Research

FES was commissioned by the Department of Social Services to conduct a qualitative study to explore NDIS plan utilisation and the factors which support and hinder NDIS participants use of NDIS funds. The study has a particular focus on four key groups who have been identified as being at risk of low utilisation of NDIS funding, i.e. people from Indigenous and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds, with complex needs, a psychosocial disability, and/or live in a remote location. Examining experiences in six diverse sites in Australia, interviews have been conducted with NDIS participants and their family members/carers, and consultations have been undertaken with key stakeholders. The qualitative research was undertaken as a part of a broader national study with additional research being conducted by the Public Service Research Group at the University of New South Wales and Melbourne Disability Institute at the University of Melbourne.

FES will support the Office for Data Analytics (ODA) with subject matter expertise in disability research and data analytics to analyse linked data (NDDA pilot test) and help prepare a report to the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the National Disability Data Asset (NDDA) project team. The project will analyse the pathways from education into employment if young adults with disabilities through school education, senior secondary education, vocational education and training participation. The project will run from 1 July 2021 until end October 2021.

Funded by Australian Government Department of Social Services

The University of Adelaide (Future of Employment and Skills Research Centre) was commissioned by the Department of Social Services to undertake an independent baseline data collection in the Goldfields Cashless Debit Card (CDC) trial site, starting on 1 May 2018.

The CDC was progressively rolled out in the Goldfields region from March 2018. The baseline data collection in the Goldfields trial site commenced soon after the introduction of the CDC.

The purpose of this baseline data collection was to identify socio-economic conditions in the Goldfields region at the time the CDC was introduced and to capture the community's experiences and expectations of the Card immediately following its introduction. The independent baseline data collection exercise sourced data from in-depth interviews with 66 stakeholder representatives and 64 CDC participants across the Goldfields region.

The final report of the project was provided by the University of Adelaide to the Department of Social Services in February 2019. The report’s title was “Cashless Debit Card Baseline Data Collection in the Goldfields Region: Qualitative Findings” and was published in February 2019 by the Department of Social Services.

Read the full report: Cashless Debit Card Baseline Data Collection in the Goldfields Region: Qualitative Findings

More on DSS Cashless Debit Card Evaluation

Funded by Australian Government Department of Social Services

The University of Adelaide (Future of Employment and Skills Research Centre) was commissioned by the Department of Social Services to undertake the second independent impact evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card trial on 26 November 2018. The second evaluation included the first three Cashless Debit Card trial sites of Ceduna and surrounds, East Kimberley and the Goldfields. This second impact evaluation aimed to further develop an evidence base for the Cashless Debit Card, to better understand ‘what works, for whom, under what circumstances and when’.

The second independent impact evaluation was designed to provide a rigorous evaluation of the impact of the Cashless Debit Card and involved the triangulation of findings from the following three data sources:

• Qualitative interviews with Cashless Debit Card participants and with relevant stakeholders in the Ceduna and surrounds, East Kimberley and Goldfields Cashless Debit Card trial sites
• A quantitative survey of Cashless Debit Card participants (target of 1300 respondents in total, across the three trial sites)
• Analysis of relevant administrative data from both before and after implementation of the Card, drawn from the Department of Human Services, the Department of Social Services, Indue, and community-level data from the Western Australian and South Australian governments.

This second independent impact evaluation is underpinned and informed by a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy and a University of Adelaide ethics approval process.

The research culminated in three reports – a Consolidated Report and two Supplementary Reports:

• Consolidated Report on the Evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card in Ceduna, East Kimberley and the Goldfields, which presents all key findings of the evaluation and focuses on the policy point of view. This is the main document of the evaluation.
• Qualitative Supplementary Report on the Evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card in Ceduna, East Kimberley and the Goldfields, which presents all qualitative analysis from all three trial sites.
• Quantitative Supplementary Report on the Evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card in Ceduna, East Kimberley and the Goldfields, which presents all quantitative data analyses, including econometric estimations of impacts where this was feasible.

The final versions of these three reports were provided by the University of Adelaide to the Department of Social Services in November 2020 and were published by the Department in February 2021.

Read the full reports:

Consolidated Report on the Evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card in Ceduna, East Kimberley and the Goldfields

Qualitative Supplementary Report on the Evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card in Ceduna, East Kimberley and the Goldfields

Quantitative Supplementary Report on the Evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card in Ceduna, East Kimberley and the Goldfields

More on DSS Cashless Debit Card Evaluation

Funded by Australian Government Department of Social Services

The University of Adelaide (Future of Employment and Skills Research Centre) was commissioned by the Department of Social Services to undertake an independent baseline data collection in the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay Cashless Debit Card (CDC) trial site, starting on 11 December 2018.

The purpose of this baseline data collection in Bundaberg and Hervey Bay was to investigate and document conditions around the time the Cashless Debit Card was being introduced in this trial site in order to provide a strong foundation for future evaluation of the Cashless Debit Card in that site.

This effort aligned with the methodology of the second independent impact evaluation conducted at the same time by the University of Adelaide, tailored where necessary to local conditions in the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay area.

The Bundaberg and Hervey Bay Cashless Debit Card (CDC) baseline data collection is underpinned and informed by a Stakeholder Engagement Strategy and a University of Adelaide ethics approval process.

Two reports were produced for the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay baseline data collection: a Qualitative Findings Report and a Quantitative Data Snapshot.

The Qualitative Findings Report followed a comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy which involved in-depth qualitative interviews with 74 stakeholder representatives and 66 CDC participants across the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay region. As the baseline data collection aimed to increase understanding of the conditions within the region just before the introduction of the CDC, interviews were therefore sought (where possible) with people prior to them transitioning formally onto the CDC.

The Quantitative Data Snapshot provided an overview of key social and economic characteristics of the population living in the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay region prior to the start of the rollout of the CDC on 29th January 2019. The Bundaberg and Hervey Bay region statistics were compared, where appropriate, with the state of Queensland as a whole and with Australia as a whole. The analysis was primarily conducted using publicly available data sources. The data sources included the Census of Population and Housing, the National VET Provider Collection as well as datasets published by various Queensland Government departments. The project also used data from the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) and Australian Government administrative data.

These two reports were provided by the University of Adelaide to the Department of Social Services in April 2020 and were published by the Department in May 2020.

Read the full reports

Cashless Debit Card Baseline Data Collection in the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay Region: Qualitative Findings

Cashless Debit Card Baseline Data Collection in the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay Region: Quantitative Data Snapshot

More on DSS Cashless Debit Card Evaluation

Funded by Australian Government Department of Health, Aged Care Workforce Strategy Taskforce

FES was commissioned by the Aged Care Workforce Strategy Taskforce to examine attraction, retention and skills utilisation in the aged care workforce.

Using both quantitative and qualitative data from the 2012 and 2016 National Aged Care Workforce Census and Survey (NACWCS) data collections, we examined the pathways taken by workers into aged care and the factors which are likely to facilitate or hinder attraction into the sector. We also explored the factors that are likely to influence the retention of aged care workers in the sector as well as the presence and impact of skill shortages within the sector.

A report was produced for the Taskforce outlining the findings of the project along with recommendations of the steps the sector could take to achieve a skilled and sustainable aged care workforce both now and into the future. This evidence is being used by the Taskforce to develop strategies for growing and sustaining the aged care workforce.

Read Working Paper on Attraction, Retention and Utilisation of the Aged Care Workforce

Addressing the Australian Government’s Strategic Research Priority of ‘Promoting population health and wellbeing’, the study will provide the first in-depth exploration to date of supply-side issues in the aged care workforce in Australia. This project aims to provide new evidence on how to attract, retain and up-skill workers as the aged care sector strives to achieve a sustainable and skilled workforce fit for the future needs of older Australians.

Using a mixed methods design, this project will combine secondary analysis of representative national datasets, with the collection and analysis of qualitative data. Additionally a novel and innovative use of discrete choice experiment (DCE) methodology will be utilised to elicit the attitudes and preferences of aged care workers regarding future employment in the sector.

The evidence and recommendations from the project will be of great value to national policy makers and aged care service providers for future workforce planning and development. The anticipated outcomes from this study will include an understanding of current trends, projections and employment preferences in the aged care workforce, and the development of well-defined strategies to improve recruitment and retention in the industry, transitions between aged care sectors, worker satisfaction, and up skilling of employees. This will lead to increased efficiency and productivity improvements in the delivery of quality aged care services, increased worker and client satisfaction, reduced staff shortages and turnover and a cost reduction relating to the hiring and training of new staff.

Funded by the Australian Research Council, Linkage grant

Funded by Australian Government Department of Social Services, Research and Data Working Group (RDWG)

The aim of this project was to examine the access of the disability sector to sufficient numbers of skilled and experienced workers during the first years of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) roll-out. To this purpose, the project undertook a national assessment of existing and emerging skills imbalances in the disability sector, and examined workforce size and location, and the types of skills which are available and the skills that will be required as the NDIS rolls out.

The multi-method approach employed by the project involved the analysis and integration of evidence from quantitative nationally-representative vocational education and training (VET) data on disability-related training enrolments and completions, including the post-training employment outcomes, and from targeted in-depth, qualitative semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, including training providers, people with disability, disability support providers, and disability support workers. The project used the specific content information by module provided by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to distinguish between qualifications specialising in disability care from those specialising in aged care.

The project has built unique new evidence about existing and emerging skills imbalances in the disability sector in the critical NDIS rollout period. The main finding is that, in the context of sharply rising demand for care services initiated by the NDIS, the training sector has been responding strongly by increasing the number of new VET graduates with disability-specific qualifications, at a much faster pace than the average VET qualifications. The implication is that skill shortages are being experienced but bottlenecks are avoided through the fast speed and high volume of relevant graduations.

In order to triangulate the evidence provided by the training-specific analysis, the project also developed a macroeconomic picture of the disability care workforces using census and related labour market data to build a picture of shortages and surpluses in the relevant skills and qualifications in the broader care sector in the economy during the rollout years. This picture confirmed the absence of large scale skill shortages in the disability care sector at the starting phase of the full NDIS rollout.

The project thus provides an optimistic message about skill shortages, but this should not be read without the understanding that the NDIS has a long way to go until it is fully rolled out and that skill shortages in core competencies can often be invisible to large scale data, but highly damaging to operations that are highly dependent on them. The damage caused by shortages in specific nursing or other clinical specialists in many instances in health care is a case in point that should be born in mind.

Read the full report: Research Report on Anticipating and Addressing the Impending Shortage of Skilled Disability Support Workers.

Funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI)

Indigenous housing is an enduring policy problem in Australia. While previous research has primarily focused on what contributes to poor tenancy outcomes among Indigenous people, very little is known about what contributes to successful tenancies. Successful tenancies not only prevent tenancy failure, but can also help in the achievement of positive tenancy outcomes (such as providing stability and security and improving health and well-being) (Nethercote 2012). Adopting a strengths-based approach rather than a deficit approach, this research project aims to understand what are 'successful' tenancies for Indigenous Australians and 'what works' for securing successful housing outcomes across a range of different tenancy types and locations.

Funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), the project will utilise both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.

The qualitative component of the project will comprise two elements. First, a review of tenancy initiatives and the literature on Indigenous tenancies will be undertaken. This review would involve a web-based review and canvassing of key stakeholders (from state housing departments and community/Indigenous housing providers). Second, in-depth case studies of three initiatives (based in urban, regional and remote areas respectively) which are successfully sustaining Indigenous tenancies will be conducted. This case study approach would involve the conduct and analysis of qualitative interviews with key stakeholder groups (including government departments, program employees and tenants). We will compare and contrast each of the three initiatives to identify common elements that contribute to their success. We will then assess whether these elements are transferable across different housing contexts and locations.

The quantitative component of the project will analyse national administrative data from the Australian Priority Investment Approach Longitudinal Income Support Administrative dataset (PIA). The PIA provides data relating to Centrelink recipients and their partners, across and beyond benefits and payments, housing tenure, income and assets, medical and demographic details. Using a Principal Component Analysis approach, Indigenous household tenancies (and changes to those tenancies) will be tracked over a 10-year period, alongside key socio-demographic characteristics such as health, education, disability and major life events.

The project will be supported be an advisory group comprising State Government and Indigenous Housing organisations representatives. We will strive for 50 per cent Indigenous membership. This advisory group will provide feedback on the research design, research findings and policy recommendations.

Funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI)

‘Modelling sustainable regional and remote Indigenous housing and maintenance’ is a University of Sydney research study, in collaboration with the University of Tasmania, University of Adelaide and not-for-profit organisation Healthabitat.

Our aim is to develop a deeper understanding of what is required to maintain housing sustainably in regional and remote Indigenous communities, in the context of fluctuating populations and climate change challenges. We hope this research will contribute to improving the sustainability of Indigenous housing, generating benefits around cost efficiency, local employment, alternative maintenance models, greater understanding of the unique challenges in remote and regional areas, and more effective policy.

Funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI)

Overcrowding is one factor that heavily influences housing policy in Australia. How overcrowding is defined and measured has important implications for funding requirements, the appropriate mix of housing stock given household structures, and for allocating families to public and community housing. However, debate remains over the definition and measurement of overcrowding.

This project aims to assess key measures of overcrowding used in Australia using a combination of quantitative modelling and qualitative interviews exploring the factors contributing to experiences of crowdedness and people’s coping mechanisms.