International Social Work
Volume 60, Issue 3, 2017, Pages 601-613

Critical social work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people: Restoring hope, agency and meaning for the client and worker (Article)

Nelson D. , Price E. , Zubrzycki J.*
  • a Companion House Assisting Survivors of Torture and Trauma, Australia
  • b Companion House Assisting Survivors of Torture and Trauma, Australia
  • c Australian Catholic University, Australia

Abstract

This article presents a model of Australian social work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people which aims to build hope, agency and meaning for the social worker and the young person. Informed by Foucault’s understanding of resistance, the model encourages social workers to pay attention to little practices of freedom through the development of professional relationships which address counselling needs, practical advocacy and social change within complex socio-political, cultural and therapeutic contexts. A case vignette of ‘Ali’ applies the model in practice. The article concludes with an exploration of the model’s potential for international transferability. © The Author(s) 2016.

Author Keywords

unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people critical social work human rights

Index Keywords

male counseling female vignette attention social worker Social Work social change human rights human human experiment
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85018740434&doi=10.1177%2f0020872816637663&partnerID=40&md5=93c87ca1bc74d14a3e231b1614263019
DOI: 10.1177/0020872816637663
ISSN: 00208728
Cited by: 8
Original Language: English