A full year’s intake of 38 Aboriginal children and 198 non-Aboriginal children referred for a new out-of-home placement in South Australia were studied as part of the first phase of a 3-year longitudinal study into the outcomes of alternative care. The baseline profile of this cohort revealed a number of significant racial and geographical differences between the children. Among the most important of these was an interaction between race and geographical location on length of time in care which indicated that Aboriginal children from metropolitan areas and non-Aboriginal children from rural areas had the longest histories of alternative care. In addition, Aboriginal children in metropolitan areas were the least likely to be referred into care for reasons of emotional abuse or neglect, no doubt because so many of them were already in alternative care at the time of the referral. Metropolitan Aboriginal children were also the unhealthiest and, together with rural non-Aborigines, the most likely to be under a court order at the time of placement. Overall, results are consistent with the proposition that metropolitan Aboriginal children and rural non-Aboriginal children are the most reliant on the formal alternative care system.

Historically, insufficient resources and assistance have been provided to young people leaving state care. Young people leaving care have been found to experience homelessness, unemployment, early parenthood, loneliness, depression, poverty, and involvement with the juvenile justice system.

In recent years, a growing body of research literature has explored the experiences of young people leaving care, and the identification of key factors underlying good after care support practice. Attention is drawn to some of the key findings of this research such as the need for a more gradual and flexible process of transition to independence, specific legislation providing for the ongoing support of care leavers, and the provision of formal and properly resourced after-care services. Reference is also made to the key role played by consumer advocacy groups in facilitating the successful transition to independence of care leavers.

While there are many parent education programs in Australia, there have been few developed to cater specifically to the needs of migrant groups. Attempting to fill this gap, a parenting program was developed and trialedfor three ethnic communities. The program addressed key parenting issues found to be of relevance to members of culturally and linguistically diverse groups, including: intergenerational conflict arising from different acculturation rates; the protective factor of a bicultural parenting identity; knowledge of the school system; discipline options and child abuse laws; and how to gain support. The program was subsequently independently evaluated. Quantitative and qualitative information from both the process and outcomes of the program revealed that it was effective, particularly in fostering an understanding of the impact of culture on parenting, knowledge of the school system, non-physical disciplinary methods and child abuse laws. This study may be one of the first targeted ethnic parenting programs to be independently evaluated in Australia.

One of the highlights of the 1990s has been the greater recognition of the role of fatherhood by government departments, media organisations and community services. However this apparent embrace of fathering also reveals an underlying tension. This paper reflects on Burnside’s extensive experience in developing father-valuing programs that support children and families within disadvantaged communities. As practitioners, the need for quick decision making may result in the resources which fathers (within separated or intact families) can offer being overlooked. Drawing on current USA research into non-deficit approaches to fathering, the paper recognises a variety of assumptions, which reduce the resources that fathers provide. Due to socialisation, Australian males often display a healthy dose of suspicion and mistrust of authority figures. Because of this, it is important for professionals to maximise the initial period of engagement when they have contact with a family. A variety of case studies are used to examine the challenge of engaging fathers in the process of strengthening family systems.

The media play important roles in fighting child abuse at all levels. Reports of individual cases may be criticised as seeking to sensationalise, but in some circumstances the true horror of child abuse is missed or too terrible to report. A recent case in Victoria’s Supreme Court received prominent media coverage and led to demands that more be done to protect children in court proceedings.