As we enter the holiday period, we are often inundated with marketing imagery showing happy families celebrating together and children opening an extravagant number of gifts. This made me reflect on a Christmas Day two years ago that introduced me to the shadow side …Read more
—using Reflexions and The Bears during a student placement Recently we spoke to Crystal Gordois, a third year social work student on placement with Anglicare Victoria, who shared some reflections on her decision to become a social worker. While on placement in the Home …Read more
—an interview with Steve Phillis, social work educator and senior practitioner The importance of creating pathways for young people to reconnect with school life in a positive way is reflected in the title of a community-based early intervention and prevention service simply called the …Read more
If someone were to ask each of us what Christmas meant to us, we would probably all have a different answer. We might talk about Christmas trees covered in wonky decorations made by our children, the ‘shushed’ wrapping of presents late at night or …Read more
It can be tempting to think that education begins when kids go to school, but in fact it is through play at home in the early years that the very foundations of life-long learning are laid. This is one of the foundations of the …Read more
Rainbow Talk: 40 cards for LGBTIQ-Inclusive Conversations Excitement levels are high this week at Innovative Resources—the Rainbow Talk cards and booklet are off the press and in the house. Right now as this newsletter is finding its way to you, the cards are all …Read more
• Accept a gift from a client? • Drink alcohol or smoke with a client? •Acknowledge a client if you see them in public? • Encourage a client to lie in order to access a service or benefit? • Connect with a client on …Read more
Over five hundred delegates gathered in Brisbane late last month for the Asia Pacific Rim Confederation of Counsellors Conference. Bringing together a dizzying array of speakers and workshop presenters, the conference aimed to build the capacity of practitioners in mental health services. Topics included …Read more
A resource for hearing and validating before shifting the focus to recovery. What does it feel like to live with an eating disorder? What does the ‘eating disorder voice’ say and how do we challenge those messages? What supports recovery and …Read more
We really appreciate stories from people who use our resources. This year at Resi Rocks, a professional development day for residential workers in Victoria, hosted by the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, I had the pleasure of hearing about POSTcards from …Read more
The Bendigo Reconciliation Committee has developed a FREE resource for mainstream community organisations to explore the issue of ‘organisational white privilege’. The development of this resource grew out of a Conversation Circle arranged by the Bendigo Reconciliation Committee (BRC) and member agencies during the …Read more
A mental health diagnosis is only one part of a person’s narrative, says TAFE teacher and social services professional, Ava Freeland. Using A Patchwork Life I’ve been using Innovative Resources’ A Patchwork Life cards at the beginning of my lessons as an icebreaker. I …Read more
At any given moment in a supervision session, we may find ourselves wondering, ‘What is the most useful question I could ask right now?’ From a strengths-based, social constructionist perspective, what we perceive as real and important is not compelled by objective conditions but …Read more
This was the ‘Top 8’ topic for a recent session held with Anglicare Vic workers at St Luke’s. It highlights the importance of self-reflection and how simple, but rich it can be to provide opportunities for social workers to talk about their work, and …Read more
There are so many things I wonder about as a parent. I have to admit that right now in my life words like ‘parenting’ and ‘family’ and ‘home’ are like giant, shape-changing, meg-clouds of steaming immensity. S’cuse the hyperbole. For me, they have more …Read more
Even though the word for paper comes from papyros, Ancient Greek for the Cyperus papyrus plant, the invention of the paper industry is most often credited to a Chinese court official, Ts’ai Lun, in 105 AD. Now all these many centuries later, we still …Read more
Acts of everyday kindness are all around us. They can come in the form of a kind word, a helping hand, a nod of appreciation, an encouraging smile, a story, a wave, a letter, a gentle caution, a friendly visit or a meal shared. …Read more
Simple is often best. Even the word makes me sigh with relief. But have you noticed that it sometimes takes a whole lot of complication to get there? For example, you read a book or see a painting. Perhaps the painting is composed of …Read more
Sometimes the magic comes with bells and whistles, like a loud, colourful circus and we sit enthralled as the magicians mesmerise us and do the seemingly impossible. But perhaps, more often, the magic is in the mundane, ordinary, everyday events that we so easily …Read more
After completing a successful ‘Top 8’ Discussion Series with teams at St Luke’s throughout last year, we are now offering your organisation the opportunity to get on board. Would you like your staff to engage in developing their practice? Are there important practice issues that …Read more
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