Christine Morley - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Christine Morley

Social Sciences

Social work practice and education have been significantly impacted by neoliberal governmentality... more Social work practice and education have been significantly impacted by neoliberal governmentality, which can greatly undermine the espoused social justice mission of social work. This study explores the research questions: How might critical reflection support social work practice in neoliberal organisations? And how might critical analysis using insights from critical theorists fortify the findings of critically reflective research? This study uses critical reflection on a critical incident (from Author 2’s practice) as a methodology to respond to the first research question. It further analyses the findings of the critically reflective inquiry by drawing on relevant concepts from critical theorists to respond to the second question and expand the possibilities for practitioners to develop emancipatory practices in neoliberal organisations. The findings suggest critical reflection on the critical incident examined was effective in improving social work practice, and that additional...

Engaging with Social Work

Critical Reflection in Context

This paper will argue that wealth and income inequality are among the most pressing issues for co... more This paper will argue that wealth and income inequality are among the most pressing issues for contemporary social work. Despite this, social work as a discipline and profession has, in the main, been slow to respond to this growing problem. Critical approaches to social work, however, have always included a commitment to eliminating poverty, promoting equity and addressing both the causes and consequences of socio-economic disadvantage as a core priority. This paper will discuss the contributions critical social work can make to socially informed and ethical responses, particularly through its critical pedagogic, reflective and activist practices in contesting wealth and income inequality.

Practicing Critical Reflection in Social Care Organisations

Social alternatives, 2016

This article situates the social work and human service professions in a long view of history, bo... more This article situates the social work and human service professions in a long view of history, born of the clash between liberal-individualist and socialist-collectivist responses to the social miseries of modern, western capitalism. In this long view, critical social work is conceived as heir to struggles for social justice that predate but are amplified in modernity. In Australia, as elsewhere, liberal-individualism was dominant in social work’s beginnings but always amid currents of social reform, which significantly impacted the social welfare occupations in the early 1970’s. This radicalism, sought not only to relieve people’s suffering but to change the social conditions engendering it. The radical social work of the 1970’s has subsequently developed in diverse ways under the successive influences of Marxist, feminist, anti-racist, postcolonial, postmodern and various other approaches to constitute the diverse family of critical social work today.

The Routledge Handbook of Critical Social Work, 2019

How might social work education promote activism? And why is this a core responsibility for all s... more How might social work education promote activism? And why is this a core responsibility for all social work educators? This chapter will explore these questions through a critical synthesis of the literature, arguing that social work education should be explicitly critical in nature if it is to prepare practitioners to meet the universally espoused activist goals of the discipline (see for example Baines, 2011; Macfarlane, 2016; Fenton, 2014). Critical social work is “part of a progressive political project . . . which begins with a rejection of contemporary social arrangements and seeks to establish another more equitable and just state of affairs” (Gray and Webb, 2013: 10 quoting Gray, Stepney and Webb, 2012). Such a transformative project necessitates activism. The chapter shows how neoliberalism has undermined the role of activism in social work but suggests that critical social work education can reinvigorate opportunities for critique and action. The paper presents students’ v...

'Practice skills in social work and welfare' has established itself as the essential text... more 'Practice skills in social work and welfare' has established itself as the essential text to prepare students for the wide-ranging challenges they will face in today's human service sector. This new third edition continues the text's core strength of combining grounded theory with practical examples to build the reader's confidence and expertise in key areas of practice. Part I outlines the anti-oppressive and strengths-based practices that underpin the book's approach and provides the context for learning practice skills in a group setting, during community development projects and with individuals. Part II, Engagement, focuses on developing effective relationships with clients, illustrating through realistic scenarios, how social work and human service workers can apply their practice skills in a range of settings. In Part III the essential elements of client assessment are explored, including risk assessment and cross-cultural perspectives. Issues surrounding intervention are examined in Part IV from working with families and groups to challenging constructively and safely, while research, evaluation and facilitating closure are covered in the final part. This third edition is fully revised and updated, and features new material on using information technology, working with Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Maori, and engaging with families in the statutory system.

In the current context of the neoliberal subordination of social work education and practice to m... more In the current context of the neoliberal subordination of social work education and practice to market demands and public austerity, this chapter argues that there is an urgent need for ‘critical pedagogies’ in social work education, enabling practitioners to understand and respond effectively to the conditions (many of them global in scope) that give rise to so much avoidable suffering in the lives of the people we work with. This chapter traces the historical development of critical pedagogy and its anchorage in critical theory, highlighting their potential to reinvigorate social work education as an emancipatory practice. This chapter also introduces The Routledge Handbook of Critical Pedagogies for Social Work as part of an alternative or ‘counter-hegemonic’ vision of the fundamental role of social work and related professions to how they are currently framed by neoliberal governments. As such, the collection is presented as a catalyst for mobilising resistance to dominant and d...

Women Against Violence: an Australian feminist journal, 2005

The following paper discusses my experiences of coordinating a community development project to d... more The following paper discusses my experiences of coordinating a community development project to develop collaborative links between a mental health and a sexual assault service. It presents a critically reflective description and analysis of this work to outline how post modern ideas were used to maximise the possibilities of using feminist frameworks in practice.

Violence Against Women

COVID-19 has increased threats to women's safety in Australia and globally. This research is ... more COVID-19 has increased threats to women's safety in Australia and globally. This research is based on a 2020 nationwide survey about the impacts of COVID-19 on domestic and family violence (DFV) services and allied sectors throughout Australia. This study focuses on how perpetrator behaviors—coercion, control, and violence—changed and intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two central themes identified from this qualitative analysis were the increase in complexity and severity of DFV during COVID-19. The analysis highlights how perpetrator behavior reflects the weaponizing of COVID-19 against women and children. The article concludes with a discussion about the theoretical, practice, and policy implications.

Implementing a Basic Income in Australia, 2019

Economic inequality is increasing globally and in Australia. Social work and human services (SWHS... more Economic inequality is increasing globally and in Australia. Social work and human services (SWHS) professions will be part of the response to the social consequences of this division. However, SWHS have always been contested professions, split between individualist and structural approaches to combatting the social harms of economic inequality. The recent renewal of “critical social work” raises the prospects for a more structural, reform-oriented response from SWHS practitioners to rising inequality. From a critical SWHS perspective, a basic income (BI) could provide a useful response to structural inequality, provided it is part of a redistributive policy suite and not simply a cost-saving replacement for other welfare measures. We argue, based on past and current examples, that critical SWHS could be supportive allies in campaigning for an equitable and adequate BI. This chapter highlights the potential contribution that critical SWHS workers could make in promoting the BI campa...

International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy

Prior to the COVID-19 global pandemic, domestic and family violence (DFV) had been recognised glo... more Prior to the COVID-19 global pandemic, domestic and family violence (DFV) had been recognised globally as an epidemic in its own right. Further, research has established that during times of crisis and/or after disasters, rates of DFV can escalate. The COVID-19 pandemic has been no exception, with emerging research from around the world confirming that the public health measures and social effects associated with COVID-19 have increased the frequency and severity of DFV in various countries. In contributing to this evolving body of literature, this paper reports on the findings of a national research project that examined the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on DFV in Australia. This nationwide survey of service providers indicates the public health responses to COVID-19 such as lockdowns and travel restrictions, while necessary to stem the pandemic, have had profound effects on increasing women’s risk and vulnerability to domestic violence, while at the same time making it mo...

We enter this climate crisis amidst great uncertainty, the contemporary rise of authoritarianism,... more We enter this climate crisis amidst great uncertainty, the contemporary rise of authoritarianism, the resurgence of fascism, and the mobilisation of xenophobic views that scapegoat ethnic and religious difference for the problems caused by global capitalism, and the election of populist right wing governments (Giroux & Filippakou, 2020) These conditions combined create what Hannah Arendt would have called ‘dark times’ (Giroux, 2015, p.3). Clearly many people feel that democracy has failed (Straume, 2014), but like many others, I believe there is a significant role for social work to play in activating alternative responses (See Morley et al., 2019; Morley et al, 2020a; Morley et al., 2020b). So, how might this reconstruction process be helped by critical theory, pedagogy and reflection?

The Routledge International Handbook of Social Work Education provides an authoritative overview ... more The Routledge International Handbook of Social Work Education provides an authoritative overview of current understanding through coverage of key debates, exploring the state of play in particular social work education fields and reflecting on where the future might be taking us. The overall aim of the Handbook is to further develop pedagogic research and scholarship for social work education. Drawing on medical education as an exemplar, the contributions view social work education as a specialism and a field of expertise that counts in the same way as research programmes in more traditional areas of social work practice. [Book Synopsis]

Reflective Practice in Education and Social Work

The Routledge Handbook of Critical Pedagogies for Social Work

This chapter highlights the relevance of Stephen Brookfield’s work in adult education to enhance ... more This chapter highlights the relevance of Stephen Brookfield’s work in adult education to enhance the teaching of critical reflection in social work. In applying the ideas of critical theorists to education, Brookfield has made a significant contribution to developing critical pedagogy in a way that holds important implications for social work education and practice. In particular, his work is helpful for assisting social workers to practise and teach critical reflection critically. An example of the application of Brookfield’s model of critical reflection is presented in relation to the author’s own teaching practice when she outlines her work in assisting a student to critically reflect on their practice, while also demonstrating her own parallel critical reflection process on her own teaching practice.