Australian Social Work Awards

In our second issue of the Journal this year (vol. 71, no. 2), we were very pleased to announce the Award recipients for outstanding publications in 2017 and also the creation of a new Award; “The Bruce Lord Award for Excellence in Research Methodology” with an annual prize of $1,000. Bruce died suddenly in April 2016, and at the time of his death he was Chair of the Editorial Board of the Journal. The Award has been established in recognition of his contribution to the social work profession and to social work research, education, and scholarship (Pockett & Hughes, 2016). Commencing this year, the Award will join the Norma Parker Award and the Norm Smith Publication in Social Work Research Award as annual prizes for selected papers published in the Journal. The terms of each award are outlined in Table 1.

Table 1 Australian social work awards

The Norma Parker Award ($2,500)	The Norma Parker Award is for new writers. It is awarded to the author of the best article published in a print edition of Australian Social Work by: (i) an undergraduate or postgraduate student; or (ii) a person who has graduated within the last two years; and who is the sole author or first author of the paper and for whom this is the first peer-reviewed publication. Joint-authored articles will be considered but the entrant should be the first author and a statement of their contribution to the work must be included.
The Norm Smith Publication in Social Work Research Award ($1,500)	The Norm Smith Publication in Social Work Research Award is awarded to the author of the best research article that is judged to make a significant contribution to the advancement of social work knowledge and/or a significant contribution to social work professional practice published during the year in a print edition of Australian Social Work. All research-based articles published in Australian Social Work each calendar year will be considered for the Norman Smith Publication in Social Work Research Award.
The Bruce Lord Award for Excellence in Research Methodology ($1,000)	The Bruce Lord Award for Excellence in Research Methodology is presented to the author of the research article that is judged to demonstrate strength, innovation, and excellence in research methodology and design, and which makes a significant contribution to the advancement of social work knowledge and/or a significant contribution to social work professional practice. All research-based articles published during each calendar year in a print edition of Australian Social Work will be considered for the Award.

The Editorial Board consulted widely with those who knew Bruce both professionally and personally, and we believe that the scope of this new Award reflects Bruce’s career-long commitment to high quality social work research. In what would be his last publication in the Journal, Bruce and colleague Dr Grahame Simpson co-edited a landmark special issue on Applied Research Methods in Social Work (vol. 68, no. 3).

The creation of the new Award has encouraged us to reflect on the Journal Awards more generally, and their importance in acknowledging and advancing social work practice, research, and publication. The Journal’s first Award, The Norma Parker Prize was established in 2006 in association with the new publishers, Taylor & Francis, for new writers. The naming of the prize in honour of Norma Parker reflected her enormous professional legacy in all spheres of Australian social work, for example as the first President of the Australian Association of Social Workers, and a leader in social work practice, education, and research. The Journal also published a commemorative, online supplement of Norma Parker addresses (addresses named in honour of Norma Parker, given by the National President at AASW conferences) and commentary in 2017, to mark the 70th anniversary of the Journal (Australian Social Work, vol. 70, sup. 1, 2017).

The second Award, The Norm Smith Publication in Social Work Research Award was established around the same time following the death of Professor Norman Smith, the Editor of Australian Social Work. Both Awards were announced for the first time in Australian Social Work in the last issue of 2005, along with an Editorial tribute to Norm Smith by Associate Editor Professor Chris Bigby (Bigby, 2005).

With new publishers and a “new look” Journal, the prizes symbolised the expansion and growth of the Journal at this time and reflected trends in other social work journals internationally, recognising publication excellence.

However, as time passes and the Journal readership evolves it is timely every so often to remind ourselves of the significance of the Awards and their contribution to the advancement and development of knowledge for the profession. Each prize has a different focus and the Editorial Board undertakes a triangulated process considering eligible articles against established guidelines and key criteria, including originality, contribution to social work knowledge or practice, and the quality of the presentation. Over the past 12 years, 11 Norma Parker prizes have been awarded to new writers and 12 Norm Smith prizes have been awarded to 23 authors. The breadth and scope of practice is clearly illustrated in Table 2 listing the articles and authors awarded prizes since their inception in 2006.

Table 2 List of award recipients and articles 2006–2017

Year	Norma Parker Prize	Norm Smith Publication in Social Work Research Award
2017	Margaret Mills Dementia and guardianship: Challenges in social work practice. Australian Social Work, 70, 30–41	Siobhan E. Laird The representation of the family’s voice in serious case review reports of child maltreatment. Australian Social Work, 70, 417–428
2016	Susan Heward-Belle The diverse fathering practices of men who perpetrate domestic violence. Australian Social Work, 69, 323–337	Marty Grace & Peter Gill Client-centred case management: How much makes a difference to outcomes for homeless jobseekers? Australian Social Work, 69, 11–26 AND Kylie Agllias Disconnection and decision-making: Adult children explain their reasons for estranging from parents. Australian Social Work, 69, 92–104
2015	Steven Roche The salvaging of identities among homeless men: Reflections for social work. Australian Social Work, 68, 228–243	Melissa Reed & Katherine Harding Do family meetings improve measurable outcomes for patients, carers, or health systems? A systematic review. Australian Social Work, 68, 244–258
2014	Gabrielle Drake ‘The transinstitutionalisation of people living in licensed boarding houses in Sydney.’ Australian Social Work, 67, 240–255	Kate Freiberg, Ross Homel, & Sara Branch The parent empowerment and efficacy measure (PEEM): A tool for strengthening the accountability and effectiveness of family support services. Australian Social Work, 67, 405–418
2013	Miff Trevor Transgenderism and Australian social work. Australian Social Work, 65, 555–570	Jan Backhouse and Anne Graham Grandparents raising their grandchildren: Acknowledging the experience of grief. Australian Social Work, 65, 440–454
2012	Abdelkerim A Abdelkerim Challenges to employment in newly-emerging African communities in Australia: A review of the literature. Australian Social Work, 65, 104–119 AND Teresa Grahame Welfare-to-work policies and the experience of employed single mothers on income support in Australia: Where are the benefits? Australian Social Work, 65, 73–86	Natasha Cortis & Gabrielle Meagher Social work education as preparation for practice: Evidence from a survey of the New South Wales community sector. Australian Social Work, 65, 295–310
2011	Alice Munro, Munro A., & Allan, J. Can family-focussed interventions improve problematic substance use in Aboriginal communities? A role for social work. Australian Social Work, 64, 169–182	Bindi Bennett, Johanna Zubrzycki, & Violet Bacon. What do we know? The experiences of social workers working alongside Aboriginal people. Australian Social Work, 64, 20–37
2010	Miriam Stevenson Flexible and responsive research: Developing rights-based emancipatory disability research methodology in collaboration with young adults with Down Syndrome. Australian Social Work, 63, 35–50	Rosemary Sheehan Parental imprisonment and child protection: A study of children presented to the Melbourne Children’s Court. Australian Social Work, 63, 164–178
2009	Not Awarded	Anne-Maree Sawyer Mental health workers negotiating risk on the frontline. Australian Social Work, 62, 441–459
2008	Matra Robertson Suicidal ideation in the palliative care patient: Considerations for health care practice. Australian Social Work, 61, 150–167	Guy Johnson & Chris Chamberlain Homelessness and substance abuse: Which comes first? Australian Social Work, 61, 342–356
2007	Margaret Rowntree Responses to sibling sexual abuse: Are they as harmful as the abuse? Australian Social Work, 60, 347–361	Karen Healy & Gabrielle Meagher Social workers’ preparation for child protection: Revisiting the question of specialisation. Australian Social Work, 60, 321–335
2006	Margaret Pestorius What makes groups work? A reflective review in a range of contexts. Australian Social Work, 59, 141–156	Jennifer Osmond & Ian O’Connor Use of theory and research in social work practice: Implications for knowledge-based practice. Australian Social Work, 59, 5–19

These articles reflect many perspectives on contemporary social issues, often challenging established ways of thinking about the social condition and presenting new and innovative practice responses. The articles demonstrate a breadth of practice and inquiry with many population groups and communities, and similarly with many contemporary and historical issues and concerns. The articles provide readers with new knowledge, often grounded in research outcomes, all of which contribute to high quality, discursive commentary encouraging dialogue and debate as the profession moves forward.

Since 2015, the Awards for the previous year have been announced in the April issue of the Journal. A new initiative coming soon will be the availability of the prize-winning articles via Open Access on the Journal’s home page with Taylor & Francis for six months following the announcement (https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rasw20/current).

As part of the overall social media strategy for the Journal, greater use of various social media platforms is underway to facilitate the promotion of articles, published authors, and research innovation.

Publications in Australian Social Work have often led the way in social commentary and knowledge-building about social work practice, education, policy, and research. Most importantly too are the implications of this inquiry and critical appraisal for those with whom social workers are involved on a daily basis. The aims and scope of the Journal reflect the profession’s ethical stance, values, and principles. The publication path for social work must continue with scrutiny, ensuring our publication gaze remains diverse and inclusive, and that the Awards are representative of knowledge-building and different ways of knowing, for contemporary practice. In 2011, Bennett, Zubrzycki, and Bacon were awarded the Norm Smith Prize for their article “What do we know? The experiences of social workers working alongside Aboriginal people” (vol. 64, no. 1, 20–37) reflecting the refrain of the Green and Bennett Commentary in this issue. This year, the Norm Smith prize was awarded to an international author, Siobhan Laird, for a paper that has wide relevance, giving voice to families in cases of serious child maltreatment in an effort to shake up review practices for the benefit of children through changed practice.

The Awards bring together a collection of papers that reflect the nascent growth of the Journal among its peers. As the impact and reach of the Journal continue to grow, the competitive edge for prizes and recognition of work will also increase, and the creation of the new Bruce Lord Award will ensure that trustworthy findings of published research are recognised for rigorous methodology and research design.

Most writers submitting manuscripts for review and possible publication in Australian Social Work are motivated by the desire to achieve publication in a scholarly, peer-reviewed academic journal and not necessarily to win a prize. That being said, having their article selected for an Award is indeed an achievement and career highlight for most. Awarding prizes named in honour of distinguished social workers and Journal alumni ensures that high quality research and practice knowledge are recognised, progressing the aims and values of the social work profession.

Acknowledgement

I wish to express my appreciation to the Journal’s Publications Officer, Liz Morrison and to Professor Chris Bigby for their assistance in the preparation of this Editorial.