The emergence of water markets in Australia and implications for rural social work
- Authors: Mason, Robyn , McDonald, John , Ollerenshaw, Alison
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural Social Work and Community Practice Vol. 11, no. (2006), p. 6- 17
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- Description: The aim of this paper is to consider the implications for rural social work practice of the widespread and severe drought coupled with the emergence of water markets in Australia. The National Water Initiative was signed at the June 2004 Council of Australian Governments meeting with the aim of producing a nationally-compatible, market, regulatory and planning-based system of managing water resources to optimise economic, social and environmental outcomes. The National Water Commission and the National Competition Council have since assessed progress on the implementation of the initiative: none of their reports gives adequate consideration to the impact of water reform on rural communities. In this paper, we draw upon previous research and written submissions made to the Commission and the Council to examine the social and political consequences of the drought and the emergence of water markets. We discuss the implications for rural practice, and conclude by proposing seven recommendations to assert the role of rural social workers as change agents. This role could encompass community education and advocacy, piloting schemes such as community water banks, reinstating community development in social work curriculum, and facilitating collaborative rural partnerships.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001997
Moorabool Shire project : Stage 1 - Local area planning
- Authors: Blaskett, Beverley , Marshall, Craig , McDonald, John , Ollerenshaw, Alison
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Report
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- Description: This project was funded by the Victorian Government Department of Human Services and the Moorabool Shire Council and is currently being used to inform future health and welfare service provision in the Moorabool Shire.
- Description: K1
- Description: 2003002861
Dimensions of pastoral care: Student wellbeing in rural Catholic schools
- Authors: Ollerenshaw, Alison , McDonald, John
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Primary Health Vol. 12, no. 2 (2006), p. 137-145
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- Description: This paper investigates the health and welfare needs of students (n = 15,806) and the current service model in Catholic schools in the Ballarat Diocese of Victoria, Australia. Catholic schools use a service model underpinned by an ethos of pastoral care; there is a strong tradition of self-reliance within the Catholic education system for meeting students' health and welfare needs. The central research questions are: What are the emerging health and welfare needs of students? How does pastoral care shape the service model to meet these needs? What model/s might better meet students' primary health care needs? The research methods involved analysis of(1) extant databases of expressed service needs including referrals (n = 1,248) to Student Services over the last 2.5 years, (2) trends in the additional funding support such as special needs funding for students and the Education Maintenance Allowance for families, and (3) semi-structured individual and group interviews with 98 Diocesan and school staff responsible for meeting students' health and welfare needs. Analysis of expressed service needs revealed a marked increase in service demand, and in the complexity and severity of students' needs. Thematic analysis of qualitative interview data revealed five pressing issues: the health and welfare needs of students; stressors in the school community; rural isolation; role boundaries and individualised interventions; and self-reliant networks of care. Explanations for many of these problems can be located in wider social and economic forces impacting upon the church and rural communities. It was concluded that the pastoral care model-as it is currently configured-is not equipped to meet the escalating primary health care needs of students in rural areas. This paper considers the implications for enhanced primary health care in both rural communities and in schools.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001995
Priority setting in primary health care : A framework for local catchments
- Authors: McDonald, John , Ollerenshaw, Alison
- Date: 2011
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural and remote health Vol. 11, no. 2 (2011), p. 1714
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- Description: Managers and staff in primary health care partnerships in local catchments, particularly in regional areas, are periodically required to work collaboratively to set health priorities. Setting priorities involves making decisions about which health needs are most important and what programs will be funded to address them. There is no universally agreed set of decision-making rules for setting priorities. Dominant approaches prioritise health economics, and have favoured expert knowledge drawn from technical-rational methodologies rather than consumer involvement and community action. However, research reveals that setting priorities is a complex, value laden, contested process buffeted by competing objectives and political interests. As such, an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach is called for. Using reflective practice from a priority setting project for a primary care partnership in a local, regional catchment in Victoria, Australia, a conceptual framework for priority setting is presented that identifies 13 interconnected factors spanning economic, political, policy, epidemiological, moral, evidentiary and evaluative domains. This interdisciplinary framework extends current knowledge about the considerations and trade-offs in setting priorities among collaborating primary health care agencies. It offers a potentially valuable heuristic tool for healthcare decision-makers in rural areas.