Key influences on rural health and welfare service delivery : Lessons from the literature
- Authors: Gregory, Raeleene , Green, Rosemary , McLaren, Suzanne
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural Social Work and Community Practice Vol. 13, no. 2 (2008), p. 33-42
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- 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.
Social work in rural areas : A personal and professional challenge
- Authors: Green, Rosemary
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Social Work Vol. 56, no. 3 (2003), p. 209-219
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- Description: Australians live in diverse areas, city and country, coast and hinterland, desert and rainforest, urban and remote areas. While much social work practice is located in large population centres, the problem of providing a social work service in rural and remote areas is a challenging one. This article examines some of the issues for rural social workers practicing where networks are small and multilayered, anonymity, privacy and safety for the social worker cannot be guaranteed, and a broad range of knowledge and skills are demanded. As a profession, it is important to acknowledge the complexity of delivering an ethical, responsive and appropriate service in rural areas. For rural social workers, this challenge impacts in both their professional and personal roles.
- Description: C1