Voice of the child highlighted in three ARC linkage projects

The Australian Government announced $29.5 million in funding, via the latest round of Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Projects grants, for 65 new research projects yesterday, with three of the projects focused on children’s rights and wellbeing. 

ARC Linkage Projects aim to promote national and international research partnerships to find real-world solutions to a wide array of issues, including those involving children. 

“ARC’s Linkage Projects grant opportunity supports projects that initiate or develop long term research alliances that will apply advanced knowledge to problems as a basis for securing commercial and other benefits of research,” Professor Thomas explained. 

“The new research projects announced today cover a broad spectrum of topics in Australian Government priority areas. They all aim to solve challenges that will benefit Australians and potentially have applications that help the world.” 

Successful projects concerning children include:  

• Griffith University researchers working in collaboration with Aboriginal and other industry co-researchers to develop a ‘how to’ framework for effectively adapting standard child abuse interview protocols to accommodate the complexities that create barriers to disclosure. This innovative framework is expected to have long-term benefits for services that support children’s well-being, through improvements in the quality of evidence underpinning decisions. By enhancing interviewer capability, there will also be fewer cases prematurely exiting the justice system before forensic interview or investigation. ($377,326) 

• Researchers at Flinders University will seek to determine how conceptions of “home” can help to understand and respond to the needs of children and young people in state care, and to generate novel data on “home”. Expected outcomes include developing and evaluating home-centered care principles, practice guidelines and an online training module. ($284,215) 

• Researchers at The University of Melbourne will evaluate an innovative program which integrates family violence and drug and alcohol services, and which focuses on fathering to ensure that the needs of children (50% of family violence victims) are recognised. The program also provides all-of-family support to ensure the safety and wellbeing of women and children. Expected outcomes include better evidence for countering family violence, and policy frameworks for integrated service provision. ($368,430) 

A full list of the grants and details of all research projects are available on the ARC website.