Editorial.

Hughes, Lesley ; Bolzan, Natalie ; Waugh, Fran 等

It's ten years since our inaugural edition of Women in Welfare Education appeared. Since Number 5 was published in 2002, three significant social work educators have passed away before their time: Marie Wilkinson from the University of Sydney in May 2003; Frances Killion from Central Queensland University earlier this year; and in August, Wendy Weeks from the University of Melbourne. All three had been involved in the Australian Association of Social Work and Welfare Education (AASWWE) over the years and their absence will be keenly felt by many educators and practitioners. Wendy was a contributor to Women in Welfare Education Number 1, as well as being a reviewer for subsequent editions. The Editorial Committee would like to honour her significant contribution to feminist scholarship and practice by reprinting in this edition her 1994 article on feminist community work.

Women in Welfare Education Number 7 includes a number of articles dealing with practice and education which sit well with the principles articulated by Wendy Weeks. In the second article, Ruth Phillips discusses the historical shift in government policy on domestic violence. Ruth argues that the original social impetus in this area came from the women's movement. However, the current backlash against feminism has resulted in a move away from the direction initially taken by the government in response to women's activism. An historical perspective is also well-used in Susan Costello's article on the complexities of face to face practice. Susan deals with a major historical shift in Australian human services, that is, the rise to dominance of managerialism. Drawing on developments over time in social science and in approaches to face to face helping, Susan discusses important issues for practitioners committed to empowerment.

The article by Margaret Alston, Geraldine Duncan and Heather Boetto is also focused on emancipatory practice, in this case with young rural women. The catalyst for the particular intervention discussed was the alarming state of adolescent women's health in Wagga Wagga. Using a theoretical framework of gender and disempowerment a community development programme was implemented by a social worker (Heather Boetto) in a local high school. The project was groundbreaking because social workers are not usually employed in New South Wales high schools, unlike some other states. A significant feature was the co-operation between the university, the school and local community, and the N.S.W. Department of Education.

The theme of practice which is related to health issues also features in several other contributions. Morag McArthur and Christine Moulet look at the role and profile of counselling services for women with fertility problems--an area in which assistance via developments in reproductive technology has arguably increased women's emotional suffering. Fran Waugh and Michelle Bonner reflect on their research with women's experience of palliative care for their children. Their focus however is not on the actual palliative care intervention but rather on the issues and challenges of undertaking research on such a sensitive topic with parents whose children had died. The final two peer-reviewed articles concern social work education. Ingrid Thompson Cooper discusses the development at McGill University of a social work programme for Indigenous Canadians. Ingrid's discussion of this important development at one of Canada's longest established schools of social work provides Australian social work educators with a lot to think about. The account of the interplay between the Canadian higher education structural context, changes in the political climate vis a vis Indigenous education, and organisational resistance within the university is illuminating. Ingrid's discussion of key elements of the course and of the experience of attempting to establish the programme is valuable for those of us whose universities have not addressed this important aspect of social justice for Indigenous Australians.

In their article on field education at the University of Sydney, Jude Irwin and Lindsey Napier discuss initiatives to enhance student learning and provide greater support to field teachers. This article discusses the attempt to deal with the perennial challenges in field education which centre on the juxtaposition of the crucial role of field education in the development of social work students with what is often a somewhat marginal place in the academic world. When issues of resourcing are added to the mix (as they often are), the challenge of providing quality field eduction becomes considerable. The article includes discussion of a number of ways Sydney University staff have enhanced field education, including the provision of practice workshops open to both students and field teachers.

In the two contributions in the Practice Notes section of this edition we return to themes in Wendy Weeks' article. Bridget Ng'andu discusses two women community worker's perspectives on the challenges in responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis in Botswana, where the HIV prevalence rates are the highest in the world. Tori Cook and Carol de Barre reflect on their personal journeys to feminism to argue that despite the backlash, feminism continues to be relevant.

Finally, there are reviews of a new Australian text/resource book for field education, and of an account of the experience of growing up in a children's home. The latter is most timely, given the recent release of the Senate Report Forgotten Australians.

As always, we rely on your contributions and support to maintain a quality publication which promotes the voices of women involved in welfare education.

Lesley Hughes Natalie Bolzan Fran Waugh Karen Heycox