Social Work in Rural Areas: Challenges and Policy Implications

This report provides an in-depth analysis of social work practices in rural and remote areas of Australia, with a specific focus on the Kiwirrkurra community. It examines the challenges faced by social workers in these areas, contrasting rural and urban social work contexts, and highlighting the impact of geographical isolation, lack of resources, and infrastructural deficiencies. The report further explores the social, cultural, political, and geographical impacts on the Kiwirrkurra community. The report also discusses the implications of housing policies, particularly the NAHA, on improving living standards, healthcare, and infrastructure in rural regions. The report concludes with a comparative analysis of rural and urban social work, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions and the importance of understanding community-specific needs. The report also highlights the positive impacts of housing policies on employment, transportation, and sanitation within rural areas.

Running head- Social work in a rural area
social work in rural area

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Social work in a rural area
Introduction
In this assignment social work in the remote or rural area has been discussed. Social work
practice in a rural and urban area has also been mentioned. Policy related to social work has also
been detailed in this assignment.
Answer 1
In order to complete this section of assignment, we have selected Kiwirrkurra community area as
a most rural or remote community area in Australia. This area is a very rural area in Australia. It
is a small community in the area in the western part of Australia. It is near the Gibson Desert.
According to the statistic of 2014 it had nearby 421 population. It was established early in the
1980s. And this area is much undeveloped in regards to drainage and transportation. Here the
family and aboriginal people who are residing are not enabled to provide the quality of education
to their children not they are able to have a proper drainage system in their area nor they have
proper infrastructure regarding roads transportation. Many of the aboriginals are residing there in
very worst condition (Kiwirrkurra et al., 2015). Due to not having the easy access to road
transportation and proper healthcare facility in their region people of Kiwirrkurra are suffering
from many health diseases and are not able to get proper health facility. So due to this people are
suffering a lot in Kiwirrkurra region. Involvement of this Kiwirrkurra region with other
developed region is very little and they are really striving hard to survive. During the time of the
1980s, no proper government initiative has been taken to redress the situation of the Kiwirrkurra
community people. And due to this they are in worst condition and fighting for their survival.
During the period of the 1960s, many groups began making the contact with the developed
region but dint found success. So again they are living in their traditional style of hunter-gathers.

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Social work in a rural area
Impact of Kiwirrkurra community on the social, cultural, political and geographical sphere
of rurality.
Kiwirrkurra community is the most remote and undeveloped community area in the western part
of Australia. Kiwirrkurra region has no proper drainage system which is hampering the overall
community development. Due to lack of drainage system, it is causing the life threating
challenges for the Kiwirrkurra region people.
Lack of drainage leads to having poor waste management habits and this is adversely affecting
the environment and society. Due to this Flooding occurs and causing the damage to the property
and destruction of the crops and plant. So in this way, the overall social and environmental
environment is been affected by not having the proper drainage system in the Kiwirrkurra region.
As there is no proper transportation facility available in Kiwirrkurra region which has adversely
affected the cultural as well as the political environment of that region. Due to lack of
transportation facility, people of the Kiwirrkurra are less politically strong. Due to less education
system standard of living is also very poor and disguised affecting the overall development of the
society.
Due to low infrastructure regarding the transportation facility Kiwirrkurra region is unable to
connect with other developed regions so the pace of development in regards to society is not
possible and up to the mark.
As here, in this case, Kiwirrkurra region no proper transportation is available which is impacting
the culture of the region as people are not able to contact with other developed regions so they
are unable to change and uplift their culture. They will follow their traditional culture only they
will not be able to change their culture according to the demanding situation. So due to lack of

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Social work in a rural area
proper transportation people of Kiwirrkurra are following their previous culture of hunter-gathers
for their survival.
Answer 2
The researcher has proved that there is two type of social work practice mainly rural social work
practice and urban social work practice.
According to a various literature review and researchers, it was found that many country and
nation are taking initiative to encourage the organization and individual to participate in rural
social work practice. The main aim is to provide development to the remote area and to uplift the
standard of living of the people residing in the rural area.
According to Richard Pugh and Brain Cheers they mentioned in their paper that rural social work
practitioners play a crucial role in making the underdeveloped or remote community into the
effective and developed community by their continuous effort. In his paper, he also very clearly
mentioned that rural social work is very different from the urban social work. As in rural social
work, a practitioner needs to a lot a more time to visit the region and motivate the people who are
residing in that remote area to accept the change and uplift the standards of living. Practicing the
rural social work demand more time and energy (Baldwin et al., 2016). They find difficulties in
finding the ethical way out to solve the rural problem. While working in the urban social work
will have less effort and time because the reach is also very easy.
Urban Social Work Context
As indicated by late measurements from the World Health Organization (WHO), over half of the
total populace lives in an urban territory, however, this is anticipated to develop to 70% by the

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Social work in a rural area
year 2050. With such thickly populated regions, urban conditions will probably encounter
expansive incongruities in financial status, higher rates of savage wrongdoings, and expanded
nearness of minimized populaces. An urban people group are likewise connected with the higher
commonness of mental stressors that are the immediate consequence of expanded thickness in
urban communities.
Provincial Social Work (Rural Social Work)
Because of the way that country groups are frequently segregated from other geographic
territories by moving slopes, mountains, waterways, ranches, and then some, a standout amongst
the most conspicuous issues in rustic social work is a constrained measure of assets. Since there
may not be an in-understanding treatment focus or analyst inside 100 miles, provincial tenants
have extensively less assortment as to social administrations accessible inside their span.
Moreover, the social administration experts that do work in country groups frequently have
constrained training and an absence of outside referral assets to give the care that is expected to
customers (Coates et al., 2016).
Differences and similarities
Social workers are almost doing the same job and applying the same skill in delivering the social
work services in the different communities. The reach of urban communities is quite easy as
compared to the rural communities reach. The basic facility and improvement or help which is
needed in rural communities is in regards to health, drainage system, and proper transportation
system. Whereas social practitioner needs to address the issues like health and other mental
issues in the urban area as there is no need to address the issues of transportation and other

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drainage issues in the urban area as it is already having the proper infrastructure regarding the
drainage and transportation.
So the social work practitioner needs to understand the communities first then according to the
need for the needs of the particular community they should deliver their social services.
Say for example social work practitioner need to address the basic needs of the people who are
residing in the rural or remote areas. Whereas social work practitioner needs to address other
social factors such as improvement in health care factors in the urban area. Although the basic
skills of the social worker are almost same across the different countries and region (Fook et al.,
2016). But it is very important for the social work practitioner to hone their ability in a way to
address the basic problem that the particular community is facing, whether urban or rural.
Answer 3
In a way to complete this section of assignment, housing policy has been selected.
The NAHA, which has been alluded to as Australia's lodging approach, is a "national association
assertion" by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). Its biggest part is social lodging.
Central government priests have portrayed the A$1.3 billion-a-year NAHA as a "servile
disappointment"(Colic et al., 2015)
Objectives of housing policy are as follows
To persuade and help all individuals and specifically the houseless and the deficiently housed, to
secure for themselves moderate haven through access to arrive, materials, innovation, and fund.
To enhance the earth of human settlements with a view to raising the quality of life through the
arrangement of drinking water, sanitation, and other essential administrations.

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Housing policy leads to transportation availability with ease.
It positively impacted on living standard as it will raise the standard of living.
Improved health due to proper houses, as it will lead to having proper sanitation system which
will reduce many diseases which are caused by improper sanitation such as infection and other
stomach related problem.
The government of Australia is seeking to enhance the development of rural and regional
Kiwirrkurra in a number of ways which include: supporting new industry development;
improving critical drainage and transport linkages; linking tourism infrastructure; and improving
the links between regional Kiwirrkurra and the new opportunities offered in education and
information technology. So for developing the whole nation and country government of
Australia has taken the various initiative to provide the major facility related to health and
education and besides this initiative, it also launched housing policy in which the resident of
Kiwirrkurra has allowed to afford to live in the proper house.
So the major implication of housing policy in the remote area of Australia is as follows.
As according to the housing policy or developing the houses has many positive impacts on the
rural economy. As developing the houses need to have numerous person to make the project
possible which leads to having employment in the rural area. For developing the houses it
requires to transport various kind and types of materials from different part of the region which
leads to having improved infrastructure in the overall economy.
Due to housing policy, it leads to the sustainable environment as proper houses contribute to
avoid or minimize the various type of waste which are causing environmental issues such as non-

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availability of proper sanitation and drainage system. So the absence of these facilities is causing
many challenges and environmental issues. So through housing facility, it enables to provide the
proper houses with proper drainage and sanitation system. So the reduction in the environmental
issues can be noticed through housing policy.
Housing policy leads to having much positive implication on the rural region as it increases the
employment rate.
Previously in a way to increase the standard of level of rural area organization of CEDP
implemented various program related to education, drainage system and health but they fail to
address the exact need of the rural people who are residing in the remote area like Kiwirrkurra as
the main reason in that area is drainage system and transportation. So after realizing the
government of Australia and NAHA association has implemented the policy regarding providing
affordable housing which has positively impacted and found worthy. As it not increase the
employment and transposition in the overall economy but also leads to having proper sanitation
and drainage system in the rural area.

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References
Kiwirrkurra, I. P. A., Cowan, M., Bray, R., & Paltridge, R. (2015). Kiwirrkurra Indigenous
Protected Area BushBlitz Survey.
Baldwin, M. (2016). Social work, critical reflection, and the learning organization. Routledge.
Fook, J. (2016). Social work: A critical approach to practice. Sage
Coates, J., & Hetherington, T. (2016). Decolonizing social work. Routledge.
Colic-Peisker, V., Ong, R., & Wood, G. (2015). Asset poverty, precarious housing and
ontological security in older age: an Australian case study. International Journal of Housing
Policy, 15(2), 167-186.