Supporting Australian Defence Force Peacekeepers and Their Families: The Case of East Timor
Abstract
This report is about how Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel and their families perceived support during deployment to East Timor as seen through the eyes of the main protagonists: the personnel who deployed and their partners who remained in Australia. The overarching aim of the project was to increase understanding of the experience of deployed members and non-deployed partners to be supported through all stages of an overseas deployment. The objectives of the project were as follows: (1) Identify support needs during all stages of deployment; (2) Identify the strengths of and gaps in family support service delivery during all stages of deployment, including support from the Defence Community Organisation (DCO) and National Welfare Coordination Centre (NWCC), psychological support, and chain of command support; (3) Create a model of service delivery that is likely to be effective in supporting personnel and their families before, during, and after an operational deployment; and (5) Provide recommendations for policy and practice to better support ADF personnel and their families during all stages of deployment to enhance operational effectiveness, retention, family functioning, and well-being. An original, semi-structured interview schedule was created to obtain qualitative information on the experience of deployment. Participants were recruited through advertisements in service newspapers and community newsletters. Forty-four interviews were conducted, most of them with couples. A total of 76 participants were interviewed. The sample criteria were member of the ADF with or without dependant children (Army, Navy and Air Force); any partner; and member deployment to East Timor in Operation Warden, Operation Stabilise, or Operation Tanager. This report discusses the findings of the study and presents recommendations. Excerpts from interview transcripts are provided to convey how the deployed and non-deployed person described their experiences.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA481108
Entities
People
- Philip Siebler
Organizations
- Department of Defence