Sue Bailey - AustraliaErnest Chui  - Hong KongNada Eltaiba - Qatar

JULY 2012

FACULTY OF MEDICINE, DENTISTRY AND HEALTH SCIENCES

Rights Practice in the Biosphere:Testing a new model for social

work practice in Australia, Hong Kong and Qatar.

Thanks to the IASSW for the funding to conduct this research.

The University of Western Australia

Relationship with Nature

Ecological view

me

nature

Nature as Other me

Cartesian dualism

The University of Western Australia

The University of Western Australia

Rights Practice in the Biosphere

The model is specifically named to capture the importance of a principled practice in a broader context that incorporates the biosphere. This will facilitate social workers’ engagement with a broader context that recognises and considers human’s connection to and reliance on Earth. It’s foundation is informed by the Earth Charter, a rights based framework that extends the human rights charter to include the Earth.

http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/pages/Read-the-Charter.html

The University of Western Australia

The University of Western Australia

Questions asked during the interview process.

1. What is your understanding of the connection between human wellbeing and health of the Biosphere?

2. Does it (the connection - identified or not identified) currently have an impact on your Social Work teaching (and practice)? If yes, how?

3. Would you consider the introduction of the model for inclusion of the Biosphere into assessment and intervention useful for teaching (and practice)? Why?

4. How would the model discussed fit into your usual teaching (and practice) methods?

5. How would it change your approach to teaching (and practice)?

6. What outcomes would you expect from applying the model?

The University of Western Australia

Research in progress

Aims twofold – test the model and educative to raise awareness Participants

• Social work educators from Australia, Hong Kong and Qatar.

Provided with Earth Charter, copy of Rights in the Biosphere model and information

To date 8 participants from three Universities interviewed

Findings to date – very very early

• The environment and environmental issues were identified as a personal priority …

• Yet, I’m still very much inspired … just like a ‘ding’ ringing at me .. that I am also part of the humankind and I can also do something [to contribute to preserve the environment ] for others and for the future generations;

• Society still struggling with environmental issues, seen as a political debate rather than a social issue (particularly in Australia where there is a fierce debate still about the reality of climate change- the carbon tax has been very divisive)

• “Someone else is dealing with it” … however no basis for this thought

• Financial crisis and other issues taking priority over the environment

• (In Australia) Indigenous knowledge identified as central but powerless

Personal responses

Relating to teaching:

• Some already incorporating sustainability etc.

• Would like to incorporate more but don’t know how – however participants then generally identified some ways that they could do so eg.

– “I would only need to draw a bigger circle (of the biosphere) outside the ‘circle’ (of ‘community’) in my usual (ecological) framework, so as to let students appreciate the possible relevance of the biosphere as the context of their practice”

• Is a personal position not professional (dichotomy)

– “it relates to the teachers’ own values, experiences ….,”

• More relevant to community development

Challenges

• Rigidity of SW course and reluctance to find more space for another add-on

• This is not social work business –

“those issues … should be the concern of environmentalists, not social workers, at least not for me”

• SW will be Jack of all trades - master of none

• University as a “system” unwilling to accept political, radical views and the model identified as such

• Importance of evidence-based research in university –requires an evidence base to be developed (Courtyard project)

• The model seen as an “add-on” and another “ISM” (environmentalism)

• Marketability in Universities

– They [students] would consider whether there is job opportunities for this specific field. As there is no such field as ‘environmental social work’

The University of Western Australia

Theoretical underpinnings

Modernity

Representative democracy

Managerialism in University

Science as only evidence for good practice

(Australia) Indigenous understandings of nature and mankind

Epistemological

The University of Western Australia

Future

This is ongoing research and what I am particularly encouraged by is the way that participants, once given the space to have a conversation, were able to immediately identify ways in which their teaching could incorporate the environment.

More interviews and other grant applications in process to further this research.

Introducing the model to students at UWA (who are working on community projects for assessments).

The University of Western Australia

MELBOURNE WELCOMES YOU TO THE JOINT WORLD CONFERENCE ON

SOCIAL WORK, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTJULY 9 – 12 2014