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Research

Our research

Violence against women and children affects everybody. It impacts on the health, wellbeing and safety of a significant proportion of Australians throughout all states and territories and places an enormous burden on the nation’s economy across family and community services, health and hospitals, income-support and criminal justice systems.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

News and events

ANROWS hosts events as part of its knowledge transfer and exchange work, including public lectures, workshops and research launches. Details of upcoming ANROWS activities and news are available from the list on the right.

ANROWS

About ANROWS

ANROWS was established by the Commonwealth and all state and territory governments of Australia to produce, disseminate and assist in applying evidence for policy and practice addressing violence against women and children.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER

Resources

To support the take-up of evidence, ANROWS offers a range of resources developed from research to support practitioners and policy-makers in delivering evidence-based interventions.


SUBMISSION

Inquiry into Workforce Australia Employment Services

Responding to the Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services, this submission focuses on the role of the ParentsNext program, which is the first major component of the Committee’s inquiry into employment services in Australia.  

The submission utilises ANROWS research to explore the role of the ParentsNext program in providing early intervention services to parents and carers of young children as part of the employment services system. It outlines the impact of the program on the economic security of victims and survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV) and the program’s capacity to support women’s decisions about their current and future employment, training and education.

Recommendations made in this submission include the following:

  • Revise the Targeted Compliance Framework.
  • Clarify ParentsNext’s status as either a pre-employment or employment program.
  • Adjust the ParentsNext program to respond to individual needs and situations.
  • Address structural and cultural barriers to access and participation.
  • Conduct research directly with victims and survivors to understand their experiences of welfare-to-work programs, focusing on First Nations women, culturally and linguistically diverse women, participants with disability, and those caring for children with disability.
  • Ensure greater integration with other services and systems that participants may engage with.
  • Provide comprehensive DFV training for ParentsNext service providers.

 

Suggested citation

Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety. (2022). Re: Inquiry into Workforce Australia Employment Services [Submission]. ANROWS.

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