Editorial.

Heycox, Karen ; Bolzan, Natalie ; Hughes, Lesley 等

It is ten years since the idea for the WIWE Journal was conceived, and eight years since the first edition appeared. We would like to thank all the women who have contributed over the past decade--previous members of the editorial committee, contributors and reviewers. The current issue provides an interesting insight into issues that are currently of great interest to welfare professionals as we settle into the 21st Century. A clear focus on self-reflection and analysis of our practice whether that be teaching, clinical, research or community development emerges from the collection assembled here. We start with a work that focuses on how social group work skills are learnt. Susan Gair and Rosemary Frangos place this issue in the context of changed content delivery modes and an acknowledgement of cultural diversity in helping styles. The authors reflect on how such skills can be taught in a way that is flexible, respectful, inclusive and relevant to North Queensland's Indigenous student body and community.

In a substantial piece of research Jane Maidment further reflects on issues of teaching, this time in field practica. She describes the process undertaken to develop a framework which could assist teachers to understand and teach in the varied and unpredictable environments of field placements. The need to continually reflect on how teaching and learning occurs in the field is emphasized. The article following, by Cooper and Crisp, also tackles an issue concerned with learning in field education. The contribution of gender to placement outcomes is explored in a way which brings up the need for self-reflection and social constructions of masculinity. Such questions are of great interest to predominantly female professions.

Joanna Zubrzycki further explores the theme of what we bring to our work settings in a thoughtful article. Situating the issue not in education but in practice, the contribution of the critical use of self is explored. In particular the experience of being a parent is examined for its contribution to practice. Critical use of self is seen as aiding both practice and parenting in the self-reflexive practitioner. Nonie Harris explores the issue of the reflexive research practitioner in the context of researching with friends. Again the findings presented here reveal that practitioners do not quarantine off the 'professional' part of themselves, but that roles and experiences intersect and inform each other, this is particularly the case when an existing relationship pre-dates a professional one. This interesting work has far reaching implications for many practice situations.

The first contribution to the 'Practice Notes' section by Eileen Pittaway very firmly places social work practice in the here and now, dealing with the resettlement needs of refugees in Australia today. This paper returns us to some of the issues raised in the first article in this collection concerning the need to practice in ways which are respectful, inclusive and acknowledging of cultural diversity. Michele Harris and Ava Pauchard have written about their experience in running groups with women who have presented at mental health services. They have grappled with the challenge of the shifts in mental health orientation over the past decade and have challenged the bio-medical model of individual pathology by using a strengths based approach to empower women. Genevieve Rankin is an educator and committed activist with a longstanding involvement in opposing the nuclear reactor at Lucas Heights. In reminding us of the history of the reactor she also alerts us to the challenge to our rights of a facility which has both short and long term implications for the environment. Possibly more important however is that she brings up the question of the civil and political rights we have as citizens to resist government decisions which, in light of repeated evidence and public opposition are judged to be bad. She leaves us with a challenge, which daily confronts the activist practitioner, 'what can you do'? Finally, as usual the Journal offers reviews of three recent texts of relevance to welfare professionals.

We would like to invite your continued support and contributions to maintain a quality publication which promotes the voices of women involved in welfare education.