratic leadership is sometimes vital. Autocratic leaders help guarantee deadlines are met by training people properly to assume responsibility for their respective roles and to reach their goals.

At the end of the day, autocratic leadership shares the same objectives as other styles. It's all about achieving success.

Source:

Leonard D. Shaeffer, " The Leadership Journey," Harvard Business Review
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Autocratic leadership is vital in many workplace environments. This style is necessary within organizations and companies that demand error-free outcomes. While autocratic leadership is one of the least popular management styles, it's also among the most common. The autocratic leadership process generally entails one person making all strategic decisions for subordinates.

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Leadership series on ABC - Clear Australian examples!

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Leadership series on ABC - Clear Australian examples!

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One Plus One: Leadership series starts Thursday 9 April, 9.20pm on ABC TV and iview

What does leadership look like in modern Australia? Which Australians inspire us? Who, through their judgement, can we trust?

Modern leadership can take on many forms, and the ABC NEWS interview series, One Plus One, is returning with a special 8-part series to explore the concept of leadership, hosted by Barrie Cassidy.

He'll be bringing you revealing, thought provoking and intimate half hour conversations with people from all walks of life who have shown what it takes to be a leader.

The One Plus One: Leadership series will provide a chance for viewers to get a deeper understanding of the challenges, risks and difficult decisions that these remarkable Australians have taken.

Joining Barrie for this series will be:

Charlie Magnuson - Bawley Point Rural Fire Brigade Captain

Justin Langer - Coach of the Australian Cricket Team

Sally Scales - Chair, APY Lands Executive Board Council

Dennis Richardson - Former Defense Secretary, DFAT Secretary, and Head of ASIO

Kate McClymont - Investigative Journalist

Plus, more to be announced.

Joining Barrie for the first episode on Thursday 9 April will be Charlie Magnuson, Captain of the Bawley Point Rural Fire Brigade.

The local fire chief steered his team through the recent fire season - like so many throughout the country who went above and beyond during the crisis. Hear first-hand how he managed to handle the situation as things escalated, and what was required to keep him and his team safe.

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Barrie Cassidy returns to ABC TV with the One Plus One: Leadership series

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What does leadership look like in modern Australia? Which Australians inspire us? Who, through their judgement, can we trust? Modern leadership can take on many forms, and the ABC NEWS interview series, One Plus One, is returning with a special 8-part series to explore the concept of leadership, hosted by Barrie Cassidy.

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Nelson Community and Family Studies Preliminary & HSC Student Book 2ed | Nelson Community and Family Studies Preliminary & HSC Student Book 2ed

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HSC Study Guide 2020 | The Sydney Morning Herald

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The latest HSC Study Guide 2020 news from The Sydney Morning Herald

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Prezi on levels of community organisation 

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Prezi on levels of community organisation 

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The head of the local government is called the mayor or the shire president Along with other councils, they represent their local community and are responsible and accountable for issues that affect the members of the community Main role: To provide services and resources to met

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Community organisations in Canterbury Bankstown 

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find out more about our community services

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Find out more about our community services, including our libraries, pools, fitness centres, arts program, services for children and seniors, and more.

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Canterbury Bankstown Community directory, networks and interagencies

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Community directory, networks and interagencies

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This page contains information about the many services and organizations available in our City.

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People - demographics & education

In the 2016 Census, there were 32,113 people in Bankstown (State Suburbs). Of these 49.3% were male and 50.7% were female. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.4% of the population.

View the data quality statement for Place of Usual Residence (PURP)

The median age of people in Bankstown (State Suburbs) was 32 years. Children aged 0 - 14 years made up 22.0% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 11.1% of the population.

View the data quality statement for Age (AGEP)

Of people in Bankstown (State Suburbs) aged 15 years and over, 51.1% were married and 14.2% were either divorced or separated.

View the data quality statement for Registered marital status (MSTP)

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), of people aged 15 years and over, 47.9% of people were in a registered marriage and 4.3% were in a de facto marriage.

View the data quality statement for Social marital status (MDCP)

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), 35.2% of people were attending an educational institution. Of these, 23.2% were in primary school, 17.8% in secondary school and 24.3% in a tertiary or technical institution.

View the data quality statement for Educational Institution Attendee Status (TYSTAP)

Of people aged 15 and over in Bankstown (State Suburbs), 23.9% reported having completed Year 12 as their highest level of educational attainment, 8.8% had completed a Certificate III or IV and 8.5% had completed an Advanced Diploma or Diploma.

2011 benchmarks are not available for this data item.

View the data quality statement for Level of highest educational attainment (HEAP)

People - cultural & language diversity

Respondents had the option of reporting up to two ancestries on their Census form, and this is captured by the Ancestry Multi Response (ANCP) variable used in this table. Therefore, the total responses count will not equal the persons count for this area. Calculated percentages represent a proportion of all responses from people in Bankstown (State Suburbs) (including those who did not state an ancestry).

View the data quality statement for Ancestry (ANCP)

View the data quality statement for Country of birth (BPLP)

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), 6.6% of people had both parents born in Australia and 78.3% of people had both parents born overseas.

View the data quality statement for Country of birth of father and/or mother (BPPP)

View the data quality statement for Country of birth of father (BPMP)

View the data quality statement for Country of birth of mother (BPFP)

View the data quality statement for Religious affiliation (RELP)

View the data quality statement for Language spoken at home (LANP)

People - employment

There were 12,876 people who reported being in the labour force in the week before Census night in Bankstown (State Suburbs). Of these 54.3% were employed full time, 29.6% were employed part-time and 10.8% were unemployed.

The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's unemployment rate. More information about Census and labour force status is provided in Understanding the Census and Census Data.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status (LFSP)

Of employed people in Bankstown (State Suburbs), 11.6% worked 1 to 15 hours, 11.7% worked 16 to 24 hours and 36.0% worked 40 hours or more.

View the data quality statement for Hours worked (HRSP)

View the data quality statement for Occupation (OCCP)

View the data quality statement for Industry of employment (INDP)

The median weekly personal income for people aged 15 years and over in Bankstown (State Suburbs) was $453.

View the data quality statements for: Total personal income (INCP)Total family income (FINF)Total household income (HIND)

View the data quality statement for Method of travel to work (MTWP)

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), of people aged 15 years and over, 52.3% did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census. During the two weeks before the Census, 25.0% provided care for children and 11.3% assisted family members or others due to a disability, long term illness or problems related to old age. In the year before the Census, 8.9% of people did voluntary work through an organisation or a group.

View the data quality statements for: Unpaid domestic work (DOMP)Unpaid child care (CHCAREP)Unpaid assistance (UNCAREP)Voluntary work (VOLWP)

Of people who did unpaid domestic work in the week before the Census in Bankstown (State Suburbs), 17.8% worked 5 to 14 hours, 7.9% worked 15 to 29 hours and 8.4% worked 30 hours or more.

View the data quality statement for Unpaid domestic work, number of hours (DOMP)

Families - family composition

Of the families in Bankstown (State Suburbs), 51.8% were couple families with children, 24.4% were couple families without children and 21.3% were one parent families.

View the data quality statement for Family composition (FMCF)

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), 14.6% of single parents were male and 85.4% were female.

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Families - employment status of couple families

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), of couple families with children, 14.1% had both partners employed full-time, 3.8% had both employed part-time and 10.8% had one employed full-time and the other part-time.

The ABS Labour Force Survey provides the official estimates of Australia's unemployment rate. More information about Census and labour force status is provided in Understanding the Census and Census Data.

View the data quality statement for Labour force status of parents / partners in families (LFSF)

Dwellings - dwelling structure
Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households
In Bankstown (State Suburbs), 92.7% of private dwellings were occupied and 7.3% were unoccupied.

View the data quality statements for: Dwelling type (DWTD) Dwelling Structure (STRD)

Of occupied private dwellings in Bankstown (State Suburbs), 33.0% were separate houses, 11.4% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses, townhouses etc, 54.5% were flat or apartments and 0.7% were other dwellings.

View the data quality statement for Dwelling structure (STRD)

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), of occupied private dwellings 4.3% had 1 bedroom, 47.2% had 2 bedrooms and 27.3% had 3 bedrooms. The average number of bedrooms per occupied private dwelling was 2.6. The average household size was 3.1 people.

View the data quality statements for: Number of bedrooms in a private dwelling (BEDD)Number of persons usually resident in dwelling (NPRD)

Of occupied private dwellings in Bankstown (State Suburbs), 22.9% were owned outright, 25.3% were owned with a mortgage and 47.8% were rented.

View the data quality statement for Tenure type (TEND)

Dwellings - household composition

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), of all households, 76.1% were family households, 20.1% were single person households and 3.8% were group households.

View the data quality statement for Household composition (HHCD)

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), 25.9% of households had a weekly household income of less than $650 and 8.1% of households had a weekly income of more than $3000.

View the data quality statement for Household income, total weekly (HIND)

Dwellings - mortgage & rent
Proportions are calculated using all tenure types for occupied private dwellings. This excludes visitor only and other non-classifiable households.
The number of households where rent payments were 30% or more of an imputed income measure are expressed in this table as a proportion of the total number of households in an area (including those households which were not renting, and excluding the small proportion of visitor-only and other non-classifiable households). The nature of the income imputation means that the reported proportion may significantly overstate the true proportion.

View the data quality statement for Rent weekly payments (RNTD)

The number of households where mortgage repayments were 30% or more of an imputed income measure are expressed in this table as a proportion of the total number of households in an area (including those households which were renting, and excluding the small proportion of visitor only and other non-classifiable households). The nature of the income imputation means that the reported proportion may significantly overstate the true proportion.

View the data quality statement for Mortgage monthly repayments (MRED)

Dwellings - number of motor vehicles

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), 42.2% of occupied private dwellings had one registered motor vehicle garaged or parked at their address, 28.0% had two registered motor vehicles and 11.7% had three or more registered motor vehicles.

View the data quality statement for Number of registered motor vehicles (VEHD)

Dwellings - internet connection

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), 79.8% of households had at least one person access the internet from the dwelling. This could have been through a desktop/laptop computer, mobile or smart phone, tablet, music or video player, gaming console, smart TV or any other device.

View the data quality statement for Dwelling internet connection (NEDD)

Expand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people category,

People characteristics - Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), 43.4% of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people were male and 56.6% were female. The median age was 25 years.

View the data quality statements for: Place of Usual Residence (PURP)Indigenous status (INGP)

Dwelling characteristics - Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander households
Dwelling tables exclude visitor only and other non-classifiable households
There has been change in methodology used to calculate the average number of persons per bedroom. To compare the time series for average number of persons per bedroom please refer to Understanding the Census and Census Data

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the average household size was 2.7 persons, with 1 persons per bedroom. The median household income was $1,196.

View the data quality statements for: Number of Bedrooms in Private Dwelling (BEDD)Household composition (HHCD)Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

In Bankstown (State Suburbs), for dwellings occupied by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, the median weekly rent was $390 and the median monthly mortgage repayment was $1,000.

View the data quality statements for: Rent weekly payments (RNTD)Mortgage monthly repayments (MRED)Indigenous household Indicator (INGDWTD)

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People - demographics & education In the 2016 Census, there were 32,113 people in Bankstown (State Suburbs). Of these 49.3% were male and 50.7% were female. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people made up 0.4% of the population. View the data quality statement for Place of Usual Residence (PURP) The median age of people in Bankstown (State Suburbs) was 32 years.

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Provides information on the process and impact of adoption

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When eight-year-old Bobby Hendry's mum handed her to the state for protection from her abusive dad, it was the start of a chaotic life in foster care.

Sixteen foster families, 38 addresses and years of hurt followed.

At 15, Bobby - an "old dog in a pound" - had run out of options.

She was faced with having to leave a school she loved and move hours away into a group home.

But just like the schoolgirl in the children's book Matilda, life took an unexpected turn when two teachers, Chris and Peter Harrison, decided to call her their daughter - for good.

When you get an email with the subject line "the teachers who saved my life", you open it with curiosity.

This is how ABC Life came to know 23-year-old Bobby, aka Emily, from the NSW Central Coast and her story.

After speaking to Bobby, we also reached out to the teachers who became her parents to learn more about this real-life Roald Dahl tale.

When did your foster care options come to an end?

Bobby (aka Emily): I was living with this woman who was a little bit insane.

My case worker said, "Are you sure we can't reconcile the issues with this carer? There is not much chance for you at 15 - you are no longer plastic, you can't be moulded. You need to decide if you want to stay here and work it out, or throw yourself into the unknown."

I was like, "You know that saying, better the devil you know? Well, you don't know this devil, I'm leaving."

Do you share a unique connection with someone who's impacted your life in a positive way? Tell us about it. Email life@abc.net.au

Tell us about the time you all first met

Chris (mum): Emily was a student at our school. She was very bright, and I was leading a maths competition when she was in Year 7.

She was sitting there with a runny nose, and she was really ocker. She had some rough edges.

I brought over a box of tissues and she said, "Nah, I'll be right" and wiped her nose up her sleeve.

That was my first contact. I thought, "She's a funny little girl."

I asked for her name and she said "Bobby". I thought, "There is no Bobby on my list."

Peter (dad): I taught Emily in Year 9 and she was an interesting girl.

She had some real rough edges, but as Chris said, she was super intelligent.

We just got on like a house on fire. She was very chatty and I got to know her pretty well.

She started to open up about home life and told me about foster life.

I had her again in Year 10 science and the relationship grew. It was just a friendly relationship.

"I could just see she would be lost and never really get nurtured to [achieve] what she could achieve in life," Peter says.(Supplied: Bobby Hendry)

Bobby: My friends wouldn't let me talk about Dr Who - they said they were bored of it. I couldn't blame them really. So I'd talk to my science teacher about it.

I just remember working really hard for him.

I wasn't a bad kid. I was tough, though. I'd experienced a lot of hurt and didn't know how to channel it.

But I was smart. In his class I was regularly pulling marks over the 80s and 90s.

So when I started getting 20s and 30s and was handing in assignments handwritten instead of typed, with the same uniform on as the past week and huge circles under my eyes, he tried talking to me.

I hadn't opened up about my childhood before. This was the sort of school that kids didn't know the meaning to words that I did.

It was a very sheltered school.

How did the idea of fostering Bobby come about?

Peter: One day [Bobby] explained she'd been kicked out and she was a mess.

She was at the end of the line basically - faced with a group home in Sydney and she would have to move schools. But she loved that school.

And we'd heard terrible things about group homes, like stories about bullying.

At that point I went home and I said to Chris, "We have got to take this girl, we can't let that happen. She's got too much going for her."

I could just see she would be lost and never really get nurtured to [achieve] what she could achieve in life.

I rang and spoke to the agency, and said this is who I am and this is what I want to do.

They were a bit miffed with a bloke ringing up saying I want to take this girl.

Chris: So I rang and had to explain this is what we want to do.

They said it was a long process and they avoid school teachers doing it because it hasn't worked before. But I'd explained we'd had other students in the house short-term to help them through their HSC.

I'd also had a foster sister and my mother was a state ward, so as soon as I shared all of that they realised we weren't just run-of-the-mill teachers feeling sorry for some kid.

Peter: We went backwards through the system, basically. They gave Emily to us, then we had to pursue all the legal and training stuff along the way, rather than do the 12-month-or-so training first before we got approved.

Chris: But obviously they did all the diligence checks first and interviews with us and our two sons.

What was it like getting the news you were moving in with Mr and Mrs Harrison?

Bobby: One day my case manager picked me up from school and we went and got a milkshake.

She told me, "We've found a family for you, everything has been arranged, you can move there this week. They're very excited and we all are too."

When she told me it was the Harrisons I was honestly speechless.

Somehow, from the brief time we'd had together in class, these two teachers saw something in me that seldom had seen in me before: a worth to be loved.

They chose me, they knew me, and they still chose me.

I was so excited, but I was scared too.

What was the first time together as a family like?

Bobby: They had prepared a bedroom for me, with a huge desk and comfy bed.

They immediately started filling the fridge with my favourite foods, and started asking me what I wanted for my birthday.

But the best thing was how they introduced me as their daughter to friends they ran into at the shops.

Chris: The first time that she drove in the driveway she went, "Is this where I'm going to live?' because we live on acreage and she couldn't believe it.

She said, "And I've got my own room?"

I took her shopping to choose whatever she wanted for her room, even down to the doona cover. She said, "These are all too dear", and I said, "No they are not, this is cheap!"

She was just besotted, she couldn't believe it.

"Because of these two teachers, I got to experience love and become all the things I wanted to be," Bobby says.(Supplied: Bobby Hendry)

Were there any challenges in the change from teacher-student to parent-child relationship?

Chris: She'd been traumatised. We had to keep saying to her, "We love you. It doesn't matter what you do, you can always come back. You are part of our family now."

Peter: I can remember tearing my hair out. She was almost impossible to live with in the beginning.

Really untidy, no sense about anybody else and responsibility.

She was very selfish - not deliberately so - it was a dog-eat-dog world she'd been in.

Sometimes things would set her off and we'd find her cowered under her desk curled up in a ball because she'd remembered something from her past.

As she saw we were consistent and we did things because we loved each other, that's what slowly changed her.

Bobby: The Harrisons told me once that about a year in, they noticed something weird - I'd retreated.

They thought I was so used to things falling apart, I was building distance so I'd be OK when things did.

I remember them saying to me, "We actually love you, you're not a burden here."

Bobby Hendry recently completed a project taking photos of the 40 homes she'd lived in. This is number 40, which was the first place of her own.(Supplied: Bobby Hendry)

What does life look like today, eight years since the Harrisons became family?

Bobby: Because of them, I'm straight up killing it.

I've got my own place, only five minutes from theirs, I graduated from college and landed an amazing full-time job, and I've just started my photography business.

I'm in a healthy, committed relationship, and I have goals and the ability and support to meet them.

Statistically speaking, I should be or have none of these things.

I should be homeless, addicted to the same poisons that took stronghold of my parents.

But because of these two teachers, I got to experience love and become all the things I wanted to be.

My parents might not have been there when I was born, or I may not have their blood running through my veins, but I am still their daughter. And I am so lucky for that.
ABC Life is looking at unique relationships and companionships in our lives. By unpacking these bonds, ABC Life hopes to inspire readers to consider their own special connections.
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Bobby went through 16 foster families and 38 homes. Then her teachers became Mum and Dad - ABC Life

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When Bobby Hendry's mum handed her to the state for protection from her abusive father, it was the start of a chaotic life in foster care. But that came to an end when she was 15, after her science teacher decided to call her his daughter.

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Mental health services and support contact list - Services and programs

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A list of organisations and support groups offering services and support for mental health consumers and patients who need help.

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Programs, services and support for families

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Contact list of services and support, and information about DCJ funded programs such as Brighter Futures and Staying Home Leaving Violence

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Bob Petersen slept on trains for two years before the pandemic. Nearly every night, he'd ride more than 100 kilometres of rail, from Sydney to Kiama and back again. Sometimes he'd wake in Newcastle, sometimes Port Kembla, but he always paid his fare. "And I tried to keep myself neat and tidy so no one would bother me," the 74-year-old says.

Now he has a home.

In Melbourne, Glenn Kent is also excited to pay his first month's rent. After more than 15 years sleeping rough, and a lifetime bounced around clinics, shelters, the justice system and, most recently COVID hotels, Kent, 50, has finally got the keys to his own place - a unit that costs just a quarter of his disability pension. It's somewhere he can fix his bike, bake cakes for the local church, return to his artwork and keep "out of trouble".

This is the answer to homelessness: more affordable homes. It might sound too simple. Or, as Kent first thought, too good to be true. But if the pandemic has taught us anything it's that much of what was once considered impossible, or at least impractical, can be achieved, and quickly, if we want it enough.

As the streets of our cities emptied to stop the spread of COVID-19, tens of thousands of Australians without shelter were put up in hotels and rentals as part of a mammoth effort by state governments and frontline services. For a lucky minority, such as Petersen and Kent, the new digs have become permanent. But some are already finding themselves back where they started.

"People walk past homelessness thinking it's one of those things that'll never change," says University of Queensland researcher Cameron Parsell. "They also think it doesn't cost them anything. They're wrong on [both fronts]." Parsell's work has shown leaving someone on the street long-termcosts about $13,000 more per person every year than placing them in supported housing.

Now, with the economy in need of a jobs-intensive stimulus spend and thousands more Australians expected to slide into homelessness in the COVID recession, the business case for building more of this "social housing" is stronger than ever.

"We are staring down a tsunami of homelessness," warns Bevan Warner who heads up the not-for-profit service Launch Housing in Melbourne. "We started with a housing crisis in Australia and it became a health crisis, which became an economic crisis. Now we have an opportunity to solve all three."

So how much social housing do we need and what will it cost? Why was it missing in the federal government's big-spending budget? Are COVID emergency measures helping end street homelessness? And how have other countries such as Finland done it already?

How is homelessness defined - and how common is it?

On the last census night in 2016, more than 116,000 Australians were recorded without secure housing, 8200 of them sleeping rough. That's generally considered an underestimate. But in 2020, measures to house people during the pandemic have revealed even more about the scale of the problem.

The latest Homelessness Monitor - independent research by Parsell and others commissioned by Launch - estimated at least 33,000 people sleeping rough, couch-surfing or in crowded shelters were put up in hotels between March and September, mostly in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.

Lead researcher Hal Pawson from UNSW says the real number is likely much greater than that - only NSW and SA handed over their raw data to the research team. "It's amazing what's been done so fast but we may never know the full story," Pawson says. "Of course, it wasn't about ending homelessness, it was about stopping the virus spreading."

In Victoria, the 2000 or so people taken off the street and housed under the COVID response was more than five times that recorded by Melbourne City Council's street count of rough sleepers. On average, those people had been seeking help from homeless services such as Launch for eight years.

"The government deserves credit for what's been pulled together," Warner says. "But the people we've actually helped had already been churning in and out of services for years so the system clearly hasn't solved their homelessness."

Victorian government statistics presented to a parliamentary inquiry in September reveal 71 per cent of people assisted by homeless services in 2018-19 were still homeless at the end of support.

Warner says: "We've just been treating the symptoms of homelessness, not curing it."

Why are people homeless?

On the street, people offer familiar reasons for how they got there, tragedies and misfortunes that seemed to hit all at once: deaths and relationship breakdowns, job losses, car crashes, abuse. Family violence is now the leading problem pushing people, many of them children, out of their homes. Mental health and disability are also common.

For Petersen, it began with the sudden death of his long-time partner. "I'd been working in a hotel but I had to move away after that, I was devastated, and broke from raising the money for her funeral." After renting with a friend didn't work out, Petersen jumped on a train. "I just thought I'd travel until I could figure out what to do."

But he didn't find anywhere he could afford to rent by himself and those nights on the train turned into years.

For other rough sleeping "regulars" such as Kent, who has struggled with serious mental illness and addiction as well as literacy problems due to dyslexia, housing came with too many hoops to jump through, getting clean on the street was too hard, shelters too cramped, pets too precious to give up for a bed.

"I used to get work ... then it got harder," Kent says. "When you're sleeping in public toilets, and you haven't had a shower in two weeks, you're out of jail, no one will give you a go. I couldn't even fill out the forms with my name and address. I couldn't sleep. So I used drugs to stay awake on the street."

Homelessness doesn't happen to a certain kind of person. Many are just on the wrong side of Australia's housing boom, born without a social safety net or priced out of increasingly competitive rental markets.

Michele Adair, chief executive of the not-for-profit Housing Trust in NSW, says people were in precarious positions even before the pandemic. "When I divorced years back, I had too little kids and we came very close ourselves.

"Now COVID seems to have woken [people] up. It's always been someone else doing it tough, just junkies and no-hopers, now suddenly it's their mum, their brother, their friend in trouble. This is everyone's problem."

As street homelessness has become more visible in our cities in recent years, it's hit an "embarrassment threshold" for governments too, Parsell says, triggering more spending on crisis support such as street outreach. But public or social housing, which offers secure tenancies to people most in need at 25 per cent of their income, has not kept up with population growth, blowing out wait times.

Pawson says decades of belt-tightening has seen social housing effectively halved since it reached its peak around the 1990s. Just 4 per cent of all homes in the country (or about 396,000) are government stock - compared to more than 15 per cent in the UK, 20 per cent in Denmark and about 25 per cent in countries such as Scotland and Finland, where housing is enshrined as a right under the law. Victoria has the lowest social housing supply in the country per head, and South Australia the most.

What is the single best solution?

When we follow people such as Petersen and Kent through the system, research shows one pathway has a better ending than most. It's called Housing First and it means offering social housing to the people most in need without the usual conditions, such as income and sobriety. Once a need is identified, the first priority is finding that person a stable place to live - addressing their other issues, such as addictions, can come next. Where it's been rolled out, such as Scotland, Canada, parts of the US and Scandinavia, people have been more likely to turn their lives around.

Clarke says places such as Finland have stood out for enshrining the model into national policy. Finland spent 250 million euros ($418 million) building 3500 new homes, and hiring 300 extra support workers but long-term expects to save 15,000 euros ($25,000) a year for every person housed, as costs in emergency healthcare, social services and the justice system are cancelled out. Homelessness is down 35 per cent since 2008, and long-term homelessness has more than halved. In the capital Helsinki, you don't see rough sleeping any more - just one shelter remains open during winter.

Australia's COVID hotel response has shown Housing First can work on a big scale here too, Parsell says, even if most housing offered so far has only been temporary. "NGOs told us that for the first time that they could remember they were able to get every person they saw a bed, and people who wouldn't normally take offers, the ones wary of being shuttled through shelters and back out again, they were saying yes too.

"There's been successful pilots in most capital cities in Australia. The hard bit is scaling it up - and getting those support services in place to help them rebuild their lives."

NSW and Victoria are having a real crack, committing tens of millions of dollars to moving people from hotels into long-term housing over the next two years, including wrap-around support. Short-term, they hope to get around the social housing shortfall by head-leasing: taking up the lease of private properties and paying the gap between market rent and what someone in need can afford.

"I've heard first-hand so many incredible stories of people who've turned their lives around in recent months," says NSW Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services Gareth Ward. Some will go on to reconnect with family, improve their health, study or find a job and be part of the economic recovery, he says.

Close to 600 people have already been placed into secure housing in NSW in the past six months - the number usually housed in two years. In Victoria, 1100 private rentals will be head-leased. But both state schemes last only two years. Long-term, NSW and Victoria have flagged more spending on social housing in their upcoming budgets, which frontline workers say they hope will be spent on new builds not just repairing ageing stock.

Like most of the people put up in hotels during the pandemic tracked by the Monitor, Kent was at once grateful and wary. But since moving into his long-term rental in Melbourne, he's managed to kick drugs for the first time in decades. "Things taste better. I have my own pillow. I can actually sleep."

What's the business case for social housing?

University of Melbourne economist Lisa Cameron lives in what was once a public housing unit, built during the Second World War, and says the business case for building more social housing today is as strong as it was in 1945. Again the economy needs big spending stimulus. And, with the bond rate now low (around 0.8 per cent), she says the federal government can borrow money for virtually no interest. As former prime minister Paul Keating told ABC Radio in September: "We could be building public housing 'til the cows come home."

When the Economic Society of Australia polled 49 top economists on their ideal wish list for COVID recovery spending, social housing topped the list (just ahead of permanently boosting welfare payments). But it was absent on budget night. Instead, Treasury earmarked $1 billion worth of cheap loans for community providers looking to build affordable housing themselves.

While the Coalition has suggested more social housing may be in order, it says the extra cash should come from the states, although the homes are funded by both levels of government.

But Clarke says the initial post-World-War-II heyday of public housing was driven by the Commonwealth as were resurgences during the 1970s and, briefly, during the financial crisis stimulus splash by the Rudd government.

"It's always come from the federal government, they have the deepest pockets for revenue. The states can't do it alone."

Grattan Institute economist Brendan Coates says a national social housing build would offer more construction jobs than the infrastructure projects that did make it into the budget, many of which are big spends on roads and rail.

Social housing also offers more bang for our government buck than the tax breaks handed out, he says. "They're good policy, but they're not enough."

How much social housing do we need?

Pawson was among researchers who calculated that Australia would need to build 15,000 new social units a year just to keep pace with population growth. That was before the pandemic stamped down migration. But while the forecast will have changed to some degree, he says more people are about to find themselves in poverty for the first time as eviction bans and income support during COVID wind down. The sector is already seeing signs of a coming stampede in the cheaper end of the rental market, Warner says.

Some experts would like to see Australia ramp up its social housing stock considerably, until it's more in line with countries such as the UK at 10 to 15 per cent. But Coates says even growing the stock back up to 5 per cent would mean building about 100,000 new homes, which he estimates would set the government back about $30 billion.

"That's as large a number as I can imagine a government going in one hit, even one committed to doing something big," he says. "We'd recommend building 30,000 homes for about $10 billion to start."

While there are clear savings to offering housing to the most vulnerable, he says value for money fades once you start putting those further up the ladder into social housing. "I don't think everyone on a low income needs social housing. Early intervention and raising Renter's Allowance is a more effective way of targeting those people who can stay in the private market with a bit of help."

Some countries which have rolled out Housing First widely, such as Scotland, already had high levels of social housing. "They have billions of dollars of these assets," Coates says. "For us to build or buy up that much stock would be hugely expensive. Singapore has great housing as well but the government owns 80 per cent of it."

There are cautionary tales too, most recently in New Zealand where Prime Minister Jacinda Arden's ambitious plan to build 100,000 affordable houses in 10 years was abandoned after just two years, miles behind its targets. Many of the homes had been built in areas no one wanted to live. Attempts to scale up Housing First across the US under the Bush administration also failed to plan the builds appropriately and many were not directed at the people most in need, and so did not make up enough savings by offsetting their costs.

Pawson agrees that what works in one country can't simply be copied across to another. "What Finland did is not a magic bullet. You need to adapt it."

Could private investment save the day?

As it has for most social problems, the private sector is already working to tackle homelessness, in its way. But, while clever plans to repurpose unused office space or car parks as accommodation are welcome, experts say the market alone cannot solve homelessness.

Australia could follow the US approach and offer tax incentives for businesses investing in affordable housing, which offers tenancies around 20 per cent below market rent. Warner says about $10 billion in tax credits is already given out each year via negative gearing to help Australians buy a second or third home so "why isn't there anything for people without one?"

But Coates offers a warning from our not-too-distant history. When the Rudd government invested in housing to stimulate the economy after the global financial crisis, it launched two main programs. The first spent $5.2 billion to build 20,000 social housing units and refurbish 80,000 others in two years and, after coming in on time and under budget, was heralded a success. The other, which offered tax incentives to private enterprise to build affordable housing, cost $3.1 billion but was abandoned as a failure in 2014.

The problem? Coates says the government handed out too much money to the market for what it could have done itself at half the cost.

Affordable housing is cheaper than social housing. In the case of the Rudd-era scheme, that should have cost the government just $4000 a year per household but instead, a Grattan analysis found, it was paying $11,000, almost as much as public housing. It was, effectively, a $7000 windfall for the private sector.

How can cities help solve the problem?

While solutions often struggle to find purchase at a national level, cities around the world are making a real difference. In northern Italy, Trieste has radically reduced homelessness by reshaping mental health policy. And 11 cities across the US have already reached a standard called "functional zero", meaning when homelessness does happen it's rare and it's brief.

Adelaide and now, to some extent Sydney, are shooting for the same target and working to improve street counts and co-ordinate their data across support service. The idea is to know everyone on the street by name and circumstance, so resources can be targeted. Some centralised models overseas have been likened to contact tracing or the programs that once helped eradicate smallpox. At Launch, Warner hopes to turbocharge the approach in Victoria, under a "Melbourne Zero" plan he says will need community buy-in as well as government support and transparency.

"It's about saying, 'OK Melbourne, we've taken a big hit but as we rebuild and reclaim this city, let's meet this moment too. Let's get to zero, and [track how we're doing] against other cities. Let's use real-time data to respond to what we're seeing on the street. Let's know their names. Let's stop walking by."

Sherryn Groch is the explainer reporter for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Bob slept on trains. Now he has a home. The fix was simpler than you might think

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Bob Petersen slept on trains for two years before the pandemic. Nearly every night, he'd ride more than 100 kilometres of rail, from Sydney to Kiama and back again. Sometimes he'd wake in Newcastle, sometimes Port Kembla, but he always paid his fare.

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The proposal was met with support from residents during a consultation and a decision on planning permission is expected in February

Homelessness charity Emmaus has unveiled plans to build a "rooftop community" with 15 low-carbon eco-homes on the roof of its Bristol city-centre office.

The charity currently supports more than 850 formerly people and runs 29 "communities" across the country, providing support, accommodation and employment through social enterprise.

The new eco-homes will be aimed at individuals ready to move on from their Emmaus Bristol accommodation but the charity will also support residents in the new homes if they need it.
Lockdowns have taken income away from hundreds of Big Issue sellers. Support The Big Issue and our vendors by signing up for a subscription.
Jessica Hodge, Emmaus chief executive, said: "Some of the people we support eventually and understandably want their own home and their own independence, but then struggle to find affordable rented homes to move into or meet significant barriers to private rented accommodation such as cost, competition, credit ratings and references.

"The aim of our rooftop development will give people the option to live independently when they are ready to, but still keep them connected to Emmaus Bristol and the support we can provide if they need it."

The new community will include 11 one-bedroom two-storey homes, three two-bedroom single storey homes, one one-bedroom single-story home and food growing and shared amenity space.

Developer Agile Homes have designed the homes and say they will use 90 per cent less energy than a conventional property, making them cheaper to run and better for the planet.

The proposal was met with support from residents during a consultation with a decision on planning permission expected in February.

The charity will then work to secure funding, appoint contractors and continue with technical design work.

Craig White, chief executive at Agile Homes, said the new project would help tap into hidden spaces and provided a unique model.

"We are pleased to have come up with a unique way to deliver low-carbon, affordable homes," he said.

"Unlocking a land supply hidden in plain sight, in the heart of the City, on the rooftop of Backfields House, means we will be helping a new community come together in a place that will be beautiful, affordable and resilient."

Hodge added that community-led housing within the city of Bristol was vital in helping people recover from homelessness and combat loneliness and isolation.

"A healthy and sustainable community is knowing your neighbours and being connected to those around you," she said.

"It is important that the move-on accommodation we provide has a sense of community even with independent living space."

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This homelessness charity is building an eco-home rooftop community | The Big Issue

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The proposal was met with support from residents during a consultation and a decision on planning permission is expected in February Homelessness charity Emmaus has unveiled plans to build a "rooftop community" with 15 low-carbon eco-homes on the roof of its Bristol city-centre office.

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Factors affecting access to resources - HOMELESS 

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Factors affecting access to resources - HOMELESS 

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It's not ok to let someone sleep on the street and that's why we're doing something about it.

Every time I'm invited to an event to share the sleepbus story, people always ask; why?

At the beginning, after I saw the tiredest man I had ever see, my children told me I should do some thing about people sleeping on the street; so I thought I would. I created sleepbus to end the need for people to sleep rough in Australia. A safe place for people doing it tough to take a breath and provide an opportunity to workout their pathway out of homelessness.

If you're thinking about what you might do to help those on the street, may I ask that you take a look at not just what we're doing, but how we're doing it; we're having a crack and with your help we can end the need for people to sleep rough in Australia. Get onboard.

Simon Rowe | sleepbus Founder

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sleepbus® provides a safe, temporary overnight accommodation service, getting people off the street by offering an immediate, first stop, cost-effective solution for our society's most vulnerable; catching them early until they can get back on their feet. sleepbus® is an Australian Registered DGR not-for-profit charity.

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Check your safety and security! How safe is your home?

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Check your safety and security! How safe is your home?

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Check your Secure Score to see how protected your home is against unwanted intruders.