1136.0 - A Directory of Education and Training Statistics, 2009

ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/03/2009

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Contents Introduction Statistical Collections Related Publications Education and Training - General Contents Expenditure and Costs Contents Higher Education Contents Labour Force Contents Early Childhood Education Contents Schools Contents Social Contents Vocational Education and Training Contents Indigenous Education and Training Statistics Contents Other Statistical or Research Reports Contents Classifications or Manuals Contents About this Release	FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS AND TRANSITIONS SURVEY CONTACT Family and Community Statistics Section Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra Telephone (02) 6252 5742 DESCRIPTION The Family Characteristics and Transitions Survey (FCTS) is a combination of two Multi-Purpose Household Survey (MPHS) topics which supplement the Monthly Population Survey; the Family Characteristics Survey (FCS) and the Family Transitions and History Survey (FTHS). Results from these are published together in the ABS publication Family Characteristics and Transitions, Australia, June 2006-07 (ABS cat. no. 4442.0). The FCS collects details on household and family composition including demographics, labour force status, and family type. A particular focus of the survey is families with children aged 0-17 years. Additional information collected within this topic includes information about family structure, the social marital status of the parents, parental income and contact arrangements for children with non-resident parents. The FTHS builds on the information collected in the FCS, collecting information on couple relationship history, relationship expectations, children ever born, reasons for leaving home and fertility expectations. Five sub-topics of the FTHS have been collected previously in other surveys: Relationship history, Parental transitions, Leaving home, Children ever born, and Fertility expectations. For more information on FTHS comparability with previous surveys see the 'Explanatory Notes' tab of Family Characteristics and Transitions, Australia, June 2006-07 (ABS cat. no. 4442.0). Scope This survey was conducted in both urban and rural areas in all states and territories, but excluded people living in very remote parts of Australia. It also excluded the following: Households where at least one person was a member in the Australian permanent defence forces Members of non-Australian defence forces stationed in Australia, and their dependants Diplomatic personnel of overseas governments, and their dependants, excluded from censuses and surveys of Australian residents People living in non-private dwellings such as hotels, university residences, students at boarding schools, patients in hospitals, residents of homes such as retirement homes and homes for people with disabilities, and inmates of prisons. Reference Period Following the financial year cycle of the MPHS, the FCS and FTHS were conducted between July 2006 to June 2007, excluding the months of August and September when the 2006 Census of Population and Housing was conducted. Frequency of Collection This is an irregular survey. The ABS plans to repeat the FCS three yearly as part of MPHS. It will next be collected in 2009-10. The FTHS will be collected 6 yearly and will next be collected in 2012-13. Method of collection ABS interviewers conducted personal interviews by either telephone or at selected dwellings. Each month a sample of dwellings was selected for the MPHS from the responding households in the last rotation group for the MPS. In these dwellings, after the MPS had been fully completed for each person, a usual resident aged 15 years and over was selected at random and asked the additional MPHS questions in a personal interview. Information was collected using Computer Assisted Interviewing (CAI), whereby responses are recorded directly onto an electronic questionnaire in a notebook computer. The Family Characteristics topic collected information from the randomly selected person about the household and about every person in the household, including all children in the household. The Family Transitions and History topic questions were only asked about the randomly selected persons aged 18 years and over, with some sub-topics having additional age restrictions. DISSEMINATION Release schedule Publications related to each of the selected topic, will usually be available within six months of completion of data collection. Publications Family Characteristics and Transitions, Australia, June 2006-07 (ABS cat. no. 4442.0) Family Characteristics Survey, Australia, Expanded Confidentialised Unit Record File: Technical Manual, 2006-07 (ABS cat.no. 4442.0.55.002) Geography Data are available for Australia, state and territory, and capital city/balance of state (excluding territories). Data Service Customised tables are available on request, as a charged service. State and territory tables are also available. Family Characteristics Survey, Australia, Expanded Confidentialised Unit Record File, 2006-07 (ABS cat. no. 4442.0.55.001) DATA ITEMS Data items are available at both person and family level, with some data items available at the household level. Variables include standard labour force items, basic demographics and socio-economic characteristics. Data items about families cover: family structure and life cycle stage, number of dependent children by age group, children with a natural parent living elsewhere, age and marital status of parents/partners. Demographic Sex Age Marital status Country of birth and year of arrival State or territory of usual residence Remoteness index Region of usual residence Household composition Education Whether attending school Whether a full time student Level of highest non-school qualification Field of highest non-school qualification Age and whether attending an educational institution Highest year of school completed Historical Data The 2006-07 FCS was the fifth survey on the topic of family composition. Family Surveys were conducted by the ABS in 1982 ('Families Survey') and 1992 ('Survey of Families in Australia'), and previous FCSs were conducted in both 1997 and 2003. The Family Surveys, and to a lesser extent the 1997 FCS, differed from the 2003 and 2006-07 FCS in some areas. Nevertheless, these differences do not preclude useful comparisons between them for certain data items. For more detail on differences over time, see the Family Characteristics and Transitions, Australia 2006-07 Explanatory Notes. Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window.