why does social policy matter to social work – a case study in developing policy leadership...
TRANSCRIPT
Why Does Social Policy Matter to Social Work? A Case Study in Developing Policy Leadership
Marie-Claire Cheron-Sauer
Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW)
National Social Policy Committee (NSPC)
Strength in Unity Conference
9 - 12 November 2008
Aim of Presentation
To showcase the work of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), National Social Policy Committee (NSPC), its evolution and leadership since 2006
Presentation Structure
•The importance of social policy to the mission of Social Work
• The process of reclaiming leadership
– Crisis Leadership
– Experiential Learning Cycle
• The rise of the AASW NSPC policy voice since 2006
Social Policy & Social Work Mission
An equal commitment to:
•Enabling people to develop their potential
• Achieving social justice through policy activism
Social Policy & Social Work Mission (cont’)
Social Work as a Response to Industrialisation and the Rise of Capitalism
– Pre-Capitalism
– Mid to End 18th Century - Shift to Market Economy
– Late 19th Century - First Wave of Globalisation
– Mid 20th Century - Postwar Reconstruction & Keynesianism
Social Citizenship
“…the whole range of [rights] from the right to a modicum of economic welfare and security to the right to share to the full in the social heritage and to live the life of a civilised being accroding to the standards prevailing in society”
Taken from: T.H. Marshall, Citizenship and Social Class, p. 78
Private Troubles/Public Issues
“The facts of contemporary history are also facts about the success and the failure of individual men and women. When a society is industrialised, a peasant becomes a worker; a feudal lord is liquidated or becomes a business man. When classes rise or fall, a man is employed or unemployed; when the rate of investment goes up or down, a man takes new heart or goes broke. When wars happen, an insurance salesman becomes a rocket launcher; a store clerk, a radar man; a wife lives alone; a child grows up without a father. Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both”
(C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination, 1959, p. 3)
The Sociological Imagination
“The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals. It enables him to take account of how individuals in the welter of their daily experience often become falsely conscious of their social positions. Within that welter, the framework of modern society is sought, and within that framework the
psychologies of a variety of men and women are formulated.”
(Mills, p. 5)
The Sociological Imagination
Poses three kinds of questions:
• the structure of particular societies
•the forces of change facing particular societies and the meanings of this for humanity
•about men and women - that is their specific identities that exist in particular societies
Person-in-Environment Ecological Systems Model
Global
Society
Family
Community
Individual
AASW NSPC
•Established as a National Committee with mandate to: • to provide leadership and strategic focus for the development of social policy on behalf of the AASW
•2004 Committee in decline & struggling to achieve its mandate
•Reflected a global trend of ‘silence’ for Social Work in policy activism
•Chairperson by default in 2006 – Thrust into leadership
•NSPC challenge: Refocus, Redefine, Demonstrate leadership in policy debates
Re-gaining our Position Targeted Strategies:
Reclaiming our Voice through:
Visibility in media releases, letters to ministers and submissions Developing tools for members to speak with confidence (e.g. position statements)
Building partnerships with key stakeholders:
ACOSS, Schools of Social Work Academics, research Institutes, NGOs
–
Developing the ‘policy minds’ of social workers Remembering the ‘sociological imagination’
Rekindling the ‘fire in the belly’
Developing Sustainable Capacity: Panel of Experts
Conferencing Model Investment of funds in qualified and experienced paid staff
Policy leadership
Leadership exists when people are no longer victims of circumstances but participate in creating new circumstances. Leadership is about creating a domain, in which human beings continually deepen their understadning of reality and become more capable of participating in the unfolding of the world. Ultimately leadership is about creating new realities -
Taken from: Peter Senge
Creating New Realities
Involves having conversations about
Vision and Possibilities
Ownership
Commitment
Action
Community
Accountability
Adapted from Block, P., 2008, Leadership Excellence
Crisis Leadership
Individual
Top Down Short Term
Plan Improvise
Long Term Bottom Up
Collective
Adapted from Rego, L., & Garau, R., 2007, Stepping into the Void
Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle Learning by Doing
Doing
Concrete Experience
Applying Reflecting
Active Experimentation Reflective Observation
Learning
Abstract Conceptualisation
Reclaiming Our ‘Voice’
Submissions
•March 07 - Senate Inquiry ‘Impact of Illicit Drugs on Families’
•July 07 - Senate Inquiry ‘Mental Health Services in Australia’
•February 08 - NSW Wood Inquiry into Child Protection
•February 08 - Qld Department of Child Safety Workforce issues
•March 08 - NT Dept of Justice ‘Domestic Violence - Mandatory reporting requirements for health professionals’
•April 08 - Senate Inquiry ‘Housing Affordability’
• May 08 - Senate Inquiry ‘Rural & Remote Indigenous Communities’
•May 08 - Health Care Reform in Australia
•June 08 - Federal Government Green Paper on Homelessness
•June 08 - Federal Government discussion paper on mental health and disability employment strategy
•June 08 - Federal Government discussion paper on the National Child Protection Framework
•July 08 - QLD Department of Child Safety legislative proposals to the Child Protection Act
•August 08 - AASW Response to NTER Review Board
Building Partnerships with Key Stakeholders
•July 06 - Hosted the Welfare-to-Work Round Table, University of Queensland
• ACOSS Case Study Collaboration - library on welfare reform.
• Regular conference attendance with ACOSS
• Attendance at forums/consultations on key issues (Social Compact, Housing affordability, climate change)
• Collaborative work with branches (e.g. Indigenous project, child protection submissions, Domestic Violence submissions
Developing the ‘policy minds’ of social workers’
AASW Position Statements:
• Mental Health
•Housing Affordability
•Homelessness
•Domestic Violence
•Indigenous Health policy
•Indigenous Education Policy
•Child Protection (draft)
•Health policy (draft)
Development of Processes:
•annual NSPC business planning meetings
•NSPC business plans, templates for position statements and submissions
•processes for endorsement by the Association
Building Sustainable Capacity
•Panel of Experts - leveraging the talents within our profession by developing a database of SW experts
•Employment of National office staff with policy background
•Rapid Conferencing Model - leveraging talent through designing a friendly reference group/consultant structure
Rapid Conferencing Model
Rapid Response required
with tight timeframes
Activation of virtual network of
Expert Reference Group (Panel of
Expert data base) to provide input
into submission
Draft submission to
Reference group for final
comments
Final Edit and
Branding
AASW National
Office
AASW NSPC - Mini
Clearing House for all policy
issues arising at National
level - Collaborative &
Inclusive Responses to ‘hot’
policy issues
Reflections
•Initially fairly amateurish in our approaches to policy - e.g our initial position statements/submissions were quite naïve
•Lacked processes and procedures, which impacted upon our ability to do things well and our professionalism
•Ad hoc approach to find consultants & experts for reference groups
•The timeframes for consultation/submission process was very short, reflecting our frequent position of being on the back foot
•We realised the need to build capability through human resources - qualified and experienced social policy staff with dedicated time to ‘do policy’, keep track of policy developments and through tapping into the expertise of our membership (practitioner, policy and academic experts)
•We cannot be experts on every social policy area in a world of limited resources, which means that we need to think about what our priorities will be and what are the issues of most concern to our membership
Key Lessons
To Develop:
•Strength, we needed to forge relationships with a broad base of stakeholders
•A culture of flexibility, adaptation and innovation while remaining goal focused we needed to engender & to model inclusive leadership
•Our willingness to ‘do’ and to take risks in our learning
•Empower social workers to participate, we needed to create mechanisms for them to do so
• Recognition of the policy process as ‘complex, multi-layered process involving a host of different actors…’ & that as a profession there are multiple points at which we can and should be involved in policy.
Final Words
The social policy process is a ‘complex and multi-layered process involving a host of different
actors…there are multiple points at which we can and should be involved.
Final Words… (cont’)
•NSPC has reclaimed ‘a voice’
•AASW is again living in exciting ‘policy space’
•Social Inclusion agenda has opened up new possibilities & opportunities
•Important not to lose the momentum & leadership in policy
