Flinders PhD Scholarship: Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children's understanding of home in state care

Change lives with a Flinders funded three-year PhD research scholarship to undertake innovative research on the meanings of home for Indigenous children living in state (out-of-home care).  

This scholarship is attached to the ARC funded Linkage project A home-centred approach to support children and young people in state care. This project is lead by Professor Kristin Natalier and conducted in partnership with Anglicare SA, Life Without Barriers and Department for Child Protection.

A home-centred approach to support children and young people in state care project aims to determine how conceptions of home can enhance an understanding of and responsiveness to young people’s needs in state care. It expects to generate novel data on home for young people in state care and for the first time develop a home-centred approach to supporting young people across multiple care contexts.

We are inviting an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander applicant to undertake research on the experiences of Indigenous children and young people’s understandings and experiences of home in state care. The project focus, aims and outcomes will be developed by the successful applicant, with support from the project team. 

The successful applicant will be a central member of the research team and be invited to participate in all project publications, presentations and professional development opportunities. The applicant will be supported through the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences and The Social Work Innovation Research Living Space (SWIRLS) https://www.flinders.edu.au/swirls

Applicants must:

• be of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent; and
• identify as an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander; and
• be accepted as an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander by the community in which they live or have lived; and
• meet Flinders University PhD admission requirements – an Australian Honours degree Class 1 or 2A or equivalent qualification (at least AQF Level 8), or evidence of equivalent research experience, such as refereed publications or significant experience as a lead researcher; and
• have a research background in social work, a Social Science or Indigenous Studies