Working with Families Experiencing Vulnerability: A Partnership Approach

About

Susan Heward-Belle is an Associate Professor of Social Work at the University of Sydney. Her teaching and sustained program of original research focuses on driving change to create socially just gender transformative strategies to prevent and address domestic and family violence. Her cutting-edge research particularly with men who perpetrate violence against women and children aims to counter dominant paradigms that offer gender biased responses particularly by institutions of the state such as statutory child protection services police and the courts. She contributes to knowledge which informs public policy and professional practices that ultimately prevent inter-personal violence. Moreover her research focuses on developing and promoting dignity-based policy and practice. Menka Tsantefski is an academic in the School of Social Work and Community Welfare Faculty of Health Southern Cross University and a researcher in the Faculty's Centre for Children and Young People. Menka's research has examined the transition to motherhood among women with histories of problematic substance use the experiences of children affected by parental substance use and all-of-family approaches at the intersection of alcohol and other drugs mental health domestic/family violence and child protection concerns. Her work which is cross-sectoral and multi-disciplinary has been at the forefront of service delivery. She has built evidence for interventions designed and implemented projects for children led developments in child-aware practice in adult services increased collaboration between service sectors and influenced policy and practice at the national level.