Ines Zuchowski | James Cook University (original) (raw)

Papers by Ines Zuchowski

Advances in social work, Jun 1, 2018

This paper presents a case study which explored strategies utilised by staff of the Masters of So... more This paper presents a case study which explored strategies utilised by staff of the Masters of Social Work program at the University of South Australia to support some international students in meeting the requirements of their first field education placement. Strategies included curriculum redesign, the introduction of a hurdle retirement, student integration seminars, field educator training and the establishment of a campus-based community centre. The multipronged approach aimed to improve students’ spoken and written English language skills, introduce them to social work practice in the Australian context, develop their confidence and increase the number of students accepted into placements at their first interview. The lessons learned and feedback received from students, field teachers and academic staff involved are presented with recommendations for future developments.

Advances in social work, Nov 1, 2016

Social Work Education, Jan 24, 2023

Within the discipline of social work, internationalisation has been the subject of significant de... more Within the discipline of social work, internationalisation has been the subject of significant debate for at least two decades, with increasing importance placed on developing global perspectives. The impact of globalising forces on social welfare services accentuates the importance of preparing social work graduates for practice in complex, intercultural local and global contexts as part of the 21 st century student experience. Enhancing student learning and competence in the international and intercultural dimensions of social work practice has been in part achieved through the development of international student exchanges and international field placements in many Schools of Social Work in Australia. Anecdotally, there is significant diversity in the ways in which such international placements and exchanges are planned, prepared for and implemented. However, there is little concrete information or data on the ways in which Australian social work education providers are handling these activities or what might constitute good practice in this area.

Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work

The British Journal of Social Work, 2021

Summary COVID-19 in 2020 took social work programmes by surprise and for many students an e-place... more Summary COVID-19 in 2020 took social work programmes by surprise and for many students an e-placement was offered as the only alternative learning opportunity to complete their placement that year. In this article, we report on a mixed method study with data collected via an online survey with quantitative and qualitative questions exploring students’ experiences in e-placements. Eighty-two students who had undertaken an e-placement responded to the survey that was sent to 1,500 social work students enrolled in twenty-one Australian universities. The results summarise demographic data about the students and a description of the e-placements used, as well as qualitative themes about the students’ experiences and recommendations about e-placements. Four themes were prominent in the qualitative data: ‘opportunities for flexible learning but can be challenging’, ‘learning new skills but missing out on others’, ‘drive your own learning’ and ‘the need for structure, support and connection...

British Journal of Social Work, Jan 30, 2023

The British Journal of Social Work

Social work and social work student placements in general practice [GP] can contribute to wholist... more Social work and social work student placements in general practice [GP] can contribute to wholistic healthcare. The overall aims of this research were to develop, implement and evaluate a field education placement curriculum for social work student placements in GP clinics. Between December 2021 and June 2022, six students completed their social work placements in four GP practices in North Queensland. Data collection included student records and an online survey that invited students, field educators, task supervisors, mentors, allied health professionals and GPs to provide feedback about the usefulness of the developed materials, the benefits and challenges of the placements, the services provided by the students, patient outcomes and feedback, social work learning, service delivery overall and the value of, and satisfaction with, the social work GP placements. Social work student placements in GP practices offer a valuable broadening of field education learning opportunities for ...

Social Work Education

There is an increase of international students studying social work in Australia. Undertaking com... more There is an increase of international students studying social work in Australia. Undertaking compulsory field work component of social work studies can be particularly complex for international students, as they have to acquire an understanding of social work practice, knowledge and skills in a new cultural context. Prior research has highlighted the importance of supporting students and field educators to ensure successful quality learning experiences for international students in social work field education experiences. This paper reports on a subset of 35 international students who responded to a 2019 field education supervision survey in one Australian state, Queensland. The findings highlight that more international than domestic students are placed in placements with external supervision, that

[Extract] In April 1996, a Men's Domestic Violence Awareness Program was held for inmates at ... more [Extract] In April 1996, a Men's Domestic Violence Awareness Program was held for inmates at the Townsville Correctional Centre by staff of the North Queensland Domestic Violence Resource Service (NQDVRS). Two Social Workers, Ines Zuchowski and Colin Braiding, ran the program at the maximum security section of the correcgtional facility, using a modified version of a previous group design used with inmates.

[Extract] Over the last two years a group of six community welfare and social workers have been i... more [Extract] Over the last two years a group of six community welfare and social workers have been involved in establishing and participating in a peer supervision group. They have provided each other with collective professional supervision, which has included educational, support and professional growth elements. This article will outline a rationale for a peer supervision model, describe the process and content adapted by the group and summarise the positive outcomes of this group.

The use of alternative models of social work field education and supervision has become more prom... more The use of alternative models of social work field education and supervision has become more prominent recently in response to the changes occurring in the university and industry sector. An emerging challenge for field education teams is to continue to source a sufficient supply of placements, and simultaneously ensure the integrity of these models in terms of the quality of student learning and sustainability of these alternative placement models into the future. This chapter examines best practice principles in providing quality learning experiences for students on placement. We provide a framework for thinking holistically about quality and sustainability in placement arrangements and consider one Australian and one international example of alternative placement models in relation to this framework. The framework proposes internal elements and external factors that can protect or potentially compromise the student learning experience

Die Betreuung von Menschen in Wohnungslosennotunterkünften steht in einem engen Zusammenhang mit ... more Die Betreuung von Menschen in Wohnungslosennotunterkünften steht in einem engen Zusammenhang mit angemessenen, erforderlichen Qualifikationen der Mitarbeiter:innen. Der Qualifizierungsbedarf ist aber nicht ausreichend in der Literatur und im Obdachlosenhilfesystem differenziert. Um die Qualifikation genauer zu charakterisieren, wurden Erkenntnisse über die Qualifizierung von Mitarbeiter:innen in australischen Notunterkünften im Rahmen einer explorativen qualitativen Forschungsarbeit zusammengetragen. The care work for people in emergency homeless shelters is closely related to adequate, necessary qualifications of the staff. However, the need for qualifications is not sufficiently differentiated in the literature and in the homeless assistance system. In order to characterise the qualification more precisely, findings on the qualification of staff in Australian emergency shelters were gathered in an exploratory qualitative research study

The British Journal of Social Work, 2019

Current research agendas in developed countries focus on academics engaging collaboratively with ... more Current research agendas in developed countries focus on academics engaging collaboratively with communities and industry partners to achieve research outcomes that demonstrate reach and significance. Social work academics are in a prime position to undertake collaborative research that has specific project benefits and wider social impacts. This article reports on a systematic literature review of articles in social work journals that reported on academic industry partnerships. The review aimed to analyse publications documenting the engagement of social work academic researchers with industry partners, to examine the nature of the research undertaken through this engagement and to ascertain the reported impact. Findings highlight that collaborative research processes could be described in greater detail, further explicit detail on collaboration and impact is needed, and while project level impacts are described in reviewed publications, most are not presenting broader societal imp...

Australian Social Work

This paper describes and explores e-placements that engaged social work students in semester 1 of... more This paper describes and explores e-placements that engaged social work students in semester 1 of 2020 due to placement disruption after the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded. The term e-placement describes a placement undertaken off-site from the placement organisation or agency. Students at James Cook University [JCU], Queensland, Australia, who could not continue in onsite placements were offered the opportunity to participate in a Community Connector Project [CCP] to complete their placement. The aims of the project were to provide an online supported placement experience in order to deliver a comprehensive and interactive learning experience for students to meet the learning outcomes of a field education experience, work with the community to explore community needs during the pandemic, share and distribute existing information and resources, and/-or develop further information and resources. Twenty students chose to participate in the CCP. The project included biweekly meetings, small group and individual work. This paper was written collaboratively between field education staff, students and a service provider. It presents practice reflections on the project, its outcomes, challenges and learning. Implications for education practice are drawn. Implication Statement • Students in e-placements can feel overwhelmed and isolated and need targeted support and rich opportunities for collaboration and exchange; • E-placements can be valuable learning opportunities; • E-placements are resource intensive if student learning and safety are to be prioritised.

Supervision is an essential contributor to student learning in social work field education. There... more Supervision is an essential contributor to student learning in social work field education. There has been little exploration to assess the adequacy of supervision during placement in Australia. This paper reports on an online survey undertaken by 284 students who had completed a social work placement in Queensland. The survey explored students’ experience of supervision in placements with on-site and off-site supervision, the duration and quality of the supervision sessions and the supervisory relationship as well as how the supervision contributed to their professional growth as a social worker. The findings highlight that while the majority of students valued the supervisory relationship and the quality of supervision they received, only just over half of the students on placement received the required amount of supervision by a qualified supervisor or were able to be observed by their supervisor as per ASWEAS requirements

Australian Association for Social Work and Welfare Education, 2021

This Special Edition invited researchers and practitioners to put a spotlight on research engagem... more This Special Edition invited researchers and practitioners to put a spotlight on research engagements between social work academics and industry partners, and share the outcomes and impact. This is an important topic for social work academics in particular, as government and organisations increasingly are required to engage in research that demonstrates quality, visibility, impact and outcomes (Fouché, 2015). In Australia, the Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) measures the impact and engagement of academic research. This followed the lead of other countries, such as the UK, where the Research Excellence Framework (REF) assesses the quality and the impact of the research on the society and the economy (Parker & van Teijlingen, 2012), and New Zealand, where the Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) assesses individual academic outputs and the impact of research. Social work research in the past may have attracted less support in academia than other disciplines and lower visibility in practice (Fouché, 2015; Orme & Shemmings, 2010). The research excellence agenda has led to a greater focus on social work research partnerships and engagement with industry. Specifically, social work research seeks to improve the everyday lives of disadvantaged peoples, groups and communities through building inclusive research relationships (Hughes, 2016), and therefore it is well placed to have real impact. Unfortunately, while practice research is important, the complexity and time demands of social work practice can mean that research becomes a lower priority for practitioners (Beddoe, Yates, Fouché, & Harington, 2010). However, through research partnerships with universities, new knowledge can be generated with, and for, service users, and practitioners can become established practitioner-researchers (Harvey, Plummer, Nielson, Adams, & Pain, 2016; Langer, Tripney, & Gough, 2016). In summary, partnership research has been seen as a way to ensure research findings are translated, brokered, and mobilised to facilitate their application to practice. What has presented a significant challenge is ensuring that such translations are readily accessible to practitioners for evidence-informed practice. Many authors continue to call for strengthened bridges to close the ongoing research-practice divide in the best interests of service users and the community (Denvall & Skillmark, 2020; Hameed, 2018; Palinkas, He, Choy-Brown, & Locklear Hertel, 2017). One of the barriers to practitioner uptake of relevant research recommendations is the availability of such findings. Articles can be hidden away in journals behind pay-walls, making practitioner access hard to achieve.

Advances in social work, Jun 1, 2018

Advances in social work, Nov 1, 2016

Social Work Education, Jan 24, 2023

Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work

The British Journal of Social Work, 2021

British Journal of Social Work, Jan 30, 2023

The British Journal of Social Work

Social Work Education

The British Journal of Social Work, 2019

Australian Social Work

Australian Association for Social Work and Welfare Education, 2021

Violence against women is a serious violation of human rights, yet women across the globe experie... more Violence against women is a serious violation of human rights, yet women across the globe experience violence in private and public domains. Women are disproportionally affected by ‘…gender-based violence, socioeconomic disadvantage, low income and income inequality, low or subordinate social status and rank and unremitting responsibility for the care of others’ (World Health Organization [WHO] 2012). Violence has been identified as the leading cause of injury and harm against women and as the most common and exemplary cause for depression in women.
In this chapter, the connection of women’s experience of violence and mental health is explored. Consideration is given to the extent and type of violence that women experience and the impact of it on their lives, with a particular focus on women’s mental health. Social workers worldwide are responding to women who might have experienced violence and whose mental health is affected by this experience. Social workers are also engaged in community development aiming to improve the well-being of the community as a whole. As such it is important for social workers to have a sound practice framework that enables them to address gender-based violence. Social workers need to be equipped to deliver appropriate practice intervention at micro, meso and macro levels. Social work practice strategies and practice reflections for working with women, violence and mental health issues will be outlined and questions for consideration will be raised.

Strengths-based practice is an important framework and practice principle for social work practic... more Strengths-based practice is an important framework and practice principle for social work practice. In social work education practice learning provides an opportunity for students to partake in strength based practice as they move towards becoming entry level practitioners. Moreover though, strength based models can form the foundation for supporting students in their development towards professional practice. This chapter explores the MANDELA model developed in the UK to support black African origin social work students in practice learning as an example of strength based work with students of diverse backgrounds. The chapter provides an example for current students and future educators to consider strength based learning, practice and teaching in culturally diverse contexts.
Conventional education models often do not deal well with difference. Generally they focus on the deficits of particular groups of students of diverse backgrounds and thus experiencing these students as a challenge. Deficit approaches focus on what the students are lacking and are often reinforced by findings that students of diverse back ground do poorer in tertiary education than other students. A strength-based perspective on practice puts the focus on what the student is bringing to practice learning, what they identify as areas for growth and how their own strengths and knowledge will contribute to make the practice learning opportunity successful.
Using the example of the MANDELA model developed for the work of black African students, this chapter highlights the importance of practice educator and student making time to get to know each other. Emphasis is put on the importance of learning about the student, their culture, educational background and life experiences. Practice educators and students need to enter safe learning environments in which they can focus on the students’ strengths to advance the journey to professional social work practice.

Community work is in an important strategy to achieve change and develop communities. It can be a... more Community work is in an important strategy to achieve change and develop communities. It can be a vehicle for community members to take charge of the development of their community by working together collectively. This chapter explores how the formation of Safety- Net Groups in communities can become the means and outcome of community work in rural communities. The process of formation of such groups facilitates the development of social cohesion, community belonging and social capital. The groups themselves provide a safety-net to people who are experiencing social isolation and deprivation.
This paper is based on both field practice and teaching this subject at a university in Australia. Practice observations and reflections suggest that people affiliate and associate to various groups based on their need and interest. In this paper we are examining purposeful formation of various Safety-Net Groups as a strategy for community development where people can attain a sense of belonging, and feel protected and are safe. This paper illustrates how Safety-Net Groups can be developed sustained and emphasises Safety-Net groups as a valuable and user-friendly tool for community development.