MSWPG7211 SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH - ASSESSMENT TASK 2 RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL

Social Work in Australia – Can it be Anti-Oppressive?

Research Objectives

There are several aims and objectives which this research project aims to accomplish. The first and foremost being to analyze the way social work is practiced in Australia. The second objective is to fill in the identified gap in the existing research body by identifying the factors which make social work in Australia oppressive in nature. No research so far has been done to address this particular concern in the context of Australia. Lastly, this research aims to provide a comprehensive road map for social workers following which they can practice in an anti-oppressive manner.

Research Question

The research question that this study will primarily try to answer is, “How can social workers practice in an anti-oppressive manner in Australia?”

Introduction/Background/Rationale

In any society, social workers play a pivotal role. They try to fill in the void left by the government by assisting those in need of help. That is the reason why social work is considered a noble profession all across the world. The IFSW General Meeting conducted on 26th July 2000 in Montreal adopted the following definition of social work:

The social work profession promotes social change, problem-solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilizing theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.

In Australia as well, social workers have been doing tremendous work by serving the society. However, several objections have been raised by scholars on the practice of social work in Australia. One such objection was raised by Walter, Taylor & Habibis (2011). This study highlighted the inability of Australian social workers to effectively deal with Indigenous people. Most of the social workers operate primarily from the paradigm of whiteness and do not realize that they need to customize their approach in accordance with the characteristics of client they are dealing with. Hence, the practice of social work becomes oppressive for certain groups in the society and therefore, highly objectionable.

The current study has been designed to unpack and address this particular issue which has not received the required attention so far in the context of Australia. It is absolutely necessary to bring this issue in the limelight because it makes the noble profession of social work counter-productive. Social Work is undertaken with the intention of benefitting the masses. Unfortunately, it ends up making a certain segment of society vulnerable to oppression. Consequently, the ability of social work to lessen the misery and enhance the living standard of those in need becomes debatable. These reasons have necessitated this research project which aims to fill in the gap in the existing body of research and simultaneously make the practice of social workers in Australia anti-oppressive. 

Literature Review

There is not much literature available on this particular topic. The dearth of literature is more intense in the context of Australia. Nevertheless, the available literature is sufficient and thorough enough to provide this study a head start.

One such significant work is Solomon (1987). The purpose of this work is to highlight the uselessness and insensitivity of the intra-psychic models of social work which are based on the assumption that the psychosocial problems faced by blacks are because of their internal factors. Instead, this research aims to establish that the external factors and oppressive social institutions are equally responsible for the deplorable condition of this minority group. A collaboration was formed between churches and family help agencies in order to facilitate counselling based on empowerment model. The participants were mainly poor blacks who were suffering from serious mental disorders. This research has added value to the existing literature by incorporating the element of sensitivity in social work. Hence, it is extremely significant for future research projects.