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I don't know about you, but as a social work student, one of the most challenging aspects of BSW has been grappling with the myriad of theories we study. From Systems Theory to Strengths-Based Practice, each framework offers unique insights into human behaviour and social issues. However, the sheer volume of theories can feel overwhelming, especially when considering how they apply to different contexts in the field. Once we graduate, it's crucial to understand that various agencies often prioritise specific theories based on their focus and clientele. For instance, a mental health service might emphasize Trauma-Informed Care, while a community organization might lean towards Empowerment Theory. This variability adds another layer of complexity; we need to adapt our theoretical knowledge to fit the specific needs of our future clients and the philosophies of the organizations we join. Remembering each theory's nuances and applications is essential, but it’s equally important to cultivate a flexible mindset. Engaging in ongoing professional development and staying open to learning will help us navigate the diverse theoretical landscape. Ultimately, our ability to apply these theories effectively will shape our practice and impact the lives of those we serve. Embracing this challenge will empower us to become adaptable and effective social workers. To help towards this, I recently came across a webpage with a range of common theories and practice models used in Social Work. Each of the social work theories outlined on the page, apply to micro, mezzo, and macro practice spheres . " Theories Used in Social Work " by Kasia Kovacs (published on December 02, 2020) , as part of Social Work Guide Staff. Hope you find it as useful as I have whilst I've been on Field Placement. Lucas

I have been on my placement for over two weeks now, and things are starting to fall into place. I am placed in the Aboriginal homelessness/housing crisis sector and spent the first few days trying to understand the policies, legislation and complexity of the housing system. Homelessness is much more than people sleeping rough, it has a background involving trauma, mental health concerns, domestic violence, isolation and at times, policies that largely suit the dominant population in Australia. In many Aboriginal communities, the concept of kinship and family unit is vastly different from the definition of the western family unit. People can come down to visit and stay with each other for months. For e.g. An Aboriginal family coming down from Northern Territory to their relatives in Adelaide during the summer months. This means that Aboriginal people are often at risk of losing their homes, or rentals because of overcrowding. I find this definition to be insensitive and biased against the Aboriginal communities because we have a similar system back in my home country, where a house extends its support to the extended family and community. When we say that colonisation continues to take place in Australia, it is referring to these policies which discriminate against Aboriginal communities. In my observation, I find that these matters are often hidden from the general public, who are still to learn so much more about the Aboriginal way of life. So, when the opportunity came up, I asked my supervisor whether I could attend “Closing the Gap Day” on 16th March 2023. The event was held at the Jubilee Pavilion at Adelaide Showgrounds, a space large enough to accommodate thousands of patrons. When I reached there, I was delighted to see a large number of Aboriginal and Non-Indigenous people waiting in line to experience and support the event. When I went inside, there were hundreds of stalls with infographics, statistics and brochures on health care, aged care, disability, employment, homelessness, youth services etc. Native geckos, snakes and other reptiles were showcased to make the event interesting to a large number of school students. That view instilled hope in me for future generations as they learn more about the land on which they live in. There were also many food stalls and freebies on offer, making it a complete carnival. I would recommend every social work student to attend such events, as it opens our eyes to the scale of work left to be done. For eg., One of the most common issues faced by the Aboriginal community today is the lack of access to adequate dental and eye care. This may sound completely unrelated to the work we do. But the more I learn, the more I find how interconnected so many of the issues are. Links for more information - https://www.facebook.com/closethegapcampaign/ https://closethegap.org.au/close-the-gap-day/ https://www.niaa.gov.au/resource-centre/indigenous-affairs/commonwealth-closing- gap-implementation-plan-2023 Aakaash Chiramal MSW Student @ Flinders University

Welcome to the Flinders University Social Work Association (FUSWA) Student Study Blogs and Student Forums. (Rules & Warnings - Read and Adhere to) We are just beginning our journey in providing students what we feel is high quality, valuable information to assist them towards academic improvement, and hopefully help all BSW & MSW students discover some great skills along the way. RULES & WARNINGS To leave a comment on any post, you MUST signup using your FAN (student email). Any Member found using an email that does not contain @flinders.edu.au will be removed. Be Respectful when Commenting. No Inappropriate Language. No Spamming. No Pornographic/Adult/other NSFW Material. No Advertisements. No Offensive Content. No Direct & Indirect Threats. Any 'comment' not adhering to the Flinders Academic Integrity Policy, or goes against the above set of Rules, will be removed, and members may find themselves banned indefinitely. By commenting on the FUSWA Student Study Blog (including all future posts), and posting on the Student Forum, you automatically accept and adhere to the Rules above, and will be responsible for your own actions, including any consequences that come from those actions. Let's keep this fair, respectful and on point to the purpose of these tools. Thank you. The FUSWA Team Subscribe to follow the journey.

Safe Environments for Children and Young People - "Through their eyes" Group Training Sessions with Safe Place Training Safe Environments for Children and Young People - "Through their eyes" This is the South Australian Government-approved course for mandatory notifiers under the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017. This course has replaced the prior Child Safe Environments course, and any current Child Safe Environments certifications you possess are still valid. Training provider - "Safe Place Training" is a preferred supplier of Safe Environments for Children and Young People - 'Through Their Eyes' for the Department of Human Services. For full course details, please visit the Safe Place Training website. *** FUSWA IS UNABLE TO ORGANISE THIS TRAINING *** Want to Organise your training? Want to Organise your training? Want to Organise your training? Want to Organise your training? Contact 'Safe Place Training' and get a group of student's together to SAVE $$ on training cost. Training is provided via Webinar across the week and weekends. Approved Public Training Providers Approved Public Training Providers Approved Public Training Providers Approved Public Training Providers Click the link below to view the full list of The Department of Human Services (DHS) Approved Public Training Providers. Approved Providers FUSWA Flinders University Social Work Association EMAIL fuswa.team@gmail.com URGENT MATTERS fuswa.president@gmail.com FOLLOW US

NEWS & UPDATES STAY IN THE KNOW Keep up to date with FUSWA activities, events and news. < Back FUSWA Field Placement Session FUSWA 5 May 2023 Pre-Placement Information Session (Semester 1 - 2023) We had an amazing afternoon at Oasis, with the College Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Support Team, the Field Education Topic Coordinators, and Academic Social Work Staff, giving up their valuable time to provide students everything they needed to know about BSW and MSW Field Placement - for Semester 2, 2023. With a total number of 39 attendees, these students were given the chance not only to be provided an indepth information session about placement, but also had opportunities to ask questions directly, getting them answered on the day. In addition, Cafe Bon Voyage (here on campus) supplied us with a range of delicious goodies for everyone to eat, and by the end of the session, we announced our $20 Coles Myer Gift Voucher winner! (all who attended had a chance to win, with the winners name picked randomly on the day) If you missed this extremely valuable and informative session, don't worry, it was recorded and can be viewed on our YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@FUSWA To see what you missed out on, visit our Past Events page - https://www.fuswa.com/past-events We are hoping to continue this success in Semester 2 for those preparing for Field Placement in 2024, so stay tuned to our website and social pages for details, should it happen again. The FUSWA Team Previous Next

NEWS & UPDATES STAY IN THE KNOW Keep up to date with FUSWA activities, events and news. < Back Skills Week Giveaway FUSWA 13 Mar 2022 Last Chance to Win a $50 Gift Voucher? Here's the Last Chance to Win a $50 Gift Certificate? During Flinders Skills Week, FUSWA will select one Lucky Student to Win a $50 Gift Certificate*. To be in the running, you need to Like and Share the Facebook Post to be in the running to WIN! Join FUSWA via the QPay App (it's FREE) and become a member anytime between Monday the 14th of March and Friday the 18th, March. Head across to our Membership Page to find the 'Link'. To 'DOUBLE your chances', you need to Join the FUSWA Discord Chat by visiting https://discord.gg/dFm3vGWqpe or clicking on the Discord Icon located at the 'footer' of our website (www.fuswa.com). (You need to Introduce Yourself!) The Winner of the $50 Gift Certificate will be randomly selected and contacted by email between the 21st and 25th of March, with an announcement posted on our Facebook. Good Luck and Signup TODAY! Brought to you by the FUSWA Team. and our Winner is.... --- * Competition Rules & Details - 'LIKE' and 'SHARE' the Facebook Post to Enter! Competition OPENS from Monday March 14th 2022, and CLOSES on March18th 2022 at 11:59 pm ACDT. To be eligible to win, you MUST be a Flinders University Social Work Association (FUSWA) Member. To be eligible to win, you MUST be a current and enrolled, Flinders University student. This competition is open to both internal/on campus and external/online Social Work students that are currently enrolled, and are current FUSWA Members. Flinders University enrolled Students that are existing FUSWA Members who have already signed up via our FUSWA QPay App (before this competition opened), will also be in the running to win. To double your chances to WIN, you MUST Join the FUSWA Discord Chat Server AND go to the Introduction Chat to Introduce Yourself. This will be considered as having two entries in this competition, with a higher probability of winning by doing so. The winner will be notified by email and announced between the 21st Mar, 9:00 am ACDT – 25th Mar, 5:00 pm ACDT, 2022. Should the winner be an on campus student, FUSWA will arrange a mutually convenient time to meet with them and present the Gift Certificate. Should the winner be an external student, FUSWA will mail the Gift Certificate (at cost to FUSWA) to the winner. FUSWA reserves the right to take a photo of the winning student with one of our FUSWA Committee Members presenting the Gift Certificate, with this photo posted on our Social Media platforms. Should the winner be an external student, FUSWA will ask for that student to provide FUSWA a 'selfie' (email a photo) of them opening the Gift Certificate, with this photo posted on our Social Media platforms. FUSWA exports names from the QPay APP (removing all duplicates) and student names from Discord before entering them into https://miniwebtool.com/random-name-picker/ to randomly pick the winner. Updated: 14/3/2022 Previous Next