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Islam influences Muslim societies through rules, regulations, and legislation. This paper highlights Islamic principles and legislation that protect the rights and dignity of older adults and compares them to policies and laws that have been applied and implemented in the United Arab Emirates. A comparative method was utilised to conduct this study, relying on sources that present the rights of older adults in Islamic Sharia, as well as official sources from the United Arab Emirates, where information on laws and regulations related to older adults is published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-standing concerns about the sustainability of social work field education requirements were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) implemented revised Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) during the pandemic as existing standards had become unworkable. The revised ASWEAS (during 2020 and 2021) allowed greater flexibility regarding how placements could be delivered, enabling students, educators, and practitioners to trial modified placements normally considered non-compliant. This article reports the findings of a national qualitative and quantitative survey that used Appreciative Inquiry to examine key stakeholders' experiences of the modified field placements. The findings demonstrated strong support for the modifications. The findings are discussed in the context of international standards and hold implications for the future development of ASWEAS. A trial of modified field placements under revised ASWEAS due to the COVID-19 pandemic represented a timely opportunity to conduct a nation-wide, empirical study to explore experiences of different field placement models. Emerging empirical evidence confirmed enduring field education problems, and highlighted experiences that could inform more flexible, sustainable field placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, pressure is mounting from multiple stakeholders for a full review of the national social work education standards for field education as evidence grows about compulsory, unpaid placements exacerbating student poverty and the related adverse consequences for students' learning and well-being. This article reports on the findings of an Australian nation-wide qualitative and quantitative survey that explored social work students', educators' and practitioners' perceptions of proposed strategies to address the challenges identified with existing field education requirements. Descriptive statistics were calculated using Excel. Qualitative data were coded for thematic analysis. The main finding of the survey involving 1,191 participants was a call for a reimagined model of field education with flexibility in all aspects of how future placements are conceptualised, structured and delivered. The findings provide important and previously unavailable empirical evidence about field education strategies to inform and support the reimagining of existing Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards. Recommendations for change, which have implications for both the Australian Association of Social Workers and the Australian Government, are discussed in the context of international standards for social work education and the social justice goals of the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A secure sense of identity and belonging plays a crucial role in social and emotional wellbeing. While there has been research that investigates the exclusion of Indigenous people from a broad range of the workings of society in Australia, such as social spaces and institutions, there exists limited literature that specifically focuses on Indigenous LGBTIQ + women's experiences. Building on the limited research on Indigenous LGBTIQ + individuals' lived experiences, this article analyses Indigenous LGBTIQ + women's navigation of their identity and sense of belonging using data generated from interviews with the target group. Participants' experiences reveal a diverse range of coming out journeys which all culminated in a strong sense of pride in their identity and belonging with their close family members and LGBTIQ + community. Themes of exclusion were also evident, particularly with other family members, schools, and other social spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an absence of research into the effectiveness of service provision for First Nations LGBTIQSB+ young people in Australia. To address this gap, interviews were conducted in Australia to highlight young people's perspectives on essential components of service provision. Participants expressed their concerns about the ongoing impact of implicit and explicit settler-colonial heteronormativity and racism on services providing support for young First Nations LGBTIQSB+ peoples. Although set in Australia, this research supports the body of international research. This research has the potential to create policies and practices centered on the voices and needs of First Nations LGBTIQSB+ youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no research into the experiences of Indigenous LGBTIQSB + young people and their mothers in the country now known as Australia. Based on a series of nine narrative interviews with young LGBTIQSB + people living in New South Wales, this article is the first to discuss Indigenous LGBTIQSB + children's relationship with their Indigenous mothers. Indigenous mothers have been framed in ways that justified targeted settler state interventions situated within broader racialised biopolitical governance practices and the regulation of Indigenous lives. The findings of this research project provide a counter narrative to the current framing of Indigenous mothers and families as dysfunctional and in need of intervention by state and welfare agencies. Indigenous LGBTIQSB + young people speak to their experiences of coming out and the ways their Indigenous mothers defended, affirmed and advocated for them. Participants spoke of how Indigenous mothers provided them with protective skills and strategies that allowed them to effectively navigate close and extended familial and community contexts. This article demonstrates the significance of Indigenous mothering practices and values for the wellbeing of their LGBTIQSB + children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refugees lose their networks and support systems on their journey from their home country. In addition, they may expe‐ rience torture, trauma, and socio‐economic hardship. A critical question concerning refugee wellbeing is how refugee belonging, inclusivity, and community connectedness can be better understood, strengthened, and promoted. In this arti‐ cle, we discuss how members of the Tamil Seniors Group, supported by the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), develop social networks in Australia. Based on two focus group discussions, this article analyses their experiences through the intersection of age and gender to elucidate the challenges and affordances of networking and establishing social relations in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to adequate and appropriate service provision has a direct positive impact on health and wellbeing. Experiences of inaccessible, discriminatory, and culturally unsafe services and/or service providers are considered a root cause for the health inequalities that exist among Indigenous queer youth. Experiences of discrimination and cultural inappropriateness are commonplace, with Indigenous queer youth noting issues related to access to services and treatment, stereotyping, and a lack of quality in the care provided, which discourage Indigenous people from accessing care. This paper examines the perspectives of Indigenous LGBTIQ+ youth and health service providers to identify what challenges, obstacles and opportunities are currently being faced and what could be implemented to improve the health and wellbeing outcomes for Indigenous LGBTIQ+ youth in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been little exploration of the social and emotional wellbeing of young Indigenous populations who identify as gender and sexuality diverse. Given the vulnerability of this cohort in settler colonial societies such as Australia, Canada and the USA, wider investigation is called for in order to respond to their needs and aspirations. Using a scoping review, this paper maps existing research on the intersections of youth, gender and sexuality diversity, Indigeneity and wellbeing. The evidence points to the importance of historical and contemporary experiences tied to colonisation and intergenerational trauma. For young Indigenous gender and sexuality diverse peoples, heteronormative colonial value systems converge to produce environments characterised by racism, phobia and marginalisation. The evidence base includes deficit models based on trauma and negative outcomes. However, there is also an emerging body of research highlighting the resistance and resilience of Indigenous gender and sexuality diverse youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article probes the disproportionate impact on marginalised populations to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (COVID-19 is an acronym that stands for coronavirus disease of 2019).. It explores this problematic through research with refugees residing in social housing in Melbourne, Australia. The focus is on the specific pressures facing this cohort with the 2020 deployment, without notice, of armed police to enforce lockdown in the central Melbourne housing high rise tower estates. Our research methodology comprises narrating experiences of a community leader who had direct contact with residents and is a co-author of this article; accounts arising from an African community forum and a review of media sources that are attentive to voice. From a thematic analysis, we found consistency of narrative for a cohort whose voices had previously been excluded from the public domain. The themes were in three key areas: representation and employment of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse social workers and community workers; restoration of human rights to those experiencing state-sanctioned violence; and the application of critical multicultural social work practice. We apply theorising derived from Helen Taylor and Jacques Derrida, and argue that responses to crises should be led by the wisdom of affected communities, in keeping with critical social work theories and practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses critical reflection as its primary methodology to research one Master of Social Work student's former practice experiences as an Australian immigration officer. The paper contextualizes the study by offering a critical analysis of hegemonic constructions of asylum seekers in Australia, which are reflected in Australian law and policy, as well as potentially influencing social work practice. Critical reflection on one of the author's practice provides a rich case study that reveals the tensions of government-employed social workers in restrictive environments, and the espoused social justice values of the profession. The findings hold implications for both social work education and practice, suggesting that critical social work education, and in particular, the use of critical analysis and reflection, can improve ethical practice with refugees and asylum seekers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work with refugees and asylum-seekers is confronted with new social policies that challenge fundamentally its humanitarian and espoused human rights stance. Social work requires a broad holistic and community-based approach, working collaboratively with others and the international domain provides opportunities for social workers to condemn policies and practices that are contrary to the profession's mission.

As global discourses on refugees and Muslims become more exclusionary, the ethics and traditions of our profession mean social workers arguably have a particular responsibility to work for transformative change. This column argues that social workers need to be wary of direct complicity with harsh policies through implementation roles and, indirectly, through co-option into dominant discourses about refugees and Islam more generally and Muslim women specifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]