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"Demonstration of impact" is now a key measure of research value. Within and beyond social work, researchers are looking for guidance on how to best demonstrate this. To provide an example, this paper reports on a case study of the impact of a collaborative project conducted by a university and an Aboriginal community organisation in regional Victoria, the aim of which was to promote community wellbeing. The paper presents the case study within the Australian Research Council's impact framework; it is also informed by the ethical research principles of the Lowitja Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Research. Some of the challenges associated with documenting more complex and participatory forms of social research are highlighted, including identifying the primary research and differentiating knowledge translation from impact. IMPLICATIONS As a practice-based discipline social work is well placed to benefit from the new emphasis on research impact. There is a need for methods and frameworks to guide researchers to effectively capture impact. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ethical principles for research are imperative for research impact in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the participation processes displayed by women with physical functional diversity in Spain, from the perspective of feminism and human rights. Responses from 18 participants with physical functional diversity allowed us to describe the female participants, as well as to explain their participation histories and plans, including any enabling or obstructing elements. This feedback also allowed us to interpret the participation models of women in positions or situations of influence. This paper, using qualitative methodology, combines grounded theory, intersectionality, and discourse narration to analyse the life contexts and elements that impede access to social participation on a level playing field for these women. The results present emancipatory tools for women and arguments for political decision-making that can help women overcome oppression and violence, thereby facilitating their integration into society. The defence of people's rights is a professional endeavour grounded in social work theory and involves drawing attention to inequalities, in this case, those faced by women with functional diversity. Social work training should prepare social workers for advocacy based on human rights and be led by people with disabilities themselves. Research into disability in social work yields advances in strategies for social and civic participation, particularly for women with functional diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sudden illness or hospitalisation can exacerbate financial hardship. This paper explores the impact of an Australian hospital-based pilot program designed to remove barriers to government-funded income support for vulnerable patients. Interviews with patients (n = 9) and hospital social workers (n = 13) described the participant experience. Patients identified that the service was convenient, provided relevant information, clarified eligibility, simplified application processes, and reduced stress. Social workers reported that the service saved time, increased access to income support, and facilitated timely discharges where financial barriers existed. We suggest that health and social services partnerships have a potential to improve patient outcomes and service efficiency. IMPLICATIONS A 12-month pilot partnership program between social work staff at Western Health and the Centrelink Community Engagement Officer (CEO) indicated improved access to income support for patients and reported savings in social work staff and patient time. Further research is needed to explore the potential for partnerships between health and social care to deliver integrated psychosocial care to vulnerable patients in hospital, improve patient outcomes, and increase the efficiency of hospital services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing focus in aged care policy is supporting older people to age at home. However, there is little recognition of the health and independence of older private renters living in a space they do not own or control. This paper draws on in-depth interviews and assessments undertaken in the homes of 27 older tenants in the Brisbane environs aiming to understand how renting privately influenced their ability to meet their basic needs. An analysis of the findings highlights the disadvantage experienced by many older private renters. Most older private renters were unable to meet their basic needs given unaffordable rent whilst reliant on the aged pension. Further, with limited access to community aged care including home modifications, the health and independence of older private renters was found to be at risk. IMPLICATIONS Community aged care is difficult for older private renters to utilise in Australia, with unaffordable services and tenancy law limiting access to community aged care services including home modifications. It is vital social workers advocate for the community aged care needs of older private renters in practice and policy settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yoga is increasing in popularity. As a holistic practice, it is being applied and researched as a healing modality for physical ailments, assisting with mental health issues, and addressing traumatic symptoms. However, little is known about how social workers understand and include Yoga in their personal lives or professional practice. As part of a larger narrative study, practitioners in an Australian regional centre were asked: "What, if any, impact do embodied practices like Yoga have on your experience and your clients' experience?" This paper explores the stories told by three of the practitioners interviewed both individually and in focus groups. The dominant themes that emerged highlight that: a personal Yoga practice can be varied; the impact it has on professional outcomes is difficult to quantify; there is a lack of theoretical discussion about the body and embodied experience in social work; the challenges associated with introducing Yoga into social work practice are complex. Embodied practices such as Yoga provide social workers opportunities to increase self-awareness, their capacity to engage with clients and self-care. Theoretical understandings of the body and embodiment need to be better articulated in social work if embodied practices like Yoga are to be included in the professional conversation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationships are core to effective social work and provide the glue that binds diverse aspects of practice. Relational practice has come under threat in an era of managerialism, yet at the same time, it is undergoing a revitalisation in social work discourse. For practitioners on the ground, this can create something of a dilemma, because while their discipline steers them towards building relationships in their practice, their efforts are often unsupported by their organisations, which potentially adds to their workload. This paper presents Australian research that was designed to explore how social work practitioners in the child welfare field experienced the emotional labour involved in building and maintaining relationships in organisational environments characterised by economic and technical rationalism. In-depth interviews were used to explore how participants managed their feelings and the findings revealed how they had to "dig deep" into personal and professional resources to connect and converse with clients and colleagues in a meaningful way. When considered through a gendered lens, this issue raises questions about the ethics of workload distribution for relational work in a profession that is predominantly female. IMPLICATIONS The process of building relationships can be undermined by organisational environments that are heavily influenced by managerial principles and this can potentially threaten the ethos of relational practice. Practitioners need to sustain critical reflection on the value of relationships in order to maintain focus on them. Considering this issue through a gendered lens raises questions about the ethics of care afforded to practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advocacy has received less attention in social work research than other aspects of social work practice. This paper draws attention to two tensions in social work advocacy; between worker-led advocacy and person-led advocacy, and between individual advocacy and system level advocacy. We argue that human-rights-based social workers must choose a person-led approach over a worker-led approach while advocating with both systems and individuals. This argument is made by drawing on findings of an evaluation of Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) in Victoria, Australia. It is shown that social work training had not prepared social workers for rights-based, person-led advocacy and that social workers in public mental health services were struggling to maintain the rights of people in their services even with assistance from IMHA. IMPLICATIONS Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) is a model of advocacy influenced by social work theory and delivered in part by social-work-trained advocates. Social work training is not preparing social workers for person-led, human-rights-based advocacy. Public mental health social workers are struggling to maintain the rights of people in mental health services even with the support of external advocacy services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Many studies show that long-term poor mental health outcomes for disaster-affected people are predicted by postdisaster stressors. Despite this finding, existing recovery frameworks vary in how these stressors are conceptualised. This paper examines community members' subjective perceptions of what they found problematic and useful in their recoveries after the Australian 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, and considers them in the light of these frameworks. We report the findings from responses to semi-structured survey questions as part of the Beyond Bushfires study, 3–4 years after these bushfires (n = 811). Participants identified the biggest problems as managing rebuilding processes and managing their own mental health, memories of the Black Saturday fires, and their concerns for family members. The four most useful supports were family, friends, rebuilding resources, and their community. We found a complex interplay of the same factors operating as both stressors and supports, particularly in relation to family levels of coping. Disaster recovery efforts require the simultaneous management of physical rebuilding and human processes. Families, friends, and neighbours are underestimated resources in postdisaster recovery. Given the complex interplay of the same factors operating as both stressors and supports, interventions are needed that maximise the positive dimensions of these factors. To manage this complexity, multiple frameworks are needed to guide disaster recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies key capabilities for practice identified by community practitioners who seek to support the re-entry and reintegration in community after imprisonment of young men with mild-to-borderline intellectual impairment. It is based on a recent qualitative study undertaken in south-east Queensland, Australia, drawing on in-depth and semistructured interviews with community practitioners working with this population group that is over-represented in the criminal justice system. Applying the capability approach based on the work of Amartya Sen, the study examined community practitioners' self-reported engagement with young men with mild-to-borderline intellectual impairment involved in the criminal justice system. The analytical strategy was based on grounded theory and from the findings a set of practitioner capabilities and functionings were developed to guide future work by practitioners who support young men with mild-to-borderline intellectual impairment in community re-entry and reintegration. IMPLICATIONS Systems for community re-integration of young men with mild-to-borderline (MB) intellectual impairment involved in the criminal justice system require revisioning with a view to developing effective practice in engagement. A capabilities framework for community practitioners, informed by research, is required to guide practice in re-entry services for young men with MB intellectual impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While increasing attention has been paid to the experiences of Indigenous sistergirls over the past decade there still remains a dearth of empirical research on the experiences of this diverse population of Indigenous people. This paper seeks to add to the small body of existing literature by reporting on a thematic analysis of existing media in which 18 sistergirls shared their experiences of family and community. The thematic analysis identified two themes within each of these topics. Specifically, when talking about family, both familial acceptance and rejection were salient themes. When talking about community, both the traditional role of sistergirls in their communities and negative responses from communities were salient themes. The paper concludes by suggesting that increased knowledge about the lives of sistergirls may assist social workers in supporting sistergirls both in their own outreach endeavours, and in providing more culturally competent services. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In July 2006, “welfare-to-work” policies were introduced for single parents in Australia. These policies require most single parents with school-aged children to be employed or seeking employment of 15 to 25 hours per week in return for their income support payment. The changes represented a sharp increase in the obligations applying to single parents on income support. This paper is concerned with how the wellbeing of single mothers who are combining income support and paid employment is being influenced by these stepped-up activity requirements. The paper draws on data from semistructured interviews with 21 Brisbane single mothers. The analysis explores participants’ experiences in the new policy environment, utilising the theoretical framework of “relational autonomy”. Relational approaches to autonomy emphasise the importance of relations of dependency and interdependency to the development of autonomy and wellbeing in contrast with more individualistic approaches that privilege independence and self-sufficiency. Findings indicate that in their dealings with the welfare bureaucracy, participants experienced a lack of recognition of their identities as mothers, paid workers, and competent decision makers. These experiences have negative consequences for self-worth, relational autonomy, and ultimately the wellbeing of single parent families. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Children and young people in rural Australia experience disadvantage compared with metropolitan counterparts, with low educational attainment and disengagement from schooling being linked to poorer health outcomes. Schools are an existing contact point between individuals and health services. However, these health services are often overburdened and have limited scope to address broader social issues and teaching staff are focused on achieving curriculum outcomes. Embedding social workers within schools may provide an avenue for supporting students, yet social workers are rarely present in New South Wales public schools. This paper describes a study to determine teachers' understanding of the socioeconomic issues faced by school students, and the role of the social work profession in addressing such issues as part of the early stages of establishing a Social Work in Schools (SWiS) project. Eighteen semistructured interviews were undertaken with teachers across four rural Australian schools. Participants identified their awareness of potential risk factors that could lead to educational disengagement, reflected on their own limitations in dealing with these broader health presentations given their teaching focus, and provided insights into their understanding of the potential role of social workers. Rural and remote school children in Australia are at risk of reduced educational attainment and disengagement due to low socioeconomic status (SES), geographical location, parental education and employment, and family dysfunction. Social workers should advocate for the role they can play within rural school communities to assist in ameliorating the impact of socioeconomic factors on a student's capacity to engage in learning. Partnerships between schools and social work field education may facilitate the growth of social work in schools in New South Wales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflective practice, reflexivity, and critical reflection are now widely accepted as important in contemporary social work practice. Despite this, there remain differences in how the terms are discussed within the literature. This results in confusion in how students are instructed about reflective practice, reflexivity, and critical reflection. This paper presents a proposal for clarifying these concepts based on the results from an interpretive study of reflective practice in social work education and practice in Australia. The study utilised three different methods: autoethnography, an archaeological analytic, and qualitative interviews. It found that reflective practice is understood as a capability, a form of critical thinking, a discipline response to a changing sector, and a way of theorising from practice. Conceptual clarifications of reflective practice, reflexivity, and critical reflection are presented. IMPLICATIONS There is a need for clarification about the meaning of reflective practice, reflexivity, and critical reflection within social work. Findings from a qualitative study on the meaning and use of reflective practice in Australian social work education may provide conceptual clarification of these terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Posttraumatic growth (PTG) is emerging in the published literature as an important aspect of postdisaster recovery. Despite these research insights into the positive transformations that people experience, PTG has not been formally operationalised in postdisaster psychosocial recovery efforts. This paper presents findings from a mixed methods study of people affected by the 2009 Victorian “Black Saturday” bushfires. Data from in-depth interviews and the PTG Inventory-Short Form (PTGI-SF) with 20 participants gathered five years after the fires were used to gain new insights into perceptions of postdisaster growth. Higher levels of growth were reported by those who were personally involved. Thematic findings were consistent with most of the PTGI-SF factors. Additionally, growth through connections, the acquisition of new skills, and creative engagement were identified as core growth processes. These processes support conceptualising postdisaster PTG in broader relational terms, rather than more typically psychological ones, which may then inform effective interventions. IMPLICATIONS Many people report posttraumatic growth as part of their disaster recovery experiences. Growth experiences are diverse, and include the acquisition of new skills and connections as well as intrapsychic changes. Social workers can support growth by understanding the complex interaction with trauma experiences. Growth experiences may vary depending upon people’s personal and professional disaster involvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine the nature of loss in the context of environmental disasters. When the places people call home are irrevocably changed by disasters, people experience a profound sense of loss—loss that includes both tangible and intangible elements. Tangible aspects of loss include the loss of homes and infrastructure. Intangible losses are less evident but are associated with a loss of identity, of social cohesion, of belonging and community, and of health and wellbeing that are so integrally linked to one’s place. Social work academics across the world are developing environmental and ecological theories for practice that signal the need for social workers to be more engaged with the physical environment and the significance of place. Drawing on research conducted following the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, we highlight the nature of loss in the context of damaged “places”. IMPLICATIONS Social workers and others involved in disaster recovery need to be aware of both tangible and intangible losses and their impact on post-traumatic stress and growth. In the immediate postdisaster period, tangible losses such as homes and infrastructure are often the focus of disaster recovery efforts. Intangible losses of identity, community, and a sense of place and belonging may be of equal or greater significance than tangible losses for those affected by disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against a background of rapid and widespread changes to the delivery of human services and social welfare, this paper reports on a study into the experiences of managers of human services organisations. Within an interpretive methodology, the research utilised focus group and interview methods to examine the relevance and need for business, finance, and management skills from the perspective of managers in the human services. Results indicate that managers of human service organisations need advanced business, management, and finance skills to deal with change and uncertainty in contemporary and competitive service environments. IMPLICATIONS Human service organisations in Australia are subject to change and uncertainty with new models of funding and increased accountability. Social workers employed as managers are under pressure to lead sustainable and accountable services, while still holding to social work principles. Social workers who manage organisations face a challenge of how to integrate business, management, and finance skills with the values and mission of social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people who transition from youth detention to the community may encounter difficulties related to their family relationships, mental and physical wellbeing, education, and employment. How to best to support young people once they leave youth detention has been left relatively unexplored-particularly in regard to the way that young people are approached and assisted to access support. This paper reports on an 18-month qualitative study carried out in Canberra, Australia, with a group of young people who had been in juvenile detention. Hearing from young people directly, the paper reports on what these young people said they needed to make positive changes and effectively transition back into the outside world. The young people who participated in this study recognised that they require assistance to sustain and develop relationships; to maintain links with critical institutions such as work, school, and informal support; to resolve the effects of detention; and to access support to live successfully in the community. Hearing from young people directly is an essential component of designing and implementing more effective responses to young people leaving youth detention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a typology of people using social care services’ preferences for care workers and satisfaction with social care services from a large multimethod study that explored international recruitment to the English social care sector (home and health care, including residential homes). We developed this typology with two questions in mind: (a) what led to satisfaction of care and (b) what led to preference and satisfaction with workers? Data were collected from face-to-face interviews with 35 people who were using social care services and carers (2007–2009) and these data were used to develop the typology. Using the theoretical concept of homophily, we explored contentions that people might prefer to receive care and support from individuals resembling themselves. We observed that preferences for care workers and satisfaction with social care services may be linked, but highlighted that the concept of meeting a preference is personal to the individual. The implications of users’ preferences for certain care workers at a time where policy is promoting greater consumer-led care or self-directed support are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Retaining social workers in the workforce is a significant challenge and a considerable amount of research has focused on identifying and examining the reasons why social workers choose to leave the profession. This paper presents findings collected as part of a small-scale exploratory study into why some social workers have chosen to remain in the social work profession for many years and who consider themselves to be passionate about their careers. In particular, the paper focuses on the potential of effective professional supervision as a factor that can facilitate social worker workforce retention. Supervision was mentioned by all participants in the study as being important for their wellbeing, either throughout their social work career or at particular points along the way, and supervision was also cited as one of the reasons they were still social workers. On the basis of this research, the authors argue that regular professional supervision can increase the retention rate of social worker employees; and it is, therefore, false economy not to allocate sufficient resources for effective supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With advances in medical technology, more people are surviving major trauma experiences. Those with a traumatic brain injury are one such group who may survive for several decades with significant health consequences including physical, cognitive, and psychosocial sequelae. Traumatic brain injury sufferers are typically young males with a premorbid history of risk taking. Consequently, the differential needs of female traumatic brain injury survivors are less likely to be acknowledged in the literature or by allied health workers. A large quantitative and qualitative study of people with traumatic brain injury was conducted in rural areas of New South Wales, Australia in 2004–2005. The qualitative component of the study included in-depth interviews with 11 women and 21 men. This paper focuses on the interviews with the 11 women who live in two rural areas of New South Wales. These data illustrate the psychosocial consequences of traumatic brain injury for women. They reveal that women are particularly vulnerable to isolation, disempowerment, and in extreme cases, abuse, and are less likely to have a carer. The need for gender to be a factor in ongoing social work and allied health treatment and support of traumatic brain injury sufferers and their carers is evident from this research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports on a small-scale, qualitative study on children's perspectives about their participation in decision-making processes regarding supervised contact. The paper begins with an overview of the study and a summary of findings in relation to four key research questions framed around the idea of children having a say, that is, children's views and perspectives of their participation in family law decision-making processes. These key questions include: What are children's experiences of having a say? What are children's understandings of having a say? Did children want a say in the decision for them to have supervised contact? How did having (or not having) a say feel? Discussion focuses on what importance children place on having a say in family law matters, a finding that is contrasted with children's experiences of marginalisation and exclusion from decision-making processes and of ambivalence and reluctance sometimes expressed around having a say. Children's idea of having a say as taking place in and through particular forms of dialogue and conversation, thus enabling the recognition of children and respect for what they have to say, are also explored. We conclude by reflecting on the implications of the study for professionals working in family law [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In Victoria, recent reforms to the child and family welfare system, through the introduction of the Children Youth and Families Act (2005), have significantly strengthened the principle of the 'best interests' of the child. Giving substance to the principle, this legislation defines a set of standards and a practice framework to guide its application. How this is to be applied is of particular interest to the Aboriginal child and family welfare sector, given that the principle of best interests has historically underpinned the removal of thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families on the basis of their race (Bamblett, 2006). This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research study that aimed to identify an Aboriginal perspective on the best interests principle as it applies to Victorian Aboriginal children. In-depth interviews were conducted with six experienced Aboriginal child and family welfare practitioners. The outcomes of this study highlight the distinct cultural perspectives that inform Aboriginal child and family welfare practice and raise a number of concerns in regard to an ongoing ethnocentric application of the principle by mainstream service providers. Key findings of the study are discussed, including the importance of increasing understanding of Aboriginal child-rearing practices, recognising that there is a distinct Aboriginal understanding of what constitutes a best interests framework, and the implications of this for both Aboriginal and mainstream child and family welfare practice. The paper discusses these findings within the context of recent Victorian legislative reform, which promotes Aboriginal self-determination, and argues that more work is needed to ensure Aboriginal perspectives are incorporated into service provision to Aboriginal children and families if we are truly to meet the best interests of Aboriginal children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Korean-Australian intercountry adoption has been practiced for 30 years. This longevity provides unique opportunities to develop critical perspectives on a complex, global practice. This paper presents understandings drawn from a study that explores Korean intercountry adoption using Actor Network Theory. It argues that the practice of intercountry adoption in Australia has been shaped by adoption-driven influences and characterised by controversy and competing discourses. It concludes that contemporary understandings necessitate a global, contextual, and critical view that is inclusive of emerging voices and alternate discourses. The challenge for practitioners and policy makers is to ensure the complex nature of the phenomenon is understood by all stakeholders. This will involve remaining child-focused, promoting multilevel interventions, incorporating research findings, and resisting wholly positive discourse that promotes singular perspectives. An awareness of how the internet is used to forge networks and promote discourses is crucial in ensuring multiple perspectives are considered in this contentious practice field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Over the past two decades there has been a growing awareness that sport may not be a positive experience for all children. For example, we know that some children experience sexual abuse in the context of organised sport, and that these offences are often committed by trusted adults, including coaches and club officials. However, less attention has been given to the physical abuse of child athletes. This paper presents a study that explored children's experiences of organised sport, as recounted by young people between the ages of 18 and 25 years in Australia. The study explored the experience of child physical abuse in organised sport including violence, overtraining, and training while injured. A mixed methods research design produced 107 survey responses and 10 in-depth interviews with young adults. Most respondents reported the positive impact that participating in sport had had on their development, but more than a third of the respondents also described experiences of overtraining, being forced to train when injured or of direct physical violence. Drawing upon a thematic analysis of the qualitative data, a conceptual model has been developed and is presented to assist in the understanding of the dynamic of secrecy, which may facilitate ongoing physical harm to children in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The year 2014 marked the abolition of the Baby Bonus and its replacement with a substantially reduced parenting payment. While often criticised as "middle-class welfare," or publicly denounced due to its purported misuse by disadvantaged mothers, this paper argues that the Baby Bonus provided valuable financial assistance to families experiencing high financial stress. To investigate young women's experience of receiving the Baby Bonus, 19 semistructured interviews were conducted with young mothers in Melbourne who had recently had babies. Many were experiencing financial stress and this payment provided much needed financial support for the basic costs arising from having a baby. Several mothers perceived work as a luxury that was out of reach due to high childcare costs relative to their earning capacity and therefore saw Paid Parental Leave as a further privilege unavailable to them. Our results suggest that while the concerns of policymakers to achieve the best use of scarce resources are critical, it should also be acknowledged that the policy change may have serious implications for many young mothers and may exacerbate disadvantage, and young mothers' sense of alienation, ultimately leading to greater inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper illuminates two under-investigated, and often intersecting, frontline services accessed by unemployed people. It reports on the narratives of 32 Australian service providers working in emergency relief or employment services during 2012, including perceptions of clients' presenting issues and problems, and rationale for intervention. Workers tended to use reductionist and individualistic terms to describe complex client issues suggesting self-motivation and personal responsibility were key to gaining employment or alleviating poverty. Clients were often viewed as having the power to change their circumstances, while workers appeared unaware of their positional power and drew from dominant conservative discourse about welfarism and unemployment to fortify their compliance requirements. The findings are discussed in relation to service delivery and reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper reports on the qualitative phase of a New Zealand study of young people who had been exposed to "risky" environments from a young age. These young people had experienced traumatic events such as abuse, violence, addictions, mental health issues, and many had been excluded from school. The young people (aged between 13 and 17) were users of multiple services (statutory and nongovernmental services including: child welfare, juvenile justice, remedial education, and mental health services). Qualitative interviews (n = 109) explored young people's experiences in their families, communities, education, and their perspectives on support provided by services and their own support networks. Three thematic clusters emerged as central motifs in young people's experiences and are the focus of this article: navigating "risky" environments; services and support; and, working to find different pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Australian Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)