This paper is based on a presentation at the Mission of St James and St John Forum ‘Protecting Our Children: Where Do We Draw the Line?’ in Melbourne on June 18, 1993. It provides an analysis of why inter-agency collaboration has often remained an elusive goal and identifies some of the structural obstacles to collaboration which are particularly relevant to the current context of child welfare in Victoria. While many of the obstacles to inter-agency collaboration are beyond the domain of the individual practitioner and agency, some suggestions are offered for strategies which can be pursued by practitioners and agencies.

A sample of 422 students (212 males; 210 females) ranging in age from 5-15 years completed an interview regarding their experiences of victimisation at school. Conservatively, 6% were bullied ‘once a week or more’, while 91% of the sample had witnessed incidents of bullying at school. Nearly one fifth of the sample felt powerless to stop bullying. The findings also indicated a relationship between victimisation and external locus of control suggesting that one outcome of victimisation is a feeling of powerlessness or helplessness. The findings were discussed in terms of the mental health outcomes for victims of bullying.

This paper describes the development of the Family Life Education Programme, an innovative group approach to parenting issues. The programme aims to (i) utilise the strengths of a multidisciplinary allied health team and (ii) to avoid focusing on the limited issues of child management and discipline. Previous styles of parent education groups are discussed, together with their shortcomings and the authors’ frustrations with such approaches. The rationale for the format of the new programme is described, and the detailed structure outlined. Two innovations are highlighted. Firstly, the programme focuses on issues from both the child and parent perspective (eg, child's play/parents’ recreation). Secondly, the six-week programme uses professionals from various disciplines as weekly consultants, while one member of the team provides week-to-week continuity as an anchor. The programme is evaluated in terms of the impact on the multi-disciplinary team, and the feedback from participants. It is argued that the Family Life Education Programme offers a balanced approach to the many issues confronting parents of young children and it could be implemented not only within multi-disciplinary teams, but also co-operatively across agencies.

Recruiting caregivers for children with an intellectual disability who require out-of-home respite or longer-term care is a problem which has challenged service providers for many years. This paper summarises findings of a recent evaluation of Shared Family Care, a foster care program in Victoria for children with intellectual disabilities/developmental delay. Current recruiting is not succeeding in meeting the demand for either respite, short term or long term care. Findings of the evaluation suggest that factors such as use of appropriate media, and running effective recruitment campaigns is only part of the answer. It is also important at every stage to address caregiver satisfaction with the job and employ strategies to find potential caregivers in the community.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified by Australia in December 1990. The Convention contains 55 articles, 41 of which are substantive, the others being procedural.

The Convention has been analysed in legal and other literature in Australia. Its ratification was actively promoted by the National Children's Bureau of Australia and other bodies. Its implementation is the primary responsibility of the Federal and State governments. Periodic reports are required to be made to a Committee of the United Nations established for this purpose. It is foreseen that non-government organisations in each ratifying country will be invited to comment on the performance of their country. This surely means that the NCHA has a role in monitoring the implementation of the Convention.

In the last edition of Children Australia [18(3)], I started an interview with a woman who came to see me several years ago claiming that her child was both sexually and physically abused by his teacher. At considerable cost to herself and her family, she has refused to ignore the abuse her child suffered and the lack of action by the authorities.

PART TWO of the interview commences with discussing her son's disclosure.