Building Indigenous Australian Social Work

Abstract

An Indigenous social work guided by Indigenous Australians' participation and experience that has, at its heart, human rights and social justice is in its infancy in Australia. The present paper continues a discussion on Indigenous Australian social work theory and practice developments being generated by those working in this field. Aspects of this ''praxis'' include recognition of the effects of invasion, colonialism, and paternalistic social policies upon social work practice with Indigenous communities; recognition of the importance of self-determination; contemporary Indigenous and nonIndigenous colleagues working in partnership; the impact of contemporary racist and neocolonialist values; and rethinking contemporary social work values and practices. There is discussion of appropriation and reinterpretation of social work concepts, incorporation of international and local Indigenous theory, and the framing of social work by Indigenous Australians' views and values.Social Work in the context of Australian Indigenous communities and families is a highly contentious matter. Social work has been involved in and has colluded in racist, patronising, and unjust practices. The profession has recognised this, has apologised (Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), 2004) and has started to seek how to learn from Indigenous Australians and how to educate Indigenous and non-Indigenous social workers to work more appropriately with Indigenous communities and individuals. However, this work is not far advanced (see Briskman,

Power and Child Protection: The Need for a Child Welfare Service Users' Union or Association

“…The observations made by these parents have been made by scholars and historians: Indigenous children were targeted by Canadian, American and Australian governments in apprehensions (child removals) that were driven not by a desire to protect children but by the political visions the governments had at that time for their nation states (Fournier & Crey, 1997;Green & Baldry, 2008;Kondro, 1998;Lawrence, 2002). It was not only Indigenous children who were targeted.…”

Building Relationships with Aboriginal People: A Cultural Mapping Toolbox

“…Hence, individuals usually identified a relationship with all other individuals who spoke the same language, not relying on genetic bonds alone to classify kinship ties (Elston & Dade Smith, 2007;Zubrick et al, 2005). For Aboriginal people, this concept of kinship allows members to invariably refer to their extended family by their relationship names rather than a personal name, roles that intrinsically infer social obligations and interactional behaviour and are synonymous with country, spirituality, and ritual (Green & Baldry, 2008;Orford et al, 2005). In the contemporary context, extended kinship relationships continue to be an identifiable Aboriginal trait, regardless of the preservation of Australian Social Work 3 traditional culture or not.…”

Changing Narratives: Colonised Peoples, Criminology and Social Work

“…Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers in the disciplines of criminology and social work have also reflexively employed Indigenous and non-Indigenous theoretical and methodological insights (see for example, Bennett et al 2012;Cunneen 2010;Gray et al 2008;Green and Baldry 2008;Lynn et al 1998;Stubbs 2011;Tauri 2012b). The multiple examples referred to above point to the potential intersections between critical and Indigenous approaches in the development and application of critical and Indigenous methodologies.…”

“…With relatively few exceptions in criminology (for example, Agozino 2003Agozino , 2004Agozino , 2005Cunneen 2011a and2011b;Morrison 2006;Sumner 1982;Tauri and Webb 2012) and social work (for example, Gray, Yellow Bird and Coates 2008;Green and Baldry 2008;Razack, 2009;Sinclair 2004), the colonial subjugation of Indigenous knowledges has not been analysed to any great extent. For criminology, part of the problem is that by 'taking the American and European criminological traditions as the point of departure, whether right or left realism, critical theory or administrative criminology-is that they all tend to operate without a theory of colonialism and its effects' (Blagg 2008: 11;see also Cohen 1988).…”

“…And there is a need to excavate the way in which colonial effects are perpetuated through knowledge control, particularly in the operation of criminal justice systems. Through the development of anti-colonial, postcolonial and Indigenous perspectives in criminology and social work we are beginning to witness a response to such needs, a framework within which the silencing of Indigenous voices is being challenged (see for example in criminology: Agozino 2003Agozino , 2004Agozino , 2005Cunneen 2011a;Davis 2011;Stubbs 2011;Tauri 2005Tauri and Webb 2012, and in social work: Bennett et al 2012Briskman 2008;Coates et al 2006;Green and Baldry 2008;Sinclair 2004). …”