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Predictors of perceived family bonds were examined among homeless young people who initially left home one year earlier. Newly homeless young people aged 12-20 years who had recently left home were recruited in Los Angeles County, United States (n=201) and Melbourne, Australia (n=124) and followed longitudinally at 3, 6, and 12 months (follow-up rates ranging from 72% to 86% overall). These homeless young people varied substantially in their bonds to their families. Family bonds at one year were predicted in multivariate regression analyses by having significantly fewer problem behaviours when leaving home and decreasing rates of problem behaviours over the next year. Having more emotional support and more instrumental financial support were also significantly associated with greater family bonds one year later. These results suggest that efforts to reunite families may be a viable intervention strategy for newly homeless young people.

Improved job quality will make longer working lives in the aged care sector more sustainable. We interviewed 20 older aged care workers to identify which job characteristics are significant for health and to identify policy remedies. Workers take pleasure and pride in responding autonomously to a care recipient's situation, developing understanding, maintaining morale and performing intimate bodily care with dignity. However, a shortage of staff time requires workers to take a task-oriented approach. This causes worker stress and diminishes their desire and capacity to delay retirement. In the Australian context, regulating minimum staffing is the most suitable policy response.

Young people who experience homelessness, in Australia and in other western contexts (US, Canada, England), are widely perceived to use and abuse alcohol and drugs. The available research indicates that homeless young people use all drug types, whether injected or otherwise, more frequently than their home-based peers. Debate exists in the research and policy literature about whether drug use is a cause or consequence of homelessness. In a study exploring homeless young peoples reasons for leaving home, we examined the relationship between young people's drug use and their pathways into homelessness. Brief qualitative interviews were conducted with 302 homeless young people (12-20 years). Following a thematic analysis of interview transcripts, four pathways into homelessness involving personal or familial drug use were identified. One-third of the participants indicated that personal or familial drug use was a critical factor in them leaving home. Of these, just over half indicated that personal drug use was a direct or indirect cause of their homelessness and one-quarter indicated that familial drug and alcohol use was the critical factor that led them to leaving home. One-quarter indicated that their drug use only began after they became homeless. Family conflict, if not family breakdown, was implicated in all four pathways out of home.

In a study exploring the relationship between typology and risk, we investigated the daily routines of a heterogeneous sample of young men and women from two sites who had been homeless for varying periods (N = 1289). Cluster analysis yielded four groups-'Partnered', 'Socially engaged', 'Service connected-harm avoidant', and 'Transgressive'-based on where and with whom they congregated and slept during the day and night and how they spent most of their time. Although the patterns of responses differed between the groups, there was overlap in the extent of engagement in specific activities, including risk practices. Interpretation of the impact of homeless young people's engagement in risk practices needs to take account of the interaction between their harmful and non-harmful practices.