Social work in dark places : clash of values in offshore immigration detention

Social work practice in offshore detention sites is a contested area in Australia. From first-hand experience, this article examines the dilemmas facing a caseworker during the time she was employed by a non-government organisation in Nauru, where Australia had transferred asylum seekers trying to reach Australia by boat. Discussion centres on the betrayal of social work principles in the course of employment including the tension between confidentiality and silencing; power differentials and empowerment; and lack of preparation for practice with vulnerable and traumatised asylum seekers. The article further examines social work inability to enact a duty of care to people experiencing mental illnesses. Presented are ideas for an ethical role for social work engagement.