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The universally-accepted image of a social worker is somebody working at grass roots, responding to the needs of vulnerable people who are struggling with a myriad of problems. We don't expect to see them mixing it with the suits in the boardroom.

But that is exactly where many social workers end up, drawing upon social work knowledge, skills and values to influence the governance of corporations, institutions ... and universities.

"A lot of social workers are in positions of leadership," said Sue Bailey, Assistant Professor in the Discipline of Social Work and Social Policy. "In WA, one of the most visible is Jan Stewart, CEO of Lotterywest. Social workers are experienced at understanding and then negotiating the contexts in which individuals live and work - and leadership comes naturally from that.

"The skills, knowledge and values of a social worker can be used to influence policy, inform practice and change people's behaviour. Not everybody realises or understands that."
At UWA, Gina Barron, Manager, Complaints Resolution, is a social worker.  "Social workers are taught to look at the person as part of a holistic system, which includes their family, relevant laws and the environment," Ms Barron said. "You can do casework with families or you can influence government policy or a whole lot of things in between, but everything a social worker does benefits individuals."

She said complaints management was dealt with across the university sector by people from many different backgrounds.  "But social justice is the goal that guides me.  I can seek opinions from financial management, legal or equity experts but the end result must be that people on both sides must feel that they have been dealt with fairly."

Their social work colleague Kanau Sion trains social workers at the University of Papua New Guinea.  He also specialises in leadership and management and serves on several professional boards and committees in his native PNG.

Sion submitted his PhD at UWA last year and was supported by an Australian Leadership Awards Scholarship (ALAS). He was then successful in attaining a prestigious Australian Government Prime Minister's Pacific Award and under that scheme, Sion has spent three months with A/Professor Bailey.

"When Sion approached us about the leadership placement, I immediately thought of Gina," she said. "I had worked with her before and I knew that he would benefit from her experience and leadership.

"In PNG, the Chief Secretary is a social worker, as are many leaders, including politicians," Sion said. "PNG is very culturally challenging, with issues of child labour and domestic violence and many different indigenous peoples living together.  It poses a big challenge for social workers and we need to provide good leadership. I have learnt so much from Gina.

A/Professor Bailey said some social work students, particularly Masters students, want to develop knowledge and skills for change with the idea of working in big organisations. "Applying social work values and ethics provides guiding principles which are important for effective leadership," she said.

Most social work graduates (especially Masters graduates) from UWA are offered employment before they finish studying.

"It's because they have the knowledge, skills and values important for good governance, particularly in responding to people," she said.

Published in UWA News , April 2013