ABSTRACT Emergency relief (ER) provides financial assistance to people experiencing hardship. While research suggests holistic ER characterised by relational practices, has benefits over transactional ER characterised by the basic supply of material assistance, the underlying psychological mechanisms that drive these differences remain unclear. This study utilised Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to explore how holistic and transactional ER support the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. In a sample of ER recipients accessing holistic (n = 99) and transactional (n = 99) support, those in the holistic group reported significantly higher levels of autonomy support, financial competence, trust in the ER support worker, and financial wellbeing compared to those in the transactional group. These findings support the importance of relational ER delivery practices and the relevance of SDT as a framework for investigating the effectiveness of ER. Limitations and implications are discussed, emphasising the need for future longitudinal studies to establish the practical implications of psychological needs-based support on ER client outcomes. IMPLICATIONS Recipients of holistic emergency relief (ER) reported higher levels of autonomy supportiveness, financial competence, trust in ER support workers, and financial wellbeing than recipients of transactional ER. These findings provide a foundation for longitudinal studies to explore the potential benefits of holistic emergency relief further.

ABSTRACT With the passage of legislation establishing registration for social workers, South Australia has the opportunity to lead in the regulation of high-risk work with vulnerable people. National registration has been—and remains—a central goal for many across the social work community in Australia, arguing that this is needed to ensure consistency and coherence of focus. This article explores the case for national registration, focusing in particular on the strategic positioning of social work as an allied health profession, thereby aligning it with the Australian Health Practitioners Regulatory Authority (AHPRA) administered National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS). We considered the implications of such a move through reference to England’s experience of social work regulation—specifically the shift from social work-specific to external regulation (and back again). We argue that adopting an allied health identity presents significant risks for the social work profession. Hence, we propose that appeals to AHPRA as the only “real” option for national social worker registration should be examined thoroughly and with caution. IMPLICATIONS The registration of social workers, currently in South Australia, presents important opportunities and challenges for the profession. How to regulate and who should be responsible for regulation are significant questions for the profession. Decisions about registration have significant implications for social work identity, most notably in relation to its distinction as a profession grounded in “the social”.

ABSTRACT This article draws on yarning (reciprocal Indigenous storytelling) with 15 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social service providers to explore the question of how we can support change in decoloniality and antioppressive practice in social work. The methodology foregrounds the voices and world views of Indigenous people in order to disrupt Western thought and to dialogue with and extend antioppressive social work theory, knowledge, and practice. The yarning (qualitative) data were collected in five agencies providing Indigenous social services in close conjunction with Indigenous communities, and produced three strong themes: neo-liberalism and funding challenges; working from a new model; and nurturing and sustaining long-term relationships. The findings present recommendations for decoloniality including decentring Western foundational concepts and practices; providing space for cultural practice(s); Indigenous yarning or the cocreation of new narratives; centring Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing (cultural safety and cultural humility); collective and individual critical reflexivity; visioning for all; and connection to Country. The article ends with further reflections on Indigenous resilience and healing, reclaiming sovereignty, and nurturing resistance. IMPLICATIONS Neo-liberal funding policies slow and disrupt decolonising efforts in social service organisations. Decolonisation of social service practices and policies involves patient, long-term relationship building and close attention to ongoing flexible and respectful collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and communities at all levels. Critical reflexivity among frontline workers and across social service agencies can help maintain decolonising efforts and support new options for social work practice and policy.

ABSTRACT Fathers of neurodiverse children (e.g., children with autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder) play a vital role in child development and family cohesion. Still, little research has explored how these fathers’ emotional experiences shape their engagement in parenting. In a qualitative study in 2022, we examined 31 Hong Kong fathers’ expressions of shame and guilt, collected via in-depth Zoom interviews. A thematic analysis revealed that shame often led to avoidance strategies (e.g., reduced public outings), whereas guilt tended to promote compensatory caregiving behaviours (e.g., attentive or reparative actions). The participants identified multiple triggers for shame and guilt—family criticism, public scrutiny, personal regrets—which influenced how they engaged in parenting tasks. The findings underscore that paternal moral emotions can either inhibit or enhance father–child interactions, depending upon contextual factors such as cultural norms and perceived social support. This study contributes new insights into father-inclusive practices and suggests that multilevel interventions and father-friendly policies may lessen the negative impacts of stigma, while amplifying fathers’ constructive responses and enhancing their relationships with their neurodiverse children. IMPLICATIONS This study provides new insights into how fathers experience shame and guilt while rearing neurodiverse children—illuminating the interplay between these moral emotions and the fathers’ caregiving behaviours. From a cultural and gendered perspective, there is a great need for father-inclusive, multilevel interventions that acknowledge fathers’ unique roles and emotional experiences as caregivers of neurodiverse children.

ABSTRACT This article critically examines simulation theory as a framework for understanding empathy in social work. Although offering valuable neurobiological insights, this theory presents limitations: (1) its emphasis on cognitive–affective processes may reinforce individualistic approaches that obscure the structural dimensions of client experiences, (2) reliance on personal experience for empathic understanding risks projection and misinterpretation, particularly across social location and power differences, and (3) the focus on emotional congruence may contribute to emotional distress and empathy fatigue among practitioners. We propose an integrated approach that retains neurobiological insights while at the same time addressing power dynamics, structural inequalities, and practitioner wellbeing. IMPLICATIONS Simulation theory’s focus on embodied processes may individualise empathy, obscuring structural dimensions central to social justice in social work. It can reinforce normative assumptions that risk reproducing inequality, undermining the profession’s ethical commitment to autonomy and inclusion. An integrated approach combining neurobiological insights with critical social work perspectives can support practice while mitigating the risks of projection, emotional fatigue, and decontextualised engagement.

ABSTRACT The New South Wales (NSW) Permanency Support Program (PSP) introduced complex and substantial reforms to child protection and out-of-home care (OOHC) designed to improve legal permanency outcomes, including restoring children to their parents. We investigated whether children receiving OOHC services from non-governmental organisations after the PSP reform were more likely to be restored than children in a statistically-matched historical sample, focusing on: children already in care (n = 12,353; a cross-sectional cohort) and those entering care after PSP started (n = 1,063; a longitudinal cohort). Time-to-event models indicate that PSP slightly increased restoration for children already in care (HR:1.35, 95% CI:[1.1,1.64], p = 0.004) but had no discernible effect for children entering care (HR:0.84, 95% CI:[0.61,1.14], p = 0.262). That is, there was only a small amount of evidence that PSP improved restoration outcomes for children and young people. The observed differences reaffirm the necessity of analysing and considering both cross-sectional and longitudinal cohorts, especially when findings are applied to practice and research. On a broader scale, these findings highlighted the continued need for restoring more children to their parents while acknowledging challenges of implementing new policies and associated services to reduce the number of children in OOHC. IMPLICATIONS For children already in care and entering care in NSW, effective services focusing on increasing restoration and supporting permanency are needed to decrease the number of children in OOHC. Large-scale evaluations often require multiple sampling strategies and robust statistical matching procedures to obtain good evidence of effectiveness. In OOHC studies, only considering cross-sectional samples will over-represent children in long-term care and potentially obscure different outcomes for new entries to care.

ABSTRACT As a key ethical principle of the social work profession, social justice is intended to inform the practice that social workers provide to service users. However, it is often unclear exactly how the concept of social justice translates into daily service delivery. To explore the ways social work practice is grounded within social justice, this study examines how social workers experience and understand social justice within the context of their practice in health care, and what enables and challenges them to do so. Utilising a transcendental phenomenological methodology, seven semistructured interviews were conducted with social workers practising across government, nongovernment organisations (NGO), and not-for-profit (NFP) social work healthcare settings. The authors determined that social justice is commonly practised by social workers, and although there are factors that promote social justice, the influence of workplace and organisational barriers challenges social workers' abilities to practise social justice. IMPLICATIONS Social justice is a core value of social work, but its translation into practice is unclear. The organisational context of practice can make practising social justice challenging. Social workers can work towards social justice by addressing barriers in the workplace that limit social justice practice.

ABSTRACT The centrality of field education in social work education is widely recognised. Past research findings highlight the role of placement supervision to support students’ professional growth, navigation of ethical dilemmas, integration of theory, and competence to practise within professional standards. The role of social workers supervising these placements (field educators) is essential and they must have a range of knowledge and skills including an understanding of adult learning theory, assessment and supervision methods, and managing conflict. This mixed methods research study used an online survey to gather perspectives from social work field educators in Australia to better understand the training and support received in preparation for their role, and how confident they felt in their ability to support students effectively. Invitation to participate in the survey was distributed via Australian tertiary social work programs. One hundred supervisors completed the survey. Results identified various models of supervision, desired topics for training, and the knowledge ranked as essential to their roles. Although some respondents received an induction and had sought additional training, there was a mixed level of satisfaction with the training available. These results highlight the importance of higher education providers working with the field to provide ongoing development opportunities for supervisors. IMPLICATIONS Supervisors of social work placements are motivated to take on this important role, but need and request further training to support them in this work. It is vital to ensure that induction training includes more than a basic focus on processes and expectations. Field Education program staff need to be adequately resourced to support field educator training, particularly as field education is a workforce development strategy.