from YAPRap August 2004
by Christine Flynn, Association of Childrens Welfare Agencies (ACWA)
Professor Tony Vinson is well known for his visionary work in public education, community development, social planning and social research. He recently talked to a large and diverse audience about his most recent report Community Adversity and Resilience, published by the Jesuit Social Services. Hosted by the Energy and Water Industry Ombudsman (EWON), the forum provided Prof Vinson with an opportunity to highlight key findings of his research and discuss its relevance to social policy and planning.
The recent study undertaken in 2003 built on similar work undertaken in 1999 (Unequal in Life) and earlier research in Newcastle in 1972. The 2003 study examined a larger number of indicators to develop a measure of social disadvantage, including unemployment, low income, early school leaving, low birth weight, child abuse, imprisonment and child injuries, to name a few. An attempt was also made to quantify resilience by looking at participation in organised recreation or sport, volunteering patterns and availability of informal help. The latter information was only available in Victoria. By looking at occurrences of these indicators across most postcodes in NSW and Victoria, the research found which areas experienced the highest level of social disadvantage. In NSW 6% of postcodes accounted for the majority of the highest counts of disadvantage.
The research also found very little change between 1999 and 2003, with one notable exception. Non-metropolitan NSW was found to be far more disadvantaged than any metropolitan Sydney area. Some regions had got worse since 1999, such as the North Coast and inland Northern NSW. The most disadvantaged place in NSW in 1999, the Newcastle suburb of Windale, was still the most disadvantaged for adults in 2003, but benefited from Strengthening Communities project for three years. This led to significant improvements in that suburb's ranking on major indicators related to the well being of children. Prof Vinson decried the cessation of that funding and called for an investment over ten years in such places in order to overcome key social problems.
Some critics have been concerned about the identification of particular postcodes, fearing it labels 'bad' areas and may perpetuate prejudice. Prof. Vinson doesn't agree. Social policy needs to be informed by an awareness of the importance of place, and the extreme disadvantage that appears to be concentrated in a few areas. Extra resources or programs to reduce disadvantage and build resilience are needed in those places. Importantly the research found that community connectedness can help to ameliorate social disadvantage - 'community development interventions drive a wedge in the cycle of disadvantage'. This work provides statistical evidence of the positive outcomes that derive from community and relationship building approaches.
more information
Community Adversity and Resilience: the distribution of social disadvantage in Victoria and New South Wales and the mediating role of social cohesion (March 2004) The Ignatius Centre for Social Policy and Research, Jesuit Social Services. www.jss.org.au/research/archive.html
note
This article originally appeared in ACWA News June 2004
