Welcome to The Australian Institute for Social Inclusion and Wellbeing (TAISIW)
The Australian Institute of Social Inclusion and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle (TAISIW) is Australia's premier international research grouping that focuses explicitly on social inclusion and wellbeing as a significant factor which impacts on equity, social justice and citizenship. In Harriet Mayor Fulbright we are fortunate in having an Intellectual Patron who shares our vision of finding sustainable solutions for today's problems for the benefit of all society and nations. The Institute is dedicated to advancing the understanding of inclusion and wellbeing, and applying new knowledge and methods to helping people, institutions and societies develop their full capabilities.
We are a forward looking and dynamic group of researchers who participate in major collaborative research of international repute. The Institute brings together some of the world's leading researchers and policy makers in the interdisciplinary field of social inclusion and wellbeing. Leading researchers combine to develop strong teams of emerging talent in undertaking theoretical, empirical and policy driven research. Our focus is on research within a strategic framework that is socially relevant and makes an impact on global societies. Our researchers have a track record of making significant contributions in quality publications, policy advisory roles and research analysis. The Institute provides a supportive research environment and infrastructure that furnishes the development of world-class research in social inclusion and wellbeing.
The burgeoning social inclusion agenda throughout Australia and advanced modern societies is now conceived through the lens of wellbeing. Increasingly measurements of wellbeing are being extended beyond preferences and levels of satisfaction to incorporate how people function and evaluate indicators of social exclusion. Community wellbeing as place, location and fraternity are also coming to the fore in government policy formulations. In providing for an enriched policy agenda wellbeing is increasingly regarded as the primary indicator of quality of life in modern societies. There is much talk about a global shift from welfare to wellbeing regimes. Policy decisions at organisational, corporate and government levels are increasingly influenced by issues relating to wellbeing, moving beyond traditional concerns focused on material conditions based on economic data.
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TAISIW, in partnership with CofFEE, is awarded a Research Grant by Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to study 'Job Readiness of Muslim Jobseekers and the Relative Effectiveness of Employment Support Services in Australia'.
The Chief Investigator is Professor Terry Lovat. The research aims to:-
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Assess the level of ‘job readiness’ of representative samples of Australian Muslim jobseekers and identify the potential employment factors/barriers that contribute to the high unemployment rates for Australian Muslims. This analysis will include the range of individual, cultural, social, economic, and organisational issues, including prevailing labour market conditions at the macro and local levels;
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Identify strategies, employment and other services that are effective in assisting Muslims to successfully obtain and retain employment, as well as those aspects of employment services that are ineffective in terms of labour market intermediation;
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Use the findings from the literature review, qualitative research and econometric modelling to provide a general framework for examining the efficacy of Australian Employment Services through developing a ‘Best-Practice Model’ and identifying actual examples of good practice. It will particularly focus on a sample of four Intensive Employment Support projects under the NAP and three other Intensive Employment Support projects. The development of model will also include comparisons between Mainstream and Non-Mainstream Service Providers, as well as short-term and long-term End-Services in terms of their methods for addressing jobseekers’ needs;
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Identify the most relevant and culturally sensitive physical resources and in-person supports which can improve the quality and effectiveness of services and consultations provided by Employment Facilitators and program organisers. These could include training manuals, fact-sheets and multi-media resources. In addition specific training needs for staff working with Australian Muslims may be identified by the research.
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New Major Four Volume Advance Announcement
INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL WORK - Four Volume Major Reference Work
by Mel Gray and Stephen A. Webb, To be Published by Sage in December 2009
About the Book
These four volumes of International Social Work are partly occasioned by the significant increase of world-wide interest in social work. From India to China, from Latvia to Lithuania, social work is experiencing an international boom in pure research and research-for-practice. Once regarded as a rather marginal preoccupation of applied policy and practice interventions, the field of social work has now moved into the centre of social sciences research. As part of this shift the study of social work has changed enormously over the last forty years or so, with both the values and language of social work evolving.
Indeed, part of our motivation for producing these volumes is a growing awareness that there have been important changes taking place in social work in recent years. At a most obvious level social work functions within constantly changing frameworks of policies and legislation and as a profession is required to respond to new frameworks, expanding knowledge and increasing societal expectations. The result of these changes has been the proliferation of perspectives and approaches in social work. While this emerging diversity of approaches to social work appears quite striking, there continues to be something of a ‘mainstream’ even though it is navigated by fewer than before.
Internationally, social work has grown in stature and influence as well as making important contributions to the social sciences. Social work holds special research promise because it explicitly attempts to cut across diverse social, cultural, economic, and political dimensions. Within the contemporary situation, social work also addresses many of the pressing problems facing people across the globe.
You can Pre-order your copy today from Amazon and Sage
New Book published by Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, On Sale Now!
EVIDENCE-BASED SOCIAL WORK: A CRITICAL STANCE
By Mel Gray, Debbie Plath & Stephen A. Webb
About the Book
Evidence-based practice is now a core element of many governments’ approaches to policy making and social intervention. It has become a powerful movement that promises to change the content and structure of social work and its allied professions. Its emergence has generated much debate and raised challenging questions, however, particularly at the interface of research, policy, and practice.
This book provides a critical analysis of evidence-based practice in social work. It introduces readers to the fast changing research, policy, legislative, and practice context. It discusses what constitutes knowledge in social work, the values and beliefs that lie behind EBP and problems of implementation, formalization and resource management. Reflecting on the challenges of transferring evidence-based practice to frontline social work practice, Gray, Plath and Webb argue that social work practice is not easily measured and systematized into best practice guidelines that disseminate proven diagnostic and effective intervention knowledge.
Using Actor Network Theory for the first time in the social work literature, Evidence-based Social Work illuminates how adopting the methodology and language of evidence-based practice fundamentally alters the conditions under which social work takes place. This book is vital reading for academics, practitioners, and students with an interest in contemporary social work practice and research.
