Pacific Social Work: Navigating Practice, Policy and Research

Some books are rightly challenging and demand to be read despite the discomfort of page after page of being confronted with one's ignorance about Pacific perspectives on social work. It was almost a relief at the end of the final chapter to read “Social work in the Pacific is not for the faint hearted—or else we simply tow [sic] the systems line. It is an exciting place to be in, but a challenging one as well” (p. 230).

In recent years Australian social workers have begun to value the knowledges and insights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our communities. Yet many of us still know so little about the 20 or more diverse countries and cultures that comprise the Pacific region. This is despite including Australia's closest neighbour, Papua New Guinea, and Australia having been home to Pacific Islander diasporas since well before the 20th century.

In the introductory chapter, the editors write that “The Pacific region is perceived to be dependent on foreign aid” (p. 5) and argue that this establishes a one-way relationship in which countries such as Australia are only ever the donor. Similarly, as social workers, it is easy to assume that our models of practice are not only superior to those emanating from the Pacific region, but also universally applicable. This volume rightly contests such colonialist thinking and provides a cogent case for other legitimate ways of practising social work. Working differently does not mean avoiding tackling the needs of individuals and communities impacted by disability, domestic violence, substance misuse, mental health issues, or child abuse. Rather, the starting point may vary considerably from our usual practices, including social workers needing to work in partnership with such as community leaders or religious communities regarding the care of an individual. Consequently, “this involves ensuring assessment tools are utilised that capture information from the family, peer, and community context, hence promoting a micro, meso and macro perspective” (p. 49).

As several authors in this volume attest, methods and processes used by social workers in individualistic cultures are not only inappropriate but ineffective in cultures where collectivism is not just an espoused value but a way of living. For example, funding models that provide for a limited number of sessions with an individual client or practice models advocating for the rights of a designated person were not designed for working with a kinship group that collectively takes responsibility for developing solutions. Moreover, individualistic ways of conceptualising social work can readily obscure those factors that contribute to a community's resilience.

It is not just social workers going to work in the Pacific who need an understanding of Pacific cultures. In some diasporic communities, it is not uncommon to send teenagers, whose behaviours, such as substance use or gang membership were deemed problematic, back to extended families in the Pacific. Although consistent with a collectivist understanding of welfare, the differences between diasporic youth and extended families still resident in the Pacific may not be easily bridged and what occurs is return to Australia with the issues unresolved. Australian social workers, who have no awareness of Pacific knowledges and practices, risk being ineffective, if not harmful, when they become involved with a young person and their family in such circumstances.

Reciprocity is very important in many Pacific communities. This is not necessarily in terms of exchanging like for like but rather of being in relationship with people and gifting that which can make a real difference to the recipients. As Australian social workers, this book gives us another way of understanding who we are and what we do as social workers. Based on generations of wisdom, this volume enables us to begin to appreciate the hitherto unrecognised gift that social work Pacific-style offers us.