Click on the heading to open the topic that interests to you. A list of amendments to each post can be found after this contents list.
Children and Young People
Crisis Intervention (practice model)
Motivational Interviewing (practice model)
Problem Solving Approach (practice model)
Solution-Focused Therapy (practice model)
Task-Centred Approach (practice model)
Amendments made to the original posts on the site
Updated September 2021 with note about Child Aware Practice
Updated Feb 2023 with material on the structural social work approach.
Updated November 2023 with lessons learned about social work by a new social worker.
Updated Dec 2020 to include information from Emerging Minds Toolkit.
Key Indicators 2020 added to Supplementary Material list in Jan 2021.
Updated Apr 2021 with the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart and, in supporting material, a link to the history of Aboriginal people from their perspective.
Updated May 2021 with reference to a cultural mapping tool in Supporting Material.
Updated May 2021 with an explanation of the Practice Framework diagram.
Updated June 2021 with article on Family Violence by Shen et al.
Updated July 2021 with a synthesis of the resource: Keeping Our Kids Safe: Cultural Safety and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
Updated Aug 2021 with a reference to smoking and mortality
Updated Aug 2021 with information on urban Aboriginal health and wellbeing
Updated Apr 2022 with information on the impact of domestic and family violence on young Aboriginal people
Updated July 2022 and October 2023 with a note about food insecurity in urban and regional areas
Updated July 2022 with information about fostering wellbeing - added in Practice Approach section
Updated July 2023 with a summary of information about working with First Nations Children; located at the end of the Practice Approach section.
Updated August 2023 with a summary of a review by Ryan and Ivelja suggesting social work practice needs to be Indigenised and decolonised. Five themes emerged.
Updated August 2023 with an outline of the CIRCT: Continuous Improvement Culturally Responsive Tools. A summary of these tools was added as an Appendix at the end of the post.
Updated October 2023 with supporting young people leaving out-of-home-care.
Tips for working with Aboriginal Elders was added in November 2023.
Things to remember when working with First Nations adolescents was added in January 2024.
Digital resources for First Nations people was added at the start of the Supporting Material section in March 2024.
The importance of building coalitions for effective advocacy was added (October 2023)
Updated Feb 2021 to include further information on social work role in aged care facilities.
Updated Mar 2021 to include guiding principles for older people from NSW Seniors Strategy, 2021-2031.
Updated Apr 2021 with a reference in Supporting Material linking frailty, depression and diet.
Updated May 2021 with a paragraph linking gender and diet to frailty.
Updated May 2021 with a section on 'Ageing in Place'.
Updated September 2021 with a link to Health (in general terms).
Updated March 2022 with a note about the importance of aerobic exercise.
A link to the recently published (2022) My Aged Care Handbook added to Supporting Material section in June 2022 (Carers NSW Australia, 2022).
Extensively reviewed to incorporate more information on the transition to an aged care facility and protective and risk factors for mental illness that apply to older people (January 2023).
Updated in October 2023 with the relationship between healthy lifestyle and aged care placement.
Updated Dec 2020 to include (i) information from the Ten to Men Study on alcohol use by Australian males, and (ii) information from the 45 and Up Study on the link between alcohol consumption and cancer.
Updated May 2021 to include an outline of harm reduction therapy in the Practice Approach section.
Updated June 2021 with seven resources in the Supporting Material section around managing alcohol use in young people.
Updated August 2021 with a brief intervention approach, and a link to the AUDIT screening instrument
Updated Sept 2021 with research on the impact of teens drinking at home on their overall alcohol consumption when not at home.
Updated September 2021 with note about Child Aware Practice
A paragraph added in November 2021 at the start of the Practice Approach section
A structural social work approach to this topic was added in February 2023.
Updated February 2024 with ethical guidelines and specific AI examples.
Updated November 2022 with guidelines when assessing people who do not speak English.
Updated May 2023 with an expanded cultural section.
Updated November 2023 with suggestions helping clients navigate religious/spiritual trauma
Updated Feb 2023 suggesting the child's voice is very important in developing a response to bullying behaviour. Other additions included the importance of healthy relationships in combatting bullying and potential solutions for families to combat bullying, including working with the school.
Updated May 2023 with additions: to the definition, common misconceptions, importance of relationships.
Updated October 2023 with a suite of resources from Emerging Minds - in Supporting Material section
Updated Dec 2020 to include findings from 2020 Carers NSW Survey and a reference to the booklet Caring Through Crisis.
Updated Jan 2021 to include sections on young carers in Background Material and Practice Approach.
Updated Mar 2021 to include carer skill modules (including manual handling) from Carers NSW Australia. Included in Practice Approach section.
Updated Aug 2021 with the Carers Australia response to the Aged Care Royal Commission
Updated December 2021 with link to Carers NSW resources and list of resource examples
Updated December 2021 with a link from Carers NSW Australia to disaster planning
Updated January 2022 with issues faced by former carers, issues social workers are able to assist former carers to address
Updated Jan 2022 with link the recently established CarerHelp website, containing multiple resources for carers across many health areas.
Updated Jan 2022 with a guide for family and friend carers to managing COVID-19 (added to the Supplementary Material section)
Updated May 2022 with a link to a resource from Carers NSW Australia on how LGBTIQA+ carers can access inclusive support.
A link to the recently published (2022) My Aged Care Handbook added to Supporting Material section in June 2022 (Carers NSW Australia, 2022).
An outline of the financial disadvantage faced by carers in Australia was added to the section Impact of Caregiving on Carers under Financial.
A note about young carers was added (July 2022).
Approaches to use with foster, kinship and permanent carers of children added (Aug 2022)
The 'Caring Journey' - six stages of caring - was added (Aug 2022).
Research findings about the economic impact of paid family leave for carers was added - reference in Aged Care Royal Commission content (Sept 2022).
A note about young carers experiencing poorer mental health than their non-caring peers was added (Nov 2022).
A reference outlining findings about caregiver mental health was added (Dec 2022).
Suggestions to improve the life of carers by the NSW Government was added (Jan 2023)
A list of on-line courses from Carers NSW was added in March 2023
A note and reference about depression incidence in young carers was added February 2024.
An introductory paragraph was added noting that alternative terms such as 'key worker', 'service coordinator' and 'care coordinator' are more in keeping with client-focused and client-driven nature of case management (Nov 2022).
A template for GIRP case notes was added in October 2023
Updated October 2021 with two topics: building children's resilience and addressing child sleep problems.
Updated October 2023 with further information on supporting young people leaving out-of-home-care.
An outline of myView myWay, a strengths-based approach to supporting children in the child protection system, was added in January 2024.
Children and Young People
Updated January 2024 with the addition of the SCARED screening tool for anxiety in children.
Updated March 2024 with a note about Children and Young People's Mental Health.
Factors influencing supportive relationships in ages 8 - 14 (October 2023)
Updated in May 2023 with Appendix 4, outlining self-help approaches.
Updated May 2022 with information on the community-led disaster recovery process.
Crisis Intervention (practice model)
Updated Dec 2020 to include a brief description of the booklet The Dementia Guide.
Updated Jan 2021 to include further information on sleep disturbance.
Updated Feb 2021 with further information on transition to residential aged care.
Updated Dec 2021 with things to be mindful of when on holidays.
The Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam (SAGE) added in January 2022.
Ways social workers can support carers of people with dementia who move to long term care, based on a study by Duggleby et al. was added in May 2023.
The contents of, and an index to, The Dementia Guide, Edition 3 was added in October 2023.
Updated Apr 2021 with information on frailty and depression - see the Supporting Material section.
Updated May 2021 in the Supporting Material section with a paper listing evidence-based assessment tools for school social workers to use when diagnosing mental health conditions.
Behavioural Activation added in Sept 2021 as a topic to this website. See link in Contents.
Updated September 2021 with note about Child Aware Practice
Updated Feb 2021 suggesting an additional role for social workers is to support the family as attempts to manage programs designed by other health professionals (based on a recent research reported in Australian Social Work.
Updated May 2021 with links to diagnostic instruments and a note about the usefulness of moderated online support groups.
Updated September 2023 with an outline of the new Australian website: National Eating Disorders Collaboration; an outline of its contents is presented in the Supplementary Material section.
The whole Practice Approach section was updated in October 2023 based on the material presented in the National Eating Disorders Collaboration course on "Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Mental Health Professionals".
Updated Dec 2020 with prevalence of elder abuse in Australian Aged Care Facilities.
Updated Mar 2021 with risk factors for perpetrators (Seniors Rights Victoria data).
Updated Apr 2021 with further options for intervention from a study by Collins et al. of data from a Melbourne (Australia) public hospital. This study also noted ways of improving detection of elder abuse in hospitals (included following the reference listing in Supporting Material).
Updated Dec 2021 with prevalence of elder abuse in Australian people living in the community.
Updated July 2022 with warning signs for elder abuse
Updated Sept 2022 with further resources around prevalence in Australia.
Updated Jan 2023 with practice approach suggestions by Horne (2022).
Updated Jan 2021 with information from Chung et al. (2020) about the need to include parenting skills in programs for perpetrators.
Updated Feb 2021 suggesting preventing family violence should consider multiple perpetrator factors, in particular the perpetrator's level of control over their violence, and their construction of masculinity.
Updated Mar 2021 warning parents can minimise the impact of FDV on children unless specifically asked about it.
Updated September 2021 with note about Child Aware Practice
Updated October 2022 with suggestions for social work practice from the National Plan to End Violence Against Women (2022).
A fact sheet discussing adolescent family violence was added (November 2022).
Updated Dec 2020 to include information about potential food security issues for families experiencing violence.
Updated Feb 2021 with information about the Power and Control Wheel and how this is sometimes inappropriately used by systems that are supporting family violence victims.
Updated Mar 2021 warning parents can minimise the impact of FDV on children unless specifically asked about it.
Updated May 2021 with resources for victims from Moving Forward, a DFV case management service
Updated June 2021 with suggestions on reducing resistance and building support in men in general to help combat violence towards women.
Updated September 2021 with note about Child Aware Practice
Updated October 2022 with suggestions for social work practice from the National Plan to End Violence Against Women (2022).
Material on the structural social work approach was added in February 2023.
Material on the impact of family violence on young people with disability, and the way services should respond, was added in April 2023.
Ways to assist children to manage family violence was added in July 2023.
Intimate partner violence among 18-19-year-olds was added in November 2023.
Updated June 2021 with a possible FASD-informed approach as well details of relevant social work theories relevant to working with people with FASD.
Updated November 2021 with an outline of the Emerging Minds research on FASD.
Updated December 2021 with a link two documents: Managing Behavioural Symptoms and They Know Better!! (Managing right from wrong).
Updated February 2022 with link to Dr Vanessa Spiller's course Explained by Brain (cost $250AUD).
Updated March 2022 with recent information on changes to practice in Australia (in Supporting Material section)
A study by Tan et al. outlining adverse childhood experiences resulting from FASD was added to the references section (Dec 2022).
The main themes from a recent article by Boaden et al. (2023) outlining the social worker role in diagnosing and managing FASD were included (May 2023)
Updated September 2021 with note about Child Aware Practice
Updated September 2021 with note about Child Aware Practice
Updated December 2021 with resources for those wishing to self-help - an article by Boyle referred to in the Practice Approach section
Updated April 2023 and November 2023 with Australian data on gambling.
Updated August 2021 with information about grieving following loss of a pet, non-death loss in foster care, and a schema of supportive actions in responding to grief.
Updated August 2021 with Tonkin's theory of "Growing Around Grief"
Updated December 2021 with a section on Grief and Bereavement in a COVID-19 World.
Updated December 2023 with online grieving.
Updated Dec 2020 to include information from the Ten to Men Study on obesity.
Updated Dec 2020 to include information on food security for families experiencing violence.
Updated Feb 2021 to include information on parent's response to diagnosis of cancer.
Updated Mar 2021 with information about prostate cancer from 45 and Up Study.
Updated Apr 2021 with information on frailty and depression.
Updated May 2021 with research linking diet and gender to frailty.
Updated September 2021 with information on falls prevention.
Updated January 2022 with information on social connectedness in Australian males.
Updated November 2023 with information on treating people with long COVID.
Updated November 2023 with information on vaping and adolescent mental health.
Updated May 2021 with information and references from the Homeless Hub website, a Canadian site that also references Australian studies.
Updated September 2021 with note about Child Aware Practice
Updated November 2022 with a report from New South Wales Government (in Australia) on homelessness amongst people aged over 55.
A reference to the Australian Human Rights Commission's position paper suggesting a human rights declaration for Australia was added to the References section in April 2023.
A link to a new resource in Australia - an online directory enabling people who experience loneliness and their support networks to easily find and connect with groups, organisations, and services - was added in April 2023
Data on loneliness in the US was added in November 2023.
Suggestions for increasing social connectedness (from LIfeline) we added in April 2024.
Updated May 2021 with definitions of various terms.
Updated in May 2021 with a reference explaining how an agency can evaluate their LGBTIQA+ practice and policies.
Updated May 2021 with ten competencies to be aware of when supporting the LGBTIQA+ community.
Updated October 2021 with suggestions about maintaining a balanced / helathy relationship to one's work
Updated October 2021 with the topic "Discrimination in Palliative Care"
Updated November 2021 with a brief outline of the Writing Themselves in 4 report
Updated November 2021 with information on supporting children and young people through the coming out process as they identify as trans or gender diverse
Updated January 2022 with a summary of the findings of the Writing Themselves in 4 report
Updated February 2022 with information about same-sex families in Australia
Updated March 2022 with information about inclusive communication and how to achieve it - see Supporting Material section.
Updated March 2022 with a guide to informal supports to help maximise the health and wellbeing for LGBTIQA+ clients plus a list of websites.
Updated April 2022 with inclusive palliative care poster
Making schools more inclusive for LGBTIQA+ students (October 2023).
An outline of the structural approach to social work in this area was added in February 2023.
Two links to websites hosted by Columbus Recovery Centre to support parents who have teens with mental health issues were added in June 2023.
Diagnosing mental health conditions using a social justice lens was added in January 2024.
Potential positive impact of mindfulness on caregivers, children and adults with autism spectrum disorder added in October 2022.
A RCT by Hoge et al (2022) concluding that the impact of a mindfulness-based-stress-reduction program was as good as medication to relieve stress was added in November 2022.
Motivational Interviewing (practice model)
A note about screen time for people on the autism spectrum was added Feb 2023
Updated July 2021 with information about the Psycho-Existential Symptom Assessment Scale (PeSAS)
Updated October 2021 with information about discrimination of the LGBTIQA+ community
Updated November 2021 with information on caregivers' strengths
Updated April 2022 with inclusive palliative care poster
Updated April 2022 with information on music at the end of life
Updated December 2023 with signs of imminent death
Updated January 2024 with guiding principles for, and essential elements of, safe and high quality end-of-life care.
Resource (Big Life Journal) added to Supplementary Material (Jan 2021).
Emerging Minds practice guide on helping parents find material they are looking for added to Supplementary Material (Apr 2021).
Sharing information with parents - a nine step approach. Added to Practice Approach section (April 2021).
Importance of sleep for young people added in July 2021.
Updated October 2021 with information on Parental Self-Care and Self-Compassion.
Updated November 2021 with information on supporting children's resilience.
An additional reference from Asbestos.com about talking to children about a cancer diagnosis added in December 2021. It is just before the Supporting Material/References section.
Research on combining school and part-time work added in January 2022.
Added February 2022: Web resources on the implications for the health, development and mental health of children who suffer from higher weight, asthma, cancer, cerebral palsy, congenital heart disease, epilepsy and are preterm.
Behaviour management strategies for 0 - 10 year old children added at the end of the Supplementary Material/References section - Willoughby (2022) article.
A reference by Abdi et al. on supporting parents while waiting for a health service was added (Dec 2022).
An outline of research around screen time use was added just before the Practice Approach section (Dec 2022).
Two links to websites hosted by Columbus Recovery Centre to support parents who have teens with mental health issues were added in June 2023.
A link with an approach to use when talking to children about a loved one entering a nursing home was added in October 2023.
How to talk to children about war and conflict was added in October 2023.
The social worker role in supporting parents around suitable screen time was added to in January 2024.
Managing anxiety in Primary school-aged children was added to the References section in February 2024.
Tips to deal with children not returning to school was added in March 2024
Updated November 2021 with information on supporting children's resilience.
Updated August 2023 with suggestions for incorporating 'flow' activities into sessions.
Updated January 2024 with a note about the Western approach to happiness and how Positive Psychology addresses this.
Stressors and supports evident 3 - 4 years post disaster (Harms et al., 2021) added in November 2021
Resources from Emerging Minds added to the Practice Approach section in Novemebr 2021
Problem Solving Approach (practice model)
A schema depicting O’Leary’s model of permeable and impermeable professional boundaries was added to in November 2022.
Updated January 2022 with information on young offenders Background Material and Practice Approach sections.
Updated July 2022 to include a recent 2022 guide for social workers when working with people from refugee backgrounds; the guide was produced by Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), NSW Refugee Health Service (NSW RHS), & Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS).
Updated July 2022 with a summary of a study on refugee mental health.
Updated November 2022 with findings from a report on refugee settlement in Australia's major cities.
Updated January 2023 with findings from research on mental health of non-humanitarian migrant children (relevant to refugees also).
Making schools inclusive for LGBTIQA+ students (Octoher 2023)
Strategies for approaching eating disorders with students and staff (October 2023)
School counsellors in the first responder role (October 2023)
Solution-Focused Therapy (practice model)
A rating scale to use at the start of a session designed by WholeHearted School Counselling was added (January 2023).
A link to Mindfulness exercises has been added to the "Managing Stress in the Mind" section of the Background Material (July 2021).
Updated September 2021 with note about Child Aware Practice
A more detailed description of structural social work was added to this post in April 2024
A section on "suicide assessment and prevention during pandemics" (using telehealth) added to Practice Approach (September, 2021)
"Self-injury among adolescents" added in October 2021
In October 2023 a list of evidenct-based assessment tools was included.
Task-Centred Approach (practice model)
A reference to the Australian Association of Social Workers outline on online/remove practice was added (August 2021).
The need to be aware of digital inclusion and the digital divide was mentioned in the Practice Approach section and a reference by Barraket (2021) was added to the Supporting Material section (September 2021).
A link to the suicidal behaviour topic added. This topic covers managing suicidal behaviour during pandemics using telehealth (September 2021).
A report from practitioners in Family and Relationship Services Australia summaries the findings from a focus group discussion on using telehealth with clients (July 2022).
A study by Winkler (2022) finding telehealth practices were effective in delivering services in the child mental health area (especially in a hybrid model) was added (November 2022).
Telepractice with groups was added just before the Practice Approach section in January 2024.
The Trauma-Informed Practice Guide from British Columbia Provincial Mental Health and Substance Use Planning Council was added in the Reference section (Jan 2024)
Statistics around higher weight in people with a disability and those from a CALD background were added in November 2022.
The section on 'weight stigma' was enlarged with research from Lawrence et al. in November 2022.
A section explaining the reasons for higher weight incidence in adolescents and young adults was added in November 2022.