Professor Jan Mason

EMERITUS PROFESSOR,
Office of the Vice-Chancellor and President

Biography
Contact
Publications
Projects

Biography

Jan is located with the School of Social Sciences and Psychology. She was professor of Social Work from 1995 to 2009. She was founding director and then a member of the UWS Social Justice and Social Change Research Centre. Jan’s employment prior to her university career was in various practice and management positions in the (then) NSW Child Welfare Department (later, NSW Department of Community Services). This work informed her areas of concern as an academic. Her research focuses on linking theory, policy and practice on children’s issues, through collaborative work with major children’s agencies in New South Wales and with Australian and overseas academics. She has researched and published on child welfare and protection, child and family policy, child-adult relations, children’s needs in care, children's well-being and researching with children. Her particular interest is in facilitating children’s participation in research and in practice and policy development on issues concerning them. Jan is currently a member of the Board of the International Society for Child Indicators (ISCI) and Expert Adviser to the research project, 'Children’s Understandings of Well-being: Global and Local Contexts'.

This information has been contributed by Professor Mason.

Qualifications

DipEd Darling Downs Institute of Advanced Education QLD
MSocWk University of Georgia (USA)
PhD University of New South Wales
MA University of Sydney

Organisational Unit (School / Division)

Office of the Vice-Chancellor and President

Contact

Email:	Jan.Mason@westernsydney.edu.au
Phone:	n/a n/a
Mobile:
Location:	1 Bankstown1 Bankstown

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Publications

Books

Fattore, T., Mason, J. and Watson, E. (2016), 'Children's Understandings of Well-being: Towards a Child Standpoint', : Springer 9789402408270.
Mason, J., Bolzan, N. and Kumar, A. (2009), 'Children's Participation? Learning from Children and Adults in the Asia Pacific Region', : Common Ground Publishing .
Bolzan, N., Darcy, M. and Mason, J. (2006), 'Fenced Out Fenced In: Border Protection, Asylum and Detention in Australia', : Common Ground Publishing 1863355995.
Mason, J. (2005), 'Participation: Count Me In!', : NSW Commission for Children and Young People 0734771266.
Mason, J. and Fattore, T. (2005), 'Children Taken Seriously. In theory, policy and practice', : Jessica Kingsley Publishers 1843102501.
Mason, J., Falloon, J., Gibbons, L. and Spence, N. (2002), 'Understanding Kinship Care', : NSW Association of Childrens Welfare Agencies Inc. 0957844530.

Chapters in Books

Mason, J., Fattore, T., Mogensen, L., Falloon, J. and Drake, G. (2023), 'Greta Thunberg's climate activism : challenging generational and economic power', A Handbook of Children and Young People's Participation: Conversations for Transformational Change, Routledge 9781032008714.
Drake, G., Falloon, J., Fattore, T., Felton, R., Mason, J. and Mogensen, L. (2022), 'Children's standpoint on vulnerability : implications for social work practice with children and young people', Handbook of Children's Risk, Vulnerability and Quality of Life: Global Perspectives, Springer 9783031017827.
Mason, J. and Fattore, T. (2021), 'Child protection and child participation', Child Protection and the Care Continuum: Theoretical, Empirical and Practice Insights, Routledge 9780367639174.
Drake, G., Mason, J., Fattore, T., Mogensen, L., Falloon, J., Edenborough, M. and Felton, R. (2021), 'School and well-being : education, self-determination and adult-imposed aspirations', Children's Concepts of Well-being: Challenges in International Comparative Qualitative Research, Springer 9783030671662.
Mason, J. and Watson, E. (2013), 'Researching children : research on, with, and by children', Handbook of Child Well-Being: Theories, Methods and Policies in Global Perspective, Springer 9789048190621.
Mason, J. (2009), 'Strategies and Issues in Including Children as Participants in Research on Children's Needs in Care: A Case Study', Involving Children and Young People in Research: A Compendium of Papers and Reflections from a Think Tank co-hosted by the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth and the NSW Commission for Children and Young People on 11 November 2008, Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth and the NSW Commission for Children and Young People 9781921352485.
Mason, J. and Bolzan, N. (2009), 'Towards Global Acknowledgement of the Child's Right to Participation', Children's Participation? Learning from Children and Adults in the Asia Pacific Region, Common Ground Publishing 9781863356886.
Mason, J. and Bolzan, N. (2009), 'Australia', Children's Participation? Learning from Children and Adults in the Asia Pacific Region, Common Ground Publishing 9781863356886.
Mason, J. and Bolzan, N. (2009), 'Questioning Understandings of children's participation', A Handbook of Children and Young People's Participation, Perspectives from theory and practice, Routledge 9780415468527.
Bolzan, N. and Mason, J. (2006), 'Hearing the voices of asylum seekers: A challenge to our humanity', Fenced Out Fenced In: Border Protection, Asylum and Detention in Australia, Common Ground Publishing 1863355995.
Mason, J. (2006), 'Just Nobodies: The double jeopardy of refugee children 'Jim' and 'Philip'.', Fenced Out Fenced In: Border Protection, Asylum and Detention in Australia, Common Ground Publishing 863355995.
Mason, J. (2005), 'Child Protection Policy and the Construction of Childhood', Children Taken Seriously: In theory, policy and practice, Jessica Kingsley Publishers 1843102501.
Mason, J. (2005), 'Social Work With Families', Social Work: Fields of Practice 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press 0195550471.
Mason, J. (2004), 'The Status of Childhood and Children's Social Exclusion', A Fair Go: Some Issues of Social Justice in Australia, Common Ground Publishing 1863355618.
Mason, J. and Falloon, J. (2001), 'Some Sydney Children Define Abus', Conceptualising Child-Adult Relations, Routledge Falmer 0415231590.
Mason, J. (2001), 'Social Work with Families', Social Work: Fields of Practice, Oxford University Press 0195512162.

Journal Articles

Fattore, T., Drake, G., Falloon, J., Mason, J. and Mogensen, L. (2023), 'Disruption, slowness, and collective effervescence : children's perspectives on COVID-19 lockdowns', International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice, vol 6, no 3 , pp 393 - 413.
Mogensen, L., McDonald, J. and Mason, J. (2020), 'Beyond glitter and glue : the significance of context in including children with intellectual disability in well-being research', Social Work and Society, vol 18, no 3 .
Fattore, T. and Mason, J. (2020), 'Humiliation, resistance and state violence : using the sociology of emotions to understand institutional violence against women and girls and their acts of resistance', International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, vol 9, no 4 , pp 104 - 117.
Mason, J. (2019), 'The construction of child neglect in English-speaking countries : children, risk and poor families', Children and Youth Services Review, vol 97 , pp 112 - 119.
Drake, G., Edenborough, M., Falloon, J., Fattore, T., Felton, R., Mason, J. and Mogensen, L. (2019), 'Is there a place for children as emotional beings in child protection policy and practice?', International Journal of Emotional Education, vol 11, no 1 , pp 115 - 134.
Fattore, T. and Mason, J. (2017), 'The significance of the social for child well-being', Children and Society, vol 31, no 4 , pp 276 - 289.
Mason, J. and Bessell, S. (2017), 'Children's lives : taking account of the social', Children and Society, vol 31, no 4 , pp 257 - 262.
Mason, J. and Fattore, T. (2017), 'Shame, social orders and the governing of women and girls through institutions in New South Wales', Emotions: History, Culture, Society, vol 1, no 2 , pp 131 - 154.
Mogensen, L. and Mason, J. (2015), 'The meaning of a label for teenagers negotiating identity : experiences with autism spectrum disorder', Sociology of Health and Illness, .
Fattore, T., Mason, J. and Watson, E. (2012), 'Locating the child centrally as subject in research : towards a child interpretation of well-being', Child Indicators Research, vol 5, no 3 , pp 423 - 435.
Mason, J. and Hood, S. (2011), 'Exploring issues of children as actors in social research', Children and Youth Services Review, vol 33, no 4 , pp 490 - 495.
Mason, J. and Danby, S. (2011), 'Children as experts in their lives : child inclusive research', Child Indicators Research, vol 4, no 2 , pp 185 - 189.
Mcglashan, L., Leonard, R. and Mason, J. (2010), 'From rhetoric to practice : the implementation of an early intervention program partnership from an NGO perspective', Third Sector Review, vol 16, no 3 , pp 101 - 118.
Fattore, T., Mason, J. and Watson, L. (2009), 'When children are asked about their well-being : towards a framework for guiding policy', Child Indicators Research, vol 2 , pp 57 - 77.
Dockett, S., Perry, B., Kearney, E., Hampshire, A., Mason, J. and Schmied, V. (2009), 'Researching with families : ethical issues and situations', Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, vol 10, no 4 , pp 353 - 365.
Tregeagle, S. and Mason, J. (2008), 'Service user experience of participation in child welfare case management', Child and Family Social Work, vol 13, no 4 , pp 391 - 401.
Fattore, T., Mason, J. and Watson, L. (2007), 'Children's conceptualisation(s) of their well-being', Social Indicators Research, vol 80, no 1 , pp 5 - 29.
Mason, J. (2007), 'A children's standpoint : needs in out-of-home care', Children and Society, vol 22, no 5 , pp 358 - 369.
Satka, M. and Mason, J. (2004), 'Deconstructing post-World War II conceptions of children and child-adult relations', The International Journal of Critical Psychology, vol 11 , pp 87 - 110.
Mason, J., Urquhart, R. and Bolzan, N. (2003), 'Defining children's needs in out-of-home care: Methods and challenges of a collaborative research project', Children Australia, vol 28, no 2 , pp 32 - 37.
Gibbons, L. and Mason, J. (2003), 'Challenges posed by kinship care: A study focussing on New South Wales', Children Australia, vol 28, no 4 , pp 12 - 18.
Mason, J. and Urquhart, R. (2001), 'Developing a model for participation by children in research on decision making', Children Australia, vol 26, no 4 , pp 16 - 21.

Conference Papers

Falzon, J., Mason, J. and Watson, L. (2005), 'Discourses on children and caring and their significance for policy on caring', Looking Back: Looking Forward. Australian Social Policy Conference, UNSW, Sydney.
Mason, J., Fattore, T. and Watson, L. (2005), 'Children's conceptualisation(s) of their well-being', Childhoods 2005 - Children and Youth in Emerging and Transforming Societies, Oslo, Norway.

Other Publications

2014, 'Putting the Pieces in Place: Children, Communities and Social Capital in Australia', Report
2011, 'Facilitating Children's Transition to School from Families with Complex Support Needs', Report
2009, 'Kinship Care in NSW: Finding a Way Forward: Report on a Research Project: An Examination of Issues Around the Support and Supervision of Kinship Carers with a Particular Focus on NSW', Report
2007, 'Ask the Children: Overview of Children's Understandings of Wellbeing', Report
2005, 'The Starting out with Scarba Project: Facilitating Children's Participation in Child Protection Processes', Report
2004, 'The Needs of Children in Care: A Report on a Research Project: Developing a Model of Out-of-Home Care to Meet the Needs of Individual Children, Through Participatory Research which Includes Children and Young People', Report
2000, 'So Close, So Far Away: Research Report of the Wollondilly Youth Needs Analysis', Report

Childhood, child welfare, social work with children and families, social policy analysis.