Compassion fatigue is a term used to describe behaviour and emotions experienced by those who help people who have experienced trauma. It is viewed as a potential consequence of stress related to such exposure and is understood to be influenced by the practitioner's empathic response. The aims of this study were to obtain greater understanding of social workers experience of working with distressed clients; examine what develops personal, professional and organisational resilience; and explore ways in which workers can be better protected from compassion fatigue. The research design was qualitative using semi-structured interviews involving six social workers presently working with distressed clients or clients known to have experienced distress. Four major themes were identified using thematic analysis: (i) the complexities of social work, (ii) supportive and unsupportive contexts, (iii) promoting personal well-being/selfprotection and (iv) resilience as a changing systemic and complex process. The findings provide important insights into the participants' experiences of working with distressed clients and, more specifically, their experience of compassion fatigue and stories of resilience. The research provides clear direction for future research at organisational, educational and interpersonal levels.

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Positive teacher-student relationships play an established role in the developmental outcomes of students. Ongoing research suggests that positive teacher-student relationships may be particularly beneficial for students with special educational needs (Baker, 2006; Hughes & Cavell, 2003). However, particular learning and behavioural characteristics are known to pose certain challenges when developing these relationships. For instance, teachers may have difficulty forming close relationships with students who behave in a hostile way. Likewise, they might feel stressed with students who take longer to learn material (Baker 2006;Yoon 2002).The present study conducted a focus group with six mainstream teachers from a primary school in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne to investigate the following questions: i) How do primary school teachers describe their relationships with special needs students? ii) Are these descriptions substantively different from the way in which relationships with non-special needs students are described? And iii) What, if any, are teachers' reported concerns with inclusive education practice? Thematic Analysis provided three primary themes and nine secondary themes indicating that in the context of inclusive practices, the quality of teacher student relationships is affected by a combination of psychosocial factors. In concurrence with previous literature, the use of qualitative methodology was considered optimal for exploring teachers' descriptions.

This paper provides the historical and theoretical foundations for the emergent field of Disability Studies in Education. Disability Studies in Education proceeds from the trans-disciplinary work we find in the continuing development of Disability Studies. It applies the principles and conceptual threads of Disability Studies to critique the ableist traditions, structures and cultures of education and to suggest how education might be otherwise. The paper makes clear the distinction between special education and disability studies in education. Special education has proven its resilience and willingness to appropriate the discourse of inclusive education in order to adapt and sustain its core assumptions about children with disabilities and their education. Accordingly, it is critical that this journal make explicit the distinctions between the conceptual foundations and practical applications of special education and Disability Studies in Education. This first paper is an attempt at draw these lines of distinctions and the aspirations for the Journal of Disability Studies in Education.