Practice what you preach : creating partnerships and decolonising the social work curriculum

In recent times, Indigenous scholars have recommended transforming the existing social work curriculum in ways that decolonise its dominant Eurocentric foundations. This article is a critical reflection on the work of two non-Indigenous social work educators and our attempts to decolonise our teaching practice at Western Sydney University (WSU). We sought to value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges and expertise, and to embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing into our practice. Firstly, we situate our efforts to decolonise our teaching and practice within the Australian historic and contemporary contexts and we then review and reflect on our own struggles and experiences of decolonising the social work curriculum. Al-Natour discusses his decolonisation efforts in teaching Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Mears explores her efforts to integrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges into her research, engagement and teaching with large cohorts of mostly non-Indigenous students. Our aim in this article is to remind non-Indigenous academics of the central importance of, and the necessity for, decolonisation across the social sciences and particularly, social work, a profession that now supports working towards social justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Further, our purpose is to alert fellow non-Indigenous scholars to practices that we have utilised in valuing and respecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing.