Social Work - Theses
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ItemSupporting young people following the February 2009 Victorian bushfires: The views of professionals( 2015)The purpose of this research was to better understand professionals’ views of service and community support provided to young people following the February 2009 Victorian bushfires (‘the bushfires’). Currently there is little research focused specifically on young people and natural disasters. The aim of this research was to contribute to improved levels of support for young people in the event of any future natural disaster. Ten professionals were interviewed for the research project, all of whom had direct professional experience in supporting young people affected by the bushfires. The respondents provided their views on the main topic of the study – the service and community response to support young people following the bushfires. They also contributed to investigation of the secondary topic of the study, by discussing the problems with the response to young people following the bushfires. The findings highlight the importance of supporting young people’s family relationships and peer relationships. The study also concluded that services need a high level of creativity and flexibility when providing support to young people; external services entering a community for the first time should support existing community structures such as local schools, youth groups and community organisations. Many of the findings drawn from the study hold implications for future practice and future research in natural disasters. As natural disasters are increasing in frequency globally, young people and their communities will continue to be significantly affected and the need for this type of research will also increase.
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ItemAn exploratory study into the experience of healthcare professionals caring for adolescent and young adults (AYA) with cancer when cure is no longer the goal of care.( 2015)Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer are a unique subgroup within oncology due to specific medical and psychosocial needs. Palliative care in AYA oncology is largely an under researched area. Much of the research to date in palliative care has focussed on the paediatric and older adult populations. However, recent research illustrates that clinicians caring for young people with incurable disease identify this work to be challenging, although the reasons for this, and whether there are differences across professional disciplines, remains unknown. This study aimed to provide an understanding of the experience, degree of knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare professionals caring for AYA patients with incurable cancer. The study was based at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, a specialist cancer centre in Melbourne. A practice based, qualitative research methodology was employed comprising two phases. Phase I involved focus groups. Phase II involved semi structured in-depth interviews. Results are described by professional discipline. They highlight the challenges and enablers to practice, reported by professionals. The main challenges faced were: a lack of age-appropriate knowledge, experience and communication skills and insufficient organisational prioritisation of appropriate care for AYAs. The main enablers of good clinical care for AYAs were: a multidisciplinary approach to practice; age-appropriate education and skills and; support for staff. Recommendations arising from this research include a multipronged approach to improving service delivery comprising three areas. First, targeted professional development, education and training in age-appropriate care and communication. Second, greater organisational commitment to clinician skill development, increasing multidisciplinary forums for care planning, formalising staff support and improving hospital wide age-appropriate resources. Third, the development of policies, procedures and guidelines for these key areas.