Knowing and understanding “The Dreaming” in social work with Australian Aboriginal people

1. Knowing and understanding “The Dreaming” in social work with Australian Aboriginal people Social Work Social Development: Action and impact Stockholm, Sweden, 2012 Violet Bacon, Joanna Zubrzycki and Bindi Bennett

2. Source: www.aboriginalaustralia.com

3. MAP OF AUSTRALIA

4. What do we know? The experiences of social workers working alongside Aboriginal people • How do Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal social workers work with Indigenous people and communities? • What do both groups of workers recognise as being culturally sensitive and appropriate social work practice? Our interviews also included: • introductions of self and community, years of practice experience, description of practice with Aboriginal people and communities, personal responses to practice, knowledge useful forpractive

5. The Dreaming

6. Relationships are the core component of culturally respectful practice “If you want to be a white fella working in this field, you don’t build relationships with people just because it’s the nice thing to do, it’s actually the only way to operate”( non-Aboriginal social worker). “The biggest one is getting a relationship and with most families that could take anywhere between 6-12 months” ( Aboriginal social worker). “It is only once you have formed these relationships that Aboriginal people will allow you to do your job”. (non-Aboriginal social worker).

8. Reference and contact details Bennett, B., Zubrzycki, J., Bacon, V.(2011) What do we know? The experiences of social workers working alongside Aboriginal People. Australian social work, vol. 64, no.1, pp.20-37 Violet Bacon Honorary research fellow School of Population Health (Social Work and Social Policy) University of Western Australia Violet.Bacon@uwa.edu.au Joanna Zubrzycki Associate Professor School of Social Work, Australian Catholic University Joanna.Zubrzycki@acu.edu.au