Social Work Article Review: Child Protection, Aged Care & Justice

This report presents a review of three articles addressing key social work issues in Australia. The first article examines child protection in the context of vulnerable families, highlighting the role of government agencies and the effectiveness of empowering families to prevent child maltreatment. The second article discusses aged care in Australia, focusing on the growth of the aged care sector, government expenditure, and the impact of policies on the quality of care. The final article explores social justice concerns within the Australian education system, specifically addressing the challenges faced by aboriginal children. The report analyzes the theories underpinning each article, the influence of the information presented, and the reflections of the reviewer. The report emphasizes the importance of understanding the drivers of child mistreatment, the impact of government policies on aged care, and the practice of cultural discrimination in education. The report concludes with a reflection on how this information can be applied in social work practice.

Running head: ARTICLE REVIEW 1
Article Review
(Author’s name)
(Institutional Affiliation)

ARTICLE REVIEW 2
Child Protection in Australia
Summary of Ideas and Arguments
In the article titled, “Child Protection and Vulnerable Families: Trends and Issues in the
Australian Context,” the author Elizabeth Fernandez provides a discussion on the development
of child protection in Australia. She argues that instances of Child maltreatment are more
prevalent among vulnerable families in the country (Fernandez, 2014). This has led to the federal
government intervening in cases of child abuse through state government child protection
agencies. The author indicates that one of the most effective ways to protect children from the
maltreatment in their homes is through empowering vulnerable families (Fernandez, 2014).
Doing this has proven to be effective as it has led to an increase in the number of reports on child
abuse thereby enabling the relevant government agencies to take action to safeguard the child.
Theories
The arguments presented by the author are underpinned by the culture of poverty theories.
A popular facet of the culture of poverty theories holds that a significant percentage of abusive
parents tend to replicate the parenting style they experienced growing up (Bywaters et al., 2016).
This serves to explain why cases of child mistreatment are predominant amongst members of the
countries indigenous community.
Influence of Information Presented
The information will help me as a social worker be able to effectively relate to abused
children from the vulnerable families, interact with their parents and develop effective treatment
plans. The information is also helpful in deciding whether or not an out of home care system is
the best option for a mistreated child or not.
Reflection

ARTICLE REVIEW 3
The information presented in the article is quite significant to me as it demonstrates the
major drivers of child mistreatment in Australia. It also educates me on the major forms of child
abuse in the country and the different protection processes an abused child can go through.
Through this information, one can be able to effectively execute his/her duties as a social worker
and child protector.
Aged Care in Australia
Summary
The article, “Residential Aged Care Policy in Australia- Are We Learning from
Evidence?” by Lynn Chenoweth, Marie dela Rama, and Richard Baldwin provides information
on the development of the country's aged care industry. The authors indicate that the country's
aged care sector will grow significantly in the coming ten years thereby resulting in an increase
in government expenditure (Baldwin, & Chenoweth, 2015). The authors argue that the reforms
being implemented by the government are likely to impact the quality of care that is provided for
the age in society. They indicate there is a need for the government to implement policy that is
evidence-based and reflect the industry structure.
Theory
The information provided in the article is based on the theory of resource mobilization
where the greater the demand, the more the cost (McCarthy, & Zald, 2013). This will make it
difficult for a significant percentage of those who require aged care to get access to it. The
government, therefore, needs to implement policies that will cushion those who need residential
care from the rising cost.
Influence of Information Presented

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As a social worker, the information presented in the article might make one more active in
government policy formulation. The more proactive a social worker is in policy formulation, the
more successful he/she is at his work. This is largely because the information demonstrates the
fact that government policy plays a significant role in influencing the cost and quality of care.
Reflection
The information presented in the article is quite significant to a social worker as it reflects
on the impact of government policies on the number of social workers. Through the information
provided, it is also evident that for the residential aged care industry to grow, there is a need for
policy decisions to be based on evidence-based practice.
Social Justice
The article titled, “A Social Justice View of Educators’ Conceptions of Aboriginal
Children Starting School,” by Lysa Dealtry, Sue Dockett, and Bob Perry investigates the
challenges faced by aboriginal children in the Australian education system (Dealtry et al., 2017).
In the article, the authors indicate that aboriginal children are treated differently from white
children in the country’s academic system. In the article, the author discusses the pedagogical
principles educators rely on when considering the strength and needs of aboriginal children as
they transition from home to school setting (Dealtry et al., 2017). The article reveals that despite
measures to effectively integrate the aboriginal educational system into the mainstream system of
learning, there are still numerous challenges facing aboriginal students (Dealtry et al., 2017). The
system is highly discriminatory against aboriginal students.
Theory
The arguments presented in the article are based on the principle of cultural
discrimination. The principle of cultural discrimination reflects the practice of treating people

ARTICLE REVIEW 5
differently based on their cultural practices (Farkas, 2003). This is largely because the members
of the aboriginal community have different cultural practices and as a result are prone to
numerous challenges.
Influence
As a social worker, the information presented in the paper plays a considerable role in
developing child education system that is fair and just. It is evident that aboriginal children in the
country face significant challenges in the education system and thus there is a need for
mechanisms to make the transition smoother for them.
Reflection
The information presented is quite important as it demonstrates the practice of cultural
discrimination within the education system. Through this information, social workers can
identify the areas in which the country's education system is failing and improve on them. By
doing this education is made fair to all children.

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References
Dealtry, L., Perry, B., & Dockett, S. (2017). A Social Justice View of Educators’ Conceptions of
Aboriginal Children Starting School. In Pedagogies of Educational Transitions (pp. 113-
130). Springer International Publishing.
Bywaters, P., Bunting, L., Davidson, G., Hanratty, J., Mason, W., McCartan, C., & Steils, N.
(2016). The relationship between poverty, child abuse and neglect: An evidence review.
Fernandez, E. (2014). Child protection and vulnerable families: trends and issues in the
Australian context. Social Sciences, 3(4), 785-808.
Baldwin, R., & Chenoweth, L. (2015). Residential Aged Care Policy in Australia–Are We
Learning from Evidence?. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 74(2), 128-141.
Farkas, G. (2003). Racial disparities and discrimination in education: What do we know, how do
we know it, and what do we need to know?. Teachers College Record, 105(6), 1119-
1146.
McCarthy, J. D., & Zald, M. N. (2013). Resource mobilization and social movements: A partial
theory. American journal of sociology, 82(6), 1212-1241.