Indigenous Social Work

Question 1

Issues and Injustices experienced by Indigenous people (8):

Answer 1

• Over-representation in criminal system.
• Access to medicine/dying from preventable disease.
• Lack of acknowledgement (no treaty).
• Intergenerational trauma due to separation and loss heritage.
• Lack of representation in policy.
• Difficulty obtaining legal rights.
• Destruction of land.
• Ongoing stolen generation.

Question 2

How should social workers engage with Indigenous peoples? (5)

Answer 2

• Enter as a learner, not an expert (humility).
• Be mindful of their customs and their community structure.
• Consider the history of social work and its negative impacts.
• Respect and empower.
• Problem-solve with the aid of community elders.

Question 3

Utilising Indigenous values (4):

Answer 3

• Empathise with clients as opposed to instructing.
• Environmental focus.
• Our idea of expertise (greater value placed on practical engagement; community members are experts of their own context).
• Respect for language.

Question 4

Harmful policies of the past (3):

Answer 4

• Terra Nullius.
• No treaty.
• Assimilation.