PALLIATIVE CARE SOCIAL WORK AUSTRALIA (PCSWA)
Represents a National alliance of social workers who provide, or have an interest in, palliative and end of life care and bereavement.
PCSWA is dedicated to the advancement and promotion of social work as a central health profession in the provision of palliative, end of life and bereavement care. PCSWA is also committed to enhancing the provision of high quality and holistic person centred, family focused and community-oriented care.
PROMOTE AND SUPPORT
Advocacy
WORKING TOGETHER
Collaboration
INSPIRE AND LEAD
Excellence
The Importance of Social Work
Social work recognises that health and social care disparities are caused by a range of factors (social determinants of health) which impact on quality of life, access to and experiences of palliative, end of life and bereavement care.
Social work has a fundamental commitment to social justice and human rights which positions the profession as a leader with expertise in analysing, advocating for and implementing system and policy change around health and social inequities.
To strengthen the voice of social work and to promote excellence in social work practice in the provision of psychological, social, cultural, emotional, spiritual and practical support in palliative and end of life care and bereavement.
To strengthen the voice of social work and to promote excellence in social work practice in the provision of psychological, social, cultural, emotional, spiritual and practical support in palliative and end of life care and bereavement.
Palliative Care Social Work Australia (PCSWA) is committed to the promotion of evidence based, high quality social work practice across all sectors of palliative, end of life and bereavement care and to fulfill the following goals:
Advocacy: promote social work contribution to end of life care and bereavement and drive policy and systems change.
Collaboration: enhance partnerships and collaborative activities within the profession and with other organisations and agencies.
Excellence: inspire and support social work leadership, research and evaluation and support professional development.
Palliative Care Social Work Australia (PCSWA) acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the First Australians. We acknowledge their ongoing connection to land, sea and community. We acknowledge that the story and spirit of Aboriginal Nations are written in the landscape of this country and we pay respects to Elders, past, present and future for they hold the memories, traditions and values which deepen and enrich the life of our land, communities and our nation.
PCSWA acknowledges the pain and impact of dispossession from land and the interruption to intergenerational inheritance of culture. We recognise that this ‘does not diminish cultural and spiritual connections to country’2[7] but that it may have implications in the access to and provision of palliative care, end of life care and bereavement support.
PCSWA acknowledged the resilience and strengths of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and adopts a position of cultural humility, making a commitment to promoting culturally competent, safe and sensitive practice in end of life care, sorry business and bereavement care.
- Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). (2013). Practice Standards. Australian Association of Social Work: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia.
- PEPA Project team. (2017). PEPA Cultural Considerations Providing end of life care for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people. Professional Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA), Queensland University of Technology: Queensland, Australia.
