Social Work - Theses
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ItemThe pursuit of aboriginal control of child welfare( 1989)This is essentially a study of Aboriginal child welfare in Victoria today. However, from necessity it is more than this for the study cannot be undertaken without reference to the events and policies of the last 200 years. Nor can it be isolated from the range of issues confronting Aboriginal communities today including the realms of health and education as well as the broader community services arena. The theme of this study is Aboriginal community control, a call by Aboriginal people for an abandonment of past and present approaches by governments, and for the opportunity for Aboriginal people to determine their destinies in ways they wish. This call is particularly strong in the child welfare field where there has been a failure of governments, at both state and national levels, to address Aboriginal child welfare issues. Government rhetoric, both Commonwealth and Victorian, is about "self-determination". Aboriginal demands are for "community control". This study will be looking at the gap between government policies and practices, with the emphasis on the child welfare field, and between government policies and practices and Aboriginal demands. (From Introduction)
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ItemThe application of the Queensland Adoption Act 1964-1988 to the traditional adoption practice of Torres Strait Islanders( 1989)The intention of this study is to examine the relevance of applying the Queensland Adoption Act 1964-1988 to the traditional adoption practice of Torres Strait Islanders. The concept of adoption as defined by the Queensland adoption legislation reflects the cultural context of “white Australia” and the intention of the Adoption Act 1964-1988 is to legalise a specific concept of adoption. This study will show that the Queensland Government, through the Department of Family Services, the Department which has the responsibility for implementing adoption legislation, does not make any allowance for differing views of adoption. The accepted definition of adoption is biased toward the dominant white culture in Queensland and the legislation was intended to service the needs of the dominant white culture.
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ItemReflecting on decision-making in child protection practice( 1988)The aim of the study was primarily to inform the protective services field by examining the nature of decision-making in protective intervention work, its unique features, its successes and failures. I shall argue that child protection services cannot be seen in isolation from the wider community services field of which they are a part. In addition, the discussion to follow will highlight the significant influence brought to bear on the child protection worker by those other workers in the child welfare field with whom there is constant interaction. On that basis, questions will be raised about the way in which we locate responsibility for the protection of children with one group in the community, namely the child protection services' workers.