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Item The influence of spirituality on social work teaching, practice, and public well-being : an Aotearoa New Zealand research project : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work at Massey University, Albany, Aotearoa New Zealand(Massey University, 2023) Muhammed Shafi, HairunnisaOver the past two decades, social work education has witnessed positive attitudes from teachers and practitioners towards including spirituality in social work education and practice. Several studies highlighted that spirituality increased the coping of individuals suffering from mental health issues, which expanded the scope of integrating spirituality into the social work profession. Social work teachers’ and practitioners’ spirituality guides their practice behaviours related to the inclusion of spiritual components into social work education programmes and social work practice. However, few qualitative studies have investigated the influence of spirituality on teaching and practice internationally and in Aotearoa New Zealand. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the influence of spirituality on social work teachers, practitioners, and the public and determine how this can be utilised in social work education and practice. This study had five objectives. The first objective was to explore social work teachers’, practitioners’ and the public’s understanding of spirituality. As social work teachers are accountable for teaching their students how to address clients’ diverse religious and spiritual beliefs, addressing students’ beliefs and consequent actions is a significant teaching task and an important requirement for social work teachers and practitioners to achieve cultural competence. Thus, both social work teachers and practitioners need to examine their own beliefs and how these beliefs influence the way they address spirituality in either social work teaching or social work practice. Therefore, the second and third objectives of the study focused on exploring social work teachers’ and practitioners’ experiences and perceptions of the influence of spirituality on social work teachings and practice. As there are relatively few studies around spirituality and social work regarding clients’ perceptions, the fourth objective was to explore the public perspective of the influence of spirituality in their lives and their views about incorporating it into social work practice. The final objective of this study was to develop a conceptual framework that addresses spirituality in social work education and practice in a way that respects diverse spiritual views. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten social work teachers, six social work practitioners and nine members of the public and the data were analysed using grounded theory methods. Findings indicated that social work teachers, practitioners, and members of the public constructed meaning and purpose in unique ways, and their experiences of spirituality also vary. The experience of spirituality for social work teachers and practitioners included awareness of having a personal relationship with God, nature, social work, and family. Public participants showed religious and spiritual pluralism and diverse beliefs about the meaning and purpose of their lives, including self-improvement, listening to people, being creative and holding aspirations. This study suggests that a critical examination of the spiritual beliefs of social work teachers and practitioners is essential to include spirituality in teaching and practice effectively. A conceptual framework for addressing spirituality in social work education and practice was developed considering findings obtained from social work teachers, practitioners, and members of the public.Item Young people facing housing deprivation in Palmerston North: a crisis?(Massey University, 2015-11) Douglas, Olivia; Viles, AmyIf you are a young person tonight, or any other night, living in Palmerston North, you will need to hope that you have somewhere to sleep, as currently the city provides no safe and secure emergency housing for young people. If, for a range of reasons, a young person is not able to, or chooses not to stay with their immediate or extended family, the social services in the city are forced to ask that young person to consider sleeping on friends’ couches or to seek other equally inadequate housing options in the absence of a service that could meet their housing needs.[From Executive Summary]Item Happy birthday-- goodbye! : a study into the readiness and preparedness for independent living of foster care adolescents facing automatic discharge from the custody of the state upon reaching the age of seventeen years : a research project presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement of a Master of Social Work, Turitea Campus, Massey University, Palmerston North, Aotearoa/New Zealand(Massey University, 2000) Ward, TrishUnder the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act, 1989, a young person becomes an adult at seventeen. Young people in the statutory custody of the Chief Executive of Child, Youth and Family are automatically discharged on their seventeenth birthday. The implications of mandatory discharge of custody at seventeen are unresearched in this country. Extensive studies overseas show that foster care adolescents tend to be unprepared for independent living, and that their transition to adult living most often requires, but does not receive, a major input of funding, services and support. This study examines the nature, experiences and needs of adolescents encountering mandatory discharge in Aotearoa!New Zealand. It develops the understanding, through a theoretical framework which includes attachment, identity and ecological theories, that what happens before and throughout time in care affects individual readiness for discharge; and that preparation for discharge, coupled with a young person's unique ability to respond to preparation, affects the ability to manage independently after care. Analysing perceptions of the 'child as a cost', the study considers the economic and political environment in which discharge from care is effected in this country. The study reveals a system of care that provides accommodation for, and, at times, treats the adolescent, but which generally places insufficient priority on preparation for discharge and independent living after care. The study challenges the appropriateness of a chronologically determined definition of adulthood in the light of a population of young people who have major life skill deficiencies, who are sorely in need of ongoing intervention to enhance and increase social competence, and who, rather than 'achieving' independence, simply 'age out' of care, their dependency needs transferring to other social agencies. The thesis concludes with recommendations for policy, social work, and further research.Item An analysis of the skills and knowledge base for needs assessment and service coordination : a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2002) Foster, SusanThis research analysed the skills and knowledge base of the Needs Assessor and Service Coordinator (NASC), a new role created by the Health and Disability Act (1993). The purpose of this role as stated in the Act was to try to ensure that the services offered to the disability community were not only sensitive to their needs, but also appropriate and of acceptable quality (Ministry of Health, 1993). -In the seven years that this role has been in existence, much work has been done by both the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs) and its successor the Health Funding Authority (HF A) in defining acceptable standards for service delivery, (Ministry of Health, 1994) however little research has been carried out to determine what the skill base should consist of to meet those standards. Each region delivers this service differently, and there appears to be enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that there is a wide variation in the standard of service delivered to consumers. The issue of training has largely been met by internal means, rather than through a national qualification. Two focus group meetings were conducted with NASC workers and in-depth interviews were held with six consumers in the 16 to 64 age group. One group of workers provided a service to older people, (over 65 years) and the other group provided a service primarily to the adult population, but did include two assessors who worked with older people (16 to 64, and 65+ ). The questions asked in the workers' groups were to determine what skills they identified as being important to their role, whether their prior training was sufficient for the role, and what training they considered they needed for the role. From the consumers' interviews I asked for their perceptions as to the necessary skills for providing a needs assessment and for coordinating services, and compared the differences between the groups. The data was analysed under five headings, allowing for elucidation of the key findings. These headings were: assessment skills, service coordination skills, concepts of need, user participation, and professional knowledge base. The data showed that assessments by health professionals, (who make up the majority of those employed as NASCs), are client-centred and inclusive, and indicated that the concept of partnership building was understood. However, the data also showed that the more sophisticated skills of conflict management, negotiation with providers and coaching were emerging as the role continued to evolve and develop. It also showed that knowledge based around disability issues was emerging across disciplines. The final discussion considered the role of training in light of these findings.Item The restructuring of the Department of Social Welfare and implications for social work practice, 1986-1988 : a dissertation presented in partial fulfillment for the requirements of a Doctorate in Philosophy at Massey University(Massey University, 1990) Barretta-Herman, AngelineThis exploratory study analysed changes in the practice of social work in the Department of Social Welfare which occurred as a consequence of the Department's restructuring in 1986. This restructuring introduced major changes in management, service delivery, and the provision of culturally appropriate social services. It was proposed that changes in the practice of social work were related to wider economic, political and social debates regarding the viability and effectiveness of New Zealand's social services. These debates were interpreted as indicating a significant shift from policies derived from a welfare state model of provision to a welfare society model of social service delivery. A multi-leveled analytical framework was used to examine issues of policy, organization and professional practice. Three qualitative techniques were used to generate the data reported in the dissertation: documents published during the period 1969 - 1988; a structured interview schedule completed with both managers and social workers; and, finally, participant observation in two District Offices of the Department. Findings from this exploratory study provided general support for the shift in policy from a state funded, centrally directed model of service provision, to a pluralistic model that altered the role of the state and was intended to increase the involvement of community - based voluntary services. Within this shift, it was shown that during the 1986 - 1988 period, the Department's role became increasingly concerned with funding, monitoring and evaluating services. Biculturalism and the needs of Maori were shown to be critical factors in these shifts. The practice of social work within the Department of Social Welfare also became more limited and more specialised and its professional identity was altered by the changed organizational emphasis and the requirements of the Department. Several avenues for further research were delineated. Prospects for the future practice of social work sketched in the context of ongoing change within the Department were identified.Item Justice in action? : social work and social justice in the 21st century : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work at Massey University, Manawatu, Aotearoa/New Zealand(Massey University, 2011) Ross, Amy KayeMost social workers today learn about and adhere to international and national commitments which specify social justice as an integral part of social work ethics and values. This research focuses on how eight Aotearoa/New Zealand recent social work graduates (2000-2010) understand social justice and how they integrate it into their social work practice. The study explores whether barriers exist in implementing social justice into social work practice on both a personal and structural level, and if so, what they are. The study is qualitative, utilising a critical ethnographic methodology and a critical theoretical framework. Data collected through the use of focus groups and in-depth interviews is examined with a thematic analytical approach. Analysis identified seven themes which showed that social justice was primarily understood as being able to work for change on a structural level. The themes also highlighted the existence of a number of barriers to the integration of social justice into practice. These barriers were in two key areas, the workplace and the organisation of social work. All participants were in strong agreement regarding these barriers. These findings strongly support previous literature and research which identify a disjuncture for social workers between the definition and practice of social work in a number of areas, particularly in an environment dominated by neoliberal ideology. The concord between participants in this study and the similarity of the findings to data within earlier research suggests that the social work community is facing an ongoing and serious difficulty in ensuring social work is able to fulfil its ethical commitments and protect its workers as they work for social justice. Based on this research five recommendations are made to develop and support the social work community.Item "In our house we're not terribly sexual" : exploring the barriers to supporting intellectually disabled people in the area of sexuality and intimacy : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2008) Hamilton, Carol AnneHow support workers enable, regulate or constrain the sexual expression of intellectually disabled people who live in service agency group homes is the subject of this thesis. A general literature search of what intellectually disabled people currently experience in their lives, including their experiences in the area of sexuality and intimacy, begins this investigation. Secondly, an extensive literature review of the support role, incorporating an appraisal of past and current issues related to the support position in general and to the area of sexuality support in particular, was completed. What intellectually disabled people themselves would like in relation to sexuality and intimacy support was included in this section. Thirdly, a review of research studies focussing on the operation of the support position within service agency systems was undertaken. These explorations revealed a high degree of reluctance on the part of workers to provide assistance in the sexuality area, despite a proven necessity for support to be made available to the intellectually disabled people they worked with. Review research studies suggested a variety of causal factors in explanation of this reluctance. These suggestions link to two meta-reason positions. Failure to prove support either stemmed from individual worker’s inactions due to ignorance and/or incompetence, or from wider systemic failures on the part of agency services to positively value and support this key service role in this area. However, little if any analysis of the possible influence of the broader social, emotional and cultural contexts, in which the concepts ‘sexuality’ and ‘(intellectual) disability’ are located, could be found in the studies reviewed. Eleven in-depth interviews were conducted with front-line support workers about their sexuality support practice. Preliminary readings of the interview texts revealed a similar reluctance on the part of the workers concerned to assist those they worked with in this area. Interview texts were then subjected to a post-modernist inspired, interpretive discursive analysis. This analysis uncovered and tracked how key power/knowledge effects inherent in the terms ‘(intellectual) disability’, ‘sexuality’, ‘gender’ and ‘desire’ inhering in the concept of an ‘ideal (sexual) couple’ interweave to shape the ‘no support necessary’ practice responses held in worker’s interview talk. From this exploration it is suggested that research studies of workers’ practices as an aspect of the promotion of change in support outcomes in the sexuality support area need to go beyond the parameters of recommendations that stem from considerations of either individual or systemic limitation alone. It remains a convincing point to suggest that poorly performing workers need retraining in this area and the overall value of the support role within service organizations needs reshaping. However, future research recommendations also need to engage more directly and effectively with the effects of the wider social and emotional “ideal (sexual) couple” ambiguities that also influence worker’s lack of assistance in this complex and sensitive support area. The use of a post-modern perspective as a helpful conceptual tool in unpacking the power these ambiguities hold within the support position is offered as a productive way forward for future research and practice development.Item Exiting the matrix : colonisation, decolonisation and social work in Aotearoa : voices of Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga kaimahi whānau : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Philosophy in Social Work at Massey University, Palmerston North, Aotearoa(Massey University, 2006) Bell, Hayley SusanThis thesis examines the potential use of a facilitated process of decolonisation, or whakawātea, amongst whānau whakapapa in Aotearoa. Ten kaimahi whānau of Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, who have worked for many years in government, community, Māori and iwi social service agencies have shared their experiences of colonisation, racism, social work and decolonisation. Using a "from Māori, by Māori, with Māori, for Māori" research approach, their voices have been woven with the voices of other Māori and indigenous writers, to consider how a facilitated process of decolonisation, or whakawātea, could be used to assist whānau whakapapa to develop their own systems of support, based on the traditions, values, skills and beliefs of their tūpuna. Despite the positive development and wellbeing currently enjoyed by many whānau whakapapa, this study has developed in response to the disconnection from te ao Māori observed amongst many whānau whakapapa interacting with social service agencies. Colonisation has created loss of wairuatanga, kotahitanga and manaakitanga amongst many of these whānau whakapapa, and affected their ability to lead their own positive development and wellbeing. This study promotes a facilitated process of decolonisation, or whakawātea, as a means of reclaiming those values and strengthening whānaungatanga amongst whānau whakapapa. The process envisaged would enable whānau whakapapa to learn about the history of Aotearoa; hear the stories of their tūpuna; uncover their own truths, and exit the "Matrix" created by colonisation The Matrix, from the popular movie trilogy, is used in this study, as an analogy, and compares the computerised Matrix programme created by machines in the movies, with the "programme" created by the coloniser in Aotearoa. Within this programme, the traditions, values, skills and beliefs of the coloniser, dominate the traditions, values, skills and beliefs of tūpuna. This study argues that only through finding ways for all whānau whakapapa to exit the Matrix, will rangatiratanga be restored in Aotearoa.