Melbourne School of Health SciencesSocial Work

ARC Linkage Project (Harms et al)

From Colonisation to Conciliation: A Collaborative Examination of Social Work Practice with Indigenous Populations

ARC Linkage Project 2005 - 2009


Chief investigators

Dr. Louise Harms (Social Work, The University of Melbourne)
Ms. Angela Clarke (Centre for Health and Society, The University of Melbourne)
Dr John Douglass Whyte (RMIT University)
Professor Ian Anderson (Centre for Health and Society, The University of Melbourne)


About the Project

'From colonisation to conciliation: A collaborative examination of social work practice with Indigenous populations', is an international Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project.

Recognising that the social work profession has a complex history of working with Indigenous populations-and that one of the factors in maintaining this problematic relationship is the marginalisation of Indigenous issues within mainstream social work practice-this project brings together Indigenous community representatives and Elders, social work practitioners and academics across Australia and the United States, together with other international education and practice developments, to identify the ways in which social work practice can enhance, rather than inhibit, Indigenous well-being.

Building on these collaborations, this project reviews current social work approaches related to Indigenous issues across the 25 Schools of Social Work in Australia, examines and contrasts international best practices in practice and education and develops recommendations for the Australian Association of Social Workers and the Australian schools of social work.

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