Racial hierarchy and the global black experience of racism

This article aims to raise awareness on the life conditions of black people in Australia and beyond, and to renew public interest and discussion on how racial inferiority discourses, beliefs, and stereotypes about black people acquired and disseminated generations ago during colonialism together with institutional racism continue to limit their life opportunities and push them to the margins of the society. Therefore, this article explores racial hierarchy, white privilege and the socioeconomic challenges faced by black people. It does this by discussing how structures of inequality generated by the concept of race and its use in racialization continue to impact on the global black experience and condition. The article argues that racial inequality is perpetuated, especially, when racism codified in the institutions of everyday life is not acknowledged

Searching for a place to belong in a time of othering

Australia is a land of opportunity, where hard work can bring a better life. Most immigrants come to Australia to establish a new life and fulfil hopes and dreams for better life opportunities. Like many immigrants to Australia, I came to establish a new better life for myself and for family. In this paper, I share my challenges of being different, and of being black and the experiences of black Africans in Australia. The paper invites more conversations on finding ways forward to change the system that favours some and disadvantages others. It indicates the need to humanise the Other and make Australia a more inclusive and liveable multicultural environment

Coloniality of power and international students experience: what are the ethical responsibilities of social work and human service educators?

This article explores theoretical responses to the living structures of dominance and subordination within modern postcolonial societies, highlighting racialised international students’ experiences within Australian universities. Drawing on coloniality of power and border thinking, it seeks to address ethical responsibilities for social work and human service educators from the author’s positioning as a non-Western immigrant ‘Other’, and experience of belonging as an educator of future social work and human service practitioners in Australia. Utilising autoethnographic and qualitative study, the article offers great insight into the systemic nature of discrimination in Australian tertiary education institutions. It suggests a need for critical, self-reflexive awareness about the legacies of colonialism and hegemonic whiteness to permeate social work and human service profession and education. This article, thus, enables decolonising minds, securing informed understanding, and initiating a shift in the way non-white (and non-Western) racialised international social work students are seen, constructed, and understood in contemporary Australian (Western) societies

Anti-black racism and othering: an exploration of the livedexperience of black Africans who live in Australia

In this article, I discuss findings of a qualitative research conducted among thirty participants on their lived experiences with anti-black racism and Othering, highlighting the lived reality of being becoming and being positioned as a racialized subject. Building on critical race, post-colonial, everyday racism, and Foucauldian theories, I link my analysis of participants’ experiences to Australia’s history and the legacy of past racist policies and immigration practices, making the case of black African vulnerability, exclusion, marginalization, and disadvantage. The findings provide empirical lens and frameworks to understand black African immigration and experiences in Australia and contribute to growing scholarship on the diasporic black African experiences. By focusing on black Africans, the article shows how skin color, alongside race, combines to reveal how the participants’ experience broadens our understanding of black Africans incorporation, identification, and inclusion in White settler colonial and dominated societies. In order to better improve outcomes for black Africans and transform society, I argue for tackling systemic anti-black racism and Othering practices by pursuing policies and practices that promote racial equity and create a more just and socially inclusive multicultural society, where all benefit and feel a sense of belonging

COVID-19: challenges, opportunities, and the future of social work

Social workers have essential life-saving roles, possessing many important skills to help clients and community access services, and obligation to facilitate equality of outcomes. In this time marked by a pandemic, we are becoming more aware of the importance of futuring for social work. Social work’s response to the COVID-19 crisis is critical now and in the future. This article attempts to bring attention to ways social work as an idea, as a project, as an institution, and as a profession might respond and change due to what is happening (COVID-19 pandemic) and grow in dealing with future challenges. It makes contribution to social work’s response to COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. It suggests that the success of social work is very much dependent on social work educators, researchers and practitioners recognising the current challenges as opportunities, and responding in ways that advance social work profession’s theories, models, and practice framework

Vulnerability and Well-Being: International Students' Experience in North Queensland, Australia

In this article, we examined the impact of COVID-19 on international students’ experience and highlighted the importance of supporting this student group. We drew on findings from a mixed methods study in North Queensland, Australia. First, we discussed mental well-being and analysed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted individuals’ mental health and well-being. We linked our analysis to international students’ vulnerability and well-being, looking specifically at the impact of financial and emotional distress. The findings of our study provided knowledge regarding the challenges international students face in North Queensland. In order to better meet the needs of international students, we argue that higher education institutions must provide tailored programs and services, including nurturing, supportive, responsive, and needs-orientated environments, to address the challenges international students face, and the mental health needs posed by the pandemic and beyond

Implementing Inclusive Education In Early Childhood Settings: The Interplay and Impact of Exclusion, Teacher Qualities and Professional Development in Ghana

Inclusive education (IE) in the early years enhances young children’s learning, socialization, and development; yet, children with disability are one group that is often isolated, excluded, or marginalized in early childhood education. This paper examines jointly the perceived exclusion practices, teacher qualities, and professional development and the interplay and impact of these factors on effective inclusive early childhood education. Drawing on data collected from individual interviews with teachers and headteachers in a large early childhood and school setting in Ghana, findings of this qualitative study indicate the exclusion practices of teachers. The findings suggest that resistance to IE limits learning, engagement, and social opportunities for children, especially those with disability. The findings also identify that effective teacher qualities and professional development enhance the provision of quality inclusive early childhood education. The study reinforces the need for improved support for teachers and to make sure that they are placed at the center of IE policy and practice

WINGS to Fly: what can be learned from the evaluation of a programme for supporting children's social and emotional wellbeing and the resulting knowledge partnership?

This article describes the partnership between Pathways to Resilience Trust and human services and social work educators at Griffith University during the evaluation of the WINGS to Fly programme in Queensland, Australia. WINGS is a professional development programme to support educators in early years services to improve outcomes for children from birth to five years of age. Designed as a strengths-based approach, WINGS encourages educators to bring a curiosity to their practice, and to notice the impact of their interactions and communication on children developing social and emotional skills. The pilot was examined based on realist evaluation principles. The findings suggest the training and resources provided to educators acted as facilitating mechanisms that improved their skills and capacity to support children’s social and emotional learning and a greater sense of wellbeing. The learnings from this programme and the partnerships established laid the foundation for a more formalised knowledge partnership. This knowledge partnership extended to the development, implementation and evaluation of youth-oriented programmes based on the key concepts of the Neurosequential Model in Education to further explore what works and how service models in human services are evolving, and in turn, influence social work teaching and research activities

Health literacy environment of breast and cervical cancer among black African women globally: a systematic review protocol of mixed methods

Adequate health literacy is a necessity to enable effective decision making to seek, access and utilise appropriate health care service. Evidence exists indicating a low level of general health literacy among Black African women, especially those with a refugee background. Breast and cervical are the most common cancers, with Black African women or women with African ethnicity being disproportionately overrepresented. The level of health literacy specific to breast and cervical cancer among Black African women, especially those with a refugee background, has not been reviewed systematically. The present study describes a protocol for a systematic review of the available evidence on the level of health literacy specific to breast and cervical cancer among Black African women globally. We will perform a systematic review of the available quantitative and qualitative studies. The search will include studies that describe the level of health literacy specific to breast and cervical cancer among Black African women. We will conduct a preliminary search on Google scholar to build the concepts for search terms, and a full search strategy using the identified concepts and keywords across four databases namely PubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL and Web of Sciences. We will use Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) to schematically present the search strategy. We will use the standardized Joanna Briggs Institute quality appraisal and selection tool to recruit studies, and the data extraction tool to synthesise the information extracted from the recruited studies. We will be guided by socioecological theory and Indigenous epistemology to synthesise the non-quantifiable information thematically, and pool the quantitative information using meta-analysis, based on the availability of information

The modules of mental health programs implemented in schools in low- and middle-income countries: findings from a systematic literature review

Background: Secondary schools in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) provide health promotion, preventive, and early intervention services. Nevertheless, literature indicates that the modules of these services are either adapted or modified from existing mental health programs in developed countries. The literature also highlights the provision of non-comprehensive services (mental health promotion, prevention, and early intervention), in LMICs. These findings inform the need for undertaking this systematic literature review. The aim of this review was thus to identify the modules of school-based mental health programs (SBMHP) that have been implemented in LMICs to guide the development of a culturally sensitive comprehensive mental health program for adolescents in a LMIC country. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was used to guide this review. The following databases were searched in September 2018, to identify the relevant literature: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and ERIC. The search was conducted by the first author and reviewed by the authors. Results: Following the screening process, a total of 11 papers were identified and reviewed for quality. The systematic review highlighted that the mental health programs provided in schools included: an introduction module, a communication and relationship module, a psychoeducation module, a cognitive skills module, a behavioral skills module, establishing social networks for recovery and help seeking behavioral activities and a summary/conclusion module. Conclusion: This review sheds light on the characteristics of the programs in LMICs. Two programs were found to be universal in nature. Five programs were directed at key risk factors or at-risk groups, and four were early intervention programs. The review also revealed that only one program out of the 11 programs included modules for parents. The synthesis indicated that all the identified programs were adapted or modified from existing programs. The dearth of comprehensive programs in LMICs was also revealed. Lastly, the review revealed seven modules that can be useful for developing a SBMHP