Social Work

Margaret Alston is Professor of Social Work at the University of Newcastle. She has undertaken a number of research projects across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region and has published widely on gender, rurality, social work and disasters. In 2025 she was recognised as being in the top 2% of social scientists in the world.Bindi Bennett (she/her) is a Gamilaraay woman, mother, and social worker and is a Professorial Research Fellow and Deputy Director Indigenous Research at Federation University living, playing and working on Jinibara lands. She is a social justice scholar, a compassionate radical and activist requesting transformational change. Her research areas are disability/neurodivergence, Remote, Rural and Regional Aboriginal wellbeing and AI in the First Nations space.Wendy Foote teaches social work and research at the University of Newcastle. She has had a long engagement with child protection as a practitioner and has worked across different areas of the system, including forensic assessments, counselling and support of families, family therapy in response to child sexual abuse, and out of home care policy. Wendy has also collaborated with sector stakeholders and contributed to policy development and advocacy for reform in NSW and Australia.David Betts is a Senior Lecturer in the Social Work program in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries, and Social Sciences at the University of Newcastle. His research interests include gerontology, queer studies, and social work practice. His research focuses on how queer spaces develop and change over time, how readers engage with queer representation within young adult literature, and how older queer adults create and develop supportive interpersonal networks.Penny Buykx is an Associate Professor in the Social Work program in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries, and Social Sciences at the University of Newcastle. She lives and works on the unceded lands of the Awabakal people. Much of Penny’s research work has involved examining barriers to equitable access to services. In addition to her research, Penny enjoys her role as an educator, teaching social work research methods and public policy.

“The latest edition of this book is thoroughly revised and refreshed to ensure that it continues to address contemporary social work practice. Offering wide coverage of fields of practice, it provides an essential resource for social work students, educators, researchers and practitioners. The editors and contributors are to be congratulated.”Richard Hugman, Emeritus Professor of Social Work, University of New South Wales, Australia

• 1.Introduction Section 1: Theories and Methods 2.Context of Australian Social Work 3.Aboriginal Peoples, Anti-Racist Practice, and Confronting White Supremacy in Social Work 4.Social work theory in practice 5.Trauma and resilience 6.Social workers and policy practice Section 2: Social Work with Particular Groups and Communities of Interest 7.Relational Practice Grounded in Country: Working with Aboriginal Peoples 8.Working with Women 9.Social work with men 10.Working with LGBTIQ+ People and Communities 11.Social Work and People with Disability 12.Working with young people 13.Working with older people 14.Social work in an ethnically and culturally diverse Australia 15.Neurodivergent-Affirming Practice Section 3: Practice Settings 16.Social work in the healthcare context 17.Social Work in Legal Settings 18.Social work practice in education settings 19.Social Work Practice in Mental Health 20.Social work in the field of income support 21.Child and Family Social Work 22.Indigenous cultural practice in family services social work 23.Criminal Justice 24.Social Work in Private Practice 25.Community development as a field of social work practice 26.Rural and remote social work practice Section 4: Emerging Trends and Issues 27.Digital Social Work 28.Social work and disaster practice 29.Social work practice in faith-based organisations 30.Social Work at the End of Life 31.Social work and sustainability