This article presents an argument for reforming Australian public policy in favor of social care, rather than family, residential, or community care, for the elderly, sick, and disabled. After noting policy assumptions that families are the focus of caring and women are the natural caregivers, the paper describes changes in Australian family…

An increasing number of people with disabilities live in the community in Australia and internationally. Many of these individuals live in the family home, on their own, in hostels or in the traditional "group home" model, and receive varying levels of support and care. There is a growing concern that many of the care and support needs…

Child care in New Zealand and Australia has become a crucial part of the child-rearing system, and most preschool children spend a prolonged period in at least one away-from-home environment for a substantial part of the day. Because so many preschool children are exposed to a child care environment before entering school, the transition from…

This article presents the readers' views on questions about the length of time children are in child care arrangements. For Ken Weslake of Australia, in an ideal world children would be happy at home interacting within a family dynamic. He argues that it is not a question of how long as much as a question of: why they are there?; What are they…

Supplemented with 20 tables of data, this discussion focuses on the changing environment of Australian families and society. Specifically offered are descriptions of child care arrangements, a rationale for children's services, and policy suggestions. With respect to child care arrangements, it is noted that the family environment has been altered…

Australia's Aged Care Act of 1997 mandates a number of key reforms aimed at ensuring consistency in the quality of care and well-being for all residents of aged care facilities. The law required residential aged care facilities to provide high-quality care within a framework of continuous improvement which requires aged care workers to perform the…

The ideas that fathers do not have the ability to care for children and that it is not good for families to have fathers take a major responsibility for caregiving are not supported by recent research findings. Observations of fathers interacting with newborn infants reveal that fathers can be just as sensitive and competent in caregiving as…

The Developing Child Sub-Committee of the Australian International Year of the Child Committee of Non-Government Organizations prepared papers on the main problems facing children from birth to 12 years of age. Topics designated for attention were (1) the parenting role, including the influence of parents on children, factors influencing parental…

This report recommends a 10-year plan for changes in services to people with intellectual disabilities in Victoria, Australia. Intended key outcomes of the plan include: increases in the numbers of clients receiving direct residential support in community-based accommodations; reductions in numbers of adult clients resident in large scale…