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Navigating complex and evolving practice environments requires resilient social workers. However, education's contribution to professional resilience development is underinvestigated. As part of a longitudinal, qualitative study, this article reports the findings on how social workers as students and then newly qualified practitioners perceived how their education fostered professional resilience. In stage one, interviews were conducted with 23 social work students from eight Australian universities in the final 12 months of their Master of Social Work (Qualifying) degree. In stage two, the sample was reduced to 19, with interviews occurring after approximately six months of practice. Framed by critical theory and social constructionism, narrative inquiry guided the analysis of participants’ perceptions. The results revealed professional resilience is relational and developed through curricula and pedagogy facilitating connection, building knowledge through critical reflection, and preparing students for the realities and complexities of practice. The study extends evidence that transitioning from student to practitioner is a crucial time in social workers’ careers. The findings identify that professional resilience can be fostered by responsive external resources and evidence-based programs offered by universities, practice organisations, and professional bodies.IMPLICATIONSSocial workers' resilience relies upon education fostering connection between students, academics, and qualified social workers, incorporating critical reflection and developing knowledge and skills in navigating practice contexts. Field education is integral to this process.Social workers in Australia could benefit from a nationwide program creating a consistent and evidence-informed approach to support newly qualified social workers as they transition into the workforce.Social workers' resilience relies upon education fostering connection between students, academics, and qualified social workers, incorporating critical reflection and developing knowledge and skills in navigating practice contexts. Field education is integral to this process.Social workers in Australia could benefit from a nationwide program creating a consistent and evidence-informed approach to support newly qualified social workers as they transition into the workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The publication of social work research and scholarship is integral to generating and disseminating knowledge for the profession and the human services field. Previous research has found a large proportion of nonresearch articles in social work journals, but there has been little exploration of the nature of this scholarship. Using a scoping review method supplemented by analysis of national research assessment output data, this study examined the quantity, format, and characteristics of scholarly publications between 2010–2020 by Australian social workers. It found they produced proportionately more journal articles than other disciplines and relatively fewer books and book chapters. Of 1,389 Australian social work articles published in top-cited social work journals, 821 (59.1%) were research articles. Of the nonresearch articles, almost half provided an analysis of policy or practice without stating a method. Understanding the scope of social work research provides a foundation for reflection on the discipline's research endeavours. Information about the scope of social work research is useful for developing both individual and disciplinary research strategy. A clear statement of method that describes the processes used for observation and analysis would enhance the quality of nonresearch social work publications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) people in Australia are actively engaged in civic life, contributing volunteer service to various political, activist, and community organisations. Although there is emerging evidence that civic engagement contributes to the health and wellbeing of the general population, information about how volunteerism contributes to LGBTIQ+ community wellbeing has only recently emerged. We used a prospective cross-sectional design to investigate responsibility for civic engagement, sense of community, and loneliness among a convenience sample of LGBTIQ+ volunteers (N = 195). Findings were that volunteers reported a consistent and high degree of community engagement and a strong sense of attachment to the Australian LGBTIQ+ community. A higher-than-expected degree of loneliness was reported in this sample of volunteers, and it was notable that being transgender or gender diverse was a significant predictor of loneliness. This highlights the importance of loneliness among transgender and gender diverse people and the value of discerning differences between groups in the LGBTIQ+ community. IMPLICATIONS Social workers must be mindful that, despite being connected to communities and demonstrating civic engagement, certain LGBTIQ+ volunteers could be at risk of loneliness. The higher rate of loneliness among transgender and gender diverse volunteers indicates a need for LGBTIQ+-affirming organisations to develop particular strategies to address isolation and loneliness among this group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While social work research in Australia is in reasonable shape, it requires a strong research culture promoting rigorous research to enhance its credibility and influence on social policy discourses. This study explored proposals to advance social work research, based on interviews with 20 experienced Australian social work researchers. Strategies identified include improving research culture and training, the development of research infrastructure to promote and stimulate research, and forming new partnerships both among researchers and between researchers and research end-users. Growing and strengthening the research foundations of the discipline is essential to its future relevance. IMPLICATIONS The Australian social work community would benefit from a more deliberate and strategic approach to increasing the quality and quantity of research to inform practice and policy. Opportunities for social work researchers to connect with each other to disseminate, discuss, and plan research could provide a hub for increasing research development and research collaboration. The responsibility and capacity to lead research development and advocate for social work research is shared between the academy, the human services sector, and representative professional associations. The Australian social work community would benefit from a more deliberate and strategic approach to increasing the quality and quantity of research to inform practice and policy.Opportunities for social work researchers to connect with each other to disseminate, discuss, and plan research could provide a hub for increasing research development and research collaboration.The responsibility and capacity to lead research development and advocate for social work research is shared between the academy, the human services sector, and representative professional associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the scholarly impact of social work research can inform strategies to strengthen the profession's research foundations. This study examined research productivity and academic impact using h-indexes for a sample of 112 Australian social work researchers according to the stage of their career. Annual research output was calculated using Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) data. The average h-index for all social work researchers in the sample was 6.39 (Scopus) and 12.5 (Google Scholar). Web of Science was not used due to the number of inaccurate researcher profiles. One hundred and thirty-nine publications received 100 or more citations, but there were many never-cited publications. A social work benchmark for the number of publications is around 1.4 publications per year, depending upon a person's stage of career and workload profile. Citation analysis can supplement peer review in evaluating research quality, but there are disciplinary differences in publication and citation practices, so it is useful to know where social work is positioned. IMPLICATIONS Citation analysis is used to assess research productivity and quality alongside qualitative assessment, such as peer review. It is imperative for researchers to check, correct, and claim Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science records, and to link these to their ORCID profile. A citation benchmark for social work would be in the range of h-index 3.2 for early-career researchers to 15.8 for research-focused positions (Scopus) or h-index 6.1–25.0 (Google Scholar). [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.)

The author reflects on some of ethical issues that the journal has experienced in 2014 as well as its policy in relation to blind peer reviewing. Topics discussed include the concept of and the problems arising form salami slicing, the practice of extracting several publications from a single study, the concept of text recycling, the use of material published in one paper in a different paper, and the pros and cons of single- and double-blind peer reviewing.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the effectiveness and impact of social work programs, 2018 Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) and the Australian Research Council (ARC).

The impact of workplace stress and the need for work-life balance are increasingly recognised within social work. Recent theorising on work–family interface suggests that work-related stress cannot be contained within the workplace without it impacting on other life domains such as the family. Similarly, it is claimed that family-related issues also affect what happens at work. The present study examined the impact of different forms of work-to-family conflict (WFC) and family-to-work conflict (FWC) on social workers' psychological strain. An online survey of Australian Association of Social Workers members yielded a final sample of 439 responses. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses examining the direct effects of work–family conflict on psychological strain showed that respondents experienced all three forms of WFC (time, behaviour, and strain) and two forms of FWC (strain and behaviour), and these were significantly associated with psychological strain. These findings may be useful in developing strategies that aim to reduce conflict, thereby enabling social workers to make meaningful contributions in their work and family lives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The final report of the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Aged Care has recommended a substantial restructuring of Australia's aged care system to make it fairer, more responsive to the needs of individual consumers, and more sustainable in the context of population ageing. While acknowledging the necessity of a safety net and the needs of diverse groups, the recommended reforms continue to advance the neoliberal restructuring of Australia's health and welfare systems. This paper provides a critical examination of the context and key drivers for change, and considers the reception of the report within the aged care sector. While social workers are actively engaged in the aged care system, they are largely absent from the discussion in the final report. Nonetheless, the transfer of recommendations into actual policy provides an opportunity for social work to argue its unique contribution and potential in the delivery of aged care. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The author focuses on the issues concerning social and health services for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transsexual (LGBT) older people in Australia. The need of LGBT older people in gaining access to mainstream services such as social and health services are being emphasized. The author stresses that service providers including social workers should recognize services to the older people.

There is growing awareness in Australia of the issues faced by lesbian and gay people as they grow older. The present paper examines concerns regarding their health-related ageing; growing older in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community; and accessing carers' and aged care services in later life. It is based on a secondary data analysis of a subsample of 371 lesbians and gays, drawn from a survey of LGBT ageing conducted by the Queensland Association for Healthy Communities. The original survey was primarily quantitative and was delivered online between January 2007 and January 2008. The findings of the present study, based on univariate and bivariate analyses of the subsample, highlight that a majority of lesbians and gays were concerned that their sexuality or gender identity may affect the quality of services received. Many also expected to be discriminated against and were concerned that same-sex relationships would not be recognised and that staff would not be aware of LGBT issues. Among other findings, gay men were more likely than lesbians to be concerned about being alone in later life, whereas lesbians were more likely to be concerned about a lack of LGBT-specific accommodation and lack of recognition of same-sex partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper examines older lesbian and gay people's experiences of and expectations for the delivery of health and aged-care services. In-depth narrative interviews were conducted with older gays and lesbians in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney (NSW, Australia). Data were analysed by identifying evaluative statements within specific narratives and grouping these statements into themes. Participants reflected on the meaning of their sexual identity and how they would like it to be acknowledged when in contact with health and aged-care service providers. In addition to direct discrimination, participants reported a more indirect form of discrimination in providers' assumption of heterosexuality among clients and their failure to provide lesbian- or gay friendly services. The findings highlight the need for health and aged-care services to better understand and acknowledge older gay and lesbian people's sexual identities to enable improved access to services in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work with older people is often characterised as low status employment and is dominated by medicalised constructions of old age. Consequently, there is a need for educational responses that address students’ negative attitudes toward older people and enable the development of practice skills in this area. The present paper evaluates an elective course for third year social work students that challenged their perceptions of their own and others’ ageing, and stimulated a reflective approach to practice with older people. Reflective learning techniques were employed in the course, including observations in aged care service settings. Students in the course showed a high degree of interest in working with older people in the future and, although this did not increase much throughout the course, they evaluated it positively, noting greater awareness of issues affecting older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do social workers begin to talk about sexual identity when conducting assessments with older men? This paper focuses on work with older gay men and highlights the importance of talking about sexual identity in order to prevent it being rendered invisible. While there may be some risks associated with openly identifying as gay, such as homophobic violence, being open about one's sexuality is important for maintaining self-esteem and mental health. Despite the obstacles facing social workers in talking to older men about their sexual identity, it is essential that they do not ignore this aspect of people's lives. Therefore it is important that social workers open themselves up to the possibility that an older man might be gay or bisexual and help construct environments that enable the disclosure of this aspect of his identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article outlines a training workshop designed for service providers responding to the abuse of older people. The workshop was conducted through the Department of Social Work and Social Policy's continuing education program at the University of Queensland. The workshop presented a network approach to elder abuse service delivery. This approach, it is argued, enables service providers to identify personal and professional strategies for responding to and preventing the abuse of older people. The style of the workshop was interactive, with participants engaging in a series of practical exercises. This was supplemented by critical reviews of the conceptual, research, policy and service delivery debates in the Australian and international elder abuse literatures. The article presents the results of the workshop evaluation and proposes an amended program over a two-day period. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An obituary for social worker, researcher, and educator Doctor Vale Bruce Lord is presented.

The article reflects on the career of a social worker in Australia. Topics discussed include the role of "Australian Social Work" journal, the journal's Practice, Policy and Perspectives (PPP) section, and the inclusion of the journal in the 2010 Excelelence in Resarch for Australia (ERA) journal rankings. The journal's first Thompson Reuters Journal Citation Reports is mentioned.