This article describes an action research project undertaken in Australia to confront Eurocentrism in our social work curricula. Our aims, action, and reflections are discussed. Further, we explore the legitimacy of non-indigenous teachers taking action to reconcile indigenous knowledges in curricula. The findings have relevance for international social work education.average (JCU, 2003). The North Queensland context is characterized by a higher ratio of indigenous people than the national average. Despite this fact, the numbers of indigenous students studying within our program are below population percentages of indigenous people. This context provided a clear rationale for the project.Our action research project, to "Indigenize the curriculum," attempted to redress issues captured by Rich (1986) in the above quote. The primary aim was to move further away from Western, Eurocentric approaches to teaching and learning in social work education, toward one where indigenous Australians are more visible. Further, we wanted to implement change for the long-term goal that our graduate body would reflect more accurately our regional indigenous demographic profile.We considered that it was our responsibility to work for change (Dominelli, 1989). For the purposes of the project described here, we use WHEN THOSE WHO HAVE POWER to name and to socially construct reality choose not to see you or hear you, whether you are darkskinned, old, disabled, female, or speak with a different accent or dialect than theirs, when someone with the authority of a teacher, say, describes the world and you are not in it, there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing. (Rich, 1986, p. 199) This article describes an action research project undertaken in Australia in 2001 by a small group of academic staff of the School of Social Work and Community Welfare at James Cook University (JCU), a regional university in North Queensland. A high proportion of JCU students are the first members of their families to enroll in a tertiary course. North Queensland experiences appreciably lower rates of participation in higher education than the national

The aim of this study is to understand how parents manage the risk of child sexual abuse, including prevention as well as early intervention and detection strategies. Using a social constructivist theoretical foundation and grounded theory methods, qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with Australian parents between 2006 and 2008. Based on the data, a balance theory was developed, which explains how parents attempt to balance the type of information given to children in order to protect their children from sexual abuse without scaring them as well as how parents manage sexual boundary crossing incidents experienced by their children in the context of complex social relationships. Implications for prevention programs as well as reporting of child sexual abuse are discussed.

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Attracting more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the social work profession is an important strategy in responding to Indigenous disadvantage. The literature suggests that the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, knowledge, and skills in social work is impeded by racism and white privilege. This article reports on a research project that aimed to explore the field education experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social work students. Interviews were conducted with 11 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and graduates and their narratives were analysed through a collaborative process. Findings reveal experiences of subtle and overt racism as every day features of their placements. The findings highlight the need to address racism, the value of cultural mentors, and the necessity to increase the employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander academic staff in social work education.

AcknowledgementWe would like to thank Professor Ross Bailie for undertaking an external review of the systematic review protocol and providing valuable feedback. This review was supported by a seed funding from Centre for Research Excellence in Integrated Quality Improvement (CRE- ResultsA search of social science electronic databases identified eight peer-reviewed studies, including six quantitative studies, one mixed methods study and one qualitative study. DiscussionThe review highlighted that many studies on this topic lack specific validating data but there is evidence that CQI models have some potential to improve processes for working with children and families by promoting implementation fidelity. 4Continuous quality improvement processes in child protection: A systematic literature review

Social workers face unique challenges in working with families, young people and children in rural and remote communities. Simultaneously, workers juggle dual relationships, personal boundaries and high visibility. Social work practise in rural Australia also faces high staff turnover, burnout and difficulties with recruitment, retention and available professional supervision. A lack of professional supervision has been identified as directly contributing to decreased worker retention in rural and remote areas. This paper reports on emerging themes from a qualitative research study on peer supervision in virtual teams in rural and remote Australia. Data collection consisted of pre- and post-trial individual interviews, monthly group supervision sessions, online evaluations and focus groups. A key conclusion from the study is that peer group supervision worked in supporting rural and remote workers to perform their everyday professional roles. The ease and access afforded by the use of simple technology was noteworthy. Whilst the research was conducted with social workers in rural and remote areas, the use of peer group supervision could be applicable for other professionals who work with families and communities in rural and remote Australia.

Aboriginal young people from rural areas in Australia are significantly over-represented in the youth justice system, and yet there is little evidence to indicate that current programs are having measurable success on rates of re-offending, suggesting alternative approaches are required. Drawing on new directions in human service policy that emphasise the importance of involving community in program design, this study reports the findings of a consultation with Aboriginal community members from one rural community to identify how the ecological validity of youth justice programs may be increased to be more responsive to local need. Eighteen Aboriginal community members from a town in Western New South Wales participated in semi-structured interviews, guided by a culturally informed research methodology. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify key themes that the community saw as important in program design, highlighting the need for consistent levels of support for local and community-driven solutions. Proposed conditions to enhance the ecological validity of programs are discussed.

International student exchange is pursued by Australian schools of social work as a strategy to engage with the internationalisation agenda set by government, universities, and the profession. However, little concrete information about the nature and scope of these activities exists. The study reported here aimed to address this gap. Twenty-seven of the 30 Australian universities that offer social work programs participated in an online survey about international student exchange activities. The results indicate that a majority of schools (n = 23) do engage in such activities, with international field placements the most frequent form of exchange. Exchanges are most likely to be facilitated and managed by social work staff. The findings, and their implications for the development of good practice in international student exchange, are discussed. This research provides a "point-in-time" snapshot of international exchange in Australian social work education and a benchmark for future analyses of this expanding practice in the profession.