National Scholarly Contribution

My contribution to the national scholarly dialogue regarding social work education has been sustained over my career across two tertiary institutions, one national peak body organisation, and through my work in social work education editorial positions. The provision of social work qualified training in Australia is overseen by the accrediting body, the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). Since entering academia I have worked with two tertiary institutions (UNSW and UOW) to successfully navigate the accreditation process, both institutions being commended in their field education provisions due to my development of both BSW and MSW(Q) field education programs.

My knowledge of the social work education accreditation process is due, in part, to my involvement with our national social work education peak body organisation, ANZSWWER (Australia New Zealand Social Work & Welfare Education & Research), where I have sat on the Executive Committee since 2018. In this capacity I contribute to the national debate on accreditation standards and quality of social work qualifying programs across Australia and New Zealand, including the advancement of teaching and learning scholarship. In 2019 I became the Chief Editor of the ANZSWWER journal, Advances in Social Work & Welfare Education. In this role I have been able to promote opportunity for social work educators to undertake teaching and learning research and publish their findings, teaching practice, and teaching philosophy. I have been able to move the journal into an Open Access online platform, significantly increasing the number of international submissions and network of peer reviewers.

Dr Mim Fox has played an integral role in the development and transformation of the Editorial Board of Advances in Social Work and Welfare Education. This has involved recruiting and working with a new Editorial Board and instituting a major change of process from a traditional board structure to one that acts as an editorial collective. Dr Fox led the process of taking the journal open access and the institution of a new publishing platform thus growing the readership of ANZSWWER journal markedly.  Dr Fox has also played an important leadership role within ANZSWWER as a member of the Committee of Management, as Editor of the journal but also as part of the Local Organising Committee for our 2020 Symposium. Dr Fox was my co-MC at our 2020 Online Symposium which attracted upwards of 300 participants. Mim has offered an annual publishing workshop at ANZSWWER Symposia and this has consistently garnered positive feedback from participants. Dr Fox has hosted been an ambassador for early career writers and was one of the first Blog writers for the New Voices in Social Work Research. Mim is recognised as a social work education leader by her professional colleagues for her work with ANZSWWER and also via her podcast – Social Work Stories which was launched at the 2018 ANZSWWER Symposium held at Flinders University. 

Dr Lynelle Watts, Curtin University, President, ANZSWWER

In my role as Chief Editor of Advances in Social Work & Welfare Education I have developed an Editorial Board who work with me on ensuring the academic rigour and publishing philosophy within which the journal operates. I have worked in partnership with the Editorial Board to ensure an overarching Acknowledgement of Country for the journal that incorporates Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Maori ways of knowing, doing and being into the journal scope, including additional categories of articles that enhance a variety of writing styles and voices, including yarning and reflective and collective writing. I have pursued this agenda through the inclusion of a Special Issue for 2022 that showcases this diversity in writing and writers titled, “Voices From the Frontline”.
 

An integral component of my editorial role with the ANZSWWER journal is scholarship and publication outreach. Since taking on this role I have been privileged to deliver annual international writing and publishing workshops, I have delivered writing mentorship to tertiary institutions across Australia, and have delivered writing sessions for social work networking opportunities more broadly. For example, here is a writing conversation I undertook in early 2022 with a social work retreat, with the aim of providing mentorship in the area of reflective scholarly writing: