Disaster risk reduction (DRR) research done through the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre is intended to have a focus on utilisation, translation and tightening the policy-practice-research nexus.  Two important links within this nexus relate to a fundamental proposition:  Does the subject under empirical scrutiny have sufficient data support to be translated in both practice and policy sectors.  In the case of our program of research in child-centred disaster risk reduction (CC-DRR), research has made some bona fide strides in the past 15 years producing knowledge that supports key questions linked to this fundamental proposition.  A first question is “are CC-DRR initiatives effective in reducing risk and increasing resilience for children, families, communities?”  Another key question is “given evidence supporting CC-DRR initiatives program content/delivery and important DRR outcomes, are these initiatives then able to be translated into practice and policy contexts, including scaled and sustainable implementation that prove effective in producing important, cost-effective DRR outcomes in communities?"

Against this backdrop, the symposium will present findings of Year 1 of our program of research.  This includes a major scoping and review exercise and pilot research.  The scoping and review exercise addressed theory as well as separate inquiries into policy, practice and research in CC-DRR, including links to more general DRR tenets in Australia and the UN and international context.   Pilot research was intended to a build foundation for main research through capturing views of major CC-DRR stakeholder groups, including children, parents/households, teachers/school personnel, and emergency management/NGO/key government and policy stakeholders.  While the main focus of the CC-DRR research program is on the Australian context, our research also aims to understand CC-DRR in international and multi-cultural contexts. Through a combination of survey, interview, focus groups and Delphi research, data were gathered across several contexts and addressed key issues relevant across the nexus described.  With very little research done in this area of stakeholder views, emergent findings that “privilege the stakeholder viewpoint” are intended to assist in answering the key questions discussed above that guide this overall program of research while providing signposts to next steps in research, practice and  policy.

One study evaluated Australian community attitudes to Child-Centred Disaster Risk Reduction.  Views were sought from children, households, teachers and those in DRR organisational contexts. Similarly, in Indonesia, we captured the perspectives of teachers, children, and those in DRR organisational contexts.  Across both studies, a range of attitudes, perceptions and knowledge/skills were canvassed.  These included community attitudes to children’s protection and their participation in natural disaster prevention and preparedness, and issues related to the challenges in scaling up the implementation of DRR education in schools and other community contexts. Preliminary findings suggest cross-cultural similarities in relation to some key issues (e.g., implementation challenges).  Finally, a third study used a Delphi approach to identify expert concensus on essential “key DRR messages” for primary school, teacher-delivered DRR education in relation to bushfires.  While others internationally (e.g., Red Cross) have done similar Delphi-type exercises, this research was a first to use “on the ground” practice-based experts in the Australian context and to have a focus specifically on disaster education messages important for school-based programs. A final presentation of the symposium will summarise findings across scoping and review and pilot studies and present an overview of next steps in answering key questions related to policy, practice and research.