http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/services/Feed ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:8467 The single most important event that has molded changes to welfare policy across the developed Western world in the so-called post-industrial nation state is the advent of computer technology and the World Wide Web in what has been dubbed the information age or knowledge-based society. This technology enables policy researchers to search the Internet for clues as to what is being done elsewhere and morph together policies with bits from everywhere as they see fit. Australia is no exception, and while historically it evolved a unique welfare system, in contemporary times, it increasingly bears the hallmarks of policy development in the United States and the United Kingdom, with whom it most identifies. For the most part, however, even in the face of economic globalization, welfare policy remains the province of nation-states, albeit influenced by international conventions and human rights charters. We believe that claims that globalized capitalism has reduced the nation-state’s control of its territorial boundaries are overzealous. 2013-03-06T02:10:06.975Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:12590 Based on a social intervention research study into mentoring with women from socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, this study considers some of the key differences between traditional workplace and community-based mentoring when used as a social work intervention. The study involved 18 women who participated in a preparation-for-mentoring groupwork program for 12 months. Eleven of these participants were then matched with a mentor and supported in this relationship for a further 12 months. Qualitative analysis points to three key factors likely to enhance the success of community-based mentoring relationships: (i) relational qualities, such as trust, engagement, and authenticity; (ii) mentees’ readiness for change and ability to overcome adversity; and (iii) mentors’ practical assistance with tasks and overcoming obstacles. Social workers implementing a community-based mentoring program need to be mindful of the importance of these factors in order to ensure that mentees are supported to engage effectively in any mentoring relationship and overcome structural, community, and familial barriers that may adversely affect them. 2013-03-05T22:20:03.379Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:5535 A community-based research study conducted in 2004 identified a number of women from disadvantaged communities who sought mentoring in personal, educational, and vocational aspects of their lives. Informed by this earlier research, a program titled Map Your Future was developed, and a pilot mentoring program commenced in 2005. This article describes the group program that was developed to prepare the women for a mentoring relationship, and the research methodology underpinning its development. It concludes with an exploration of the women’s experiences of the program. 2013-03-05T01:20:04.857Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9745 We examin inter alia statistical trends in Australian immigration, waves of policy change affecting immigration, current immigration policy, the countries of origin of Australia's immigrants, services provided for them on arrival, reasons why people come to Australia, and the costs and benefits of immigration. This approach takes immigration into an objective realm where it is all too easy to forget that it is something that touches most people's lives on a daily basis. As the Special Broadcasting Services (SBS) television channel constantly reminds us, "the world is an amazing place" and Australia, like many Western countries might, in some respects, be described as "the world in one place." 2012-01-09T04:10:06.033Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9322 Higher Doctorate - Doctor of Philsophy (PhD) 2011-12-07T05:10:16.496Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:9357 Australian social work graduates face an increasingly complex work environment where the role of the social worker is often overlooked or misunderstood. In order to examine the anticipated and concrete practice reality for social workers, this qualitative study examined the expectations of social work students preparing to enter the workforce (n=29) and the experiences of new social work graduates in the workplace (n=9). Findings suggest that undergraduates have a realistic understanding of the challenges they would encounter in practice, including anticipated value and ethical conflicts, and allied professions' conceptions of the social work role. They did not anticipate the busyness of the workplace or the level of supervision offered. 2011-11-14T00:00:06.284Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:5809 When we invite parents to be responsible around their parenting, when drugs and/or alcohol are an influence on their lives, who and what is it we are inviting and what might be the implications of this? Recent research conducted by Hunter Family Support Services, shows that Family Counsellors most often work with mothers, even when drugs and/or alcohol may have an influence on both parents. Additionally, the authors suggest that the drug and alcohol services they refer to are often inadequate in relation to the gendered needs of female clients. 2010-04-27T04:49:35.065Z ]]> http://nova.newcastle.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/uon:5789 As governments continue to spend more money on law enforcement and prison construction, social workers will be increasingly faced with clients who have connections with the criminal justice and correctional systems. Despite the increasing numbers of women entering the criminal justice system, they continue to be one of the most marginalised groups in Australian society. This article reviews the social work literature concerning this population and proceeds to argue that social work has a significant role to play with women in corrections. Using a conceptual model based on an ecological systems framework, the author examines the mutuality of various social work practice principles at different levels of intervention and the roles that social workers may engage in to enhance the lives of women in corrections. 2010-04-27T04:49:27.796Z ]]>