Aboriginal Social Work Voices

by Bindi Bennett (Editor), Jacob Prehn (Editor)

Overview

Understanding and respectfully engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is vital for the future of social work in Australia.

Authored by an all-Aboriginal Australian team, this book offers a ground-breaking collection of writings to develop a toolkit for culturally responsive practice. Structured in three parts, Aboriginal Social Work Voices explores key contemporary issues in social work, including allyship, anti-racist practice and the ubiquity of whiteness in Australian social work.

This book will help you to:
- Deepen your understanding of the histories, cultures and ongoing struggles of Aboriginal communities in Australia
- Critically reflect on your role in social work and how you can contribute to social justice and the advancement of Aboriginal rights
- Build the cultural responsiveness needed to engage respectfully and meaningfully with Aboriginal peoples
- Foster a more inclusive and compassionate approach to social work practice

With reflective questions and further reading at the end of each chapter, this book centres Aboriginal voices to enrich your understanding of both the challenges and the resilience within Aboriginal communities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350463318
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	04/16/2026
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Dr Bindi Bennett is a Gamilaroi cis gendered mother and social worker. She is a Professorial Research Fellow at Federation University, Australia

Dr Jacob Prehn is Associate Dean and an Indigenous Senior Research Fellow at the University of Tasmania, Australia

Table of Contents

Foreword

Part 1 Theory
1. Reckoning with the Past: Aboriginal History in Social Work
2. Australian Social work and the cultural determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing
3. Decolonisation or Indigenisation of Social Work? Definitional Distinctions and Application within Education, Practice, and Research
4. Developing Aboriginal identity as a light-skinned person

Part 2. Practice
5. The Importance of Connection to Country for Aboriginal Peoples
6. Kaadaninny: It is a two-way process of listening, learning and working together.
7. Indigenous Males Growing Strong: Eight Social Work Approaches
8. Indigenous Knowledges in the Nature-based Space and Beyond: Implications for Social Work

Part 3. Contemporary Issues
9. Relationships and Sexuality Education as a Response to Social Needs in Australia: Empowering Social Workers to Support the Sexual Health and Wellbeing of LGBTIQ+ Indigenous Communities
10. Embracing fear: Building a framework for allyship
11. "We Are Our Own Experts”: Integrating Indigenous Cultural Knowledge into Artificial Intelligence-Driven Simulations
12. Decolonising mental health in Australia
13. The Five pillars: Indigenous equine assisted pedagogy

Index

Editorial Reviews

A powerful and timely collection that bridges critical theory and lived experience. This book is a vital resource for culturally responsive and safe social work education and practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.” —Jamie Sorby, Lecturer in Social Work, University of South Australia, AUS

“This book is a valuable pedagogical resource for teaching courses/units on engaging with and working alongside First Nations Australians at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The chapters are written in an easy-to-read manner with a relational and reflective approach. The content is educational and insightful. It invites learner engagement for robust critical reflections and discussions.” —Vinathe Sharma-Brymer, Lecturer in Social Work, University of the Sunshine Coast, AUS

“Aboriginal Social Work Voices is a must-read for all working or preparing to work in allied health fields. It provides a scaffolded array of historical and contemporary knowledges from an anti-racist, person-centred and culturally safe framework that is required when working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Decolonising social work practice requires that we centre Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices. This book does just that!” —Jennie Briese, Lecturer in Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, AUS

From the Publisher