Western Australia

WA Social workers are pleased to be an active part of OSWA and membership in WA
is growing annually. We see one of our greatest challenges and priorities is to
engage and support rural and remote social workers who are often working in
isolation. Another of our great challenges is working within the current FTE
structure of Oncology and some Palliative Care social workers. It is a trend in
WA for social workers working in these areas to couple this with other medical
disciplines or to be rotated between disciplines. Consequently in some settings
social workers are not given the opportunity to specialise.

A Palliative Care Social Workers Interest group meets bi-monthy. It is hoped
that by providing professional development opportunities together with
the engaging social workers in the organisation of the 2011 OSWA Conference
to be held in Perth will strengthen the Oncology social worker’s group in WA.

When benchmarking and reviewing research, social work services are very
under-resourced in WA. Two priorities of the 2010 State Cancer Plan which
apply to social work are Workforce Development (including Allied Health)
and need for improved psychosocial services. It was acknowledged in the
outcome document  that  social work  is  under-resourced.

There is a mixture of senior clinicians and base grade social workers working in
Oncology in the three major adult teaching hospitals, Princess Margaret Hospital
for Children and King Edward Women’s Memorial Hospital. Social workers work
with oncology patients in regional hospitals, in private hospitals, in private practice
and cancer specific organisations.

Links with OSWA

Links with OSWA are now well established through Vere Berger and Valda Duffield
who are members of the OSWA Executive. The Palliative Care Special Interest Group
Convenor is Shelly Skinner also from WA. Shelly Skinner and Vere Berger travelled to
Sydney in 2010 to participate in the development of the organisation’s
Strategic Plan. Annually through support from OSWA and sponsorship from
the WA Cancer Council and West Australian Clinical Oncology Group, professional
development workshops have been held in WA. In 2008 and 2009, Dr. Kate Burns
under the umbrella of OSWA conducted well attended workshops on
Oncology Social Work Research and presented on Social Support at the
Cancer and Palliative care Psycho-oncology Network Education Forum.

In 2010, Dr Carrie Lethborg conducted a fully subscribed workshop on MaP© thearpy
and presented her work at the Network Education Forum which was well attended.
In addition she presented to Senior Social Work Health Managers the
tumour-streamed approach to managing social work  services in Oncology
adopted in many Eastern States hospital settings. Closer links with OSWA  will be
further developed when the 2011 7th Annual OSWA Conference will be held in WA
for the first time.

• Membership criteria:
  Open to all social workers residing in WA with an interest in oncology social work practice 

• Fees:
  While there are no separate fees for the state group, all members of WA are financial members of OSWA at $40 membership 
  

Convenors:
Vere Berger and Valda Duffield
 

How do I include something on the web-site for my state group?

If you would like to see anything included on the web-site then contact  webmaster@oswa.net.au.  It will be helpful if you prepare the exact content to be included, and submit it with relevant graphics/photos as well as the URL (web-address). Feel free to contribute at any time.