ABSTRACT A recognised and established role for social workers in healthcare is inpatient care in Australian hospitals. Victorian hospitals are experiencing increased patient demand and complexity, necessitating skilled social workers. A triangulated exploratory design enabled both quantitative and qualitative questions through use of tailored questionnaires. The aim of this study was to identify factors that strengthen or pose barriers to the recruitment and retention of social workers in a hospital setting. Responses were obtained from hospital social work managers, social workers, and students. Key findings revealed that factors such as workload, limited career progression, and workplace culture significantly impact recruitment and retention. A multifaceted, systemic approach is essential to address these challenges and strengthen workforce sustainability in healthcare settings. IMPLICATIONS Recruitment and retention of experienced hospital social workers remain problematic in Australian healthcare services. A multidimensional understanding of the broader issues related to recruitment and retention in Melbourne metropolitan hospitals can help strengthen recruitment and retention strategies and policies.

ABSTRACT Political acumen is a crucial asset for social workers seeking to impact policy, but it largely has been ignored in the social work discourse. This study clarifies the concept of political acumen in social workers’ policy practice efforts by drawing on a qualitative secondary data analysis of interviews with 25 social workers who head local government social services in Israel. Political acumen emerged as a key element in their descriptions of how they impacted local policy, although none of them used this term directly. We maintain that political acumen in the social work context comprises five cognitive–behavioural components: bridging the professional—political divide; reading people and situations; understanding institutions; building alliances; and the ability to convince. The findings of the study can contribute to a better understanding of the importance of political acumen when social workers and managers seek to impact policy. IMPLICATIONS Being familiar with the concept of political acumen and its facets can help advance the success of social workers’ policy work. A discussion of political acumen can serve as a tool for social workers to rethink their own feelings and thoughts with regard to politics in social work practice. Incorporating political acumen into social work education can enhance students’ understanding of how to promote professional goals in political arenas.

ABSTRACT This article is based on PhD research aimed at improving community services for remote Aboriginal people with intergenerational trauma. It focuses on the role that Yamatji Aboriginal Elders played in cocreating a framework to enhance service provision for Aboriginal clients and the importance of local truth telling in this endeavour. Elders specified that local truth telling was essential in building shared understandings of healing from intergenerational trauma between Aboriginal people and community service providers. The characterisation of intergenerational trauma as a “lead splinter”, continually poisoning the wellbeing of Aboriginal people provided an illustration of trauma and the complexities of facilitating healing. The findings emphasise the need for community service providers to undertake truth telling to understand and resolve these key challenges. This engagement facilitates the decolonisation of social work practice through deeper knowledge of local history, incorporation of Aboriginal perspectives of wellbeing, and the development of culturally based approaches to social work with people with intergenerational trauma. IMPLICATIONS Understanding historical trauma and intergenerational trauma can inform meaningful social work practice with Aboriginal service users. Decolonising community services and social work practices needs to include an emphasis on local truth telling.

ABSTRACT The United Nations’ Member States are not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, with regression in key areas like climate action and reducing inequality. This article explores the SDGs’ failures and the United Nations’ 2024 Pact for the Future as a renewed call for social work action. It highlights the opportunities the Pact brings, including the crucial advocacy role of social workers, not only as frontline workers but as macrolevel advocates collectively engaging with governments, institutions, and civil society to advance structural change. Opportunities for social work’s engagement are considered, particularly through universities, professional bodies, and global networks committed to building a more just and sustainable future. IMPLICATIONS Without urgent action, the SDGs may not be met by 2030. The United Nations’ Pact for the Future offers a vital advocacy platform for social workers.

ABSTRACT School responses to transgender and gender diverse (TGD) students are crucial due to these students’ disproportionate experiences of bullying, mental illness, and trauma. Schools’ responses to the distinctive needs of TGD students are shaped by the legislative landscape, with nongovernment schools having more flexibility in accepting or overriding antidiscrimination legislation. Despite the critical role of schools, limited research explores how school staff perceive responding to Australian TGD student needs, particularly in the nongovernment school sector. In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews with nine school staff explored nongovernment secondary school responses to TGD students in Queensland, Australia. Thematic analysis identified four themes: relationships as motivators for change, breaking barriers in rural vs. urban settings, complex needs, and meaningful change. Findings revealed that interpersonal contact between staff and TGD students influenced motivation for meaningful change towards a more trauma-informed framework. Geographical location influenced how schools addressed change, as did complexities of TGD students who experienced autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and trauma. Religious-based school environments were perceived as a key barrier to change. Findings suggest that social work-led policy and practice is integral for trauma-informed, affirming care for TGD students, but that barriers exist in nongovernment education. IMPLICATIONS Social work-led education policy and practice is integral for the delivery of trauma-informed, affirming care for TGD students. Nongovernment school staff can experience barriers to meeting TGD student needs due to organisational culture and a lack of leadership. Intersecting values and ideology can complicate provision of gender-affirming and trauma-informed care within religious nongovernment school settings.

ABSTRACT Burnout is a serious issue within social work; however, little is known about how managers and supervisors recognise and respond to it. This study investigated the experiences of fourteen social work managers and supervisors in Australia in identifying and engaging in organisational responses to mitigate burnout. Theoretical Thematic Analysis (TTA) of interview data showed that participants could recognise elements of burnout including exhaustion, a lack of empathy or development of cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy. Participants felt poor organisational responses to burnout led to high rates of attrition. The findings of this study suggest that managers or supervisors perceive a lack of care from executive management in relation to staff wellbeing. A fundamental lesson from this study is the importance of strong organisational responses to burnout in social work to limit staff attrition. IMPLICATIONS Social work managers and supervisions are adept at recognising signs of burnout within frontline staff. A lack of organisational response to burnout lead to poor outcomes for social work teams, organisations, and ultimately clients seeking vital services. Organisational resources, responses, commitment, and oversight directed to monitoring staff workload and wellbeing may improve rates of attrition.

ABSTRACT Drawing on a preliminary study guided by the principles of the Job Demands-Resources Model, the aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of secondary traumatisation (ST) of social workers supporting traumatised children and their families. In partnership with the Lazio Regional Chapter of the National Council of Social Workers in Italy (CROAS Lazio), the research team analysed a small sample of in-depth interviews with social workers engaged in community-based and justice-related services for children and families. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and submitted to theoretically-oriented thematic analysis. The narratives analysed appeared to blur the lines between ST and burnout, a more widely recognised professional risk among Italian social workers. However, traumatic symptoms of ST are particularly pervasive when working with sexually abused children in specific situations, such as family separations or trials. Our findings show that participants identified personal, work-related, organisational, and interorganisational factors that function either as job demands or resources, influencing the reinforcement or mitigation of ST risk. The findings offer insights into developing targeted strategies to prevent ST, thereby fostering sustainable and supportive work environments. IMPLICATIONS Systemic interventions are crucial to addressing secondary traumatisation among social workers, including specialised training throughout their careers, particularly in high-risk contexts like court trials and removals of children from the home due to abuse and neglect. Policy reforms should focus on reducing caseloads, enhancing professional supervision, and fostering team collaboration. Improved interprofessional and interorganisational co-operation can further alleviate the isolating nature of the profession, promoting social workers' wellbeing and improving care quality for vulnerable children and families.

ABSTRACT Children and young people living in out-of-home care (OOHC) in Australia have a right, established in policy and State-based legislation, to participate in decisions that impact their day-to-day lives. Despite many positive impacts of participation, there is substantial evidence that children are inconsistently engaged in participatory practices. The risks of re-traumatising children who are likely to have already experienced considerable trauma is a persistent concern in OOHC practice. The dominance of a risk-aversive approach in child protection systems is well established; however, there is little research exploring how caseworker understandings of risk may influence children’s opportunities for participation. To better understand how risk constructions influence participation, seven in-depth interviews were conducted with OOHC caseworkers in the Australian Capital Territory. Through thematic analysis of interviews, findings reveal that destabilising a child’s placement or their physical and emotional wellbeing were viewed as central risks arising from participation. When caseworkers identified concerns about instability, they would often exclude or delay participatory practices to mitigate these perceived risks. This study provides insight into the nuanced considerations of participatory practice with children in OOHC and explores how critically reflexive interpretations of risk and trauma may be effective in strengthening children’s participation. IMPLICATIONS Despite agreement that child participatory practice is essential in out-of-home care (OOHC), findings from this study suggest participation is inconsistent especially for multiply traumatised children. Frontline OOHC caseworkers consider risks to placement stability and children’s physical and emotional wellbeing in determining whether to delay information sharing, include or exclude children from participatory practices. Organisations need to adopt a systemic approach to participation and proactively centre partnerships between children and caseworkers.

ABSTRACT The following literature review explores theoretical understandings of social workers and the distinctiveness of social work conceptualisations of young people within mental health fields. Clarifying the distinctiveness of social work perspectives is critical for encouraging a collective professional identity underpinned by a consistent philosophy where the social work role is guided by evidence-based theories. The overall findings support social workers’ understanding of systems theories, with some empirical studies confirming the uniqueness of these understandings to social work knowledge. The theoretical literature lacks discussion regarding the distinctive nature of theories to social work, indicating either that theories are not distinctive or simply that there is a lack of literature surrounding the distinctive nature of these theories. However, literature does highlight the strength of borrowing theories from other disciplines and the benefits of adopting practices into social work knowledge. IMPLICATIONS Initial evidence suggests that systems theories may provide a foundation for defining the distinctiveness of the profession; however, further investigation is needed. Further research into how social workers epistemologically engage with systems theories may contribute to clearer articulation of their perspectives on youth mental health. Investigation into systems theories through a trauma-informed lens is required as the current literature lacks this perspective.