Resources and publications

Supporting children and young people with disability in out-of-home care

• Children with disability in out-of-home care – summary of the literature  (pdf, 717.5 KB)
• Exploring the intersection of disability and out-of-home care: summary from World Café discussions (pdf, 249.3 KB)

Building disability-informed practice

• The Disability Informed Practice in Child Protection: A Guide to Assessing Parenting Capacity with Parents with Intellectual Disability is a practical resource produced for the Toward Access and Equity study. The resource is designed to assist child protection, clinical and legal professionals to adapt their approach to engagement with parents with intellectual disability in assessment of their parenting capacity. You can download a free web version or print version.

Supporting connections for children and families in out-of-home-care

• Resource for parents 1 – Light in the dark (pdf, 125KB)
• Resource for parents 2 - Nourishing and strengthening sparks of connection (pdf, 323KB)
• Resource for parents 3 - Shining your own light on family time (pdf, 149KB)
• Carers as Custodians of Children’s Connections: Safe and meaningful connections with birth family (pdf, 3.4MB
• Linking lives for siblings living separately in out-of-home care: A practical tool for caseworkers to promote sibling connections (pdf, 353KB)
  
• Fostering Lifelong Connections - The Bridge' & 'Building Bridges' films: A viewing guide for caseworkers and social work students (pdf, 604.6KB). The two films can be viewed here: The Bridge and Building Bridges.

Family time from a distance

• Keeping connected with video chats
• Family Time - from a distance, without technology
• Conversation starters for children and families
• 10 simple child and family friendly online games
• Keeping kids connected by playing online games
• Virtual Visitation for Separated Families
• Remote Social Work Practice

Building trauma-informed practice

• Understanding and responding to trauma expressions to support family time (pdf, 193KB)
• Words Matter: Trauma sensitive language with children (pdf, 423KB)
  
• Taking the journey toward a trauma-informed approach to Family Time (pdf, 3.1MB)
• Tips for supporting parents with intellectual disability (pdf, 236KB)
• Developing a trauma-informed approach to birth family contact - summary
  
• Research huddle event on trauma-informed practice  for children in out-of-home-care - summary

Supporting parents with intellectual disability

• Tips for supporting parents with intellectual disability (pdf, 243KB)
• Tips for parents with intellectual disability (pdf, 236KB)
• Video 1 – What are the best and most challenging things about being a parent? 
• Video 2 – How did you learn parenting skills? 
• Video 3 – What support do parents need and what happens when they don’t get it? 
• Video 4 – How can services ensure parents get the help they need?

Supporting children with incarcerated parents

• Tip sheet for supporting father-child relationships using video visitation in prison (pdf, 1.2MB).

Youth development and wellbeing

• Youth Work – Agency and Empowerment Evidence Review
• Youth Socioemotional Wellbeing Evidence Review

• Ethnic minority families in the Australian child welfare system – Dr Betty Luu interviewed by SBS Cantonese Radio about her book chapter published in the Handbook of Critical Whiteness (English Abstract)
• My Family Time is Mine (pdf, 2.95MB) is a resource created by Bobby Hendry to give young people aged 11+ in out-of-home care tips and tricks for navigating Family Time (contact). It was developed as part of the ARC Linkage project, Fostering Lifelong Connections for Children in Permanent Care (LP180101332). You can purchase a copy of the book here.
• Roar (pdf, 19.4MB) is a children’s picture book created by Billy Black for young children in out-of-home care and their families. It is about the big feelings that come up around Family Time (contact) and was developed as part of the ARC Linkage project, Fostering Lifelong Connections for Children in Permanent Care (LP180101332). There is also an accompanying Adult's Guide available. You can purchase a copy of the book here.
• The Multiple Meanings of Permanency. Article by A/Prof Amy Conley Wright and Dr Susan Collings in the Australian Institute of Family Studies Child Family Community Australia newsletter.
• How children can help Aboriginal Elders during lockdown – media release article by The University of Sydney about the Carer Support Needs report.
• How caring for children can help Aboriginal Elders during lockdown – article in The Conversation by Dr Susan Collings, Irene Wardle and Associate Professor John Gilroy.
• Research shows kids protect Elders from social isolation in lockdowns - Dr Susan Collings and Irene Wardle interviewed by the National Indigenous Times.
• "Cultural Tsunami": How the Safe & Together Institute Seeks to Transform Systems - Partnered with a Survivor podcast (hosted by David Mandel and Ruth Stearns Mandel), featuring discussions of recent article by Tracey De Simone and Associate Professor Susan Heward-Belle
• Researching permanency in out-of-home care - Associate Professor Amy Conley Wright in conversation with Professor Nick Enfield
• Media from the Meanings of Permanency project: narrated video and electronic flipbook
• Practices that support parenting by parents with intellectual disability
• Widening the conversation about adoption and foster care
• Helping children in care stay in contact with their birth families during COVID-19
• Mums with an intellectual disability already risk family violence and losing their kids. Coronavirus could make things worse
• Discovery of newborn in Sydney prompts calls for safe drop-off zones for unwanted infants. Professor Amy Conley Wright interviewed on child welfare, April 24, 2023 – The Guardian and The Project - Channel 10.

• NSW FACSIAR Lunch and Learn, Findings and Recommendations from the Family Group Conferencing Evaluation. 
• NSW Child and Family Workforce Skills Strategy (pdf, 3.1MB) - Presented at the Workforce Skills Strategy Stakeholder Roundtable hosted by the Association of Children's Welfare Agencies (ACWA), July 2023
  
• Young People as Experts – Sydney Ideas online event with ARC Linkage Fostering Lifelong Connections Experts-by-Experience Billy Black, Bobby Hendry and Tegan Whittaker, with Professors Peter Pecora, Amy Conley Wright and Judy Cashmore, on valuing lived expertise in conducting research to change the out-of-home care system. Listen to the Sydney Ideas podcast (on Apple iTunes and other podcast platforms).
  
• Practice and Policy Strategies for Permanency Planning - Presented by Professor Peter Pecora, University of Washington and Casey Family Programs. Webinar hosted by the Research Centre for Children and Families and Association of Children's Welfare Agencies (ACWA). View the recording. Download the handouts
• Family Law Reform Lived Expertise Forum. Presented by Professor Heather Douglas (University of Melbourne), Dr Rachel Carson (Australian Institute of Family Studies), A/Prof Susan Heward-Belle, and Jane Matts (DVNSW Voices for Change) during 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, Full Stop Australia, December 2021. View the recording.
• Working toward restoration webinar for legal professionals (pdf, 1MB). Presented by A/Prof Amy Conley Wright, Dr Susan Collings, Dr Betty Luu, Irene Wardle, and Meredith McLaine at a Research Centre for Children and Families webinar, November 2021. View the recording.
• Using DCJ Evidence Portal as a ‘go to’ data source. Presented by Anthony Shannon (NSW Department of Communities and Justice), A/Prof Amy Conley Wright, Ken Zulumovski (Gamarada Universal Indigenous Resources), and Johanne Gow (NSW Department of Communities and Justice), November 2021. View the recording.
• Practices for fostering lifelong cultural connections for Aboriginal children in care (pdf, 20MB). Presented by A/Prof Lyn Riley, Sarah Ciftci, A/Prof Amy Conley Wright, Trudy Everingham and Jayde Ward (NSW Department of Communities and Justice), Stephen Newman (Uniting Care) as part of the FACSIAR Research Seminar Lunch and Learn Series, October 2021. View the recording.
• Using a core components approach in evidence review and service redesign in youth mentoring (pdf, 1MB). Presented by A/Prof Amy Conley Wright, Dr Betty Luu, Laura Metcalfe, Anthony Shannon (NSW Department of Communities and Justice) as part of the Youth Justice NSW Collaboration, October 2021. View the recording.
• Navigating digital safe spaces for family time (webinar for professionals) (pdf, 1MB). Presented by A/Prof Amy Conley Wright, Dr Susan Collings, and Dr Betty Luu at a Research Centre for Children and Families webinar, September 2021. View the recording.
• Parent engagement in child welfare: Applied theory and methods to improve practice (pdf, 18MB). Presented by Dr Susan Collings at the Children’s Court Clinic Journal Club, September 2021. View the recording.
• Working toward restoration (pdf, 1MB). Presented by A/Prof Amy Conley Wright, Dr Susan Collings, Dr Betty Luu, Irene Wardle, Kate Spalding (Parenting Research Centre), Wade Mahoney (Wandiyali), and Dr Kylie Evans-Locke (Care South) at a Research Centre for Children and Families webinar, September 2021. View the recording.
• OOHC through the lens of attachment theory (pdf, 2MB). Presented by Associate Professor Amy Conley Wright and PhD Candidate, Pei Kong, at a training webinar hosted by the NSW Committee on Adoption and Permanent Care, April 2021. View the recording.
• Children’s relationships in out-of-home care (pdf, 1.4 MB). Presented by Professor Judy Cashmore at the FACSIAR Research Seminar Series, November 2020. Less talk of contact, more talk of family time: how to build enduring connections for children in care. View the recording.
• Fostering Lifelong Connections: Collaborative action research on Family Time practices (pdf, 703.6 KB). Presented by Associate Professor Amy Conley Wright, and Billy Black, Fostering Lifelong Connections expert-by-experience at the FACSIAR Research Seminar Series, November 2020. Less talk of contact, more talk of family time: how to build enduring connections for children in care. View the recording.
• Meanings of Permanency – Research-to-Practice Webinar. Watch the video.
• Reflective practice - Evidence on Family Time (pdf, 709KB), presented by Wright, A.C., Collings, S., Ciftci, S., and members of Fostering Lifelong Connections Expert Reference Group and Action Researchers. View the recording.
• The pivot to permanency: Reforming child protection and out-of-home care in NSW, Australia (pdf, 5.06MB), presented by Wright, A.C., Make Visible in Action: International Conference on Forensic Social Work, June 2020. View the video.

• Research Centre for Children and Families (2024). Family Connect and Support Evaluation. Interim and Final Evaluation Reports.
• Luu, B., Wright, A. C., Schurer, S., Metcalfe, L., Heward-Belle, S., Collings, S., & Barrett, E. (2024). Analysis of linked longitudinal administrative data on child protection involvement for NSW families with domestic and family violence, alcohol and other drug issues and mental health issues. (Research report, 01/2024). ANROWS.
• Hanley, N., Duursma, E., Wright, A.C., Simpson, H. & Metcalfe, L. (2024). Maintaining father-child relationships using video visitations in Australian prisons, Australian Institute of Criminology.
• Hanley N, Duursma E, Wright A.C., Simpson H & Metcalfe L 2024. Video visitation in Australian prisons: Perspectives on father–child contact. Trends & issues in crime and criminal justice no. 683. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.
• Research Centre for Children and Families (2023). Workforce Skills Strategy. Association of Child Welfare Agencies (ACWA).
• Wright, A.C. & Collings, S. (2023). Conceptual meanings of permanency: photovoice with care-experienced youth, Journal of Youth Studies.
• Morris, M., Brusco, N., McAleer, R., Eckert, M., Wright, A.C., Billett, S., Carey, L., Davis, S.F., Project Working Group, Blackberry, I. (2023). Care workforce: a rapid review of the evidence supporting methods of recruitment, retention, safety, and education. Human Resources in Health.
• Hanley, N., Duursma, E., Wright, A.C. & Simpson, H. (2023). What can the development of video visitation in Australian correctional centres tell us about organisational transformation? Current Issues in Criminal Justice.
• Black, B., Hendry, B., Wright, A. C., & Collings, S. (2023). Co-Design with people with lived experience: Designing resources to communicate with children and young people in care about their family time contact visits. The British Journal of Social Work,53(3), 1352–1367.
• Wilkinson, H. & Wright, A.C. (2024). Recruiting Carers and Adoptive Parents for Older Children and Youth: Messages and Methods of Media Campaigns. Children & Youth Services Review.
• Research Centre for Children and Families (2022). Family Group Conferencing Evaluation.
• Wright, A. C., Cashmore, J., Wise, S., & Tilbury, C. (2022). Comparative analysis of third-party permanency orders legislation in Australia. Australian Journal of Social Issues. Online first.
• MacDonald, M., Wright, A.C., Taylor-Beswick, A., Gillespie, K., Collings, S. (2022). Digital Relationality, Rights, Resilience: Conceptualising a digital social ecology for children’s birth family relationships when in care or adopted. British Journal of Social Work. 53 (1), 216–235.
• Ciftci, S., Collings, S., Wright, A.C. (2022). Action research with caseworkers: Responding to and reflecting on the impacts of COVID-19 on birth family contact. Child & Family Social WorkOnline First.
• Collings, S., Spencer., M., Wedgwood, N., & Hindmarsh, G. (2022). Supporting the Woman, Supporting the Mother: Final Report.
• Collings, S., Spencer, M., & Kong, P. (2022). Toward Access and Equity: Improving Clinical Assessment of Parenting Capacity for the Children’s Court of NSW: Final Report.
• Collings, S., Wright, A.C. (2022). "You are mum and then they are mum": Negotiating roles, relationships, and contact in out-of-home care. Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies, Online first.
• Wedgwood, N., Collings, S., Spencer, M., Hindmarsh, G. (2021). Mother of a problem! Are the needs of mothers with intellectual disability being addressed in the NDIS era? Journal of Social Inclusion, 12(1), 68-74.
• Zodins, J., Morley, L., Collings, S., Russ, E. (2021). Children's rights in adoption from out-of-home care: How well do legislative frameworks accommodate them? Australian Journal of Human Rights, Online first.
• Luu, B., Collings, S., Wright, A.C. (2021). A systematic review of common elements of practice that support reunification. Children and Youth Services Review, 133, 106342.
• Heward-Belle, S., Lovell, R. C., Jones, J., Tucker, H., & Melander, N. (2021). Practice in a Time of Uncertainty: Practitioner Reflections on Working With Families Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic. Affilia.
• Humphreys, C., Heward-Belle, S., Tsantefski, M., Isobe, J., & Healey, L. (2021). Beyond co-occurrence: Addressing the intersections of domestic violence, mental health and substance misuse. Child & Family Social Work, 1– 12. 
• Wright, A.C., Metcalfe, L., Heward-Belle, S., Collings, S., & Barrett, E. (2021). Critical interpretive synthesis: Child protection involvement for families with domestic and family violence, alcohol and other drug issues, and mental health issues (Research report, 06/2021) (pdf, 1.61MB). ANROWS.
• Collings, S., & Wright, A.C., McLean, L., & Buratti, S. (2021). Trauma-informed family contact practice for children in out-of-home care, The British Journal of Social Work, bcab147.
• Collings, S., Wright, AC., Wardle, I., Wilkinson, D., Gilroy, J., & Pinckham, S. (2021). New South Wales Carer Support Needs: Coping in the context of COVID-19 Final Report (pdf, 3.60 MB). Research Centre for Children and Families, The University of Sydney
• Lin, C., Chen, Y., Wang, C., Wright, A.C., Spencer, M., & Van Wichelen, S. (2021). Changing nature of adoption and need for post-adoption services: Intercountry adoption practice in Taiwan and Australia. International Social Work. Pre-print accessible here.
• Collings, S., Wright, A. C., & Spencer, M. (2021). Telling visual stories of loss and hope: Body mapping with mothers about contact after child removal. Qualitative Research. Pre-print accessible here.
• Stoddart, J., Wright, A.C., Spencer, M. & van Wichelen, S. (2021). ‘I’m the Centre Part of a Venn Diagram’:  Belonging and Identity for Taiwanese-Australian Intercountry Adoptees. Adoption & Fostering, 45(1), 71-89. Pre-print accessible here.
• Wright, A.C., Luu, B., & Cashmore, J. (2021). Adoption in Australia: Past, present and considerations for the future. Australian Law Journal, 95(1), 67-80. Pre-print accessible here.
• Wright, A.C., Van Wichelen, S., Spencer, M., Chen, Y., Lin, C., & Wang, C. (2020). Narrating connection in intercountry adoption: Complexities of openness in Taiwan-Australia adoptions. International Journal of Social Welfare. Available online as early view. Pre-print accessible here.
• Luu, B., Wright, A.C., & Cashmore, J. (2020). Sibling networks of children adopted from out-of-home care in New South Wales, Australia. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, 105588.
• Wright, A., Metcalfe, L., Wilkinson, H., Luu, B. (2020). Priority vulnerable populations, Sydney: Research Centre for Children and Families, The University of Sydney.
• Collings, S., & Wright, A. (2020). Two families joined by a child: the role of direct contact in fostering relationships between birth and carer families in permanent care, Journal of Family Studies. Pre-print accessible here
• Collings, S., Strnadová, I., Loblinzk, J., & Danker J. (2020). Benefits and limits of peer support for mothers with intellectual disability affected by domestic violence and child protection. Disability & Society, 35(3), 413-434. Pre-print accessible here
• Collings, S., Wright, A., Spencer, M., Luu, B. (2020). How foster carers experience agency support for birth family contact. Child and Family Social Work, 25(1), 83-91. Pre-print accessible here
• Evidence review of permanency practices: Summary of issues and practices (July 2020) (pdf, 336KB)
• Wright, A., Collings, S. (2019). Permanency with lifelong connections: Casework practices to support positive relationships between carer and birth families. Developing Practice, 53, 92-109. Post-print accessible here
• Wright, A.C., Warren, J., Burriel, K., Sinnott, L. (2019). Innovations in social welfare: Three variations on the Australian supported playgroup model. International Journal of Social Welfare, 28(3), 333-344.
• Evidence Review of Permanency Practices (pdf, 779kB), Research Centre for Children and Families, The University of Sydney, August 2019.
• Taylor, S., Wright, A.C., Pothier, H., Hill, C., Rosenberg, M. (2019). It's like I have an advantage in all this: Experiences of advocacy by parents of children with disabilities from professional backgrounds. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 46(3), 159-183.
• Tobin, J., Cashmore, J. (2019). Article 19: The right to protection against all forms of violence. In John Tobin (Eds.), The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: A Commentary, (pp. 687-724). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Tobin, J., Cashmore, J. (2019). Article 9: The right not to be separated from parents. In John Tobin (Eds.), The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: A Commentary, (pp. 307-342). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Collings, S., Neil, E., Wright, A. (2018). Practices to improve communication between birth parents and permanent families. Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education, 20(2), 144-150. Accessible here
• Collings, S., Dew, A., Gordon, T., Spencer, M., & Dowse, L. (2018). Intersectional disadvantage: Exploring differences between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal parents with intellectual disability in the New South Wales child protection system. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 12(2), 170-189. Post-print accessible here
• Collings, S., Spencer, M., Dew, A., & Dowse, L. (2018). 'She was there if I needed to talk or to try and get my point across': Specialist advocacy for parents with intellectual disability in the Australian child protection system. Australian Journal of Human Rights, 24(2), 162-181. Post-print accessible here
• Parkinson, P., Cashmore, J. (2018). Relocation and the indissolubility of parenthood. Journal of Child Custody, 15(1), 76-92.
• Ciftci, S. (2018). Making space for Indigenous justice in the child welfare and protection context. In J. Hendry, M. L. Tatum, M. Jorgensen & D. Howard-Wagner (Eds.), Indigenous justice: New tools, approaches, and spaces, (pp. 111-125). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Heward-Belle, S., Laing, L., Humphreys, C., Toivonen (Kennaugh), C. (2018). Intervening with children living with domestic violence: Is the system safe? Australian Social Work, 71(2), 135-147.
• Laing, L., Heward-Belle, S., Toivonen (Kennaugh), C. (2018). Practitioner perspectives on collaboration across domestic violence, child protection, and family law: Who's minding the gap? Australian Social Work, 71(2), 215-227.
• Taylor, S. & Wright, A.C. (2017). The role of not-for-profit organisations in supporting leadership in parents of children with disabilities: A cross national perspective. Third Sector Review, 23 (2), pp 81-107