1,720,997 research outputs found
Professional change agents and practice wisdom: developing rich learning environments which promote capability, confidence and commitment
No full textThe analysis considers social science knowledge, practice wisdom, human\ud
motivation and the practice context in order to model both: professional\ud
mastery within human-service change agents; and the processes involved in\ud
developing the practice wisdom which makes mastery possible. The\ud
discussion considers the practice context of the social/personal change agent\ud
and considers their contextualized learning needs as potentially-wise early\ud
practitioners. It examines contextualized competencies for human service\ud
and reflects on the personal characteristics that are required of effective\ud
change agents in mastering these competencies. The discussion argues that\ud
competence, confidence and commitment are essential to the development of\ud
contextualized practice wisdom and that essential processes, such as\ud
reflective practice are best understood within this argument. Thus the\ud
discussion promotes the development of core graduate capabilities, while\ud
recognizing that these should include an active approach to developing\ud
contextualized self-efficacy and deep understanding of personal motives\ud
which relate to change agency. The discussion concludes that effective\ud
professional change agents require a teaching and learning environment\ud
which recognizes personal needs for development of not just competences,\ud
but of personal confidence (self-efficacy) and a sense of control over\ud
personal commitment levels which pertain to chosen aspects of change
Disrupting the new orthodoxy: emergency intervention and Indigenous social policy
No full textAfter eleven years of Federal Government experimentation with ‘practical reconciliation,’ in June 2007, the previous Prime Minister, John Howard and Indigenous Affairs Minister, Mal Brough shocked many policy observers when they announced a ‘national emergency’ in the NT and sought to over-ride the authority of the NT government to intervene in remote communities. Officially, the purpose of the intervention was to address the problem of child sexual abuse identified in Rex Wild and Pat Anderson’s (2007) report for the Board of Inquiry into the Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, ‘Ampe Akelyernemane Meke Mekarle: The Little Children are Sacred’. The report was cited by government minsters as evidence that Indigenous communities were in deep crisis and that sexual abuse was a major symptom of family breakdown, occasioned by alcohol and drug abuse and the erosion of law and order (Abbott, 2008; Brough, 2007a,b)
From Indigenous cultural recognition to economic mainstreaming: a case study of Indigenous Australian communities
No full textSignificant (2007) policy prescriptions were proposed solutions for the social problems of Australian remote Indigenous communities. These are contiguous with certain descriptions of contemporary neoliberal policy orthodoxy. Though these ideas are viewed by advocates as constituting a \u27new\u27 approach to Indigenous affairs they resemble policy approaches which have encouraged Indigenous assimilation into a \u27mainstream\u27 society. Such an approach seems like common-sense from within this mainstream neoliberal world-view, but when viewed critically is epistemologically flawed, culturally chauvinistic, and contains within it the seeds of more rather than less problems. This paper examines contemporary views of Australian Federal Government policy intentions for remote Indigenous Australians. It critiques some specific valuebased interpretations of Indigenous behavior and the processes which are assumed strategies for behavioral change. The paper highlights logical issues in such policy approaches and ends in some general recommendations for social policy
\u27Australian values\u27, Liberal traditions and Australian democracy: introductory considerations of government for contemporary civil society
No full textThe article proposes a method by which the effectiveness of the Australian government can be determined in terms of its ability to support traditional Australian values and promote a healthy civil society. Traditional Australian values are defined in terms of the requirements for new Australian citizens and include the rule of law, constitutionalism, and accountability of government. Elements of neoliberal Australian public policy that the authors suggest are at odds with the liberal-democratic Australian tradition are also identified
On-Line Environments and the Promotion of Professional Competencies
No full textRecent pedagogical research argues that alongside the theoretical knowledge\ud
and professional skills that are traditional to tertiary education there is need for\ud
the development of practice wisdom. As this approach to wisdom is\ud
underpinned with Socratic conceptualisations of humility and the capacity to\ud
recognise knowledge deficits, the learning environment must facilitate personal\ud
confidence, and commitment to personal development. Ideally professional\ud
graduands should see themselves as embarking on a course of self efficacious\ud
growth, confidence building, and committed reflective development. Previous\ud
research implies that graduate confidence is undermined at the time of\ud
transition to work and thus activities that contextualise student learning provide\ud
added bonuses. Because of this significance of the organizational context to\ud
professional efficacy, a tertiary teaching/learning environment has been\ud
developed which focuses on simulating the organizational context of\ud
professionalism. An on-line learning strategy is introduced to expose students to\ud
a combination of problem based learning and collaborative learning in simulated\ud
organisational contexts. The on-line environment is used as an avenue for\ud
recruiting participation in reflective development while the future-professional is\ud
still in the tertiary teaching context.\ud
This project applies simulated on-line roles that are analogous of the\ud
professional roles and responsibilities of human service practice. This informs\ud
teaching practice regarding the need for developing expected levels of practice\ud
confidence and commitment to wise practice
Compassionate coercion as a policy model: Reflections on practical reconciliation and mutual obligation for indigenous living conditions
No full textThe conceptual model which underpins recent developments in Indigenous living\ud
conditions policy defines a need to increase client commitment to its objectives. This\ud
study provides an economic examination of similar historical expectations which have\ud
been placed on Indigenous social housing clients. It considers Indigenous poverty in\ud
an historical context and examines the rationality of increasing the obligations of\ud
Indigenous clients who are existing in marginal communities. In light of economic\ud
arguments the analysis defines some minimum requirements of social policy models\ud
and it recommends that any ‘mutual obligation’ policy model rationally consider the\ud
needs of its client population. The discussion concludes that autocratic problem\ud
definitions and their imposed solutions are unlikely to recruit the support of clients
The Indigenous experience of Australian civil society: making sense of historic and contemporary institutions
No full textThe article explores the participation of Indigenous Australians in Australian civil society with reference to the legal framework established by the country\u27s constitution. The authors argue that Australia\u27s constitution is based on a European liberal ideology that constructs itself in terms of white, free-market values and explores how various policy objectives have enacted an elision of Indigenous values from Australian civil society. The implications for self-efficacy and political participation for Australia\u27s Indigenous populations are considered in light of this constitutional-legal framework
Quasi-market irrationaltiy in welfare servicing: The case of remote indigenous housing
No full textThough economically-rationalist belief systems seem less invasive than they were in the 1990s, market and quasi-market ideology is still being applied as a strategy for improving the outcomes of welfare programs. The following discussion examines remote Northern Territory (NT) Indigenous housing provision as a case study of the potential irrationality of using quasi-markets within social intervention strategy. This case study is a generalizeable example of ideology-based quasi-market provision. Thus the discussion concludes by considering implications associated with private sector participation in social intervention, and explores a better way to conceptualize and deal with problematic policies. The study incorporates a brief historical foray into the terminology and quasi-market assumptions which underpin the logic of NT social intervention strategy. The examination reflects on the nature of Indigenous living conditions; the intentions of government intervention; the interpretation and logic of these intentions and the consequent processes of intervention. It is assumed that such reflections are essential to the formation of good policy and that insights into existing policy are possible if this logical process is used. Thus the discussion commences with an examination of Indigenous living conditions intervention in its historical context, and then it reflects on the intentions of this intervention. It hinges on a re-examination of human need as the focus of existing and future policy development
Ideology in public policy: an examination of aggressive paternalism and enculturation in indigenous assistance programs
No full textAlthough Australian Government officially rejected a paternal assimilation strategyaspublic policy in the late 1960s, its policy increasingly encourages Indigenous people toadopt \u27mainstream\u27 values and objectives. This paper examines contemporary Australian policy directions for their desire to promote conformity. By exploring recent policy responses to Indigenous affairs it considers the resistance that ideologically-imposed objectives foment in subject populations. The paper highlights the weakness of coercive approachesto public policy. The discussion concludes that imposed problem definitions and solutionswill not satisfy the needs that liberal traditions uphold as the social agenda of westerndemocratic Government. More importantly, they fail to address the needs and aspirations of Australia\u27s Indigenous people in any meaningful way
'Welfare colonialism' and traditional culture: The case of the child protection proposals in the Solomon Islands
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