SOCAIL WORK
MEMBER STORY
Complexity of issues increasing for
social work professionals
I’m a casual social work teacher at La Trobe University, in metropolitan Melbourne. As demand for qualified social work professionals continues steadily, the complexity of the issues faced by the industry is growing. I train my gorgeous students to be ready to tackle almost anything: homelessness, war trauma, sexual abuse, injecting rooms, palliative care, prison work, trafficking, chroming, neonatal care. I have to keep my finger on the pulse! The heart of successful social work is decent relationships, and this extends to course delivery. I’m quietly getting used to the 'to and fro' of online versus face-toface teaching. We teachers alternate between modalities with skill and roll with the punches. Teaching online was a winner for me. I could stay home and help run the 'home school' my family was thrown into, and keep COVID-safe for longer stretches of time. But, at the cost of deeper student/teacher relationships. The reliance on casual social work teachers is strong, as the school loses more and more funding for ongoing positions. I see my beloved bosses appear more fatigued and overworked than ever before. They plan to work while on leave, much more than I have noticed in the past. We’ve had marking time reduced, meaning my students get less feedback and that thing called 'evidence-based pedagogy' gets thrown out the window. Like my colleagues, my students’ mental health, income and personal stress deteriorated markedly in the face of lockdown.
Emily Bieber La Trobe University
To tell your story to the NTEU member community, please contact Helena Spyrou
6
Sentry
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AUGUST 2021
