“Word warriors” between indigenous practice and social work.

Abstract Nr.1: "Picking Everlastngs, A story to listen and learn"

This is a presentation of my Phd study which is my story of my experiences as an Aboriginal child in care in Western Australia during the 1960's and 1970's, my experiences of leaving care and reconnecting with family, country and culture, and becoming a Social Worker working with Aboriginal children in care.

I am Whadjuk and Ballardong of the Nyungah nation in the South West of Western Australia and my study is located in my country which is Nyungah boodja.   I am telling my story within a Nyungah cultural framework of which katitjin – Nyungah knowledges is central to my worldview and understanding of my connection to culture, family and country. 

By telling my story, I am considering how the application of Indigenous Life Story can enhance Social Work practice where stories are told to make a connection between the client and worker to build relationships as a culturally responsive way of working.

My story is my data, and I will provide background to my experiences of being in care, returning to family and country, and becoming a Social Worker where I have applied cultural knowledge to work with Aboriginal children and families.  I will also present a Nyungah model of practice - Kaadaninny as a way of working for non-Indigenous workers.  Kaadaninny means to listen and learn in Nyungah language.

Abstract Nr.2: "Spanning the divide between thought and practice"

The Quest to Assert Identity as Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand who are affiliated to the profession of social work. 

The tension between identity and professionalism is explored as the indigenous voice which emanates from ethnic and cultural traditions risks being marginalised by the perception of professionalism, how a profession is defined and the quest to be recognised as a profession.

The quest to be recognised as a profession, which is a response to the work environment, by definition focusses on the practice and the execution of practice as demonstrated by ethical and practice standards. These in turn are supported by professional associations. But what of the identity of the person, where thought originates? How are these important considerations upheld because they are integral to the practice of the person, who is a practitioner within the profession of social work? 

The dilemma is am I any less professional because I present myself as an indigenous social worker or is my professionalism validated by the notion I am a social worker who is indigenous. Is the emphasis indicative of professionalism or is either statement validated by the fact that social work is recognised as a profession?

The presentation proposes that the indigenous person and voice risks being marginalised when the notion of professionalism, the status accorded being a profession and membership as a professional take precedence. Therefore is the divide simply a point of distinction not an indication of integrity. Mauriora!

Abstract Nr.3: "Inclusive methodology in research for better social serives for Saami people"

In a global world, social practice must take into account both cultural differences and complex power relationships when services are to be adapted to people’s variation of needs and lifestyles. In this paper, we engage in methodological aspects on doing research about indigenous Saami people from the insider and outsider perspective based on experiences from a research and development project with the aim to improve health and social services to Saami people. The question is: How to include both insider and outsider perspective for developing knowledge in social work practice?

We argue that social workers must recognize the political and historical consequences of discrimination and create an ability to reflect and re-define power positions as a premise for providing ‘good help’ when working with users from minority groups. At the same time, knowledge and presumptions from the majority population have to be included and considered. It is, not addressed as an act of discrimination because the ‘messenger’ is of a different ethnical origin than the minority. In this paper, we address questions of inclusive methodology for improving social care and work for South Saami people in the context of Mid-Norway.

Analysis was carried out following a phenomenological approach and the issue of insider and outsider perspective were continuously used during the research process to explore the research issue.