Industrialised countries worldwide are confronting the prospect of a steadily ageing population. This up-to-date book reflects the breadth of research into gerontology and analyses the major themes and issues in the area of ageing and social policy in both an Australian context and from an international comparative perspective. Topics discussed include unemployment, education, and housing for the aged. Added to this is the contemporary influence of multiculturalism and the challenge it poses to policies and programs that must cater for a growing diversity in the ageing population. A special focus is given to the situation of women and Aboriginal Australians and the specific structural disadvantages they face. This book is essential reading for students and policy-makers in sociology, social and public policy, gerontology, and public health.

A large body of research in disciplines from sociology and policy studies to neuroscience and educational psychology has confirmed that socioeconomic status remains the most powerful influence on children's educational outcomes. Socially disadvantaged children around the world disproportionately suffer from lower levels of educational achievement, which in turn leads to unfavourable long-term outcomes in employment and health. Education in the Best Interests of the Child addresses this persistent problem, which violates not only the principle of equal educational opportunity, but also the broader principle of the best interests of the child as called for in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Building on the children's rights work accomplished in their previous book, Empowering Children, Brian Howe and Katherine Covell identify three types of reform that can significantly close the educational achievement gap. Their findings make an important argument for stronger and more comprehensive action to equalize educational opportunities for disadvantaged children.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks star in this crime-caper by Steven Spielberg, based on the true story of Frank W. Abagnale Junior. As a teenager, Abagnale (DiCaprio) discovers he has a talent for impersonating officials, beginning with posing as a substitute teacher. Finding solace in his new gift - his mother leaves his father (Christopher Walken) after she discovers he is heavily in debt to the IRS - Abagnale goes on to impersonate airline pilots, doctors and even a lawyer, whilst also managing to con banks out of over $2 million. However, his escapades soon attract the interest of FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Hanks) who seems to be always one step behind. That is until Abagnale decides to settle down and discovers that his future father-in-law (Martin Sheen) is the D.A of New Orleans. The real Abagnale appears in a cameo and, after serving time in prison, now works as a consultant for preventing forgery and fraud.

John R. Leonetti directs this horror prequel to 'The Conjuring' (2013). Mia and John Gordon (Annabelle Wallis and Ward Horton) are terrorised by supernatural forces when John thinks he has found the perfect gift for his wife and unborn child, a rare vintage doll dressed in a white wedding dress named Annabelle. The family's joy however is abruptly ended when they are invaded and attacked in their home by members of a satanic cult. The terror of that night is nothing compared to what follows as the cult conjure an entity which takes over Annabelle and transforms her into a malevolent force of evil.

This book examines the risk factors surrounding children at risk of experiencing and perpetrating violence, and looks at the positive role that children's rights can play in their protection. The authors propose that violence in childhood is not spontaneous: that children are raised to become violent in poorly functioning families and child-unfriendly environments. They may be exposed to toxic substances in utero, to maltreatment in infancy, to domestic violence or parental criminality as they grow up. Each of these risk factors is empirically linked with the development of antisocial and aggressive behaviour, and each reflects a violation of children's rights to protection from maltreatment. The authors show how respecting children's rights and safeguarding them from exposure to violence can shift the balance between risk and protective factors and, as a result, reduce the incidence and severity of childhood violence. This book will be essential reading for professionals working in child protection or with young offenders, academics, students, practitioners and policy-makers.