Despite the challenges and problems that confront young people today, many find their lives to be satisfying, rich and full. In this article Diana Smart and Ann Sanson discuss the nature and antecedents of a key attribute which fosters well being and interpersonal relationships - social competence. Using data from the Australian Temperament Project currently...

Steps Forward for Families: Research, Practice and Policy - More than 90 papers from the Institute's biennial family research and policy conference are now available online.

Balancing work and family responsibilities is an important issue for dual earner couples in Australia. Using data from the 1997 Australian Time Use Survey, Danielle Venn found that couples with children under 15 years coordinate their working time to increase the proportion of time when at least one parent is not working and therefore able...

Keynote address presented to the Family Services Australia Annual Conference Connecting Families and Communities, by Adam Tomison. In answering the following questions - Is the family support system meeting the needs of Australian families? Do our current approaches work? And if so, how do we know? What is good practice in supporting families? - this...

Recent developments in policies towards lone parents in Australia have emphasised the role of employment in increasing income and self-sufficiency. The emphasis on employment is also the case in other OECD countries with a general trend towards benefits for lone parents being made dependent on participation in the labour market.