Cas O'Neill

‘Getting started, getting feedback, and getting finished’— practice research in action

This article outlines the purpose, definition and usefulness of social work practice research and then describes a training program conducted by a group of social workers in the Australian Association of Social Workers (Victorian Branch) Practice Research Special Interest Group. These workshops offered practitioners the opportunity to explore a research idea with a group of colleagues which acted as a reference group over a period of six months. Two models of practice research workshops are described and their outcomes presented.

Policy and practice implications of permanent placement disruption

Abstract This paper is based on research undertaken as part of a Master of Social Work at the University of Melbourne, looking at the experience of placement disruption for parents and social workers. Adoption and permanent placement disruption statistics are presented for Victoria for the decade of the 1980s. One complete disruption ‘episode’ has been costed at over

Together or separate? Sibling placements: A review of the literature

25,000.00 for the first seven months after the disruption. The policy and practice implications of placement disruptions are examined in the light of this information.

To attach or not? …the burning question

This paper draws on a substantial body of anecdotal, therapeutic and research-based literature on sibling relationships and sibling placements. It draws attention to the nature and significance of sibling relationships which are usually of lifelong importance in terms of both identity and support. Placement of sibling groups in out-of-home care, especially when the children have high emotional and physical needs, are complex whether they are placed together or are separated. Consideration is given to the long-term psychological consequences of separation of siblings, as well as the resource issues involved in keeping siblings together or separating them. It is suggested that, even when children appear very disturbed, separation is not necessarily appropriate.

Mirror families Creating extended families for life

This article explores the difficulties and joys of older child adoption. While many children and their families grow towards a secure attachment over months or years, this will probably never be of the same intensity as that between parents and their biological children. For some families, the role of loving caretakers may be the best possible outcome for a child with attachment difficulties.

Home based carer and professional support needs survey

This paper focuses on how a ‘village’, or extended family, can be created for each child so that lifelong (and beyond) supportive relationships can be established and nurtured. The key question which informs the model is: ‘Who will be there for the grandchildren?’ The traditional African proverb It takes a village to raise a child is a frequently used theme underlying debates on the role of government and communities in supporting families and children.

Worker time and the cost of stability

In order to plan for the most relevant and practical support for home based carers, the two organisations circulated a survey in the months of April to June 2010 to establish information relating both to current levels of support and satisfaction, and key future needs. The survey was created in Survey Monkey and circulated by both email and hard copy to individuals and community service organisations. All electronic responses were encrypted to ensure privacy.