Introduction
There are many different types of Human Service Organisations (HSOs), all of which function differently. Different organisations will have different aims, structures and environments will seek to transform clients through different technologies. Social workers within HSOs may come across different constraints and opportunities. For the purpose of this analysis, a social worker, Leah Hammett was interviewed. Leah is a Student Wellbeing Officer in the Student Equity and Wellbeing (SEW) unit at James Cook University in Cairns. I met with Leah in her office. It should also be mentioned that I have seen Leah in her role at the university so there are some aspects discussed which I was already aware, however, asked again just to reiterate …show more content…
One such classification is a ‘living organism’, this classification describes an organisation as a biological organism that is dependent on its environment (Hughes & Wearing, 2013, p.38). SEW could be seen as a ‘living organism’ as it relies heavily on the external environment, being the government and university.
Leah described the SEW unit as a non-government, not for profit organisation. Leah’s position is ‘soft funded’, it is partly funded by the commonwealth government and partly funded by Student Association fees, however, she mentioned that funds from within the university are not likely to continue so they are looking to secure more commonwealth funding. There has not been any downsizing yet within the organisation, however, leah mentioned that if the government decides agains deregulation of university funding, it unclear as to whether she will still have a position. This was described as a difficult situation as she sees it as unfair to students that the only way to keep her as a social worker is for the university to charge higher …show more content…
It is important for staff working in organisations with clients from different cultures to be culturally competent. It is mentioned in the SEW statement of context that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and students from non-traditional and disadvantaged backgrounds are to be given extra assistance (Appendix A). Leah backed up this statement by commenting that she does extra advocacy for Indigenous students. She also mentioned that as her father is Indigenous, she has first hand experience of what it feels like coming to university from an Indigenous background and this is one of the reasons she feels so strongly about helping Indigenous students. It was also mentioned that diversity is reflected within the staff of the SEW unit as some of the staff come from overseas, this helps them relate to the international
There are many different types of Human Service Organisations (HSOs), all of which function differently. Different organisations will have different aims, structures and environments will seek to transform clients through different technologies. Social workers within HSOs may come across different constraints and opportunities. For the purpose of this analysis, a social worker, Leah Hammett was interviewed. Leah is a Student Wellbeing Officer in the Student Equity and Wellbeing (SEW) unit at James Cook University in Cairns. I met with Leah in her office. It should also be mentioned that I have seen Leah in her role at the university so there are some aspects discussed which I was already aware, however, asked again just to reiterate …show more content…
One such classification is a ‘living organism’, this classification describes an organisation as a biological organism that is dependent on its environment (Hughes & Wearing, 2013, p.38). SEW could be seen as a ‘living organism’ as it relies heavily on the external environment, being the government and university.
Leah described the SEW unit as a non-government, not for profit organisation. Leah’s position is ‘soft funded’, it is partly funded by the commonwealth government and partly funded by Student Association fees, however, she mentioned that funds from within the university are not likely to continue so they are looking to secure more commonwealth funding. There has not been any downsizing yet within the organisation, however, leah mentioned that if the government decides agains deregulation of university funding, it unclear as to whether she will still have a position. This was described as a difficult situation as she sees it as unfair to students that the only way to keep her as a social worker is for the university to charge higher …show more content…
It is important for staff working in organisations with clients from different cultures to be culturally competent. It is mentioned in the SEW statement of context that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and students from non-traditional and disadvantaged backgrounds are to be given extra assistance (Appendix A). Leah backed up this statement by commenting that she does extra advocacy for Indigenous students. She also mentioned that as her father is Indigenous, she has first hand experience of what it feels like coming to university from an Indigenous background and this is one of the reasons she feels so strongly about helping Indigenous students. It was also mentioned that diversity is reflected within the staff of the SEW unit as some of the staff come from overseas, this helps them relate to the international