Social workers are being urged to change their practices when working in First Nations communities.
A University of South Australia (UniSA) study found current supervision practices in social work were centred on Western practices that overlooked a community-grounded approach that was valued in Aboriginal culture.
Study lead author Jamie Sorby, a Kamilaroi woman, qualified social worker and UniSA lecturer, said Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing should be at the heart of supervision practices on Country.
“Western models of supervision often focus on managerial oversight, risk aversion and clinical outcomes, and are disconnected from the lived realities of both workers and clients in Aboriginal communities,” Ms Sorby said.
“They tend to favour formal, hierarchical structures and overlook cultural values, emotional safety and relational trust.
“For Aboriginal workers, this can feel alienating and unsafe. Supervision should be a space of support, growth and cultural reflection, but often it’s not. This is why culturally responsive models are urgently needed,” she said.
Ms Sothy said traditional Western approaches to supervision often failed to acknowledge the lived experience of Aboriginal workers or the intergenerational trauma stemming from colonisation.
“As a result, these approaches contribute to staff burnout, mistrust, and poor retention of First Nations workers in social services.”
She said the study introduced a suite of conceptual maps and visual artefacts that guided
“For decades, Aboriginal communities have expressed concerns about social work practices often operating from individualistic models that don’t reflect our collectivist values or ways of being.
“The issue is not new, it’s just that it hasn’t been listened to or acted on at a systemic level and we want that to change.”
She said the impact on First Nations communities would be “transformative” if social workers were guided by Aboriginal perspectives, working with communities, not on them.
Read the full study: Supervision on Country: Enhancing Culturally Safe Social Work Supervision Through First Nations Knowledges.
