Wendy Adams can pinpoint the moment that inspired her to consider returning to study as a mature-aged student. She was working as a Compliance Support Officer at Centrelink (now Services Australia). “This mum had so much on her plate, taking care of her husband, her kids, working, and I recall asking her, ‘But who’s taking care of you?’” Having grown up with challenging family circumstances herself, Wendy says it allowed her “to have a little bit more empathy for the families that I'm working with”.
“I was actually thinking about studying psychology at that stage. My colleague said, ‘I think you would make a really good social worker’”.
Wendy, a mother of two herself, reviewed several universities. “One of the reasons I chose UNE was because of their online learning.” Starting part-time study in 2015, Wendy says the flexibility was crucial to her ability to complete her degree this year.
“When you’re studying online, obviously it can be a little bit isolating sometimes, but I found with UNE, you only had to pick up the phone, or email. Even though it was online, I found the lecturers and unit coordinators to be lovely. Nothing was ever an issue. If you emailed them a question they would always answer. Those connections are really important.”
Study hasn’t been easy with the added pressures of COVID, which had a profound impact on student placements. Wendy’s proud to have graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work with Honours, despite these trying conditions.
“With the social work degree, there are two placements. That can be tough because it’s 500 hours unpaid, which can be financially stressful. However, the experience that you gain going on those placements is invaluable.
“My last placement was with the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), working with child protection and that was fabulous. It actually helped me to secure my job now.”
In her current role as a Family Practitioner at the Nepean Community and Neighbourhood Services in Penrith, Wendy works to deliver the Functional Family Therapy Program. The model is relatively new in Australia.
“Our role is to go in and therapeutically work with families who could be experiencing a range of things, such as alcohol and drug use or domestic violence. There are a whole range of risks, and most of the families we work with are considered high-risk by DCJ.”
Wendy says they are often not well-received when they arrive to new cases, and it takes time to build trust.
People want to know that they're being listened to, they want to know that they're being heard and that they're not being judged.
“We work with them to reduce the blame and negativity and help them to get over some of the barriers they’ve been facing. We get to know the family first and see how the family relates to each other, or how they respond to certain suggestions,” says Wendy. “People want to know that they're being listened to, they want to know that they're being heard and that they're not being judged. They deal with a lot of prejudice.”
The work can be heavy going.
“I learnt a lot about myself during the degree. Social work makes you question your own values because when you’re working with people, you have to try not to bring in your biases.”
With a shortage of case workers, Wendy said she would “highly recommend social work”. “Even on the tough days, it’s rewarding. You are making a difference in families’ lives by connecting with people, looking at their situation holistically.”
Having good relationships with her team and debriefing with them is a key part of coping with the daily challenges, she says, as is finding an outlet outside of work.
“I think anyone that works in any type of human services environment needs self-care. It’s really important… I lift weights. I’m actually competing in a novice power lifting comp in December. I try to show my family that taking care of yourself is important as well.”
