Frank Ainsworth
Biographic Data
| ID | 5822115 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Frank Ainsworth |
| GIVEN NAMES | Frank |
| FAMILY NAME | Ainsworth |
| SIGNATURE | AINSWORTH F |
| AFFILIATIONS | James Cook University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3020-4325 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 83 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 18 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1981 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Reconsidering the best interests of the child construct
Modifying children's court care plans to acknowledge poverty and disadvantage
This think piece suggests that Children's Court Care Plans should include a new section that documents poverty and social disadvantage, especially of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, when they are under investigation for child abuse and neglect. New South Wales in Australia is used as the exemplar state, but this suggestion may find an echo elsewhere. Points for practitioners As a general proposition social and economic circumstanc…
Therapeutic Residential Care for Children and Youth
The International Work Group for Therapeutic Residential Care convened an International Summit on ‘Pathways to Evidence-Based Practice’ at Loughborough University (GBR), Centre for Child and Fami...
An exploration of the differential usage of residential childcare across national boundaries
The use of residential placements for children needing out‐of‐home care remains controversial. This article considers the discourse of ‘residential’ and ‘institutional’ care before describing, mainly through administrative data sources, the wide variations in group‐care usage in different jurisdictions. In some countries, its use is minimal, with foster care, kinship care and in some cases, adoption being the preferred options. This is not so in …
Australian child protection services
Hansen P, Ainsworth F. Australian child protection services: A game without end This article argues that Australian child protection services are based on an error of logical typing. Across time, this has led to an over‐reliance on mandatory reporting legislation, a forensic/investigative/prosecutorial model of practice, a risk‐averse organisational culture and zero tolerance of any imperfections in parenting practices which are defined as child …
The ‘best interests of the child’ thesis
In the 36 years since the 1973 publication of ‘ Beyond the Best Interests of the Child ’ by Goldstein, Freud and Solnit, the phase ‘the best interests of the child’ has achieved biblical standing and is now embedded in childcare and protection legislation worldwide. It also resonates through clinical reports and other materials that form the basis for proceedings in Children's Courts and in Family Law Courts. Such is the power of the phrase that …
Reply to Dalziel and Segal
Five tumultuous years in Australian child protection
In an article published in 2002, one of the authors of this paper offered an analysis of the Australian child protection data from 1999 to 2000 and raised questions about the effectiveness of mandatory reporting. Recently, child protection data for 2003–2004 has been released. This provides an opportunity to re‐examine some child protection issues and the effectiveness of mandatory reporting 5 years on. These have been tumultuous years. Each stat…
Family Foster Care
As seen in recent evaluative studies, family foster care is in crisis in Australia, the UK and the USA, as in other Western countries. Although it has the potential to provide children and young people with nurturing substitute families, such a service cannot be expected to serve adequately all youth at risk of abuse, neglect and separation from their birth families. Anthony Maluccio and Frank Ainsworth argue that in order to promote the effectiv…
A dream come true – no more residential care. A corrective note
This note is about the attempt by the Australian State and Territory child care and protection systems to do without residential programmes. It traces the process of moving to this position and the historical and policy imperatives that supported this service direction. It also outlines the consequences of the absence of 24 hours‐a‐day 7‐days‐a‐week residential education or treatment programmes for difficult and disturbed young people. It is both…
Towards New Models of Professional Foster Care
Foster care for children and young people is in crisis in Australia, the United Kingdom and the USA, as elsewhere. For this reason, the proposal by Barbara Hutchinson and her associates (see Adoption & Fostering 27:3, 2003) is timely and noteworthy. In line with their argument regarding professionalisation of foster care services, Frank Ainsworth and Anthony Maluccio recommend that new models of foster care also need to be considered. Two models …
Drug Use by Parents
Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect
Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect has its origins in the USA, where model statutes for laws designed to introduce this process were first drafted in the early 1960s. Indeed, every state and the District of Columbia passed a child abuse reporting law between 1963 and 1967. Some 10 years later, in 1977, New South Wales was the first Australian state to pass comparable legislation. Mandatory reporting of suspected cases of child abuse a…
Social workers' views of parents of emotionally disturbed children
This article reports the results of a survey of Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) members in relation to their views of parents of emotionally disturbed children. The survey involved a random sample of AASW members. It replicates a US study of members of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) conducted by Johnson, Renaud, Schmidt and Stanek (1998). The study was conducted in order to see if there was any similarity in the…
Wraparound or Individualised Models of Care
In Australia there is some interest in wraparound or individualised models of care as an alternative to traditional modes of child welfare funding and service delivery. This article points to the origin and core principles that guide attempts to create this post‐institutional pattern of service. Following this a definition of wraparound or individualised services is offered. The current state of US research into the effectiveness of services prov…
Kinship care
This article draws attention to the increased use of kinship care as a form of out-of-home care for children in Australia. It presents the findings of recent United States research on family reunification from kinship care and on the outcome of kinship care versus nonrelative foster care. The final part of the article lists a set of questions that need to be answered so that guidelines for the use of kinship care can be developed to assist practi…
The policy and practice of family reunification
This article is about the family reunification of children who have been placed in out-of-home care. It provides a broad definition of family reunification and guidelines for reunification policy and practice. The focus is then on parent education and training and the research studies which suggest that this has to be a fundamental element of any reunification plans. Finally, it highlights key issues that still require resolution
Group Care for Children
[This paper outlines the concept of group care as it relates to services for children and youth. It begins with a consideration of group care as an occupational focus, identifying those structural and social variables which distinguish this focus from others. Group care is then identified as a field of study, highlighting the extent to which group care structures have developed as society's response to social problems and human needs. Finally, co…
Drug Use by Parents
Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect
Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect has its origins in the USA, where model statutes for laws designed to introduce this process were first drafted in the early 1960s. Indeed, every state and the District of Columbia passed a child abuse reporting law between 1963 and 1967. Some 10 years later, in 1977, New South Wales was the first Australian state to pass comparable legislation. Mandatory reporting of suspected cases of child abuse a…
An exploration of the differential usage of residential childcare across national boundaries
The use of residential placements for children needing out‐of‐home care remains controversial. This article considers the discourse of ‘residential’ and ‘institutional’ care before describing, mainly through administrative data sources, the wide variations in group‐care usage in different jurisdictions. In some countries, its use is minimal, with foster care, kinship care and in some cases, adoption being the preferred options. This is not so in …
A dream come true – no more residential care. A corrective note
This note is about the attempt by the Australian State and Territory child care and protection systems to do without residential programmes. It traces the process of moving to this position and the historical and policy imperatives that supported this service direction. It also outlines the consequences of the absence of 24 hours‐a‐day 7‐days‐a‐week residential education or treatment programmes for difficult and disturbed young people. It is both…
Five tumultuous years in Australian child protection
In an article published in 2002, one of the authors of this paper offered an analysis of the Australian child protection data from 1999 to 2000 and raised questions about the effectiveness of mandatory reporting. Recently, child protection data for 2003–2004 has been released. This provides an opportunity to re‐examine some child protection issues and the effectiveness of mandatory reporting 5 years on. These have been tumultuous years. Each stat…
Towards New Models of Professional Foster Care
Foster care for children and young people is in crisis in Australia, the United Kingdom and the USA, as elsewhere. For this reason, the proposal by Barbara Hutchinson and her associates (see Adoption & Fostering 27:3, 2003) is timely and noteworthy. In line with their argument regarding professionalisation of foster care services, Frank Ainsworth and Anthony Maluccio recommend that new models of foster care also need to be considered. Two models …
The ‘best interests of the child’ thesis
In the 36 years since the 1973 publication of ‘ Beyond the Best Interests of the Child ’ by Goldstein, Freud and Solnit, the phase ‘the best interests of the child’ has achieved biblical standing and is now embedded in childcare and protection legislation worldwide. It also resonates through clinical reports and other materials that form the basis for proceedings in Children's Courts and in Family Law Courts. Such is the power of the phrase that …
The policy and practice of family reunification
This article is about the family reunification of children who have been placed in out-of-home care. It provides a broad definition of family reunification and guidelines for reunification policy and practice. The focus is then on parent education and training and the research studies which suggest that this has to be a fundamental element of any reunification plans. Finally, it highlights key issues that still require resolution
Kinship care
This article draws attention to the increased use of kinship care as a form of out-of-home care for children in Australia. It presents the findings of recent United States research on family reunification from kinship care and on the outcome of kinship care versus nonrelative foster care. The final part of the article lists a set of questions that need to be answered so that guidelines for the use of kinship care can be developed to assist practi…
Australian child protection services
Hansen P, Ainsworth F. Australian child protection services: A game without end This article argues that Australian child protection services are based on an error of logical typing. Across time, this has led to an over‐reliance on mandatory reporting legislation, a forensic/investigative/prosecutorial model of practice, a risk‐averse organisational culture and zero tolerance of any imperfections in parenting practices which are defined as child …
Family Foster Care
As seen in recent evaluative studies, family foster care is in crisis in Australia, the UK and the USA, as in other Western countries. Although it has the potential to provide children and young people with nurturing substitute families, such a service cannot be expected to serve adequately all youth at risk of abuse, neglect and separation from their birth families. Anthony Maluccio and Frank Ainsworth argue that in order to promote the effectiv…
Group Care for Children
[This paper outlines the concept of group care as it relates to services for children and youth. It begins with a consideration of group care as an occupational focus, identifying those structural and social variables which distinguish this focus from others. Group care is then identified as a field of study, highlighting the extent to which group care structures have developed as society's response to social problems and human needs. Finally, co…
Kinship care
This article draws attention to the increased use of kinship care as a form of out-of-home care for children in Australia. It presents the findings of recent United States research on family reunification from kinship care and on the outcome of kinship care versus nonrelative foster care. The final part of the article lists a set of questions that need to be answered so that guidelines for the use of kinship care can be developed to assist practi…
The policy and practice of family reunification
This article is about the family reunification of children who have been placed in out-of-home care. It provides a broad definition of family reunification and guidelines for reunification policy and practice. The focus is then on parent education and training and the research studies which suggest that this has to be a fundamental element of any reunification plans. Finally, it highlights key issues that still require resolution
Wraparound or Individualised Models of Care
In Australia there is some interest in wraparound or individualised models of care as an alternative to traditional modes of child welfare funding and service delivery. This article points to the origin and core principles that guide attempts to create this post‐institutional pattern of service. Following this a definition of wraparound or individualised services is offered. The current state of US research into the effectiveness of services prov…
Social workers' views of parents of emotionally disturbed children
This article reports the results of a survey of Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) members in relation to their views of parents of emotionally disturbed children. The survey involved a random sample of AASW members. It replicates a US study of members of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) conducted by Johnson, Renaud, Schmidt and Stanek (1998). The study was conducted in order to see if there was any similarity in the…
Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect
Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect has its origins in the USA, where model statutes for laws designed to introduce this process were first drafted in the early 1960s. Indeed, every state and the District of Columbia passed a child abuse reporting law between 1963 and 1967. Some 10 years later, in 1977, New South Wales was the first Australian state to pass comparable legislation. Mandatory reporting of suspected cases of child abuse a…
Towards New Models of Professional Foster Care
Foster care for children and young people is in crisis in Australia, the United Kingdom and the USA, as elsewhere. For this reason, the proposal by Barbara Hutchinson and her associates (see Adoption & Fostering 27:3, 2003) is timely and noteworthy. In line with their argument regarding professionalisation of foster care services, Frank Ainsworth and Anthony Maluccio recommend that new models of foster care also need to be considered. Two models …
Drug Use by Parents
A dream come true – no more residential care. A corrective note
This note is about the attempt by the Australian State and Territory child care and protection systems to do without residential programmes. It traces the process of moving to this position and the historical and policy imperatives that supported this service direction. It also outlines the consequences of the absence of 24 hours‐a‐day 7‐days‐a‐week residential education or treatment programmes for difficult and disturbed young people. It is both…
Five tumultuous years in Australian child protection
In an article published in 2002, one of the authors of this paper offered an analysis of the Australian child protection data from 1999 to 2000 and raised questions about the effectiveness of mandatory reporting. Recently, child protection data for 2003–2004 has been released. This provides an opportunity to re‐examine some child protection issues and the effectiveness of mandatory reporting 5 years on. These have been tumultuous years. Each stat…
Family Foster Care
As seen in recent evaluative studies, family foster care is in crisis in Australia, the UK and the USA, as in other Western countries. Although it has the potential to provide children and young people with nurturing substitute families, such a service cannot be expected to serve adequately all youth at risk of abuse, neglect and separation from their birth families. Anthony Maluccio and Frank Ainsworth argue that in order to promote the effectiv…
Reply to Dalziel and Segal
The ‘best interests of the child’ thesis
In the 36 years since the 1973 publication of ‘ Beyond the Best Interests of the Child ’ by Goldstein, Freud and Solnit, the phase ‘the best interests of the child’ has achieved biblical standing and is now embedded in childcare and protection legislation worldwide. It also resonates through clinical reports and other materials that form the basis for proceedings in Children's Courts and in Family Law Courts. Such is the power of the phrase that …
Australian child protection services
Hansen P, Ainsworth F. Australian child protection services: A game without end This article argues that Australian child protection services are based on an error of logical typing. Across time, this has led to an over‐reliance on mandatory reporting legislation, a forensic/investigative/prosecutorial model of practice, a risk‐averse organisational culture and zero tolerance of any imperfections in parenting practices which are defined as child …
An exploration of the differential usage of residential childcare across national boundaries
The use of residential placements for children needing out‐of‐home care remains controversial. This article considers the discourse of ‘residential’ and ‘institutional’ care before describing, mainly through administrative data sources, the wide variations in group‐care usage in different jurisdictions. In some countries, its use is minimal, with foster care, kinship care and in some cases, adoption being the preferred options. This is not so in …
Therapeutic Residential Care for Children and Youth
The International Work Group for Therapeutic Residential Care convened an International Summit on ‘Pathways to Evidence-Based Practice’ at Loughborough University (GBR), Centre for Child and Fami...
Modifying children's court care plans to acknowledge poverty and disadvantage
This think piece suggests that Children's Court Care Plans should include a new section that documents poverty and social disadvantage, especially of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, when they are under investigation for child abuse and neglect. New South Wales in Australia is used as the exemplar state, but this suggestion may find an echo elsewhere. Points for practitioners As a general proposition social and economic circumstanc…
Reconsidering the best interests of the child construct
Political science (17 works) · Psychology (16 works) · Medicine (13 works) · Child Welfare and Adoption (12 works) · Law (12 works) · Law (12 works) · Nursing (8 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Child Abuse and Trauma (7 works) · Computer Science (5 works)