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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]

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]

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]

The author reflects on the journal's celebration of its 66th anniversary in 2013. He comments that a journey through the journal's back catalogue is rewarding and enumerates several notable topics published, including one on the professional relationship into contemporary system-based theorising of social casework, and one on the separation of theory, practice and research in social work. The author also announces that Professor Christine Bigby is leaving as the journal's editor in 2013.

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.

The quantity and quality of social work research is central to creating knowledge for the profession and maintaining social work's presence and status in universities. This study examines Australian Research Council grants awarded for social work projects for the 10-year period 2008–2107. It investigates the quantum of grants and the topics addressed, and compares social work to related social sciences. The field of social work was awarded 84 research grants over the 10-year period, a total of $23 million and an average of 8.4 grants per year. However, this did not match the grant successes of the two comparator fields of criminology and social policy and administration. Having a clear picture of research achievements, including grants, is necessary to enable the discipline to plot a strategic way forward, addressing gaps and deficits, and building on strengths. IMPLICATIONS Increasing research grant success is vital to the ongoing development of the social work knowledge base, and bolsters the standing of social work in universities. Maximising the use of social work Field of Research codes will increase the visibility of social work research, especially in multidisciplinary projects. Social work researchers should publicise competitive grant successes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although in Australia disability is receiving unprecedented attention with the rollout of major reforms, the body of research on disability to inform policy and practice has been found “not fit for purpose”. This scoping review of empirical research papers published by Australian social work authors between 2007 and 2015 investigated the quantity, nature, and scope of social work research on disability in Australia. We found a steady growth, an annual average of 13.8 papers, and a total of 124. Social work disability research makes a distinctive contribution; it is contextualised in service systems or policy, has a greater focus on community and civic participation and social relationships, and concentrates on adults, with either intellectual disability or traumatic brain injury. These research strengths provide foundations for building the profession’s research capacity and informing its practice and contribution to the multidisciplinary field of disability. IMPLICATIONS Service system reform is increasing engagement of social workers with people with disabilities, yet disability has a low profile in the profession.Social work disability research has strengths in understanding service systems, social relationships, and strategies for social and civic participation, particularly with adults with cognitive disabilities.Increased attention to disability in qualifying and higher degree programs will better prepare students for complex practice and develop the distinctive contribution of social work research in this interdisciplinary field. 在澳大利亚，随着一些重要改革的出台，残障者受到前所未有的关注。但用以参谋政策、咨询实践而针对残障者身体的研究却“并不如人意”。本文根据澳大利亚社会工作者发表于2007至2015年的实证性文章，对社会工作之研究残障问题的数量、性质和范围做了分析。分析发现，研究数量有稳步增长；每年约13.8篇；总数为124篇。社会工作对残障的研究贡献十分明显；它与政策服务体系结合紧密，偏重于社区和公民参与及社会关系，焦点在或智障或大脑创伤的成年人。这些研究上的优长为营建该行业的研究能力、参谋实践、贡献残障多学科事业打下了基础。 [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]