Our research

What Works in Youth Violence: A re-appraisal of the evidence

With youth violence in the news, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (Ovens Murray - East Division) commissioned this research (with contribution by Kate Syme-Lamont) to inform local government and community services’ strategic investment of resources and effort to improve outcomes for vulnerable youth. The report provides an overview of evidence-based interventions for youth violence and contributes to broader efforts to deliver more integrated and responsive services across the region.

Ovens Murray Area Community Needs Assessment Report 2024

This comprehensive community needs analysis provides the first locally grounded snapshot of social challenges facing children, young people, and families across the Ovens Murray region. Combining local data, frontline service delivery insights, and community voices, the report rigorously assesses interconnected issues of mental health, family violence, alcohol and other drug use, and homelessness.

Key findings reveal that these challenges don't exist in isolation but intersect in profound ways, requiring coordinated collaboration rather than siloed approaches. The report calls for evidence-based action and provides critical insights to inform strategic service delivery planning across the region.

Read more in this article

Exploring the perceptions of out-of-pocket cost for health care

Professor Irene Blackberry and Jennifer Boak, in partnership with Patients Australia, highlight the need for greater transparency in costs, equitable pricing across geographical locations, and strategies to reduce out-of-pocket expenses.

The Future of the Care Economy:  Supporting Student Research

A celebration of the achievements of previous recipients of the CERI HDR Student Development Fund. Facilitated by our Care Experience domain lead, Professor Lisa Brophy, our cohort of student members will share their grant journeys, presenting the results, outcomes, and impact that their CERI funding has enabled. They will also reflect on how these opportunities have shaped their chosen research pathways.

Writing Proposals for Competitive Grants

La Trobe’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, and CERI hosted a research seminar where panel speakers explored the critical elements of successful grant writing and how to avoid common pitfalls that can undermine strong ideas.
Drawing on international experience, Professor Graeme Smith looked at designing proposals that demonstrate clarity, innovation, feasibility, and alignment with funder priorities. Professor Chris Maylea focused on what works in the Australian context and tailoring applications to major funding bodies such as the NHMRC, ARC, and MRFF.

Key Principals of Lived Experience Involvement: how to get started

CERI hosted the first seminar in our series exploring meaningful lived experience (LE) involvement in research and practice.

This session introduced foundational concepts, and guided participants through the early steps of engagement, including identifying the level of engagement that is right for your project and avoiding tokenism, forming group norms with lived experience panels, and preparing you for your first meeting with LE experts.

Enhanced supportive care for older patients with cancer: A global perspective

The GO ReViTALISE initiative, in partnership with the John Richards Centre for Rural Ageing Research and Border Medical Oncology and Haematology, and supported by CERI welcomed Professor William Dale for a conversation on improving care for older adults with cancer.

BEYOND THE SURFACE: The Unacknowledged Value of Unpaid Caregiver's

CERI and the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) welcomed Alexandra Drane, on International Women's Day 2025, for a discussion on how ARCHANGELS is reframing the narrative around ‘care’ ensuring that supporting and celebrating the work of caregivers is seen as vital to the health of a nation and its economy.

How can researchers engage and co-develop care economy research partnerships?

The care economy is among the fastest expanding sectors worldwide, worth globally over $11trillion. In Australia the health and social care sectors grew by over 50% employing over 13.8 million people in 2024.

This study used an interpretive-descriptive qualitative approach to explore the research priorities, collaboration needs, and barriers faced by care economy organisations across Australia.

CERI literature review published

Professor Dan Bressington, Professor Richard Gray, Karen Barclay, Clair Overy and Professor Irene Blackberry examined what types of online eLearning courses are available for informal/unpaid carers.

• Unpaid carers are often unprepared and underinformed on how to care people with chronic health conditions and online learning is a convenient, time-effective way to enhance their insights and knowledge and about their caring roles.
• Technology has been playing a bigger part, however there is still a shortage of user-friendly and easily accessible learning available for carers

CERI scoping review published

Professor Irene Blackberry, Jennifer Boak, Karen Barclay and Professor Hanan Khalil narrowed down their global academic literature search to 354 studies conducted between the years of 2018 to 2023 and found that:

• women were overrepresented in informal, unpaid caregiving roles in 70% of the studies
• nearly two thirds of caregivers were spouses or partners
• major barriers to care included lack of caregiving education and support, financial strain and reduced quality of life for caregivers.