This paper is about intergenerational family literacy (IGFL) programs which are designed to benefit the children of parents in need of literacy education as well as the parents themselves. The paper reports results from a Department of Employment, Education and Training national study of these programs. Of particular importance is the issue of parents' self-esteem and the use of a student-centred approach in adult literacy classes. The issues of recruitment, control, networking and resources are also addressed. Studies are reported which indicate the considerable potential of these programs to benefit children and parents.

In the light of continuing concern about the high level of involvement of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system, this article examines the 1993/94 police data for Victoria. The focus is on juvenile ‘alleged offenders processed’. The data shows contact commencing early and a continuing high level of contact with the system, especially for young Aboriginal males. Although there has been a reduction in the over-representation ratio of Aboriginal juveniles in juvenile corrective institutions, the difference in rates at all points in the system compared to non-Aboriginal youth is substantial.

Longer-term consequences including the likelihood of adult incarceration are serious and the need for more research and action is clearly signalled.

This paper explores the relationship between family environment and behaviour of primary school children living in three family contexts. It uses data from studies including children of married heterosexual couples, cohabiting heterosexual couples and homosexual couples, and examines the extent to which these children differ with regard to scholastic achievement and aspects of social development. It shows that in the majority of cases, the most successful are children of married couples, followed by children of cohabiting couples and finally by children of homosexual couples.

This paper traces the history of child welfare in Victoria, from the formation of the Children's Welfare Department to the present time. It draws principally upon the Annual Reports of the responsible state government department, to illustrate trends in out-of-home placement for children and young people admitted to care. It describes substantial shifts in direction to the institutions in the 1960s, deinstitutionalisation of the 1980s, and the re-emergence of home-based care as a favoured, economical option.

The paper traces the ebbs and flows in numbers, periods of overcrowding and the current reduced number of children and young people in care. It notes events impacting on evolving child welfare history in Victoria, the child migration program, building projects, the establishment of family group homes, regionalisation, external review, the Children and Young Persons Act (1989), and mandatory reporting legislation. Themes emerging include: early child welfare as a period of rescue and reform; the monitoring of standards and re-entry of the department to residential care; the building of institutions and rising numbers in care; redevelopment and the emergence of a community focus; the expansion of child protection; and the phasing out of old models and the search for cost efficient alternatives.

A challenge for the 1990s is the need for deliberate and planned monitoring and evaluation as institutional and residential care give way to home-based care, and numbers of admissions decrease. The paper aims to provide useful, historical material for readers with an interest in child welfare work which would benefit from a descriptive review of the past.

Stories about children, and particularly about violence towards children, are common in our newspapers. Increased recognition of child abuse has contributed to this increased media coverage. While it is possible to ascribe this interest to a greater concern for the welfare of children, there are limits to the forms of child abuse that receive media coverage.