Ensuring the future of rural social work in Australia
- Authors: Brown, Grace , Green, Rosemary
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural Society Vol. 19, no. 4 (2009), p. 293-295
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- Description: The article focuses on several approaches to improve social work in remote, rural and regional locales in Australia. It says that despite the need for social work services, human service agencies face difficulty in retention and recruitment of qualified staff. To address such problems in rural social work, it suggests the involvement of urban universities, which provide social work education, by supporting rural student placements. It mentions the need for industry support to encourage and assists student in rural placements. It also states that distance education can be an alternative for students from rural locales. Moreover, it says that continuing professional development opportunities should be provided for rural social workers.
- Description: 2003007962
Family violence reporting : Supporting the vulnerable or re-enforcing their vulnerability?
- Authors: Green, Rosemary , Thomas, Vicki Lee
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Asia Pacific Media Educator Vol. 19, no. (2009), p. 55-70
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- Description: Reporting of family violence in the media is often done in ways that either sensationalise or, alternatively, minimise and trivialise the issue. This article reports on the collection and analysis of reports concerning family violence from five Australian newspapers over a 15‑week period. The research found that reporting varied significantly depending on the ethnicity, gender, age, status and/or religious affiliation of those involved. The analysis uses codes of ethics for reporting as a framework to discuss current examples of reporting about family violence cases and issues in Victoria, Australia. The research identifies opportunities for increasing community understanding of family violence and for supporting those affected through effective and ethical reporting.
Preparing for social work practice in diverse contexts : Introducing an integrated model for class discussion
- Authors: Green, Rosemary , Gregory, Raeleene , Mason, Robyn
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Social Work Education Vol. 28, no. 4 (2009), p. 413-422
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Understanding the context of practice is an essential component of social work practice as is providing service that respects diversity. These twin concepts are necessary to include in planning and delivering services across all levels of practice. However, while we might understand how the context impacts on service users (and such an understanding is a vital part of assessment processes), the context has greater and more far reaching impacts. For example, in rural practice research, there is evidence that the context strongly influences the choice of practice methods, the behaviour of the professional as an individual and as a community member, and the management of complex ethical situations. This paper proposes a model that may be useful in analysing the various impacts of diversity and context in social work practice, and is relevant for the education of social workers and other human service personnel. The SUPAmodel (Service User, Professional, Agency) uses practice examples to explore how changes in context impact on professional decision making and choices about intervention. © 2009 Taylor & Francis.
- Description: 2003006215
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.
The development of 'expert-ness': Rural practitioners and role boundaries
- Authors: Gregory, Raeleene , Green, Rosemary , McLaren, Suzanne
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural Social Work and Community Practice Vol. 12, no. 2 (2007), p. 16-21
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- 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: C1
- Description: 2003005777
Welfare workers' experiences of rural practice - similar but different
- Authors: Green, Rosemary
- Date: 2007
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural Social Work and Community Practice Vol. 12, no. 1 (2007), p. 41-46
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- Description: This research project investigated the experiences of six rural welfare professionals living in the Western region of Victoria, Australia. In particular, this paper reports on their experiences of managing dual and multiple roles, confidentiality and their privacy. The six participants, five women and one man, were purposely chosen for in-depth interviews using criterion sampling from 23 survey respondents who participated in a larger rural practice study. Issues of particular interest to participants were managing confidential information gathered from formal and informal sources, providing services that are non-stigmatising, managing complex ethical dilemmas arising from fual and multiple roles, and lack of anonymity and privacy. Participants' experiences of these issues had varied considerably. Some expressed feeling of anxiety and stress, while others expressed strong confidence about their management of these matters in their daily practice. Many participants were anxious about whethr their practice fully met the ethical guidelines of the profession, however they felt their practice appropriate to the context. Most of the participants commented that their pre-service education did not adequately address rural issues or prepare them for their work role in small communities.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003005771
Professional distance and social work
- Authors: Green, Rosemary , Gregory, Raeleene , Mason, Robyn
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Social Work Vol. 59, no. 4 (2006), p. 449-465
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- 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: C1
- Description: 2003001993
Traversing the great divide! : preparing social work and welfare students for rural practice in Australia
- Authors: Green, Rosemary
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
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- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Description: "This professional doctorate portfolio presents the results of my investigations into how to better prepare social work and welfare students for rural practice in Australia."--p. 2.
'Great lifestyle, pity about the job stress': Occupational stress in rural human service practice
- Authors: Green, Rosemary , Lonne, Robert
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural Society: the journal of research into rural & regional social issues in Australia Vol. 15, no. 2 (2005), p. 252-266
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- Description: Social workers, welfare workers and others living and working in small rural communities report that they are generally highly satisfied with their work and lifestyle. Paradoxically, high levels of occupational stress are also reported
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001252
Challenges for social work and welfare education in 21st century: A contextual analysis
- Authors: Green, Rosemary
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at the Annual International HERDSA Conference 2005, Sydney : 3rd - 6th July, 2005
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- Description: The social work and welfare profession has experienced change and challenge from a number of sources in the late 20th Century. In Western countries, changing government ideology and policy about welfare provision has fundamentally altered the landscape in which social and welfare workers are employed. The role and purpose of the social welfare profession has been interrogated, with a resulting perceived 'crisis' for the profession. Government policies have also affected the provision of education for students, and this, too, has had an impact on the shape and structure of courses, and the work of academics. In addition, broader changes in society have created a challenging environment, for example, there is a general distrust of professionals together with the speaking out by marginalised groups about their place and treatment within society and by professional groups such as social welfare. Such a context affects the profession, and recruitment of students. Within this milieu, social work and welfare education must equip graduates to work effectively in a changing and sometimes hostile world. This paper broadly examines the context affecting provision of education for social work and education in the 21st century. These issues are similar across Western countries, and affect many other professional groups.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003001260
13 days and counting : A mutual support model for young, homeless women in crisis
- Authors: Green, Rosemary , Mason, Robyn , Ollerenshaw, Alison
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Youth Studies Australia Vol. 23, no. 2 (2004), p. 46-50
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- Description: An innovative program in rural Victoria matches young homeless women with older homeless women and provides them with a range of support services.The result is more stability in the accommodation setting, mutual benefit and satisfaction for clients, and impressive rates of permanent housing outcomes.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000964
40 degrees above or 40 degrees below zero : Rural social work and context in Australia and Canada
- Authors: Bodor, Ralph , Green, Rosemary , Lonne, Robert , Zapf, Michael
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural Social Work Vol. 9, no. December (2004), p. 49-59
- Full Text: false
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- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000963
Rural and remote social welfare practice: Differences and similarities in the Australian context
- Authors: Green, Rosemary , Gregory, Raeleene
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural Society Vol. 14, no. 3 (2004), p. 245-255
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- 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: C1
- Description: 2003000951
Working with survivors of sexual assault : Attitudes and beliefs of rural health workers
- Authors: Radcliffe, Margaret , Green, Rosemary , McLaren, Suzanne
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Women Against Violence Vol. 15, no. (2004), p. 22-29
- Full Text: false
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- Description: The central purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and beliefs about sexual assault of health and welfare professionals in a rural area. These front line staff are often the professionals to whom a woman discloses her story, yet many generalist health and welfare workers feel ill equipped to deal with such disclosures. This study sought to understand the frameworks and beliefs held by generalist health and welfare workers about sexual assault. The findings of this study indicate that attitudes and beliefs of many participants included theoretical frameworks that ignore the role of power and gender, and are based on myths and assumptions about the behaviour and/or psychology of victim/survivors and perpetrators. Such beliefs have an impact on outcomes for survivors, and the quality of service offered to them, and indicates a need for comprehensive further training for health and welfare workers about sexual assault. Participants also lacked confidence in their ability to work effectively with survivors, although they clearly understood the long-term effects of experiencing sexual assault.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000956
It's no picnic : Personal and family safety for rural social workers
- Authors: Green, Rosemary , Mason, Robyn
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Social Work Vol. 56, no. 2 (2003), p. 94-106
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- Description: This paper reports the key research findings related to personal and family safety of rural welfare and social workers, from a study conducted in rural Victoria, Australia. Significant findings included concerns about personal and family safety, frequency of episodes of work related violence and harassment, and the resultant impact on personal and family activities. A range of useful strategies was identified to combat and cope with both the risk and experience of violence and harassment for the worker, and for their families. Workplaces, professional associations and educators need to recognize the impact of this occupational hazard, and respond with sensitivity to these issues, which have particular relevance for rural practitioners where anonymity and privacy are frequently compromised.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000509
Only in exceptional circumstances! : Education in Australia for rural social work and welfare practice
- Authors: Green, Rosemary
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural Social Work Vol. 8, no. 1 (2003), p. 50-57
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000510
Rural social welfare practice : Stories from the western region of Victoria
- Authors: Green, Rosemary
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at the 7th National Rural Health Conference, Canberra : 1st - 4th March, 2003
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- Description: This study explored rural welfare practice issues with six welfare professionals working in contentious fields of practice such as child welfare, family violence and the justice system in the western region of Victoria. Participants were selected on the basis of difference to provide a range of experiences. The six participants completed a questionnaire and were subsequently interviewed in depth about their own experiences. The study asked participants about issues of concern to them and strategies that they find useful in their professional practice in small communities. Issues of concern included: risk and experience of violence and harassment, managing confidential information gathered from formal and informal sources, providing services that are non stigmatising, managing dual and multiple roles and lack of anonymity and privacy. Participants were concerned about the dilemmas of personal privacy versus community “right to know” particularly when they had privileged information about perpetrators of violence and child sexual assault within their communities. Participants shared their practical solutions and personal survival strategies, as well as their concerns. Many employing organisations did not recognise these factors effectively in work practices, and supervision was focused on agency accountability rather than professional development and support. On a broader level, workplaces and educators need to recognise the impact of the occupational demands and stressors relevant for rural practitioners, where anonymity and privacy are frequently compromised, and respond sensitively to these issues. This paper includes a number of recommendations for educators and organisations employing welfare staff in rural areas. The author sincerely thanks the six welfare professionals for sharing their stories in such rich detail and with such honesty and frankness. Identifying details have been altered to protect their privacy.
- Description: E1
- Description: 2003000562
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
Managing confidentiality in rural welfare practice in Australia
- Authors: Green, Rosemary , Mason, Robyn
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Rural Social Work Vol. 7, no. 1 (2002), p. 34-43
- Full Text: false
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- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000094
A dispersed refuge model for women escaping domestic violence : A regional case study
- Authors: McDonald, John , Green, Rosemary
- Date: 2001
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Primary Health Vol. 7, no. 1 (2001), p. 85-89
- Full Text: false
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- Description: Refuges for women escaping domestic violence have traditionally been communal residences located in metropolitan areas. More recently, alternative service models have been funded to provide for clients with multiple and complex needs. This paper evaluates the first year of operation of an innovative refuge model for women and their children. "Marg's Place" is a statewide, high security, dispersed accommodation support model located in a regional setting. Evaluation methods included interviews, surveys, and analysis of client databases and program documents. Thirty-five women and 42 children used the service for an average stay of 20 days during the first 12 months. The main findings were that the dispersed model can cater for a wide range of service users, including those with multiple and complex needs, who would be unlikely to be successfully accommodated in a communal refuge. There was little evidence that the dispersed model contributes to feelings of isolation or loneliness for women or children. The regional setting presented both advantages and disadvantages for women wanting to resettle in the area. Women reported significantly enhanced levels of empowerment, and the high security provisions met their needs for safety. Overall, this refuge model provides an accessible, responsive and effective service.
- Description: 2003004475