Description:
Contemporary rural Australia is home to a diverse population which constitutes approximately one third of the total population of the nation. Rural Australians are engaged in numerous occupations and undertakings, not all of which are directly involved with agriculture. A decline in the agricultural sector over past decades has, however, led to significant disadvantage in terms of the resources and facilities available to rural people. There are issues regarding recruitment and retention of staff which provide challenges for health and welfare agencies. The provision of effective services is dependant on staff; however, there are a number of influences on the experience of health and welfare professionals in the Australian rural context. This paper, through a review of the literature, identifies some of those influences.
Description:
Contemporary rural Australia is home to a diverse population which constitutes approximately one third of the total population of the nation. Rural Australians are engaged in numerous occupations and undertakings, not all of which are directly involved with agriculture. A decline in the agricultural sector over past decades has, however, led to significant disadvantage in terms of the resources and facilities available to rural people. There are issues regarding recruitment and retention of staff which provide challenges for health and welfare agencies. The provision of effective services is dependant on staff; however, there are a number of influences on the experience of health and welfare professionals in the Australian rural context. This paper, through a review of the literature, identifies some of those influences.
Description:
Professional distance and the parallel concept of models of practice reliant on professional objectivity have been major platforms in professional education. In social work, these ideas are often seen as contentious, unreasonable and, in some cases, unrealistic. Radical, feminist and rural social work approaches, for example, suggest that the expert role is not only inappropriate, but can be counter-productive and disrespectful of the people with whom we work. Postmodern approaches call for a deconstruction of professionalism in favour of context-specific partnerships between worker and client. How can workers ensure good, professional practice within a more flexible approach to professional distance and expertise? What are the issues and how may they be resolved? Are the boundaries of the professional relationship elastic and, if so, what are the consequences for practice and the individual worker? The present article explores the notion of flexible, elastic boundaries using literature and research from radical, postmodern, feminist and rural social work approaches.
Description:
Professional distance and the parallel concept of models of practice reliant on professional objectivity have been major platforms in professional education. In social work, these ideas are often seen as contentious, unreasonable and, in some cases, unrealistic. Radical, feminist and rural social work approaches, for example, suggest that the expert role is not only inappropriate, but can be counter-productive and disrespectful of the people with whom we work. Postmodern approaches call for a deconstruction of professionalism in favour of context-specific partnerships between worker and client. How can workers ensure good, professional practice within a more flexible approach to professional distance and expertise? What are the issues and how may they be resolved? Are the boundaries of the professional relationship elastic and, if so, what are the consequences for practice and the individual worker? The present article explores the notion of flexible, elastic boundaries using literature and research from radical, postmodern, feminist and rural social work approaches.
Description:
Welfare practice in rural and remote areas has some particular challenges for professionals. There is a developing body of knowledge about the differences between urban and rural welfare practice, and some evidence that remote practice is experienced differently from rural practice. This article provides an introductory discussion of the differences and similarities of rural and remote welfare practice (in terms of organizational, professional and personal aspects) in Australia using material gathered from two exploratory studies of social work and welfare professionals in Victoria and the Northern Territory. While there were many similarities about satisfaction with lifestyle and the work role, major differences were related to the emphasis on ethical dilemmas in the rural area, strong dissatisfaction with organizations and employment conditions expressed by the remote practitioners, and a lack of professional support and networking which was particularly noted in the remote area.
Description:
Welfare practice in rural and remote areas has some particular challenges for professionals. There is a developing body of knowledge about the differences between urban and rural welfare practice, and some evidence that remote practice is experienced differently from rural practice. This article provides an introductory discussion of the differences and similarities of rural and remote welfare practice (in terms of organizational, professional and personal aspects) in Australia using material gathered from two exploratory studies of social work and welfare professionals in Victoria and the Northern Territory. While there were many similarities about satisfaction with lifestyle and the work role, major differences were related to the emphasis on ethical dilemmas in the rural area, strong dissatisfaction with organizations and employment conditions expressed by the remote practitioners, and a lack of professional support and networking which was particularly noted in the remote area.
Description:
Health and welfare practitioners have reported challenges in their personal and professional lives brought about by the realities of dual and multiple relationships in small communities. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative grounded theory study of 70 such practitioners living and working in rural Victoria. Australia, with regard to the development of worker expertise in dealing with personal and professional role boundary issues. The research findings suggested that this group of rural health and welfare practitioners dealt with personal and professional boundary issues through a process of sensitive decision-making and strategic behaviour that became increasingly intuitive over time. Participants oftern adopted elastic and fluid boundaries using their personal experience and local knowledge to inform their professional judgement. These findings have implications for practitioners, for employers, and for educators.
Description:
Health and welfare practitioners have reported challenges in their personal and professional lives brought about by the realities of dual and multiple relationships in small communities. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative grounded theory study of 70 such practitioners living and working in rural Victoria. Australia, with regard to the development of worker expertise in dealing with personal and professional role boundary issues. The research findings suggested that this group of rural health and welfare practitioners dealt with personal and professional boundary issues through a process of sensitive decision-making and strategic behaviour that became increasingly intuitive over time. Participants oftern adopted elastic and fluid boundaries using their personal experience and local knowledge to inform their professional judgement. These findings have implications for practitioners, for employers, and for educators.
Description:
"'Too close for comfort?' explores the challenges of working and living in Australian rural communities for a group of health and welfare professionals. Personal and professional role overlap is a key concern particularly as it has implications for ethical practice. This project [...] used a qualitative grounded theory approach to develop a theory about the adoption and management of professional role boundaries within ethical service delivery. "
Description:
"'Too close for comfort?' explores the challenges of working and living in Australian rural communities for a group of health and welfare professionals. Personal and professional role overlap is a key concern particularly as it has implications for ethical practice. This project [...] used a qualitative grounded theory approach to develop a theory about the adoption and management of professional role boundaries within ethical service delivery. "
Description:
Research in the past decade has found that certain ways of responding to domestic partner abusers, particularly psycho-educational approaches, can be effective in modifying abusive behaviours. The study described in this paper sought to classify male domestic partner abusers by certain identified characteristics and determine whether they responded differently to a Men's Behaviour Change Program conducted by community agencies in regional Victoria. It was found that some types of male abusers appeared to derive greater benefits from the standard 12-week program than others. Those with antisocial personality disorders tended not to respond favourably. Further research work is now required to identify interventions that will be successful with abusers who have significant antisocial personalities.
Description:
Research in the past decade has found that certain ways of responding to domestic partner abusers, particularly psycho-educational approaches, can be effective in modifying abusive behaviours. The study described in this paper sought to classify male domestic partner abusers by certain identified characteristics and determine whether they responded differently to a Men's Behaviour Change Program conducted by community agencies in regional Victoria. It was found that some types of male abusers appeared to derive greater benefits from the standard 12-week program than others. Those with antisocial personality disorders tended not to respond favourably. Further research work is now required to identify interventions that will be successful with abusers who have significant antisocial personalities.
Description:
The rural health, social work and welfare literature includes work on the provision of services in rural and remote settings, the challenges of addressing those communities' needs, and the issues of the funding and staffing of service provision agencies. Rural sociology addresses the social, political and economic factors impinging on contemporary Australian rural life. What is missing from the discussion is extensive exploration of practitioner experience - the voices of the workers are largely unheard, particularly with regard to personal and professional role boundary issues. Health and welfare workers are confronted daily with ethical dilemmas arising from engagement in dual and multiple relationships within their communities. Numerous practitioners have presented anecdotes from their work, some small studies have been undertaken, and a few larger studies have been reported. These examples, which whet the appetite with regard to how these workers experience the boundary issues of rural practice, provide an introduction to the phenomenon that is Australian rural practice. This paper seeks to stimulate discussion about the experience of living and working in rural communities, and how ethical practice is achieved. It considers some of the published reflections of workers in this context, and gives voice to some previously unheard practitioners.
Description:
The rural health, social work and welfare literature includes work on the provision of services in rural and remote settings, the challenges of addressing those communities' needs, and the issues of the funding and staffing of service provision agencies. Rural sociology addresses the social, political and economic factors impinging on contemporary Australian rural life. What is missing from the discussion is extensive exploration of practitioner experience - the voices of the workers are largely unheard, particularly with regard to personal and professional role boundary issues. Health and welfare workers are confronted daily with ethical dilemmas arising from engagement in dual and multiple relationships within their communities. Numerous practitioners have presented anecdotes from their work, some small studies have been undertaken, and a few larger studies have been reported. These examples, which whet the appetite with regard to how these workers experience the boundary issues of rural practice, provide an introduction to the phenomenon that is Australian rural practice. This paper seeks to stimulate discussion about the experience of living and working in rural communities, and how ethical practice is achieved. It considers some of the published reflections of workers in this context, and gives voice to some previously unheard practitioners.