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Reimagining Social Work

Reimagining Social Work

By the RSW Collective

Reimagining Social Work (RSW) is a collective of social workers, social work academics, researchers and others who share a commitment to the development of modern, progressive, inclusive, democratic and culturally responsive social work services in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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Why we should care about Roe v Wade and what we should do

Reimagining Social WorkJul 26, 2022

00:00
22:27
Why we should care about Roe v Wade and what we should do

Why we should care about Roe v Wade and what we should do

In this episode Neil Ballantyne talks to Professor Liz Beddoe about the topic of reproductive justice and the implications of the recent decision by the US Supreme Court to overturn the famous 1973 court ruling of Roe v Wade. 

Liz also highlights some of the actions that social workers and social work educators can take to promote an awareness of reproductive rights.

Jul 26, 202222:27
Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and its intersections with the youth justice system

Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and its intersections with the youth justice system

Anita Gibbs (Associate Professor, University of Otago) is a longstanding social worker, teacher, researcher and advocate for young people with FASD and their families. In 2020 she received the University of Otago 'Critic and Conscience' award for her outstanding work in this area. Anita is currently undertaking research with caregivers and stakeholders on the topic of living well with FASD across the lifespan.

In this podcast, we explore foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and its intersections with the youth criminal justice system in Aotearoa New Zealand. FASD is a lifelong disability that leads to particular issues making children and young people more vulnerable to coming into contact with the police and justice processes. We chat about brain domains, making disability accommodations, supporting families and what works best for youth involved in the youth justice system. We discuss what good practice looks like from a social worker and other professional perspective.

This podcast is especially relevant as September 9th is international FASD day.

Sep 07, 202118:14
Education for people in prison: How, why and what’s the point?

Education for people in prison: How, why and what’s the point?

This podcast is an interview with Dr Fairleigh Gilmour, an academic in Gender studies and Criminology at the University of Otago. Fairleigh has run a volunteering programme into the Milton prison for a number of years, after discovering how few students in her criminology classes had ever been into a prison. Her programmes involve recruiting and training students to develop their own classes and run them for men in the local prison. This year, she has worked with prison staff and the University of Otago to offer a first year criminology paper to people currently in prison, despite the restrictions on internet access and the difficulties of curriculum commensurability. Fairleigh’s commitment to inclusive education and university -prison partnerships to enable quality educational and recreational activities for people in prison is a great example of commitment to action on inequities in the criminal justice system.

Aug 12, 202120:20
Time to protect abortion services from harassment

Time to protect abortion services from harassment

In this podcast Deb Stanfield interviews Liz Beddoe about changes to the abortion law that will make it possible to set up safe areas around specific abortion services.

Apr 20, 202118:07
The Prevention Project - a conversation with Emily Keddell

The Prevention Project - a conversation with Emily Keddell

In this episode, Deb Stanfield interviews Emily Keddell (University of Otago, Aotearoa New Zealand) for the RSW collective. Emily speaks to The Prevention Project: Supporting Whānau and Reducing Baby Removals, a project undertaken with colleagues Luke Fitzmaurice and Kerri Cleaver. 

Emily explains the background to the project and shares its key findings, which include the important mediating role of community social workers and other professionals, the value of a poverty-informed perspective, and the role of community building initiatives to improve social networks of whānau. Improving the pathways into, and availability of, early, intensive, culturally responsive services and enabling a whole of whānau orientation to practice are key promoters of preventing entry to care. 

Devolving power and resources to build the availability of such services, particularly by Māori, for Māori services, was suggested as a way to help build the capacity of these kinds of services. Whānau involved with Oranga Tamariki around the time of birth reported the trusting, non-judgemental and supportive relationships with community-based workers, and focussing on intrinsic motivating factors such as love for children, helped them navigate Oranga Tamariki intervention, and their own personal struggles, to retain care.

Apr 12, 202123:01
Dissenting Social Work – a conversation with Paul Michael Garrett

Dissenting Social Work – a conversation with Paul Michael Garrett

In this episode, Ian Hyslop interviews Paul Garrett of  NUI (National University of Ireland, Galway) for the RSW Collective. Paul is a much read and respected theorist and writer in relation to the political context of social work and its implications for education and practice futures.

Dr Garrett  discusses his recent response to the provocative ‘end of social work’ critique offered by Chris  Maylea. While acknowledging the difficulties associated with critical practice he suggests that social work  does not sit outside of the tensions facing the liberal capitalist system globally. Referring to Gramsci’s notion of ‘conjunctures’ he points to climate change, uneven social suffering, the geopolitical unrest which is fuelling a refugee and migrant crisis, and the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Add to this the political resurgence of the populist right and unprecedented for state surveillance and we indeed are living at a challenging cross roads. Garrett argues that we can not choose to live apart from these structuring realities – but that where there is power and reaction there is resistance and solidarity. As workers and social citizens there is, as there always has been, a different world to be won. Dissent is a necessity

Apr 09, 202130:53
Past patterns and present provocations: understanding child protection through the lens of history.

Past patterns and present provocations: understanding child protection through the lens of history.

In this conversation, Emily Keddell discusses the history of child welfare in Aotearoa with Ian Hyslop. Ian’s forthcoming book on the subject sparks a wide ranging discussion of the intersections between historical events, reforms politics and practices with the concerns and practices of the current system.

Mar 28, 202116:55
What is radical social work?

What is radical social work?

Neil Ballantyne is in conversation with Iain Fergusson, professor of social work, advisory editor of the journal of Critical and Radical Social Work and co-founder of the Social Work Action Network. Neil talks to Iain about the radical social work tradition and how radical social workers can maintain their stance in these deeply neoliberal times.

Mar 16, 202113:59
What is feminism?

What is feminism?

Emily Keddell is in conversation with Liz Beddoe about feminist theory in social work. Emily asks Liz about the different types of feminist theory, about their application to social work practice and about the continuing importance of feminism for social workers. 

Feb 16, 202111:17
What is social policy?

What is social policy?

Neil Ballantyne interviews Liz Beddoe about the social policy text she edited with Jane Maidment. Neil asks Liz three questions:  What is social policy? What is unique about social policy in Aotearoa?Why do social work students need to study social policy?

Feb 09, 202108:59
An (interrupted) social work project in Vanuatu

An (interrupted) social work project in Vanuatu

Deb Stanfield of the RSW Collective interviews Julie Peake, a social worker whose career spans many roles primarily within the field of child protection in Aotearoa. Most recently she was appointed as child protection technical assistant in Vanuatu, a role developed collaboratively by Volunteer Services Abroad (VSA) and UNICEF, and which saw Julie working alongside a local team to develop their child protection systems. She arrived in Vanuatu in February 2020 after many months of preparation and consultation, only to return to Aotearoa when the pandemic necessitated closing of international borders. In this podcast Julie reflects on the task she was invited to undertake, and her learning from this post, albeit brief, about what it meant to be a New Zealand social worker in Vanuatu, how she carried her child protection experience into this small Pacific nation, and some initial thoughts about what the global Covid crisis might mean for social work.

Resources referred to by Julie in the podcast

Family Violence Death Review Committee. (2020). Sixth report: Men who use violence | Te Pūrongo tuaono: Ngā tāne ka whakamahi i te whakarekereke.  Wellington, NZ.

Ravulo, J., Mafile’o, T., & Yates, D. B. (Eds.). (2019). Pacific Social Work: Navigating Practice, Policy and Research: Routledge.

May 16, 202041:44
Thirty years of Family Group Conferencing

Thirty years of Family Group Conferencing

Deb Stanfield of the RSW Collective is in conversation with Raewyn Nordstrom who describes herself as a Creative Native Disruptor. In this podcast she reflects with Deb on her work as a Family Group Conference (FGC) Coordinator for Oranga Tamariki, Aotearoa New Zealand’s child protection service – work which began with facilitation of the first FGC to be held in Aotearoa, (and in the world), and ended with her retirement in early 2019.

In this podcast, Raewyn remembers the important development of Pūao-te-Āta-tū and the golden promise of the early days. She recalls a challenge from a kaumatua about the notion of whānau decision making, and how she in turn challenged managers to support ideas brought forward by whānau and families.

Raewyn comments on her experience as wahine Māori in this role and the ‘creative native disrupting’ skills needed to ensure the rights and needs of mokopuna (children) and whānau were met.  Her stories also highlight her focus on providing consistency for whānau and her colleagues over the many social, legislative, policy and management changes of the last three decades.

The following “unfiltered” podcast was recorded in a small re-purposed shed on an old dairy farm situated in the land of Ngāti Maniapoto in the Waikato region of Aotearoa. It begins with a story about the world’s first FGC, held in Kirikiriroa (Hamilton) in November 1989 and ends with a beautiful waiata sung by Raewyn and her daughter Taaniko Nordstrom, who kept us company in the shed while we talked.

Oct 27, 201944:37
Abortion law reform in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abortion law reform in Aotearoa New Zealand

Deb Stanfield of the RSW Collective interviews Liz Beddoe about proposed reforms to the abortion laws in Aotearoa. At the end of October this year, the New Zealand Law Commission released a briefing paper: Alternative Approaches to Abortion Law. This paper provides three alternative legal models to existing abortion legislation, all of which recommend that abortion be repealed from the Crimes Act 1961 and the Contraception, Sterilisation, and Abortion Act 1977, and be treated as a health issue. Liz Beddoe is Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Liz has been deeply and actively interested in the abortion debate for decades, and in this podcast with Deb she shares her analysis of the briefing paper and explores problems with the current law – how it contravenes basic human rights for example, and creates unnecessary complexity for women seeking abortions. Dr Beddoe explains in plain language why social workers should care about this issue, what we should know, and how we can prepare ourselves for the coming months of debate.

Nov 09, 201833:40
Gender pay equity for social workers

Gender pay equity for social workers

Deb Stanfield of the RSW Collective interviews Amy Ross, national organiser for Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest union, the Public Service Association (PSA) Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi. She is also founder and organiser of the Social Work Action Network (SWAN), which is a network within the PSA that aims to unify and advocate for social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand.

In this podcast Amy Ross shares her experience of what she describes as the remarkable strategic victory of bringing about the first step in gender pay equity to social workers in this country. In conversation with Deb Stanfield she celebrates the courage of the original claimants, and the genuine partnership between the union and Oranga Tamariki (Aotearoa New Zealand’s child protection agency). Amy applies a critical lens to this significant historic event for women and for the profession of social work – an event she describes as taking us to a ‘whole new level of discourse.’

Oct 20, 201832:43