IASSW	  Grants	  for	  Projects	  in	  Social	  Work	  Education	  	  	  Final ReportJanuary 2014	  Project	  Title:	  Rights Practice in the Biosphere: Testing a model of social work practice across diverse international
contexts.
Chief Investigator: Sue Bailey University of Western Australia
Co-Investigator: Ernest Chui University of Hong Kong
Co-Investigator: Nada Eltaiba Qatar University

Executive	  Summary:	  This project introduced a new model, “Rights Practice in the Biosphere”, for social work education andpractice to social work academics in three diverse international contexts. The model expands commonunderstandings of ecological social work to include the physical environment. Fifteen social work academics
from Universities in Australia, Hong Kong and Qatar were interviewed about the usefulness/relevance of themodel for their own teaching and practice. Key findings that emerged from the research include: a universal
recognition of the connection between human well-being and the health of the biosphere; mixed responses
on the question of social work’s responsibility for the health of the biosphere; and some uncertainty about
how the biosphere can be integrated into their current teaching. Whilst the model was identified as animportant first step in developing teaching and learning materials that will facilitate engagement with thebiosphere as context, there was a hunger for examples of curricula and practice case studies that
demonstrate how this could occur. This project also facilitated an international collaboration of three social
work academics who continue to work together in order to support social workers to live and work in waysthat actively contribute to the health of the biosphere.

1.0	  	  Rationale	  and	  purpose	  of	  the	  project:	  1. Introduce and pilot a model of social work practice “Rights Practice in the Biosphere” to social work
academics in three postcolonial contexts.
2. Ascertain in what ways the model can provide social workers with a framework to identify what
contextual factors are important and present to enable social workers to respond to environmentalconcerns.
3. Lay the groundwork for continued international education and practice collaboration between social
workers in Hong Kong, Qatar and Western Australia.

2.0	  Description	  of	  the	  process	  of	  implementation:	  The process of implementation of this project is connected to the processes required in order to conduct
research across three countries.

2.1	  Project	  Administration:	  	  The establishment of the project included;§

Establishing administrative processes to facilitate the payment of research staff and ongoing grantmanagement. This was a complicated process as there are extra processes required for international
collaborations and distributing income to research partners.

§

Setting up a Dropbox Shared Folder to store documents for all to access§

Communication occurred via email in the first instance and then Skype was used once technologicalrequirements were met.	  

1	  IASSW	  Grants	  for	  Projects	  in	  Social	  Work	  Education	  2.2	  Establishment	  of	  project	  	  Preparing the required documentation for the research process. This included;§•

Locating research assistants in three contexts•

Designing and preparing the information sheet, consent forms, call for participants and interview
guide

•

Applying for ethics approval from the University of Western Australia and ensuring that the ethics
processes for all Universities were met.

2.3	  Lessons	  learned	  •The importance of thinking about the extra processes required for international collaborations. In
particular the complexity of administering a project across three Universities (all giant bureaucracies
with different ways of doing things). 	  

•To ensure that the University requirement for Infrastructure costs are incorporated into grantapplications in the future.

3.0	  Project	  Implementation:	  Once the administrative processes were completed the research processes were begun.

3.1	  Recruitment	  It was decided early on in the project that social work academics who are currently working in Universities inall three countries would be recruited. There were a number of reasons behind this decision and these aredetailed below. It is also important to emphasise that this process meant that academics already interested
in the health of the Biosphere were interviewed.
3.1.1 Costs
The first was related to keeping costs of the project down. The need for translation of the researchdocuments was negated by the fact that the participants are social work academics who have competentEnglish reading skills. Dr. Chui from Hong Kong and Dr. Eltaiba from Qatar both indicated that there was noneed for translation of documents in this process.
3.1.2 Influence
Social work academics are located in influential positions in all three countries and have access to bothstudents and social workers who could be involved in future research projects. It is also more likely that
opportunities to reflect upon and think about their teaching would translate into some immediate changes.
3.1.3 Further involvement
It is anticipated that some social work academics may be interested in participating in further research anddeveloping their own research projects related to the area. For example applying the model in their teaching.

3.2	  Processes	  There were a number of processes that were necessary in order to implement the project.
3.2.1 Technology
At the outset it was necessary to set up a means for clear communication across all three countries. Emailwas used in the first instance, with Skype used to facilitate meetings on the dates listed below.
oSkype Meetings

rd23 November 2012 Discussion of process of coding
st31 January 2013 Discussion of collaborative coding results.	  

2	  IASSW	  Grants	  for	  Projects	  in	  Social	  Work	  Education	  TEAM SKYPE

The process of conducting a Skype meeting requires some consideration here. This is not a straightforward
process and one that the researchers had limited experience in a professional/research context. Added tothis was the fact that these were Skype meetings with three and sometimes four people involved. We soon
realised that technology is inherently unreliable and for some meetings there was a time delay and thescreen froze (a disconcerting event). This meant, for one meeting, there was no picture for one participant.
Given the potential for these technological failings the team ensured that a clear agenda was establishedand an undertaking given to complete task at least a few days prior to the meeting. This was not always
achieved by all team members for a range of reasons including; personal matters, work-loads, Ramadan etc.
Once the foibles of technology and individual interruptions were dealt with, it became clear that small groupfacilitation skills were important in managing the Skype meetings. We have, despite these challenges, built ateam of international researchers who have developed trust in one another and who are committed tocontinuing working together to develop this research project further.
oAccess to Project Material via Dropbox

Dropbox was used and all project materials were stored in the IASSW Folder. This was a particularly usefulway in which to manage the documents and to share information. There are some, as yet, unresolved
questions about the Confidentiality of the data that requires some follow up.

3.3	  Project	  research	  3.3.1 Methodology
A qualitative research methodology was used as the aim of the research was to seek the opinions of social
work academics on the Rights Practice in the Biosphere model.
3.3.2 Data Collection
An interview guide was developed and distributed to all research team members. Semi-structured interviews
were conducted in all three countries. Each investigator took responsibility for conducting five interviews intheir own country. In total, 15 academics were interviewed to ascertain the usefulness of the model for social
work education and practice. A summary of each interview was completed and provided to all participants
for comment and additions if required. This process enabled the participants to check for accuracy and also
to add new thoughts etc.
3.3.3 Analysis
The notes and transcripts of the interviews were analysed twice using a 2 step coding process. The firstround of coding developed preliminary codes where the text was described. The second round of codinginterpreted the preliminary coding and drew conclusions and categories.
Interviews
Hong Kong
AustraliaQatar	  First Coding
Ernest Chui
Sue Bailey
Nada Eltaiba

Second Coding
Sue Bailey
Nada Eltaiba
Ernest Chui3	  IASSW	  Grants	  for	  Projects	  in	  Social	  Work	  Education	  3.4	  Lessons	  Learned	  •Be prepared for technological failures and provide materials etc ahead of schedule.

•There are particular processes which can be used when meeting virtually and there is likely to be someresearch and information which can assist develop these skills further.

•Don't give up on the processes. Respectful and thoughtful responses ensure that team building and trustdevelops.

•Attend to confidentiality issues when working virtually. Privacy and Confidentiality require extra attention
in the electronic era.

4.0	  Outcomes	  4.1	  Awareness	  Raising	  	  4.1.1 Space for reflection
This project enabled a total of 18 social work academics the space and time to consider how they think about
the connection between human well-being and the health of the biosphere and how they can incorporate
these understandings into their teaching and research. The provision of a model in which to begin theconversations has been an important contribution to their thinking.
4.1.2 Presentations
A number of presentations were made to a variety of audiences over the period of the grant.
1. Conference Presentation at the Social Work Social Development 2012: Action and Impact
Conference held in Stockholm 8-12 July 2012. Unfortunately this paper was scheduled in an
unrelated session which meant that there was very little engagement with the ideas discussed. See
Appendix for Powerpoint Presentation
2. Preliminary findings of this research project were presented in a discussion at the eco-social work
symposium held in Brisbane in January 2013. This presentation generated a lot of interest from thegroup (Australian social work academics) who are very keen to hear about the results of this project.
3. Two presentations were made to social work students at two universities in Western Australia. The
feedback from the students was overwhelmingly positive. Below is an example of the feedback
received. As highlighted in the executive summary there is a palpable hunger in students, academics
and social workers to know more about how social workers can work to ensure the health of theBiosphere.
As a social worker one of the ways I would incorporate these principles into my practice would be to work in a way that raises
consciousness about the environment and our responsibility to seek and promote sustainability in the community environment(Bailey, 2013). The Earth Charter also resonates with me in that it supports human rights by valuing community members
lived experiences, inspires hope, social inclusion and is anti-discriminatory (Bailey, 2013). However, this is the first time in four
years at university that I have encountered eco-social work concepts. I think it would be helpful for future students to approachthese epistemologies earlier on in the course. Bailey (2010, p.23) makes a good point when she suggests “community ecosocial work is grounded in communities and carried out by community workers…” and worker’s take an holistic approach byvaluing the environment as well as individuals in a way that highlights structural effects on communities. Therefore, the way I
understand eco-social work practice is the values, principles, practices and frameworks of social work need to take into
account the importance of our earth and its sustainability (Bailey, 2010, p.25).
STUDENT ONE

My views began to change quickly as I had never thought of social work/community development as a profession with suchan emphasis on the natural world and how lack of awareness and respect for the environment can impact on relationships
and systems in society. I began to reflect and become aware of my own place in nature, what I have been doing that could
impact on ecological and social systems and encouraged me to question what activities I could change (within my personal
and professional life) to enhance and improve my relationships with the environment and with others (Bailey, 2010, p.15). I
soon began to realize I had not given it much thought of how much I was “taking” from the environment and not giving back orpreserving what already exists (Jones, 2010, p.70) and that I had only viewed my social work views and practice as being“person in environment” as working alongside individuals in social environments such as family, community and politicalstructures (Bailey, 2010, p.5).
STUDENT TWO	  4	  IASSW	  Grants	  for	  Projects	  in	  Social	  Work	  Education	  4.2	  Relationship	  Building	  The relationships between the three main investigators have strengthened and there are plans to continue
the collaboration through further research, grant applications and writing.
Other connections have been made to 15 social work academics who work and live in a number of countries
with many expressing an interest in working together on future projects. This will provide us with ongoing
opportunities to engage in international conversations and collobarations about social work’s responsibilities
and responses to global challenges.

4.3	  Materials	  The materials that have been developed are connected to the research process and are included asAppendices••

The Model with Explanatory Notes
Two Powerpoint Presentations

4.4	  To	  be	  completed	  •Feedback of the key findings to participants•Recruitment for further research. Are participants willing to participate further in the research eg focus
groups and actual introduction of model to teaching processes•

Development of a journal article for submission to the International Social Work journal. This article is stillin the process of being written with completion expected in June 2014.

4.5	  Future	  collaborations	  This research can be easily replicated in a number of settings as all the research documentation andprocesses have been created. The research team will continue their collaborations with the following projects
planned.
•All three research investigators will apply the model to their teaching and then write a reflective paper on
the process incorporating feedback from students.

•Replicate the study with social workers actively practicing in all countries•

A UWA Collaboration grant is in the process of development with submission required by the end ofJune 2014.

4.6	  Other	  Issues:	  This project has been delayed by one year. This is because the workload of the Chief Investigator increased
unexpectedly in 2013 due to a sudden death.

5.	  Conclusions:	  This project has facilitated and enabled social work academics across the world to begin conversations
about how to include the biosphere in their teaching and research. The Rights Practice in the Biospheremodel provides a useful way for social workers to move their teaching and practice into the boarder contexts
in which we exist - the Biosphere. Most participants were very engaged in the idea of including this is theirteaching but would like examples of teaching curricula and practice case examples that provide someguidance for them. Finally I would like to thank the IASSW for this grant which has facilitated a mostimportant collaboration and enabled the introduction of the Rights Practice in the Biosphere Model to social
workers in Universities. This has been an extremely rewarding project that has encouraged me to moveoutwards from my nation state and engage with colleagues across the world.	  

5	  IASSW	  Grants	  for	  Projects	  in	  Social	  Work	  Education	  Appendices	  	  Key	  Themes	  to	  emerge	  from	  the	  research	  1. All social work academics in all three contexts indicated that there was a clear connection between
human well-being and the health of the Biosphere.
a. There were diverse ways of construing the connections and these were connected to individual
meaning making with the following referenced;
i. Socialisation - What is learned Cultural, Family, Individual
ii. Spiritual - Islam, Australian Aboriginal, Cosmologyiii. Epistemologies – Ways of making meaning about the world
iv. Landscape eg Hong Kong (Urbanised environment) Qatar (Desert and Heat)
2. There were questions about whose responsibility it is to maintain the health of the Biosphere throughaddressing the causes of environmental degradation, pollution, biodiversity and species loss, and theimpacts of climate change.
a. Not social work’s responsibility
i. These are personal values not teaching social work
ii. Someone else is doing it (?)
iii. No flexibility in curriculum
iv. Curriculum too crowded already - another ‘ismb. It is social work’s responsibility
i. And is taught•

Indirectly – through community development, global issues, death studies,human rights, corporate social responsibility, Indigenous understandings•

Directly – linking sustainability (Qatar curriculum links to sustainable
stdevelopment unit taught in 1 year)

ii. However not sure how to incorporate it into the social work curriculum•c.

Crowded and an ‘ism

Ways to incorporate the broader context into their own teaching were explored during theinterview
i. with some recognising that they are doing it already – this model provided a language
for what they are doingii. discovering ways that they could easily be integrated

3. The model provides a way in which to think about and engage with the Biosphere as context for practice.
a. Assessment of the problem - requires critical thinking and robust debates in assessment
processes expand to (ecosocial assessment)
i. Disconnection from nature (in the West there is a disconnection from food and land)
ii. Capitalism views the environment as an externality therefore the health of the Biosphereis unimportantiii. Individualisation processes
b. Intervention
i. How can social work respond to the threats to the health of the biosphere?
ii. Assist in reconnection of social and ecologicaliii. The Earth Charter provides a clear rights framework which is consistent andcomplementary to social work values	  6	  IASSW	  Grants	  for	  Projects	  in	  Social	  Work	  Education	  iv. Values are consistent with social work values eg Specifically the Earth Charterv. There are ongoing questions about how social work can engage with this	  7