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Australia is often characterised as a laid-back society. When it comes to the regulation of the Australian health and human services workforce there may be some truth to this depiction. Indeed, many Australian health and human service occupations operate in a largely self-regulated environment with limited government oversight of education or professional standards. This chapter discusses government regulation of the health and human service professions in Australia, and the implications for social workers seeking to relocate to Australia. The concept of ‘professional self-regulation’ is outlined, and the prospects and problems of self-regulation for achieving professional standards and achieving diversity within the social work profession are considered, as are the implications of the self-regulating environment for social workers migrating to Australia. It concludes with a discussion of how the Australian Association of Social Workers is collaborating with other allied health professions and with the New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board to strengthen professional standards and capacities.

This chapter recounts the history of the service/activism tension in the social work profession. It examines the debates within social work organizations during the advent of the civil rights movement, as well as the effect brought about by race riots and the emerging Black Power movement on discourses about activism in the profession. During a social movement surge, activism is often characterized by the practices of said movements. Groups who traverse between activism and some other role (direct service, advocacy), such as social workers, are forced to rethink their roles in movements. The conflict lies within the organization's identity, asking whether or not they are the sort of institution that participates in civil rights marches. This aura of uncertainty produced openings for disagreeing social workers to seek change within the profession.

This chapter has three aims. The first is to familiarize readers with the general tenor, proceedings, and discussions at the five “Science in Social Work” roundtables that took place between 2012 and 2016. A key role of these roundtables was to engage in further dialogue that was, in part, sparked by John Brekke’s provocative Aaron Rosen lecture and initial responses to his lecture that were formally presented at the International Invitational Conference on Social Work Education. This summary draws on both published manuscripts and unpublished presentations associated with roundtable activities. It also provides a synthesis of key convergence points that emerged from these discussions. Finally, it situates the roundtable discussions within long-standing debates that have evolved over time concerning the role and status of social work research and knowledge development. This summary and synthesis provides a general frame to structure the chapters included in this volume.

The concluding chapter summarizes the key issues related to culturally competent research in social work. It highlights the current challenges of culturally competent social work research including the cultural assumptions and beliefs of the researcher; the various conceptualizations of cultural competence by the social work profession; the growing and increasing complexity of our society; and the fact that culture is dynamic, fluid, and evolving—all of which are further impacted by globalization. Albeit challenging, the social work profession is making inroads toward cultural competence. The chapter also describes useful indicators that benchmark culturally competent research.

This comments on the foregoing chapters, acknowledges the value of understanding the complex relationship between moral panics, the state and the profession of social work and notes that many of the ideas and issues presented speak to the day-to-day experience of a front-line practitioner.