Core 3 - Families and Communities Flashcards
defining family
A form of support, which you usually live with daily and are very depended on them. although everyone has different opinions on the definition due to culture or beliefs.
ACD definition of family
a family is defined as two or more person’s, one of whom is at least 15 years of age, who are related by blood, marriage (registered or de facto), adoption, step or fostering, and who are usually resident in the same household.
family structures
adoptive: refer to parents or carers who have legally obtained parental rights for an individual.
blended: refer to biological and step children who are living with their parents/step-parents. blended families are formed when sole parents move in together with their children or an individual joins their partners family.
childless: refer to families with no children. many couples don’t have children due to many factors, including financial, emotional or physical.
communal: refer to a group of families who join together, share human and non-human resources such as food, living spare and look after each other children as if they were their own. they often share religious beliefs.
de facto: refers to people who live together as a couple and are unmarried.
extended: refers to two or more adults from different generations of a family, who share a household.
foster: refers to children being raised by unrelated carers when there are no natural, adoptive or step-parents able to look after them.
nuclear: consists of a mother, father and their biological or adoptive children. referred to as the ‘traditional family’.
same-sex couples: refers to a couple where both individuals are the same sex.
sole parent families: refers to one parent raising their child or children in a household. sole parent families are often a result of. divorce, death of a spouse or separation.
kinship: family, kinship and community relates to aspects of the relationship people have with others; be there family, cultural group, or community members. this plays a large role in aboriginal and torres strait islander peoples.
roles individuals adopt within families
- satisfying specific needs (she sea): traditional family structures had clearly defined roles that most families followed in the past and still do. however the demand of society, has seen the roles within families challenged in order to satisfy specific needs.
- building relationships: each family has its own ways of deciding who has the power and authority within the family unit, and which rights, privileges, obligations, and roles are assigned to each family member.
- promoting wellbeing: one of the primary roles for individuals within a family is the promotion of wellbeing. the behaviour that parents model for their children will, shape and determine the values and aspirations their children adopt.
reasons for community formation
as individuals become members of groups, they also become part of a community. groups emerge as a result of common geographic location and shared interests.
- interests
- action
- place
- practice
- circumstance
- culture
- religion
- support
definition of a community
community can refer to a group of people residing close together or a group of people who share similar values and/or common interests.
when families go through inevitable change, so do communities. communities emerge for various reasons, particularly as a result of common geography or shared interests. communities are apparent in different levels; local, state, national and global. communities are constantly undergoing decision making to meet these needs.
questionnaires as a primary research method - developing reliable questions
questionnaires are a useful research tool for obtaining answers to specific questions from a variety of individuals or groups. the questions must be reliable, through:
- ensure questions are clear and concise
- don’t use leading questions
- easy to understand
qualitative nature, questionnaires can ask respondents open-ended questions (enables for opinions and expressing values). responses can be analysed for reoccurring values, ideas and opinions.
quantitative questionnaires can ask respondents closed questions, where they select from a choice of answers. it is easier to collate results.
questionnaires as a primary research method - collecting and recording data
it most likely to collect data as quantitative data 9numbers), which is then constructed into graphs or tables with stats or percentages.
questionnaires as a primary research method - advantages and disadvantages
advantages:
- they can be easily distributed to large groups
- collect information from numerous communities
- involves minimal researcher bias
disadvantages:
- chance for participants to misunderstand questions
- the high levels of literacy required
- time consuming for the researcher
levels of community organisation
local: local government has responsibilities such as waste collection and disposal, providing community health centres and health services plus the care and maintenance of recreational facilities. e.g. orange city council
state: the state government provides hospitals, roads, schools and transport as well as coordinating immunisation programs. e.g. nsw health, nsw police
national: the national government creates laws, provides mdeicare and drug education programs and distributes funding to the individual states based on population and need. e.g. McGrath foundation
global: global level services such as the united nations work together to develop programs and services for people all over the world, such as health promotion and immunisation. e.g. green peace
roles groups adopt within communities
- promoting wellbeing: community groups are well placed to use their local knowledge, expertise and relationships with members of the public to identify local needs or gaps in service provision and work with local people to co-design innovative solutions to promote wellbeing. many groups represent the marginalised parts of society and can play a vital role in effectively meeting the needs of those groups experiencing adversity.
- building relationships: greater benefit for the community occurs when relationships are built across all levels of the community; when there’s full participation from community stakeholders. e.g. local media, government officials
- satisfying specific needs: specific needs can be felt by individuals, a group, or an entire community. examining the specific needs of a community closely, helps uncover what is truely needed, and leads toward future improvement.
influences on decision making within communities
- legislation: the creation of laws and policies to act as guidelines for other decision making to occur. legislation must be introduced into parliament as bills and so on.
- environmental factors: conservation and preservation of the resources in a community must be considered for its future longevity. when communities are deciding on what resources to use, they need to also consider the possible impacts of each resource on the environment.
- lobbying and community petitions: through signed petitions, banners, emails, individuals and groups aim to gain attention that communicate issues of concern to those in leadership positions. the constant pressure on the government can influence their decision and the legislation that they pass.
- protesting: a gathering of individuals who disagree with a community decision in a public place. the aim is to show the power of their collective view and instigate change. community decisions should be made with consideration of recent protests to ensure that all community members are satisfied.
processes of decision making within communities
- arbitration: is a process that seeks to resolve a dispute. first, evidence is presented and is discussed between parties. then a ruling is made by the chairperson. this decision is legally binding.
- consensus: aims to include everyone in the decision-making process. opinions are discussed and any objections are resolved so that widespread agreement is achieve without taking a vote.
- election: the election process gives individuals an opportunity to express their views and be involved in the decision - making process by choosing for one option over another. the choice may be public or private.
- voting: a vote is a formal expression of an individuals choice in a decision-making process. it may be for or against a proposed motion, a certain candidate, a selection of candidates or a party.
- referendum: aims to include all adults in an electorate in the decision makings. it requires support of two thirds majority to be successful.
nature of change
families and communities experience change as a natural part of their growth. the type of change will influence the type and intensity of the modifications needed for the family or community to continue to function.
- internal change: change that happens within the groups. this may be in size, structure or role allocation. often depends on the decision making of family members.
- external change: a change in the wider community that has influenced the functioning of a family.
- planned change: a change that occurs with prior knowledge. aspects of decision making process have occurred prior to the implementation of change.
- unplanned change: a change that is unexpected, so a response to the change cannot be prepared in advance.
- temporary change: a change that lasts for an unspecified period of time. members can see a possible return to routine. such change can last for a couple days to a number of years.
- permanent change: a change that lasts forever.
impact of change on families and communities
- family and community wellbeing: how well a family and a community functions; how strong their relationship are, depends largely on the overall level of wellbeing experienced by the family and community.
- roles individuals adopt: change can impact the roles individuals adopt within families and communities. roles can change in the areas of promoting wellbeing, building relationships and satisfying specific needs.
- environmental: environmental change can have a significant impact upon families and communities. climatic extremes and natural disasters are a fact of life for Australians and the impacts can be immediate and long-lasting. e.g. floods
- legislation: legislation at all levels of government can impact families and communities in both positive and negative ways. e.g. provision for parental leave pay.
- technology: technology can improve wellbeing through times of change. e.g. during covid, allowing people to stay connected. technology has also had a negative impact on family wellbeing. e.g. increase in social media, decrease of social wellbeing.
