Brian Cheers
Biographic Data
| ID | 1246135 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Brian Cheers |
| GIVEN NAMES | Brian |
| FAMILY NAME | Cheers |
| SIGNATURE | CHEERS B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of South Australia |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 84 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1975 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Boundary crossers, communities, and health
Is social capital good for everyone? The case of same-sex attracted women in rural South Australian communities
Social capital is attracting increasing attention, particularly as a means of improving health status. However, much of the work on social capital employs Putnam’s (1995) formulation of the concept. This view suggests social capital produces generalised benefits, thus presenting an anomaly between the higher stocks of social capital in Australian rural communities relative to urban areas, and their poorer health status. This paper presents data o…
Family violence
English A study in an Australian Aboriginal community identified a new way of knowing family violence, locating it in the historical context of colonization, oppression, dispossession, disempowerment, dislocation and poverty. A community development approach to addressing family violence was developed based on this understanding and the strengths of the community. French Cette étude menée au sein d'une communautéaborigè ne d'Australie détermine u…
Is it consumer or community participation? Examining the links between 'community' and 'participation
In writing about community participation in health, the term ‘community’ is used loosely and ambiguously. On analysis, it appears that there is a conceptual shift in health policy to thinking about involvement of consumers in health planning and programs rather than communities. This shift is consistent with a managerialist approach to planning health service delivery. Participative processes are perceived as being initiated and directed by healt…
Domains of Rural Social Work Practice
Even though there is substantial agreement about the nature of rural contexts, practice principles, and factors influencing practice we still do not have a framework for organising this knowledge in a way that can directly inform the practitioner in their day-to-day work. In this paper, we introduce the concepts ‘practice domains’, ‘domain location’, and ‘domain alignment’ that, taken together, provide such a framework. We suggest that each pract…
Retaining Rural Social Workers
Problematic staff turnover of social workers and other human service professionals has plagued rural communities, employers, employees and their families, and led to significant financial and human costs. This paper reports the findings of a two year longitudinal study of 194 Australian rural social workers and the high staff turnover they experienced during 1994-1997. Regression analyses of survey data revealed that employer-related factors were…
Supporting community solutions to family violence
Competing discourses have always figured prominently in policy debates about violence against women and children. Legislation and services to address it have largely been developed from theory and empirical knowledge of domestic violence occurring in intimate relationships. Knowledge from an Indigenous perspective about family violence, embedded in a context of colonisation and involving a broader range of relationships, has been less influential…
Social change and social capital in Australia
Profound social changes associated with globalization, economic rationalism and pluralism have sparked concern with social cohesiveness, integration and national identity in contemporary Australia. ‘Social capital’ is frequently invoked as the phenomenon that can restore cohesiveness and integration. However, this reading of social capital is heavily dependent on Putnam’s formulation of the concept and overlooks the earlier work of Bourdieu and C…
Globalisation and Local NGOs
The globalisation process has brought about the convergence of economic and political decision-making around the twin themes of neo-classical economic doctrine and neoliberal political ideology. Contemporary social service delivery to people in poverty occurs within this context. Non-government Organisations (NGOs) concerned with poverty alleviation cannot ignore how the pursuit of this agenda creates poverty or the international context within w…
The problem of justification in social work
In this paper we argue that the real test of professional social work practice is whether it can be plausibly, effectively and defensibly justified. Since the early 1950s social work in Australia has engaged in a strategy of professionalisation. This strategy and its implications were described by McDonald and Jones in 2000. This paper supports the concerns expressed. We argue that the way out of our profession's dilemma is by focusing on the pro…
Morals, Ethics and practice — in search of social justice
This paper reports a study of sources of influence on moral and ethical decision-making in social work practice. Practitioners from ten government and five non government agencies kept journals about the main moral issues they faced over a one-month period and were then interviewed about the nature of those issues, their resolution and the influences that shaped those resolutions. Practitioners' personal moral perspectives were found to be the ma…
Rural social workers and their jobs
Results are reported from a national survey of 194 social workers commencing rural positions in Australia in 1994 and 1995. This paper focuses on: practitioner, position and community characteristics; which location the practitioners came from; their professional, rural practice and rural living experience; preparation for the positions by employers and educators; satisfaction with rural work and life; and anticipated length of stay. Results chal…
Reader's comment
The main theme of this rejoinder is that although we are clearly still in relatively early stages of knowledge development, we have accumulated some good ideas, some documented practice experience, some agreement about some fundamental principles, and a little knowledge about rural welfare in Australia. Munn has done us a service in identifying and opening debate about some of the central dilemmas, confusions and knowledge gaps which were inevita…
Paradise Lost
Additional informationNotes on contributorsRichard HilBrian Cheers is Director of the Welfare Research and Studles Centre within the Department of Social Work and Community Welfare at James Cook University of North Queensland. Roseanna Bone and Richard HII are Associate Researchers at the Centre. All are staff of the Department
Roads and People
Notifying the Abuse of Country Children
Additional informationNotes on contributorsCaroline ManningCaroline Manning is a Social Worker with the Department of Social Security, Rockhampton
Some Thoughts on Multiskilled Rural Welfare Practitioners
Additional informationNotes on contributorsBrian CheersBrian Cheers is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at James Cook University in Cairns. Brian has done extensive research in rural and remote practice
Rural Social Work and Social Welfare in the Australian Context
Published literature on Australian rural social work and social welfare has recently started to become available. For the most part, this has concerned specific issues, target groups, communities and regions. The present paper addresses four broader questions. How does Australian society influence rural life? What are some of the important parameters of rural Australia? What challenges does rural Australia issue to practice, policy and services? …
Problems of Families in Remote Towns
This paper presents the problems associated with living in small remote towns in Far North Queensland identified by residents of five towns. Information was collected during an exploratory study conducted to guide a more comprehensive and systematic investigation of remote-area residents' supports. The larger study is now completed and a report is being compiled. This information is presented here because it has some important implications for so…
Rural Disadvantage in Australia
The current surge of interest in Australian rural social work could subside for the want of relevant literature which is readily accessible to practitioners, students and teachers. This paper has been written primarily to provide a critical overview of literature bearing on rural and remote area disadvantage in Australia. Rural disadvantage is described according to (a) well-being (general indices, income, prices, poverty, unemployment, health an…
The Social Support Network Map as an Educational Tool
This paper presents the Social Support Network Map as an instrument for obtaining, structuring and feeding-back information on informal and/or formal components of a subject's support network. Its uses, strengths and limitations for social work education are discussed and some comment is made on its place in practice and research. It is argued to be more useful for education and practice than other more refined support network data-collection ins…
Aspects of Interaction in Remote Communities
Data is presented from 33 in-depth interviews with residents and practitioners, on social structure and interaction in small, remote agricultural, mining and railway towns in North Queensland. Implications are drawn for welfare service planning and delivery in remote areas
Six Approaches to Group Work
Over recent years social group work literature has moved toward a degree of specificity not found in the earlier writing of, for example, Konopka.1 As a result, several formulations of the aims and methods of group work are beginning to emerge. The first purpose of this paper is to present and contrast these formulations. My thesis is that there is no one all-encompassing correct way of “doing” group work. The broad methodology which a practition…
Family violence
English A study in an Australian Aboriginal community identified a new way of knowing family violence, locating it in the historical context of colonization, oppression, dispossession, disempowerment, dislocation and poverty. A community development approach to addressing family violence was developed based on this understanding and the strengths of the community. French Cette étude menée au sein d'une communautéaborigè ne d'Australie détermine u…
Rural Disadvantage in Australia
The current surge of interest in Australian rural social work could subside for the want of relevant literature which is readily accessible to practitioners, students and teachers. This paper has been written primarily to provide a critical overview of literature bearing on rural and remote area disadvantage in Australia. Rural disadvantage is described according to (a) well-being (general indices, income, prices, poverty, unemployment, health an…
Boundary crossers, communities, and health
Rural Social Work and Social Welfare in the Australian Context
Published literature on Australian rural social work and social welfare has recently started to become available. For the most part, this has concerned specific issues, target groups, communities and regions. The present paper addresses four broader questions. How does Australian society influence rural life? What are some of the important parameters of rural Australia? What challenges does rural Australia issue to practice, policy and services? …
Supporting community solutions to family violence
Competing discourses have always figured prominently in policy debates about violence against women and children. Legislation and services to address it have largely been developed from theory and empirical knowledge of domestic violence occurring in intimate relationships. Knowledge from an Indigenous perspective about family violence, embedded in a context of colonisation and involving a broader range of relationships, has been less influential…
Rural social workers and their jobs
Results are reported from a national survey of 194 social workers commencing rural positions in Australia in 1994 and 1995. This paper focuses on: practitioner, position and community characteristics; which location the practitioners came from; their professional, rural practice and rural living experience; preparation for the positions by employers and educators; satisfaction with rural work and life; and anticipated length of stay. Results chal…
Retaining Rural Social Workers
Problematic staff turnover of social workers and other human service professionals has plagued rural communities, employers, employees and their families, and led to significant financial and human costs. This paper reports the findings of a two year longitudinal study of 194 Australian rural social workers and the high staff turnover they experienced during 1994-1997. Regression analyses of survey data revealed that employer-related factors were…
Is it consumer or community participation? Examining the links between 'community' and 'participation
In writing about community participation in health, the term ‘community’ is used loosely and ambiguously. On analysis, it appears that there is a conceptual shift in health policy to thinking about involvement of consumers in health planning and programs rather than communities. This shift is consistent with a managerialist approach to planning health service delivery. Participative processes are perceived as being initiated and directed by healt…
The Social Support Network Map as an Educational Tool
This paper presents the Social Support Network Map as an instrument for obtaining, structuring and feeding-back information on informal and/or formal components of a subject's support network. Its uses, strengths and limitations for social work education are discussed and some comment is made on its place in practice and research. It is argued to be more useful for education and practice than other more refined support network data-collection ins…
Aspects of Interaction in Remote Communities
Data is presented from 33 in-depth interviews with residents and practitioners, on social structure and interaction in small, remote agricultural, mining and railway towns in North Queensland. Implications are drawn for welfare service planning and delivery in remote areas
Domains of Rural Social Work Practice
Even though there is substantial agreement about the nature of rural contexts, practice principles, and factors influencing practice we still do not have a framework for organising this knowledge in a way that can directly inform the practitioner in their day-to-day work. In this paper, we introduce the concepts ‘practice domains’, ‘domain location’, and ‘domain alignment’ that, taken together, provide such a framework. We suggest that each pract…
The problem of justification in social work
In this paper we argue that the real test of professional social work practice is whether it can be plausibly, effectively and defensibly justified. Since the early 1950s social work in Australia has engaged in a strategy of professionalisation. This strategy and its implications were described by McDonald and Jones in 2000. This paper supports the concerns expressed. We argue that the way out of our profession's dilemma is by focusing on the pro…
Reader's comment
The main theme of this rejoinder is that although we are clearly still in relatively early stages of knowledge development, we have accumulated some good ideas, some documented practice experience, some agreement about some fundamental principles, and a little knowledge about rural welfare in Australia. Munn has done us a service in identifying and opening debate about some of the central dilemmas, confusions and knowledge gaps which were inevita…
Roads and People
Notifying the Abuse of Country Children
Additional informationNotes on contributorsCaroline ManningCaroline Manning is a Social Worker with the Department of Social Security, Rockhampton
Problems of Families in Remote Towns
This paper presents the problems associated with living in small remote towns in Far North Queensland identified by residents of five towns. Information was collected during an exploratory study conducted to guide a more comprehensive and systematic investigation of remote-area residents' supports. The larger study is now completed and a report is being compiled. This information is presented here because it has some important implications for so…
Six Approaches to Group Work
Over recent years social group work literature has moved toward a degree of specificity not found in the earlier writing of, for example, Konopka.1 As a result, several formulations of the aims and methods of group work are beginning to emerge. The first purpose of this paper is to present and contrast these formulations. My thesis is that there is no one all-encompassing correct way of “doing” group work. The broad methodology which a practition…
Six Approaches to Group Work
Over recent years social group work literature has moved toward a degree of specificity not found in the earlier writing of, for example, Konopka.1 As a result, several formulations of the aims and methods of group work are beginning to emerge. The first purpose of this paper is to present and contrast these formulations. My thesis is that there is no one all-encompassing correct way of “doing” group work. The broad methodology which a practition…
Aspects of Interaction in Remote Communities
Data is presented from 33 in-depth interviews with residents and practitioners, on social structure and interaction in small, remote agricultural, mining and railway towns in North Queensland. Implications are drawn for welfare service planning and delivery in remote areas
The Social Support Network Map as an Educational Tool
This paper presents the Social Support Network Map as an instrument for obtaining, structuring and feeding-back information on informal and/or formal components of a subject's support network. Its uses, strengths and limitations for social work education are discussed and some comment is made on its place in practice and research. It is argued to be more useful for education and practice than other more refined support network data-collection ins…
Rural Disadvantage in Australia
The current surge of interest in Australian rural social work could subside for the want of relevant literature which is readily accessible to practitioners, students and teachers. This paper has been written primarily to provide a critical overview of literature bearing on rural and remote area disadvantage in Australia. Rural disadvantage is described according to (a) well-being (general indices, income, prices, poverty, unemployment, health an…
Problems of Families in Remote Towns
This paper presents the problems associated with living in small remote towns in Far North Queensland identified by residents of five towns. Information was collected during an exploratory study conducted to guide a more comprehensive and systematic investigation of remote-area residents' supports. The larger study is now completed and a report is being compiled. This information is presented here because it has some important implications for so…
Some Thoughts on Multiskilled Rural Welfare Practitioners
Additional informationNotes on contributorsBrian CheersBrian Cheers is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at James Cook University in Cairns. Brian has done extensive research in rural and remote practice
Rural Social Work and Social Welfare in the Australian Context
Published literature on Australian rural social work and social welfare has recently started to become available. For the most part, this has concerned specific issues, target groups, communities and regions. The present paper addresses four broader questions. How does Australian society influence rural life? What are some of the important parameters of rural Australia? What challenges does rural Australia issue to practice, policy and services? …
Paradise Lost
Additional informationNotes on contributorsRichard HilBrian Cheers is Director of the Welfare Research and Studles Centre within the Department of Social Work and Community Welfare at James Cook University of North Queensland. Roseanna Bone and Richard HII are Associate Researchers at the Centre. All are staff of the Department
Roads and People
Notifying the Abuse of Country Children
Additional informationNotes on contributorsCaroline ManningCaroline Manning is a Social Worker with the Department of Social Security, Rockhampton
Reader's comment
The main theme of this rejoinder is that although we are clearly still in relatively early stages of knowledge development, we have accumulated some good ideas, some documented practice experience, some agreement about some fundamental principles, and a little knowledge about rural welfare in Australia. Munn has done us a service in identifying and opening debate about some of the central dilemmas, confusions and knowledge gaps which were inevita…
Rural social workers and their jobs
Results are reported from a national survey of 194 social workers commencing rural positions in Australia in 1994 and 1995. This paper focuses on: practitioner, position and community characteristics; which location the practitioners came from; their professional, rural practice and rural living experience; preparation for the positions by employers and educators; satisfaction with rural work and life; and anticipated length of stay. Results chal…
Morals, Ethics and practice — in search of social justice
This paper reports a study of sources of influence on moral and ethical decision-making in social work practice. Practitioners from ten government and five non government agencies kept journals about the main moral issues they faced over a one-month period and were then interviewed about the nature of those issues, their resolution and the influences that shaped those resolutions. Practitioners' personal moral perspectives were found to be the ma…
Globalisation and Local NGOs
The globalisation process has brought about the convergence of economic and political decision-making around the twin themes of neo-classical economic doctrine and neoliberal political ideology. Contemporary social service delivery to people in poverty occurs within this context. Non-government Organisations (NGOs) concerned with poverty alleviation cannot ignore how the pursuit of this agenda creates poverty or the international context within w…
The problem of justification in social work
In this paper we argue that the real test of professional social work practice is whether it can be plausibly, effectively and defensibly justified. Since the early 1950s social work in Australia has engaged in a strategy of professionalisation. This strategy and its implications were described by McDonald and Jones in 2000. This paper supports the concerns expressed. We argue that the way out of our profession's dilemma is by focusing on the pro…
Social change and social capital in Australia
Profound social changes associated with globalization, economic rationalism and pluralism have sparked concern with social cohesiveness, integration and national identity in contemporary Australia. ‘Social capital’ is frequently invoked as the phenomenon that can restore cohesiveness and integration. However, this reading of social capital is heavily dependent on Putnam’s formulation of the concept and overlooks the earlier work of Bourdieu and C…
Retaining Rural Social Workers
Problematic staff turnover of social workers and other human service professionals has plagued rural communities, employers, employees and their families, and led to significant financial and human costs. This paper reports the findings of a two year longitudinal study of 194 Australian rural social workers and the high staff turnover they experienced during 1994-1997. Regression analyses of survey data revealed that employer-related factors were…
Supporting community solutions to family violence
Competing discourses have always figured prominently in policy debates about violence against women and children. Legislation and services to address it have largely been developed from theory and empirical knowledge of domestic violence occurring in intimate relationships. Knowledge from an Indigenous perspective about family violence, embedded in a context of colonisation and involving a broader range of relationships, has been less influential…
Domains of Rural Social Work Practice
Even though there is substantial agreement about the nature of rural contexts, practice principles, and factors influencing practice we still do not have a framework for organising this knowledge in a way that can directly inform the practitioner in their day-to-day work. In this paper, we introduce the concepts ‘practice domains’, ‘domain location’, and ‘domain alignment’ that, taken together, provide such a framework. We suggest that each pract…
Family violence
English A study in an Australian Aboriginal community identified a new way of knowing family violence, locating it in the historical context of colonization, oppression, dispossession, disempowerment, dislocation and poverty. A community development approach to addressing family violence was developed based on this understanding and the strengths of the community. French Cette étude menée au sein d'une communautéaborigè ne d'Australie détermine u…
Is it consumer or community participation? Examining the links between 'community' and 'participation
In writing about community participation in health, the term ‘community’ is used loosely and ambiguously. On analysis, it appears that there is a conceptual shift in health policy to thinking about involvement of consumers in health planning and programs rather than communities. This shift is consistent with a managerialist approach to planning health service delivery. Participative processes are perceived as being initiated and directed by healt…
Is social capital good for everyone? The case of same-sex attracted women in rural South Australian communities
Social capital is attracting increasing attention, particularly as a means of improving health status. However, much of the work on social capital employs Putnam’s (1995) formulation of the concept. This view suggests social capital produces generalised benefits, thus presenting an anomaly between the higher stocks of social capital in Australian rural communities relative to urban areas, and their poorer health status. This paper presents data o…
Boundary crossers, communities, and health
Political science (22 works) · Sociology (21 works) · Law (11 works) · Social Work (11 works) · Social Work Education and Practice (11 works) · Economic growth (10 works) · Economics (10 works) · Law (10 works) · Social science (10 works) · Work (physics (10 works)