Our published research addresses four broad themes:
Many of our publications are free to download or read online.
You can order hardcopy versions using a debit or credit card– simply follow the ‘Buy now’ link beside the publication.
Alternatively, you can order a hardcopy publication by printing and filling out our order form.
Learn about persistent communal disadvantage in Australia in our series of reports spanning 15 years.
Dropping Off the Edge 2015 shows that complex and entrenched disadvantage is experienced by a small but persistent number of locations in each Australian state and territory.
Authors: Tony Vinson and Margot Rawsthorne, with Adrian Beavis and Matthew Ericson
Price: $30.00 | Buy now
Visit our dedicated Dropping off the Edge 2015 website to download fact sheets, view an interactive map.
Moving From the Edge tells stories of achieving greater social inclusion in Australia. Through case studies, it personalises the policies and discussions about social inclusion.
Author: Tony Vinson | Price: $20.00 | Buy now
This first edition of Dropping Off the Edge identifies and describes the complex web of disadvantage that ensnares generations of Australians.
The report uncovers the factors that must be solved for these communities, and our nation, to thrive.
Author: Tony Vinson | Download PDF
Community Adversity and Resilience follows on from Unequal in Life (1999), by measuring the concentrations of disadvantage according to postcode areas in New South Wales and Victoria. It proposes that certain innate characteristics be promoted to build greater cohesion rather than social exclusion.
Author: Tony Vinson | Price: $27.00 | Buy now
Access to comprehensive health services is one of the most important needs of Australians who experience social disadvantage.
This report maps how effectively access to health services is occurring in populations of the most disadvantaged postcodes in New South Wales and Victoria.
Author: Tony Vinson | Download PDF
Unequal in Life investigates the distribution of social disadvantage in Victorian and New South Wales by postcode.
Author: Tony Vinson | Download PDF
Our Support After Suicide program has produced a series of publications to assist individuals and families bereaved by suicide.
Many people feel daunted by the idea of telling a child about the suicide death of a loved one. This book features professional tips and advice on talking with children and young people about suicide, as well as first-person stories by program participants.
Author: Various | Price: $12.00 | Buy now
Written by men who have lost someone to suicide, this publication includes their stories and poetry.
Author: Various | Price $12.00 | Buy now
An anthology of work by writers who have experienced the loss of a loved one to suicide. Through workshops and discussions, the writers identified that when suicide occurs, the effect upon those left behind is like ripples in a pond. These ripples form the themes of writings presented in this book.
Author: Various | Price: $12.00 | Buy now
A compassionate yet sobering light on the torment, bewilderment and, ultimately, the inspiring resilience of those left behind.
Author: Various | Price: $12.00 | Buy now
This report explores the perspectives of family members of people in Victoria whose loved ones took their own lives. It describes how they viewed Victoria’s complex mental health system, both in how it responded to their loved one and to themselves. Download it here.
Our research on young people covers diverse themes, including the remand of children, educational disadvantage, how the arts can reengage highly marginalised youth, how Catholic schools can best respond to the needs of same sex attracted students and to students’ illicit drug use.
Thinking Outside reveals how vulnerable and disadvantaged Victorian children are being unnecessarily remanded. The research calls for reforms to halt this alarming practice including raising the age of criminal responsibility to 12.
Author: Jesuit Social Services | Price: $15.00 (Summary Report only) | Buy now or Download PDF (Full report)
I Just Want to go to School captures voices of young people experiencing educational disadvantage in Australia. It outlines the key factors inhibiting educational engagement as expressed by the young people themselves and identifies key areas for policy change.
Authors: Lea Campbell, Magdalena McGuire and Ché Stockley | Download PDF
Watch videos of the 13 young people featured in the report:
Alexandra | Andy | Anna | Casey | Guy | Harry | Kate | Kevin | Madison | Natalie | Paul | Sarah | Walid
Young People in Remand in Victoria analyses current Australian and international trends in evidence-based prison policy, including remand and its place in the criminal justice system.
Authors: Matthew Ericson & Tony Vinson | Download PDF
Not So Straight is a national study that examines how Catholic schools can best respond to the needs of same sex attracted students.
Author: Peter Norton | Download PDF
Keeping Them Connected addresses the difficult and complex issue of how Australian Catholic secondary schools can best respond to incidents of illicit drug use by students.
Author: Peter Norton | Download PDF
Engaging Art examines the role of the arts as a framework for socially reengaging highly marginalised young people.
Authors: Martin Thiele & Sally Marsden | Download PDF
For children and young people who offend, contact with the justice system can lead to life-long offending, with evidence showing that the younger a child enters the justice system the more likely he/she is to have sustained contact and go on to reoffend (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), 2017). Local and international youth justice approaches that aim to rehabilitate or resocialise the child or young person often have more success in preventing reoffending (Elwick, Davis, Crehan, & Clay, 2013). So, what is it that makes an effective youth justice system, and how can we ensure that children and young people are diverted from the criminal justice system effectively and that those who offend do not continue into a life of crime?
Authors: Julie Edwards | Read more at Children Australia
An alphabet book of African Stories written with a group of women from the Horn of Africa living in Melbourne, Australia.
Authors: Various | Price: $20.00 | Buy now
Life Satisfaction and Happiness shows that health, individual choice, local community and family relationships are better predictors of happiness and satisfaction than income.
Authors: Tony Vinson & Matthew Ericson | Download PDF