Social Workers with lived experience may display increased levels of relatability and empathy, and be better able to connect, understand, and advocate for those they support. Whilst lived experience is increasingly recognised as an invaluable asset in helping professions, those who have been incarcerated face significant barriers to Social Work study and employment. Barriers include difficulty obtaining Working with Children certification, completing University
placement requirements, and eligibility for the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). In this presentation Tina will share her journey from being a student in prison to becoming a practicing Social Worker returning to prison to support criminalised families as part of the Transform Lives Program. She will describe the personal cost for a criminalised person entering a profession that espouses the value of transformative change, social justice, and inclusivity, whilst actively excluding pathways for incarcerated people to enter the profession. Tina and Jaime will examine barriers to inclusion in Social Work, including membership of the AASW and difficulties obtaining a Working with Children Card, along with subsequent advocacy, appeals, and ultimate success in achieving change. Jaime will reflect on how the Transform Lives Program has incorporated lived experience in the co-creation and staffing of the program and will conclude with a challenge for all human service organisations to dismantle barriers for criminalised workers.
Presenters
Tina Lucas-Smith is a Social Worker and Program Coach in the Transform Lives Program in the Transforming Corrections to Transform Live Centre, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University. Tina holds a Master of Social Work and a Bachelor of Counselling. She has lived experience of incarceration, childhood sexual abuse, mental health, and domestic and family violence. Tina is an advocate walking alongside families experiencing criminalisation, with particular interest in supporting criminalised women/mothers, education not incarceration, challenging and dismantling discriminatory practices for criminalised people, and valuing lived experience.
Jaime O’Donovan is an experienced Social Worker and the Program Manager of the Transform Lives Program in the Transforming Corrections to Transform Lives Centre, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University. Jaime holds a Bachelor of Social Work and Graduate Certificate in Clinical Redesign and has a passion working with women and young people to co-create positive change. Jaime has experience in leading and managing teams and high-level projects, grounded by her clinical work with children and families across both the government and non-government sectors.
