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Summary: Interprofessional practice has been broadly endorsed as a strategy which supports the delivery of high-quality health services. Few studies have addressed the dynamics inherent to interprofessional mental health practice in an era in which client empowerment is prioritised and valued. Social work perspectives are also underexplored in the studies which have been published on interprofessional health care, despite the increasingly important role of this discipline in community mental health contexts. Through a thematic analysis of 26 semi-structured interviews, this study explored the perspectives of mental health social workers located in two geographically and culturally distinctive sites (Hong Kong and Sydney), and identified a strong theme encompassing their concerns about the facilitation of client empowerment in interprofessional settings. Findings: Participant accounts direct attention to the strategies required to co-constitute the shared territories of the different mental health professions. Findings also highlight the frustration with recent mental health reforms which aim to challenge power differentials in interprofessional decision-making. Strategies were proposed for supporting the construction of shared language among different professions, revealing the creativity and insight of practitioners in managing the conflicts arising from interactions between different professional knowledge systems. The comparison of Hong Kong and Sydney accounts highlights the importance of structural, political and cultural influences in supporting not only interprofessional collaboration but also the independence and effectiveness of distinct professional roles. Application: This article provides unique insights which aim to strengthen the contribution of social work to interprofessional practice in the promotion of empowerment-oriented interprofessional practice and education.

Older people have been identified to be one of the most vulnerable population groups to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). At the same time, more health workers in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) including Ghana are contracting COVID-19. This poses healthcare utilization concerns for older adults. As a result, many older adults are changing their health-seeking behavior by staying at home and resorting to informal healthcare such as the use of traditional therapies and over-the-counter medicines for self-treatment or to boost their immune system. This commentary calls for social workers to collaborate with health authorities and community pharmacists to develop social and health programs to increase older adults' access to healthcare during the COVID-19 crisis. Policies are also required to deal with the pandemic and its impact on health systems in LMICs for both short and long term. We have suggested in this commentary how governments, health institutions, and local authorities in LMICs can address the healthcare concerns of older adults during this and any future pandemic.

This study explores the current state of social work services in Australian schools. A total of 65 social workers participated in the survey. The majority of respondents had permanent positions and over half of them were working part-time. The number of schools serviced was wide-ranging and the median was 6 schools. The major funding source was state government, the primary referral sources were school staff, and the primary reasons for referral were behavioural and mental health problems. Respondents reported good support from employers and high levels of work efficacy and satisfaction. A large proportion of their hours were spent on counselling, paperwork, case management, and consultations. The major barriers to their work were lack of time, lack of resources, and lack of recognition given to social work perspectives and roles. Given the paucity of literature, findings from this study are expected to lay a foundation for future studies.

INTRODUCTION: Wealth and income inequality is increasing in most societies, including Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, with detrimental social impacts. However, despite professional marginality, the renewal of radical social work critiques with their emphasis on structural issues highlight, the need for alternative practice responses. METHOD: We employed a critical and synthetic review of the literature to examine major trends in wealth and income inequality (both globally, and in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand) and the social work responses to increasing economic inequality. CONCLUSIONS: Resurgent wealth and income inequality has reached new crisis points in both countries but individualising analyses and programmes render most social work responses complicit with neoliberal governance. These responses do little to reduce inequality. Alternatives promoting economic equality can be found in radical social work approaches. IMPLICATIONS: At a minimum, effective radical responses to economic inequality must advocate critical social analyses in social work education and practice, including fostering practitioners' capacity for critical reflection, policy practice and political activism.

The proposed changes to citizenship requirements in Australia have an increased focus on English language competency and on 'Australian' values. The dominance of the English language on the global stage can reinforce the hegemonic nature of the English language, which is becoming increasingly embedded in the image of an Australian citizen. This raises questions on what is motivating the centrality of English language testing for citizenship, and how these shape conceptions of Australian identity. This research is a thematic content analysis of media releases from newspapers, government statements and other grey materials on the recent changes to Australia's citizenship requirements, particularly English language testing. The research found that English language testing can be seen as a form of cultural hegemony, which is shaped by a discourse of social integration and border security. Implications for understanding diversity and working with diverse language groups are explored in light of the English language testing and citizenship discourses in Australia.

We examined barriers to accessing HIV and sexual health services among gay and bisexual men (GBM) in Tasmania, Australia, using in-depth interviews. Most participants were satisfied with the care they had received at public sexual health services. Barriers included the limited number of services, concerns about anonymity and privacy in small communities, difficulties accessing services via a general practitioner,and perceived stigma and discrimination. Improving the accessibilityand availability of HIV and sexual health services in Tasmania is crucial to promote the engagement of GBM, which could be achieved via combined efforts of government services and community organizations.

Corio Bay Innovators, trading as dal Gourmet Cafe and Catering, is an innovative supported training and employment service that operates a gounnet catering service and two retail cafes in Geelong. Currently, dal has around forty staff who receive federal or state disability funding, and about half as many support staff. Rather than being seen as an agency providing supported employment, dal is regarded as a successful and competitive business that is very popular locally, and is in demand in the hospitality sector. Yet dals primary purpose is not the friendly service, great atmosphere, and delicious food, but the creation of a range of innovative employment opportunities in a caring work environment for adults who have been labeled as having disabilities. Most significant, however, is the extremely strong emphasis on inclusion in the local community, in combination with an actively supportive and empowering workplace. Staff at dal have voted that they do not want to be labelled as having disabilities but to have it noted that they have special needs. While the choice of such termninology may not necessarily be in line with current "politically correct" discourse, it is a choice that is respected at dal. It is a description worn with pride in difference and collective identification adopted by Other oppressed communities and acknowledged by Meekosha (2000) and Barton (2003). While exploring dal as a model of best practice in training young people for the hospitality industry, this paper will explore the conflicts raised by contrasts between the voices ofthe staffat dal and the discourses of educators and trainers, in an attempt to develop a sustainable model for the future. ; C1

This paper critically analyses competitive tendering as a model for the provision of welfare services. Competitive tendering, driven by National Competition Policy and other imperatives for greater efficiency and a smaller public sector, is now used extensively by governments to fund welfare services. However, the suitability of this funding model to welfare services generally, and specifically welfare services in non·metropolitan areas, can be criticised on both theoretical and empirical grounds. Competitive tendering is grounded in economic rationalist, urbo-centric assumptions that are largely inappropriate for welfare provision, and have limited validity in rural areas. There is lillie rigorous empirical evidence of improved efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery under this model. Conversely, there is mounting evidence about the negative impacts. In rural areas this includes the erosion of community service obligations, less collaboration and greater secrecy between agencies, the reduction of choice, limited opportunities for local planning, cost shifting, and threats to continuity of care. This paper concludes with a call for greater application of the 'public benefit' test under the provisions of the National Competition Policy, and the development of more sophisticated frameworks for assessing the contestability of welfare services. Social workers have a leading role to play in challenging the dominant ideology of competition·orientated welfare reforms. ; C1

People with intellectual disability in Australia experience poor mental health, are underrepresented in mental health policy, and encounter major barriers in accessing mental health services and treatments. This study interrogated the current representation of people with intellectual disability and recommended strategies to enhance the inclusion of intellectual disability in mental health policy. A policy analysis framework was developed that included context, stakeholders, process, and content. Nine pieces of Australian mental health legislation and 37 mental health policy documents were analyzed using the framework. Fifteen of the 37 documents included mention of intellectual disability with limited attention to the specific mental health needs of people with intellectual disability and mental illness. Only two documents identified specific strategies or measurable actions and targets to improve the access of people with intellectual disability and mental illness to mental health services. The documents' strengths that may be applied to develop inclusive intellectual disability mental health policy included being values-based, recognizing diversity, taking a life-course approach, focusing on workforce development, and ensuring checks and balances. An inclusive approach to the development and implementation of intellectual disability mental health policy will best meet the mental health needs of individuals with intellectual disability. An inclusive policy approach will be based on a sound evidence-base and include a comprehensive understanding of the context in which the policy is developed; consultation with key stakeholders including people with intellectual disability and mental illness, their family and carers, and those who work with them; cross-sector collaboration and workforce training. An inclusive approach to the development and implementation of intellectual disability mental health policy using an integrated knowledge translation approach will address the current lack of attention to the important area of how to best meet the mental health needs of individuals with intellectual disability.

Health care in most contexts depends on teams of professionals with diverse skills working together synergistically to achieve optimal outcomes for patients and their families. The way is which interprofessional practice occurs in rural healthcare varies from that which occurs in metropolitan areas. This variation reflects the social, economic and geographic characteristics of rural communities. Further, rural workforce challenges and lack of access to resources and services are compounded by the difficulties associated with the intersection of speciality driven metropolitan models and the generalist models of care that are a feature of rural health care. This study's aim was to examine how IPP happens in rural contexts, and to identify barriers, enablers and existing and potential models of IPP. Interviews were conducted with health professionals (nurses, doctors and allied health) in a range of rural healthcare contexts (Hospitals, GP practices, Multi-Purpose Services and Community centres) in NSW, Australia. Interview data were supplemented with document review and review of communication systems. Findings suggest that the nature of IPP in rural contexts is diverse and determined by a number of critical factors including rurality, connection to community, availability of staff, funding programs and specific interests and skills of staff. Rural IPP is characterised by a small numbers of professionals across few professions, focus on generalist practice and informal communication systems. IPP is growing in response to changes in government funding models and policy and through the establishment or strengthening of pivotal co-ordinating roles, with a clear mandate to involve other professionals and patients in decision making.

Parental history of offending and/or mental illness are risk factors for child maltreatment. However, limited research has directly contrasted the role of maternal versus paternal criminal offending or mental health problems in contributing to earlier contact with the child protection system. In this study we examined the relative contributions of these risk factors in relation to the time to the offspring's first report to child protection services, or first placement in out of home care (OOHC), using administrative records for a population sample of 71,661 children. Prior paternal offending had a greater independent effect on time to the offspring's first contact with child protection services (HR = 2.27 [95% CI = 2.14-2.40]) than maternal offending (HR = 1.75 [95% CI = 1.63 -1.87]) or maternal mental disorder diagnosis (HR = 1.66 [95% CI = 1.57 -1.77]). By contrast, prior maternal offending (HR = 2.58 [95% CI = 2.26-2.95]) and mental disorder diagnosis (HR = 2.33 [95% CI = 2.05-2.63]) had a greater effect on earlier placement in OOHC, relative to prior paternal offending (HR = 1.59 [95% CI = 1.35 -1.88]) and mental disorder diagnosis (HR = 1.06 [95% CI = 0.94 -1.19]). These findings demonstrate the potential benefits of coordinated government responses across multiple agencies to identify vulnerable children and families who might benefit from early interventions or support services.

The role of international mediation and mediation more generally in data protection and privacy law can be an effective tool to resolving data disputes. This article will examine the data protection laws of Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, European Union and China. This comparative examination is timely, with the creation of the Convention on Enforcement of International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (Singapore Convention) which opened for signing on 7 August 2019 and the associated Model Law. If implemented and utilised, the Singapore Convention has the potential to become an effective legal mechanism to assist in resolving cross-border personal data disputes.

The challenges of global climate change are both too deep and too urgent for the international political community to continue to emphasise consensus over changed economic and political practices. The key ideas of the 20th century, which promised greater economic affluence and broader distributions of political independence, are in the process of being overtaken by 21st century imperatives of resolving economic and authority-related uncertainties. This paper argues that the 'shadow of the future' has shortened to reveal the natural environment as an ongoing site of contested authority between states.

This article offers a critical exploration of the concept of resilience, which is largely conceptualized in the literature as an extraordinary atypical personal ability to revert or 'bounce back' to a point of equilibrium despite significant adversity. While resilience has been explored in a range of contexts, there is little recognition of resilience as a social process arising from mundane practices of everyday life and situated in person-environment interactions. Based on an ethnographic study among single refugee women with children in Brisbane, Australia, the women's stories on navigating everyday tensions and opportunities revealed how resilience was a process operating inter-subjectively in the social spaces connecting them to their environment. Far beyond the simplistic binaries of resilience versus non-resilient, we concern ourselves here with the everyday processual, person-environment nature of the concept. We argue that more attention should be paid to day-to-day pathways through which resilience outcomes are achieved, and that this has important implications for refugee mental health practice frameworks. © The Author(s) 2012 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.