Some New Perspectives on Early Australian Social Work

Abstract

The present article re-examines several aspects of the early history of Australian social work. Using primary sources that recently underpinned a PhD thesis, the paper suggests that the traditional historical interpretation of the roles of the Charity Organisation Society (COS) and the British model of lady almoning as the foundation pillars of social work, while applicable to the establishment of social work in Victoria, had less relevance in the case of New South Wales. Second, the present article highlights the valuable role played by a group of Catholic women trained in social work in the foundation decades of the profession in Australia. Led by Professor Norma Parker, this small cohort made a distinctive contribution in an array of social work arenas, including their church, subjects that hitherto have been largely overlooked in the literature.