Research Topics

Please Note:You are free to develop your own research topic on a social work, community, or humanitarian topic of your choice.  If you are stuck for an idea, some ideas for research within the university are presented.  You can select one of these and discuss further with the lecturer.

Issue:  Discrimination in the Community

Have people in your community experienced unfair treatment on the basis of age, gender, race or class?

If so,

1. In what areas of their lives? (ie work, accommodation, education, goods and services etc)
2. What is the impact?
3. Did they take any action to challenge or change things, why or why not?
4. What programs work well to address unfair treatment – what are the key aspects of such programs?

Issue:  The role of arts in social work practice

1.         How have art forms (for example, singing, music, acting, painting, dance, multi media) been used in different fields or areas of social work practice?  

You could select one art form and one area and research current use to narrow down your focus.  For example – how is music used in hospital-based social work in Western Australia?  Or, how is painting and drawing being used in child welfare work in Sydney?

2.         How many social workers use the arts in their work practice, and/or how do they use the arts in their practice?

Issue:  The role of non-government organisations (NGO’s)  in the child protection sector

1.         What roles and functions are best undertaken by the non government sector in child protection work?

2.         How can government best support and build the capacity of the non government sector?

3.         What are the risks associated with NGO involvement in the child protection sector? How can those risks be successfully managed?

Issue:  Recruitment of child protection practitioners.

Recruitment and retention of skilled and experienced child protection workers is one of the key issues impacting on successful delivery of child protection services. What are the key issues impacting on the decisions by staff to stay longer than 12 months, two years, 5 years.

What are the key issues impacting on staff decisions to move on? What may have persuaded them to stay?

Issue:  The evolving profession of social work

1.         Where do people with Social work degrees work after they graduate, and/or five, 10, 20 years later?

2.         Where do people with other human service (eg. Humanitarian) related degrees work? 

Issue:  Youth Work

What impact do skate-parks, drop-in centres or other youth-focused community resources have on young people?  Some possible questions are:

How well used are these resources (you might like to pick just one)?
What are young people’s views about the resource?
What other types of resource would young people want to see?

Issue:  Domestic Violence Service Usage and Experience

What is the current use of domestic violence services in the NT (or any other place you might choose)?   – Some possible questions are:

            How many people use services annually? 
            What are the demographics of service users?
            What are service users views of the services – what works and what could be improved?