Creating spatial, relational and cultural safety in online social work education during COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Spatial, relational and cultural safety are critical elements of trauma-informed social work practice, gaining momentum in social work education. Culturally responsive and trauma-informed pedagogical approaches meet the definition of safety. The aim is to create a democratic, collaborative, and reflexive space whereby students and educators can feel simultaneously supported in the diversity of their respective lived experiences and learning. The challenges in fostering these learning and teaching spaces are reflected upon at one Australian university which responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by quickly transitioning to online learning without prior planning and consultation. The reflection describes the challenges and opportunities in delivering online content and the use of spatial, relational and cultural safety to navigate these challenges. The authors demonstrate the Aboriginal practice of social Yarning for use in online classrooms. Yarning helps educators and students attend to safety as an integral dimension of social work education.

KEYWORDS:

• Cultural safety
• relational safety
• spatial safety
• cultural responsiveness
• online education
• Yarning

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bindi Bennett

Dr Bindi Bennett is a Gamilaraay  cis gendered mother, researcher and social work lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast. Her interests include trauma in mental health utilising animals, Aboriginal wellbeing as well as increasing cultural responsiveness in social work education . Bindi has over 20 years practice experience in the fields of  Aboriginal social work, child and adolescent mental health, schools and health.

Dyann Ross

Dr Dyann Ross is a social work academic at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. She teaches in the areas of ethics & law, mental and physical health, anti-oppressive group-based practice. Her current writing and research interests are systemic coercion in mental health systems, mental health lived experience & voice, engaged and culturally responsive social work education and community/industry conflict negotiations.

Trevor G. Gates

Dr Trevor G. Gates is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia. He completed his PhD in Social Work (Gender and Women’s Studies) at the University of Illinois (Chicago). Trevor has experience as a clinical social worker and addiction counselor specializing in affirming practice with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+ people. Trevor is interested in volunteerism, global social work education, and allyship.