Peter J Camilleri

Educating for social work: Facing the new century

experience of modelling in developing my own thinking about how to work with clients. Making meaning of the different lives of women directly relates to making meaning of the different lives of the people we work with as practitioners. If your experienced difference is not validated in your education as a social worker, it makes it difficult to validate the differences of others. No amount of therapy could have given me the same understanding about collectivism, ‘empowerment’, treating diverse experiences as real to each of us. In whatever l become l am able to connect my experience to a broader context. Theory rs made accountable to my experiences and not the other way around. My experience, not theory, is a startrng point for critical praxis.

Catholic social services in Australia: A short history

This paper provides a brief history of Catholic social services in Australia. The underlying theological base has been Catholic Social Teachings. The paper outlines Catholic Social Teachings and its impact on the development of distinctive Catholic social services. Catholic social services is an umbrella term, which includes the diocesan based services - Centacares, religious orders and lay associations such as St Vincent de Paul Society. A condensed history is presented, which highlights the various stages of the development of Catholic social services. These stages have been identified as the early years of the colony - charity for those in need, Industrialisation and ‘Rerum Novarum’- the right of all people to live in dignity, Catholic Welfare Bureau - improving coordination, training and expertise, Conservatism/Innovation and Advocacy - 1949-1986 and Restructuring of human services - the recent period.

Needs or deeds? : Child protection and youth justice in the Australian Capital Territory

This paper reports on research conducted as part of a national study on the views of judicial officers and other stakeholders in Australias Childrens Courts. It focuses on the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), and in particular the way in which care and protection matters are dealt with separately from youth justice matters. Many research participants advocated alternatives which were less formal and more focused on the needs of children and young people. Frequent positive references were made to the Scottish Childrens Hearing system: a non-judicial diversionary system in which children and young people are treated on the basis of ‘needs and not deeds’, in which the welfare of young people who offend is prioritised. Using the Scottish model as a counterpoint to that of the ACT, the paper outlines the main features of the ACT system, and what informants thought were the key philosophical and practical challenges facing the Court. The universal dilemma of how to balance the welfare of young people with a justice agenda is highlighted by the differing arrangements in these jurisdictions.

The Childrens Court in the Australian Capital Territory

This chapter describes the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Childrens Court (In ACT, the court is termed the ‘Childrens Court’ (section 288 of the Magistrates Court Act 1930) not the ‘Children’s Court’ which is the term used in many other states). It summarises and discusses the views of key stakeholders about the court and its work gained through interviews and focus group discussions held in 2010. One of the key findings in the ACT was that there is a common and strong desire amongst people involved in the Childrens Court for the community to do the best that is possible for the children and young people who come before the court as part of care and protection or criminal proceedings. However, there are differing opinions about how this can best be accomplished. The ACT is a small jurisdiction – despite housing Canberra which is the capital of Australia. It has its own unique history which has affected the development of the Childrens Court and the service system to which it relates.