Introduction
Working with Indigenous populations is a humbling but challenging experience that requires dedication and understanding of challenges that such people face on a regular basis. Studying how to work effectively with Indigenous people allows future social service providers to get closer to the root of the problem. For some, the true problem that limits the quality and scope of social services to Aboriginal people and other minorities is white privilege. For others, it is the lack of communication between representatives of minorities and the general population that expands the gap in service provision. This paper will aim to answer two key questions:
- How has the study on effective work with Indigenous people changed the understanding of the future social worker’s role?
- To what extent has the study equipped the future social worker with relevant information and skills?
Brief Historical Legacy of Aboriginal Populations
As a background to answering the main research questions, it is imperative to give a brief introduction to the historical value of Aboriginal populations because they are the subjects of social workers’ services. Being the first societies to populate Australia, Indigenous people have been subjected to serious injustices and persistent colonization, violence, and exploitation, which are impossible to disregard. The negative attitude toward Indigenous populations was supported by the established ideas and practices of the British colonial system that did not place any value on the role of Indigenous Australians (Ballyn 2011, p. 17). In the worst cases, colonizers in power did not even acknowledge the Indigenous Australians as humans for justifying their acts of cruelty and dismission.
Unfortunately, the colonial attitudes of the past led to the establishment of policies, systems, and institutions that continue having an adverse effect on Indigenous populations in modern times (Czyzewski 2011, p. 2). While some may suggest that the past does not have any effect on the way Indigenous Australians live today, the reality is that the population is still struggling with the lack of opportunities such as inadequate education, the lack of health care coverage, poor nutrition, and so on. It is also important to note that the direct effect of colonialism can be seen in policies to control the population, some of them were as extreme as the extinction of the Beothuk or the introduction of contagious diseases to make Indigenous people vulnerable to the environment and thus less capable of resisting their oppressors.
The usefulness of Training to Prepare for Work with Indigenous Populations
Being Ethical and Understanding
Social work practice with Indigenous communities is a complex process since professionals are supposed to engage with people that have significantly disadvantaged (Bennett, Zubrzycki & Bacon 2011, p. 20). Social workers that have gained experience working with disadvantaged populations can prioritize their relationships with clients through reciprocity, “the integration and valuing of Aboriginal and Western worldviews, and the application of micro-skills such as deep listening and stillness” (Bennett, Zubrycki & Bacon 2011, p. 20). This suggests that the development of new frameworks and approaches was needed to support the work of social workers. Researchers have proposed population-based approaches for enhancing the quality of services provided to specific groups of people (Booth & Nelson 2013, p. 114). Such frameworks showed to be especially relevant for guiding the work of occupational therapists that work with First Australians through narrative reflection and collaboration between non- and Indigenous people (Booth & Nelson 2013, p. 114). Despite the fact that the purpose of the proposed frameworks is clear, social workers are still challenged by recognizing good practice and ethics that can be useful for guiding the preparation for their future profession.
Good practice guidelines have been differentiated into four distinct aspects: “respect, relevance, reciprocity, and responsibility” (Markiewicz, 2012, p. 22). Thus, appropriate training of social workers implies the respect for Indigenous communities’ culture, history, and worldview, the establishment of relevance through the negotiation of methodologies and approaches, the development of interpersonal and communication skills for achieving responsibility, and the consideration of benefits to achieving reciprocity (Markiewicz 2012, p. 24). All of the mentioned aspects are associated with the ethical practice, which is intended to bury the tensions that existed between the members of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population (McPhail-Bell et al. 2015, p. 195). In the context of health promotion as a component of social work, overcoming tensions is imperative for relieving the impact of stigmatization that First Australians experience (McPhail-Bell et al. 2015, p. 195). Given the persistence of inequalities, the social work with Indigenous Australians needs to be focused on getting a deep understanding of their experiences, and the quality of life.
Facilitating Engagement and Empowerment
“Due to the high prevalence of chronic diseases,” issues associated with mental health, and the lack of overall support, facilitating engagement through building strong relationships has been identified as imperative (Davy et al. 2016, p. 2). Over the course of social work with Indigenous populations, intervention models targeted at facilitating engagement have been extensively promoted (Robinson, Mares & Arney 2016, p. 116). An example of this is the Let’s Start program, which is a therapeutically-oriented intervention targeted at Aboriginal parents and their children (Robinson, Mares & Arney 2016, p. 116). During the intervention, parents were encouraged to implement an exploratory assessment of their functioning by interacting with their children. Similar interventions can be implemented with social workers and their Indigenous clients for building stronger relationships and facilitating engagement, thus improving the quality and the coverage of services the parties provide and receive.
The lack of empowerment in the Indigenous Australian community contributes to social exclusion and growing health disparities (Tsey et al. 2014, p. 6). As found by Tsey et al. (2014), analyzing and documenting strategies of empowerment over the course of social work practice can help workers understand how they can enhance relations with their clients as well as act as advocates in the process of personal capacity building (p. 6). Overall, both engagement and empowerment are essential components of social work with Aboriginal populations, and through acquiring relevant knowledge during their training, professionals can act as facilitators.
Extent of Knowledge
When answering the question of to what extent have the studies of social work equipped one for the future profession, it is essential to consider the fact that Indigenous populations have an entirely different worldview: “it’s a different world out there” (Durey, Lin & Thompson 2013, p. 722). In order to be aware of issues and considerations necessary for working with First Australians, culturally safe models of care are necessary to establish due to their ability to cater to the specific needs of the population and introduce necessary recommendations on how to improve social care (Smith et al. 2011, p. 1650). Key themes that reinforce the knowledge of successful social work include the expanding responsibilities of caregivers, perspectives of different health conditions, culturally and community-appropriate care, problems that affect remote communities, as well as education and training (Smith et al. 2011, p. 1650). Studies of social work have been used for addressing the mentioned themes since the lack of knowledge about them prevents professionals from the successful administration of care to Indigenous clients.
It is imperative to mention that in the context of healthcare work, Western models of training have shown to be ineffective when Indigenous populations are involved (McConnochie et al. 2011, p. 204). Because of the lack of cultural awareness and the understanding of key issues, it is common for many social workers to figure out their own methods of approaching clients on a trial-and-error basis (McConnochie et al. 2011, p. 204). However, appropriate training can enhance the systematic cultural competence of social workers for improving the effectiveness of relevant interventions in terms of targeting the needs of Indigenous clients.
From the perspective of “public health and social work,” a pressing need for implementing programs that will have a “positive impact on the overall well-being of Indigenous populations has been identified” (Day & Francisco 2013, p. 350). Appropriate training can give a wide extent of knowledge on the introduction of appropriate practices targeted at caring for Aboriginal populations. Additionally, training can allow workers to draw from such concepts as grief, healing, and loss for providing an understanding of the high levels of “social disadvantage that have an impact on service utilization and outcomes” (Day & Francisco 2013, p. 350). Nevertheless, only training is not enough since professionals need to have a broader framework that will guide the operations of social workers.
As a future social worker that will be expected to interact with Indigenous clients closely, I am sure that frameworks and models taught during the preparation course will become essential components of my practice. Since the work will not be limited to only one specific demographic, it is imperative to also understand how Indigenous clients of different ages should be approached. For example, when working with Indigenous youth-at-risk, social service providers are expected to consider a range of factors in which the target population usually engages (Ware 2013, p. 1).
Such factors include poor-quality housing, inadequate relationships with families, alcohol and drug abuse, poor health outcomes, and many others (Ware 2013, p. 1). When working with older Indigenous clients, social service providers should also consider the cultural and social dynamics related to the mistreatment of this population group (Crawford, Fielding & Turner 2011, p. 21). Another example relates to the target demographic of Indigenous mothers-to-be. In this context, social workers are expected to pay attention to mental health problems that women from disadvantaged communities face during their preparation for labor (Geia, West & Power 2013, p. 70). Therefore, the extent of existing knowledge is expected to expand through training, giving social workers opportunities to identify persistent issues related to their target clientele.
It is imperative to mention that the training to become a future social work professional placed importance on both the physical and psychological health outcomes of Indigenous populations. Researchers that developed frameworks for successful care for Aboriginal Australians suggested that the integration of health promotion tools would be the most appropriate approach to addressing health issues of the target population (McCalman et al. 2014, p. 2). For instance, Foley (2010) studied the practices of Aboriginal women’s nutrition promotion in order to identify relevant issues to be addressed in social work (p. 268). It was found that Aboriginal women faced such problems as the inability to afford healthy and high-quality food, the lack of cooking ideas, disparities in accessing nutrition information, and so on (Foley 2010, p. 268).
Hunter (2008) studied child maltreatment in remote Aboriginal communities for developing interventions to respond to the issue as soon as possible and prevent such horrible events such as child sexual abuse from deteriorating the population’s well-being (p. 372). Therefore, the topic of social work with Indigenous populations is not limited to a specific problem because the community suffers from a variety of wellness issues. While Aboriginal populations may struggle with mental health problems associated with poor treatment or discrimination, they also have lower physical health outcomes because of disparities in access or the lack of professionals’ cultural knowledge and competence.
Concluding Remarks
Social workers that serve the disadvantaged population of Indigenous Australians need to have a broad spectrum of knowledge to guide them through the profession. For me, as a future social worker, the training gave not only a background for practice but also offered valuable insights into the issues that Indigenous populations experience on a daily basis. One is expected to recognize their own privileges in order to establish trusting relationships with clients that lack resources. Overall, the course should be considered a step toward becoming a professional in the sphere of social practice targeted at serving Indigenous populations.
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