Hostname: page-component-89b8bd64d-72crv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-10T21:21:29.544Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Supporting Isolated Workers in their Work with Families in Rural and Remote Australia: Exploring Peer Group Supervision

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2016

Amanda Nickson ,
Susan Gair  and
Debra Miles
Amanda Nickson*
Affiliation:
Social Work & Human Services, James Cook University, University Drive, Douglas, 4811, Queensland, Australia
Susan Gair
Affiliation:
Social Work & Human Services, James Cook University, University Drive, Douglas, 4811, Queensland, Australia
Debra Miles
Affiliation:
Social Work & Human Services, James Cook University, University Drive, Douglas, 4811, Queensland, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Amanda Nickson, Social Work & Human Services, James Cook University, University Drive, Douglas, 4811, Queensland, Australia. E-mail: Amanda.Nickson@jcu.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Social workers face unique challenges in working with families, young people and children in rural and remote communities. Simultaneously, workers juggle dual relationships, personal boundaries and high visibility. Social work practise in rural Australia also faces high staff turnover, burnout and difficulties with recruitment, retention and available professional supervision. A lack of professional supervision has been identified as directly contributing to decreased worker retention in rural and remote areas. This paper reports on emerging themes from a qualitative research study on peer supervision in virtual teams in rural and remote Australia. Data collection consisted of pre- and post-trial individual interviews, monthly group supervision sessions, online evaluations and focus groups. A key conclusion from the study is that peer group supervision worked in supporting rural and remote workers to perform their everyday professional roles. The ease and access afforded by the use of simple technology was noteworthy. Whilst the research was conducted with social workers in rural and remote areas, the use of peer group supervision could be applicable for other professionals who work with families and communities in rural and remote Australia.

Keywords

rural and remote practisepeer group supervisionsocial workworking with families

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Children Australia , Volume 41 , Special Issue 4: A FOCUS ON REGIONAL AND RURAL CONTEXTS , December 2016 , pp. 265 - 274
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

AASW. (1993). National practice standards of the Australian association of social workers: Supervision. Canberra: AASW.Google Scholar
AASW. (2013). Practice standards (pp. 1–19). Canberra: AASW.Google Scholar
AASW. (2014). Supervision standards. Retrieved from http://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/6027.Google Scholar
Alston, M. (2005). Forging a new paradigm for Australian rural social work practice. Rural Society, 15 (3), 277–284. doi: 10.5172/rsj.351.15.3.277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alston, M. (2009). Innovative human services practice: Australia's changing landscape. South Yarra, Victoria: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Alston, M. (2010). Australia's rural welfare policy: Overlooked and demoralised. In Milbourne, P. (Ed.), International perspectives on rural welfare (pp. 199–217). West Yorkshire, England: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.Google Scholar
Alston, M., & Bowles, W. (2003). Research for social workers, an introduction to methods. (2nd ed.). Crows Nest NSW: Allen and Unwin.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2011). The Australian statistical geography standard (ASGS) remoteness Structure(. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3310114.nsf/home/remoteness+structure.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2013). The Australian statistical geography standard (ASGS) Remoteness structure (1270.0.55.005). Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/1270.0.55.005July%202011?OpenDocument.Google Scholar
Bailey, R., Bell, K., Kalle, W., & Pawar, M. (2014). Restoring meaning to supervision through a peer consultation group in rural Australia. Journal of Social Work Practice, 28 (4), 479–495. doi: 10.1080/02650533.2014.896785.Google Scholar
Baldwin, A., Patuwai, R., & Hawken, D. (2002). Peer reciprocal supervision in a community child and family health service. In McMahon, M. & Patton, W. (Eds.), Supervision in the helping professions: A practical approach (pp. 299–312). Frenches Forest NSW: Pearson Education Australia Pty Limited.Google Scholar
Baxter, J., Gray, M., & Hayes, M. (2010). Families in regional, rural and remote Australia. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Beddoe, L. (2012). External supervision in social work: Power, space, risk, and the search for safety. Australian Social Work, 65 (2), 197–213. doi: 10.1080/0312407x.2011.591187 Google Scholar
Cheers, B., Darracott, R., & Lonne, B. (2007). Social care practice in rural communities. Leichhardt NSW: The Federation Press.Google Scholar
Chiller, P., & Crisp, B. R. (2012). Professional supervision: A workforce retention strategy for social work?. Australian Social Work, 65 (2), 232–242. doi: 10.1080/0312407x.2011.625036 Google Scholar
Chisholm, M., Russell, D. J., & Humphreys, J. S. (2011). Measuring rural allied health workforce turnover and retention: What are the patterns, determinants and costs?. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 19, 81–88. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1584.2011.01188.x.Google Scholar
Cosgrave, C., Hussain, R., & Maple, M. (2015). Factors impacting on retention amongst community mental health clinicians working in rural Australia: A litertaure review. Advances in Mental Health, 13 (1), 58–71. doi:10.1080/18374905.2015.1023421 Google Scholar
Crago, H., & Crago, M. (2002). But you can't get decent supervision in the country!. In McMahon, M. & Patton, W. (Eds.), Supervision in the helping professions: A practical approach (pp. 79–90). Frenches Forest NSW: Pearson Education Australia PtyLimited.Google Scholar
Cuss, K. (2005). Professional supervision of allied health professionals in the central Hume region. Victoria: Health.Google Scholar
Davys, A., & Beddoe, L. (2010). Best practice in professional supervision: A guide for the helping professions. London: Jessica Kingsley.Google Scholar
Dellemain, J., & Warburton, J. (2013). Case managemnt in rural Australia: Arguments for improved practice understandings. Australian Social Work, 66 (2), 297–310.Google Scholar
Denzin, N. K. (1989). Interpretive biography. Newbury Park: Sage.Google Scholar
Dew, A., Buckeley, K., Veitch, C., Bundy, A., Lincoln, M., Glenn, H., Gallego, G., & Brentnall, J. (2014). Local therapy facilitators working with children with developmental delay in rural and remote areas of western New South Wales, Australia: The ‘outback’ service delivery model. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 49 (3), 309–328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuller, R., & Petch, A. (1995). Practitioner research. The reflexive social worker. Buckingham, London: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Glesne, C., & Peshkin, A. (1992). Becoming qualitative researchers, an introduction. New York: Longman.Google Scholar
Green, R., & Lonne, B. (2005). Great lifestyle, pity about the job stress: Occupational stress in rural human service practice. Rural Society, 15 (3), 347–359.Google Scholar
Harvey, D. (2014). Exploring women's experiences of health and well-being in remote northwest Queensland, Australia. Qualitative Health Research, 24 (5), 603–614. doi: 10.1177/1049732314529370 Google Scholar
Hawken, D., & Worrall, J. (2002). Reciprocal mentoring supervision. Partners in learning: A personal experience. In McMahon, M. & Patton, W. (Eds.), Supervision in the helping professions: A practical approach (pp. 43–53). Frenches Forest NSW: Pearson Education Australia Pty Limited.Google Scholar
Howe, K., & Gray, I. (2013). Effective supervision in social work. London: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Humphreys, J. S., & Gregory, G. (2012). Celebrating another decade of progress in rural health: What is the current state of play? The Australian Journal of Rural Health, 20 (3), 156–163. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1584.2012.01276.x CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
IFSW. (2012). Conditions in rural communities. Retrieved from http://ifsw.org/policies/conditions-in-rural-communities/.Google Scholar
Jervis-Tracey, P., McAuliffe, D., Klieve, H., Chenoweth, L., O' Connor, B., & Stehlik, D. (2016). Negotiated policy spaces: Identifying tensions for rural professionals in delivering their statutory responsibilities. Journal of Rural Studies, 45, 123–133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kadushin, A. (1992). Supervision in social work (3rd ed.). New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Kadushin, A., & Harkness, D. (2002). Supervision in social work. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Kadushin, A., & Harkness, D. (2014). Supervision in social work. New York: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Lehmann, J. (2005). Human service management in rural contexts. British Journal of Social Work, 35 (3), 355–371.Google Scholar
Malatsky, C., & Bourke, L. (2016). Re-producing rural health: Challenging dominant discourses and the manifestation of power. Journal of Rural Studies, 45, 157–164.Google Scholar
McAuliffe, D., Chenoweth, L., & Stehlik, D. (2007). Rural practitioners of the future: Views of gradutaing students about rural child and family practice. Rural Social Work and Community Practice, 12 (1), 6–14.Google Scholar
McNiff, J. (2010). Action research for professional development. Concise advice for new and experienced action researchers. Dorset: September Books.Google Scholar
McNiff, J., Lomax, P., & Whitehead, J. (2003). You and your action research project. New York: Routledge Falmer.Google Scholar
Owen, S., & Carrington, K. (2015). Domenstic violence (DV) service provision and the architecture of rural life: An Australian case study. Journal of Rural Studies, 39, 229–238.Google Scholar
Pack, M. (2014). 'Unsticking the stuckness': A qualitative study of the clinical supervisory needs of early-career health social workers. British Journal of Social Work, 45 (6), 1821–1836. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcu069 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patton, M. Q. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Proctor, B. (2008). Group supervision. A guide to creative practice (2nd ed.). London: Sage.Google Scholar
Pugh, R. (2005). Dual relationships: Personal and professional boundaries in rural social work. British Journal of Social Work, 37 (8), 1405–1423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pugh, R., & Cheers, B. (2010). Rural social work: An international perspective. Bristol UK: The Policy Press.Google Scholar
Robinson, G., Mares, S., & Arney, F. (2016). Continuity, engagement and integration: Early intervention in remote Australian aboriginal communities. Australian Social Work, doi: 10.1080/0312407x.2016.1146315 Google Scholar
Roufeil, L., & Battye, K. (2008). Effective regional, rural and remote family and relationships service delivery. Australian Family Relationships Clearinghouse Briefing. No 10. Melbourne, Victoria: Australian Institute of Family Studies.Google Scholar
Scales, T. L., Streeter, C. L., & Cooper, H. S. (2013). Rural social work: Building and sustaining community capacity (2nd ed.). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Google Scholar
Smith, J. D. (2004). Australia's rural and remote health: A social justice perspective. Croydon, Vic: Tertiary Press.Google Scholar
Symons, J. (2005). Applying the evidence - recruiting and retaining Allied Health Professionals in a remote area. Paper presented at the Mount Isa Centre for Rural and Remote Health (MICRRH) Remote Health Conference, Mt Isa.Google Scholar
Tsui, M. S. (2005). Social work supervision. Contexts and concepts. Thousand Oaks, California, USA: Sage.Google Scholar