NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health

Head: Clin Prof David Bennett AO
Email: caah@chw.edu.au
Telephone: 9845 3338
Fax: 9845 0663
Location: off Ward Street, level 1

Established in 1998 as a technical support agency, NSW CAAH's role is to build the confidence and capacity of organisations in responding to health issues.

In partnership with NSW Health and other sectoral stakeholders, the Centre seeks to improve the health and well-being of young people aged 12-24 in NSW.

NSW CAAH improves young people's health by

1. Developing information and resources to increase knowledge and understanding of youth health issues
2. Capacity building to increase organisational skills and confidence in addressing young people's health needs
3. Supporting applied research hand promoting better practice in youth health care
4. Supporting advocacy and policy development to increase leadership and action for adolescent health

Check our website for more information on NSW CAAH, youth health resources, current project information and links to other useful websites: www.caah.chw.edu.au

Research in progress

1. The GP Strategy aims to improve young people's access to GPs by enhancing the effectiveness of GP youth health training and access initiatives. Research is now being conducted to determine the best topics and modalities for the GP Training tool Kit.
2. Extension of findings from 'Beyond Bandaids: Understanding the role of school nurses in NSW', a collaboration between Department of Adolescent Medicine, The Children's Hospital at Westmead; NSW School Nurses Association and NSW CAAH.
3. Growing up with Cancer: A mixed method examination of how cancer influences the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Kerridge I, Jordens CF, Smith KA, Bennett DL, Patterson P. Australian Research Council Grant. 2009-2011.

Research in development

1. Adolescent Rural Cohort Study of Health, Hormones, Environments and Relationships (The ARCHER Study) grant application. Steinbeck K, Hawke C, Cumming R, Bennett DL, Booy R, Fulcher G.
2. 'Youth Health GP Clinic' evaluation grant application, a partnership with The Universities of Sydney, Newcastle and Western Sydney, and Central Coast Youth Health Service.
3. 'Youth Health Service outcomes research', collaboration with NSW Association of Adolescent Health, Brain and Mind Research Institute and University of Western Sydney.

Recent publications

1. Bennett DL, Towns SJ, Elliott EJ, Merrick J (eds) (2009). Challenges in adolescent health: An Australian perspective, Nova Science, New York.
2. Robards F (2009) Increasing the resilience of young people at risk: A literature review. NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health, The Children's Hospital at Westmead and the Centre for Clinical Governance Research, The University of New South Wales.
3. NSW CAAH (2008). GP Strategy: Advancing Adolescent Health through General Practice, NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney.
4. Chown P, Kang, Sanci L, Newnham V, Bennett DL (2008). Adolescent Health: enhancing the skills of General Practitioners in caring for young people from culturally diverse backgrounds - A resource Kit for GPs, 2nd edition. NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health and Transcultural Mental Health Centre, Sydney.
5. Moses K, Keneally J, Bibby H, Chiang F, Robards F and Bennett DL (2008). Beyond Bandaids: Understanding the role of school nurses in NSW, summary report. NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW and the School Nurses Association of NSW, Sydney.
6. Chiang F & Tyne M (2006) Spinning the Web: Better connections between services working with young people/Research Report, NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW.
7. Chiang F, Moses K & Peterson A (2006) Good Practice in Youth Development: Perspectives from South-East Sydney, Communities Division, NSW Department of Community Services.
8. NSW CAAH (2006) NSW Roundtable on Youth Development Report, NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW.
9. NSW CAAH (2005). ACCESS Study: Youth Health - Better Practice Framework Fact Sheets, NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health/The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW.
10. NSW CAAH (2005). Young People's Access to Health Care: Exploring Youth Health Programs and Approaches in NSW, NSW Centre for the Advancement of Adolescent Health/The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW.

Published articles

1. Bennett DL, Towns SJ, Elliott EJ, Merrick J (eds) (2007). Special issue on adolescent health in Australia, International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, Freud Publishing House Ltd, London- Tel Aviv.
2. Towns SJ, Sawyer SM, Stephens L, Clarke SD, Bennett DL (2007). Hospital based care of young people in Australia, International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 19(3):317-323.
3. Chiang F, Yap W, Camilleri E (2007). 'Youth health conference 2006: What's it going to take?' call to action statement, International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health,
4. Kang M, Bernard D, Usherwood T, Quine S, Alperstein G, Kerr-Roubicek H, Elliott A and Bennett DL (2006). Primary health care for young people: are there models of service delivery that improve access and quality? Youth Studies Australia, 25 (2):49-59.
5. Kang M, Bernard D, Usherwood T, Quine S, Alperstein G, Kerr-Roubicek H, Elliott A and Bennett DL (2006). Towards better practice in primary health care settings for young people. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 17 (2):139-144.
6. Bennett DL (2007). Essential adolescent psychiatry, review of Essentials of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Mina K Dulcan, Jerry M Wiener, editors. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Publishing. Medical Journal of Australia, 186 (11):601.
7. Bennett DL, Chown P, Kang M (2005). Cultural diversity in adolescent health care. Medical Journal of Australia, 183 (8):436-438.
8. Bennett DL, Kang M, Chown P (2006). Cultural diversity in adolescent health care, In: Eds Greydanus DE, Patel DR, Pratt HD, Essential Adolescent Medicine, McGraw-Hill.
9. Bennett DL (2006). Foreword, In: Eds Strasburger VC, Brown RT, Braverman PK, Rogers PD, Holland-Hal C, Coupey SM, Adolescent Medicine: A Handbook for Primary Care, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
10. Bennett DL (revised and updated 2006). Foreword, In: Donaghy B, Anna's Story, HarperCollins Publishers, 1996