Mary Whiteside

Two practical 'how-to' guides have been launched by NHS Improving Quality to support health and care professionals to improve their skills and knowledge continually. The Learning Handbook ( media.nhsiq.nhs.uk/learninghandbook ) helps readers take a systematic approach to learning, capture and share learning that can inform best practice, and focus on activities that will give them the greatest chance of improved outcomes. It is designed to help people obtain the best value out of all learning opportunities. The Intelligence Handbook ( media.nhsiq.nhs.uk/intelligencehandbook ), on the other hand, guides readers through the process of finding, filtering and understanding intelligence and will help them distil new information and use it to best advantage. Both handbooks signpost to further reading and resources.

This paper reviews the laboratory models used to teach fundamental surgical skills in our general surgery residency. The laboratory modules allow supervision and self-instruction, practice, and videotape monitoring of the following techniques: skin incision, suturing, knot tying, hemostasis, vascular anastomosis, and intestinal anastomosis. Pigs' feet simulate human skin for exercises in skin incision, lesion excision, suturing, and basic plastic surgical techniques. Latex tubing and penrose drains allow experience in suturing, knot tying, and hemostasis. Polytetrafluoroethylene vascular prostheses permit quantification of the precision of needle passage and suturing by measurement of leakage of water through a vascular anastomosis. Reconstituted, lyophilized, irradiated bovine arteries and ileum provide models of biologic tissue for creating handsewn vascular anastomoses and sutured or stapled gastrointestinal anastomoses. A headlamp videocamera allows unobstructive recording of the resident's technical performance and provides subsequent visual feedback for self-improvement when compared to reference instructional videotapes. We feel that these innovations may enhance surgical dexterity of residents without the need for animal sacrifice. Our goal is to foreshorten the learning curve for basic surgical skills and improve performance in the clinical operating room.

Empowerment provides a potentially useful framework for social work practice with Indigenous Australians. However, there is little systematic research on what empowerment actually means in this context. This study sought to examine the concept of empowerment for Indigenous Australians through a grounded theory analysis of the stories of people who experienced empowerment, having participated in the Indigenous developed Family Wellbeing empowerment program. The emergent theoretical model delineates central interconnected and mutually reinforcing elements that enabled people to effect life changes, even where many aspects of their social context remained constraints. The elements involve particular beliefs and attitudes, and skills and knowledge manifested in agency and leading to achievements. All of the elements correspond with theoretical literature pertaining to empowerment. However, the proposed emergent theory places a greater emphasis on attributes associated with a belief in God, strong personal values, and having the skills to help others. These attributes resonate with Indigenous concepts of culture and spirituality. The findings provide a valuable conceptual model for social workers engaging with Indigenous groups, communities, and organisations, whether through policy, planning, research, or practice.

The importance of professional disciplines working together to address the critical social and health issues facing society today cannot be overstated. Policy makers, service providers and researchers have long been calling for greater interdisciplinary collaboration. Despite this there has been little systemic analysis of the constraints involved in such collaboration. Far too often disciplines continue to work in silos. This paper aims to analyse the barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration through a case study of the relationship between social work and public health. These two disciplines have a lot more in common than might first appear. There is real potential for social work and public health to work together and enhance each other's efforts to address their common goal of greater social equality. However, this will require a genuine commitment from both disciplines to develop a shared political analysis, common language and a framework for action, which utilises their respective strengths.

... This paper demonstrates the kinds of change that FWB has been encouraging in people and examines some of the key elements of success ... Komla Tsey, Helen Travers, Teresa Gibson, Mary Whiteside, Yvonne Cadet-James, Melissa Haswell-Elkins, Janya McCalman ...

To adapt the Family Wellbeing empowerment program, which was initially designed to support adults to take greater control and responsibility for their decisions and lives, to the needs of Indigenous school children living in remote communities. At the request of two schools in remote Indigenous communities in far north Queensland, a pilot personal development and empowerment program based on the adult Family Wellbeing principles was developed, conducted and evaluated in the schools. The main aims of the program were to build personal identity and to encourage students to recognise their future potential and be more aware of their place in the community and wider society. Participation in the program resulted in significant social and emotional growth for the students. Outcomes described by participating students and teachers included increased analytical and reflective skills, greater ability to think for oneself and set goals, less teasing and bullying in the school environment, and an enhanced sense of identity, friendship and 'social relatedness'. This pilot implementation of the Family Wellbeing Program adapted for schools demonstrated the program's potential to enhance Indigenous young people's personal growth and development. Challenges remain in increasing parental/ family involvement and ensuring the program's sustainability and transferability. The team has been working with relevant stakeholders to further develop and package the School-based Family Wellbeing program for Education…

... men's health group educational and support meetings attended, on average, by 10 men each week • Continuation of occasional social outings and activities such as going out to movies, dinners, and fishing and hunting trips • One-on-one informal counselling and support ...

Social workers seeking to address the relative disadvantage experienced by Indigenous Australians frequently find themselves working with complex social realities, including working in transdisciplinary teams with people of differing cultural backgrounds, values, and levels of education. Managing these complexities is critical to change, yet can be difficult to achieve. Theoretical frameworks can be used as tools to help the practitioner make sense of complex social realities and to plan and evaluate change. This paper presents a framework derived from a pilot initiative to culturally orient and build teams within a child and maternal health program for Indigenous Australian families. This framework, which closely aligns with empowerment theory, potentially provides a useful tool for social workers engaging with Indigenous groups, communities and organisations whether through policy, planning, research, or practice.

... activities and related impact evaluation strategies, we will first provide an overview of Yarrabah ... business) • Support for a group of young men to transform their church-based dance ... analysis of suicide in Indigenous communities of North Queensland: The historical and symbolic ...