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This paper uses Carol Bacchi's 'What's the problem represented to be?' (WPR) framework to explore representations of women's mental health in federal and South Australian mental health policies. It argues that mental health policies govern women through neoliberal discourses that individualise mental health and illness while neglecting the social structural factors which significantly influence mental health outcomes and health equity. In a 'self-monitoring' neoliberal society, people are increasingly required to seek medical and pharmaceutical intervention to promote ideal personhoods, with women overrepresented in this group. The disciplinary power of the medicalisation discourse categorises women as either ideal or failed neoliberal subjects. This is concerning for social workers because neoliberal and medicalisation discourses shape how women's mental health is represented in policy and responded to in practice. This paper challenges biomedical and neoliberal discourses underpinning policy representations and identifies the implications for social work and social policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The quality of the helping relationship is experienced when theories and principles are enacted in practice. Here, the people social workers seek to serve are able to decide whether the practice they experience is useful. One way that social workers can enhance the quality of the relationships they develop is to 'start where the person is at'. In order to explore what this phrase means in and for effective social work practice, this paper revisits Martin Buber's articulation of the I/thou relationship seeking to shed light on the notion of personhood in this value-based profession. Two participants, within a larger research project exploring the experiences of social workers in the Australian child welfare field, independently used the language of personhood to refer to the way they conceptualised the process of engaging with people. Both were referring to enacting the transcendent value of each person in terms of a practice philosophy. These personal narratives inspired the authors to move away from the usual professional discourse about the skills involved in relationship building and instead reflect on their own practice in order to capture something philosophical about caring relational processes. Revisiting humanistic conceptualisations of the helping relationship such as the I/thou has the potential to discourage practitioners from seeing relationships as transactional. This has particular significance in practice contexts characterised as risk-averse, austere or involuntary, and/or where people may be feeling anxious, stressed and/or simply unheard. Contemporary implications for social work practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and young people's access to and engagement in education is a key determinant of future positive outcomes. Children and young people in out-of-home care disproportionally experience educational disruptions and disengagements affecting their ability to participate in schooling, further and higher education. There is increasing international interest in the participation of young people with lived experience of out-of-home (OOHC) in research projects. This paper presents the findings of a study in the Australian state of Victoria where a group of lived experience consultants (LECs) were employed to consult on the results of a broader survey of the attitudes of professionals, carers and care leavers regarding the educational experiences of children in OOHC. Two meetings were held with the LECs, one to gain their views on the survey findings, and secondly, to reflect on their experiences working on the project. The findings suggest that formalizing the engagement of lived experience voices in research, inherently a qualitative approach, promotes a more informed representation of the challenges faced by children and young people within OOHC. In this case, engaging young adults with lived experience helped identify key barriers to effective educational participation that the project design may otherwise have overlooked. They also identified key strategies for improving LEC engagement such as involving them in developing key research aims and questions, and enabling the provision of a 'safe space' for them to participate. This new approach promotes co-design at multiple levels, providing opportunities for a meaningful collaborative approach to research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy and research acknowledge that the quality of end-of-life care in hospitals can be poor, with families reporting significant concerns regarding physical and psychosocial care. In order to design appropriate evidenced-based care approaches, we conducted qualitative research examining the perspectives of bereaved families of patients who received end-of-life care in our health network. This paper reports on ethical dilemmas facing practitioner-researchers conducting interviews with bereaved families. We recruited 40 bereaved family members to participate in semi-structured interviews discussing the care a loved one received while a patient under the general medicine units. Bereaved participants expressed grief, humour and anger regarding their experience, and several reported perceptions of negligent and harmful care. Irrespective of the protocols in place to mitigate distress, this posed an ethical dilemma for the practitioner-researcher as a member of the health network, who needed to balance clinical and research roles when responding to distress. The practitioner-researcher's own bias and assumptions emerged when analysing families' distressing recollections. More broadly, the issues discussed have clinical implications for models of hospital bereavement support. Participants' use of photos and mementos jointly served to include the presence of the deceased in the research interview, but also highlighted the potential to utilise visual methods to examine sensitive research issues. It helps every practitioner-researcher to distinguish between research-oriented goals and clinical responsibilities to care provision as they consider their human research ethics application before beginning any research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intersecting gender and other social inequalities are pertinent to women's mental health across the life course. Gendered violence and other forms of gender inequality in particular play a key role in the higher burden of psychological distress carried by young women. However, the context of gendered violence is often minimised or overlooked entirely when young women seek help or advice around mental health concerns. This is especially the case for young women under the age of 30 years. This paper reports on a research study exploring how young women in Australia understand their mental health, and the scope for new approaches to support that better address their needs. A qualitative survey undertaken with 52 Australian young women was used to explore the nature of their mental health experiences, sought to learn about the strategies they used when experiencing poor mental health and the scope for mental health peer support as an alternative approach to intervention. Responses from a diverse group of young women demonstrated that they understood the role that gendered violence and gender inequality played in their mental health. Findings point to the risk of slippage between young women's understandings of their lived experience and those of traditional service providers, demonstrating the risks associated with minimising or ignoring of the gendered nature of young women's mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates how systems theory can be used in social work research design to understand the systemic issues associated with spousal care in rural Australia. Spousal caregiving is embedded within multiple formal and informal systems, including family, community, health and aged care practice, social policy, and social and cultural norms. It is therefore a complex phenomenon to explore in social research, with each of these systems interacting with and influencing other aspects of the care system. The purpose of this paper is to provide an illustration of a research design that explores this systemic complexity. The design is conceptually underpinned by the transformative paradigm; a critical approach that reflects social work principles of social justice. The methodology is based on an ecosystems approach to assessment, using multiple methods to explore interactions between systems of care at policy, practice and individual levels. This application of systems theory to research presents an innovative opportunity for social work research to reflect long-established practices of understanding complex phenomenon within its sociocultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women living in rural Australia who are labelled as depressed, by either themselves or professionals, contend with spatial injustices of limited service provision that converge with the dominant constructions of mental health and knowledge authorisation. Informed by a feminist social constructionist standpoint, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 women living in rural New South Wales in Australia. This paper explores how rural women navigate experiences labelled as depression. The women's stories conveyed an overwhelming sense of loss, abuse and betrayal, and the pathologisation of their experiences of structural violence and oppression is of significant concern. Yet, the women also showed agency by using to their best benefit multiple and often divergent explanations for their experiences of depression. While many accepted the diagnosis of their symptoms, most resisted a sole pathological cause and actively created individually meaningful narratives of their depression experiences. The language of 'depression' provided a passport for some, allowing access to formal supports that would have otherwise been unavailable or highly stigmatised. Rurality and the associated structural disadvantage, particularly in regard to service provision, was only marginally present in the women's stories. The alternative narratives of healing uncovered challenge the centrality of formal service delivery to the wellbeing of a community. Further, while the pathologisation of structural oppression must be resisted, the women's stories demonstrate the importance of not invisibilising the agency they demonstrate in this difficult and contested space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As incarceration rates rise worldwide, increasing numbers of parents are separated from their children. Researchers have studied the psychosocial impact on inmates and their families extensively. However, few researchers have examined how their own perspectives affect the collection and interpretation of data, specifically about parenting in correctional settings. This paper consider methodological implications of conducting research with incarcerated mothers and fathers, employing critical reflexivity to explore researchers' individual and collective experiences in a study in Australian correctional facilities. Using ourselves as informants, we examine how the context and life experiences of 'researcher' and 'researched' interact during interviews in a unique and emotionally charged environment. Correctional research requires careful adaptations to collect meaningful data from inmates and recognise their vulnerability as parents. The emotional content of interviews also has implications for analysing and interpreting research data. Our focus on interviewees as mothers and fathers, rather than as offenders, generated greater understanding of the needs of parents in custody. Recognising researchers' feelings, experiences and perspectives on parenthood can enrich research with families affected by the criminal justice and child protection systems. These insights can also inform the understanding and practice of social workers, health practitioners, educators and students who work with marginalised parents and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refugee populations are widely regarded as difficult to access for research purposes, often because of specific ethical sensitivities and practical challenges. Hence, research methods must be judiciously chosen and fine-tuned to ensure they are sufficiently sensitive and culturally appropriate. Bicultural Research Assistants, who typically share language and cultural similarities with respondents, may be gainfully employed to help address these challenges. By assuming a cultural ‘brokerage’ role, they are well positioned to advise the research team, helping to ensure culturally appropriate conduct throughout the study. Despite extensive use of participatory methods in qualitative studies, the experiences of Bicultural Research Assistants in research activities in tertiary hospital environments, particularly maternity care settings, are rarely reported. This paper addresses a deficit in the literature on this topic. It describes the roles and insights of five female Bicultural Research Assistants trained in basic research methods, and employed on an evaluation of a specialist antenatal clinic for women from refugee backgrounds. Their inclusion as members of the evaluation team was essential to successfully engaging (male) gatekeepers, recruiting eligible women, administering surveys, and conducting, transcribing, and translating interviews. Following the evaluation, the Bicultural Research Assistants contributed a one-off Focus group which explored their motivations for participating in the evaluation, and their experiences of occupying multiple roles as co-researchers, interpreters and respondents. Reported benefits included the acquisition of new skills, improved interprofessional relationships and greater acknowledgement of their roles and responsibilities by hospital staff and community stakeholders. Gender-related barriers were also described. Customary socio-cultural norms, which positioned women as relatively powerless and subservient, were frequently contravened by the Bicultural Research Assistants in their research roles. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gender roles and gender stereotypes are culturally and socially constructed. Previous studies suggested that the Afghan community is a male-dominated and conservative society, where men are more visible in social activities, and women remain responsible mainly for household tasks. This research aimed to show Afghan women' perceptions of gender roles and the possibilities for and barriers in Australian society to change those roles after their settlement in Australia. The study involved semi-structured interviews with 21 Afghan women who had been living in Australia between 6 months and 10 years. The interviews were conducted face to face or by telephone, in either Farsi (Persian) or English. An inductive thematic analysis was used to explore the data and build themes. Afghan women were aware of gender roles, patriarchy, and gender inequality, and they hoped to address those issues now as they live in a society that offers more freedom to women. Moving to Australia had enhanced women's possibilities, self-confidence and skills and inspired many to go beyond traditional stereotypes and seek out options previously denied to them on the basis of their gender. However, their attempts at realising gender equality often met with the disapproval of their family or the wider Afghan community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of a retrospective study that critically examines the development of a responsive parent–child program from conceptualisation to pilot implementation. The development of the Play to Connect program was a continuation of research translation work of the Let's Start parenting program which was delivered in remote Aboriginal communities across the Northern Territory, Australia from 2005–2016. The impetus for the Play to Connect program came from the community need for parenting support that could be delivered by local Aboriginal workers living in the community. The aim was to bring research and community together through the co-creation of contextually relevant knowledge directly useful for local Aboriginal facilitators. Embedded in a dynamic cycle of planning, delivery, observation and reflection, the team of local Aboriginal staff and visiting practitioners designed and piloted an innovative, user-friendly and adaptable parent–child program which was underpinned by the evaluation findings of an existing program, drawing on the framework of play therapy. The 2.5 year long process of development brought about action and change for the local Aboriginal staff. They valued the co-creation of the program and resources and reported increased knowledge of child development and confidence to deliver family support in their community. This study shows that the development of Play to Connect was more than "tailoring" a parenting program – it was a way of creating sustainable support around a program to increase the chances of continuity of implementation and successful community engagement and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social workers and anthropologists encounter different representations of mediation as a professional practice: On the one hand, Social Work is grounded in mediation as expert knowledge that helps others to resolve interpersonal disputes. For example, mediation as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) can enable court cases to resolve without formal trials. On the other hand, Anthropology is grounded in mediation as a research field site and by past intervention experience of anthropologists. As mediation professionalized and became mandated across public institutions, anthropologists became strong ADR critics. Academic debate between mediation proponents and critics ended as critics abandoned research in the 1990s and 2000s. My initial research goal was to pick up from past empirical study. Research was conducted in Australia, Ghana, and the United States in two areas of mediation practice; resolving parenting disputes between adults who are separating or not married, and "elder mediation" cases involving older adults. Initial findings reified past debate through data that supported proponents and critics. Further insight was gained through return to fieldwork using an expanded, ethnographic case study design. This article provides a journey through a seemingly intractable divide that was ultimately resolved through prolonged time in fieldwork focused on understanding client perspectives. I show how social work and anthropology scholars of professional mediation have been positioned on opposite sides of an expert knowledge/fieldwork research boundary. This boundary can be made productive through open exchange about mediation as a practice that evolves through an interplay of expert knowledge, intervention practice, and client engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 is changing lives. Less attention has been paid to the future of young people by governments since the onset of the pandemic. We suggest that young people are vulnerable to demoralization, a state of hopelessness and helplessness, during and post-COVID-19. This reflection drawn from journaling and ongoing reflexive conversation from December 2019 to April 2020 offers a critical perspective on the circumstances of young Australians that encompasses consideration of the structural factors that impact on health, life chances, equality and social justice as well as the personal aspects of reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the advancement of disability rights and augmentative and alternative communication, people with complex communication access needs (CCAN) are often absent from social work, and other qualitative study cohorts. After exploring the underlying reasons for this, the purpose of the study was to investigate successful exceptions of prior research in the field and to bring these together with the findings from a group of 10 participants with CCAN who reveal what they believe is needed to include people with CCAN in qualitative research. These insights are applied specifically to the context of social work research so as to advance an alignment between the ethos of the profession and inclusive practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does one engage in research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities? My experience as a researcher in the Seasons for Healing project gave me an opportunity to consider this question. Using an interpretive ethnographic approach, it became evident that I needed to recognize participants as whole people, not as mere instruments on which to conduct research, and that this engagement needed to occur in a relational way. Although I was an ‘outsider’, I was able to engage in dadirri, the process of listening with one’s ear but also with the heart. At the cultural interface, it was important to recognize the validity of different types of knowledge and that research should be conducted ethically and respectfully so that the interests of Indigenous communities were considered. Indeed, it was reinforced to me that there were different ways of knowing and each type of knowledge needed to be accorded validity. Respectful listening and reflective communication enabled me to experience life and culture from a different perspective and to gain insight via a different paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses some of the ethical and methodological challenges experienced throughout a doctoral study focusing on boarding house residents in Sydney, Australia, particularly participants’ fear of retribution. Informing the research were forty interviews with a range of participants including current and former licensed boarding house residents, proprietors of boarding houses, and staff of community organizations and government agencies providing support services or monitoring the conditions in boarding houses. The article discusses and analyses the complexity and understandings of anonymity, confidentiality, informed consent and the meanings and implications of de-identification. Some of the strategies to address these complexities are presented and are significant for qualitative researchers, particularly doctoral and early career researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrative research conducted over time creates opportunities for the co-creation of knowledge about the lived experience of children and young people as they grow and change. This article revisits two Australian studies with young people confronted by difficult mental health and welfare circumstances who have been successfully engaged in narrative research over substantial periods of time. Rights-based critique of these studies from a collective standpoint of inclusion, participation, empowerment and advocacy illustrates both opportunity and challenge. A set of research principles is distilled from this critique to inform rights-based longitudinal narrative studies with children and young people. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Using data collected as part of a larger, four country, international comparative study, the challenges and strengths of rapid ethnography (RE) are explored. To deepen and enhance the study, in each case study (nine completed to date) an insider is paired with an outsider researcher in order to draw on a comparative perspective from the researcher team involved in each individual case study, as well as across the four countries and nine studies. The article concludes that because of its strengths and rapid turnaround, RE provides a way for international comparative studies to continue despite sharp decreases in research funding and, in our case, produced important insights for those seeking to understand and derail the seemingly unstoppable impacts of neoliberalism and managerialism in social service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article critically examines the success of the Map Your Future women's mentoring programme (MYF) in challenging gender role norms with a group of women from four socio-economically disadvantaged communities of a large Australian provincial city. MYF was underpinned by a 'feminist-strengths' perspective and used a social intervention research framework to guide programme development, implementation and evaluation. Participants, who were predominantly of Anglo-Celtic ethnicity, came from communities where there was a persistent cultural expectation that women work within the home. Unemployment was significantly higher, one-parent families more common, the median weekly household income lower and completion of secondary education well below the state average in all communities (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2006). The findings suggest that group mentoring with women, from cultures where caregiving is valued over education and career opportunities, can assist women to broaden their educational and career interests and enable them to explore their hopes and goals for the future unconstrained by gender role norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past three decades the issue of domestic violence in heterosexual relationships has been at the forefront of feminist activism and scholarship in the western world. Until recently there has been a reticence to explore women's violence, including violence in lesbian relationships. In this article I outline research undertaken in Australia on domestic violence in lesbian relationships, which involved interviews with 21 lesbians who identified as survivors of domestic violence. I summarize the findings of the research in order to demonstrate how the heterogeneity of lesbians' experiences poses challenges to practitioners and policy makers in health and human services to develop policy and practice that can take into account, and respond to, the different needs and interests of lesbians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]