ABSTRACT Counsellors working in higher education settings can be the first to respond to student suicide events, which carry profound personal and professional impacts, including emotional distress and long-term wellbeing concerns. Without adequate support, counsellors face increased risk of harm. This study explored the lived experience of counsellors following a student suicide and identified key elements of effective postvention support. A qualitative design was employed, using reflexive thematic analysis to analyse open-ended survey responses and content analysis to summarise descriptive data. Findings reveal intricate, multifaceted impacts, evolving needs and the importance of supportive leadership, supervision, shared reflection, and involvement in postvention planning to strengthen resilience and institutional capacity. IMPLICATIONS Universities must recognise the diverse professional backgrounds of counselling staff and prioritise postvention needs to minimise adverse outcomes. Higher education settings should move beyond procedural checklists toward strategies that validate grief and acknowledge the emotional labour of staff, including the often-unseen impacts of supporting others while managing their own wellbeing. Integrating social work roles can enhance postvention support and inform meaningful policy change.

ABSTRACT This article discusses a university—court teaching partnership that enables social work students to have a direct face-to-face experience of being present in court hearings, focusing on the Treatment Intervention Court in South Australia. Student experiences and perspectives were gathered through an anonymous online survey and thematically analysed. Five key themes found in the survey data were A real-life experience of attending court hearings; Learning about legal formalities; Social work roles within court settings; Ethical challenges of practice in court-ordered drug treatment programs; and Being supported in their learning. This university—court partnership maximises students' experiential learning of court processes, which is at the forefront of students being prepared for the social work profession. IMPLICATIONS Collaborative partnerships between universities and courts strengthen social work education by enabling students to develop practical insights into the procedural and relational dynamics of legal systems. Immersive learning experiences within court environments deepen students’ comprehension of social work’s role in legal contexts and promote critical reflection on the implementation of therapeutic jurisprudence and court-ordered interventions.

ABSTRACT Drawing on a preliminary study guided by the principles of the Job Demands-Resources Model, the aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of secondary traumatisation (ST) of social workers supporting traumatised children and their families. In partnership with the Lazio Regional Chapter of the National Council of Social Workers in Italy (CROAS Lazio), the research team analysed a small sample of in-depth interviews with social workers engaged in community-based and justice-related services for children and families. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and submitted to theoretically-oriented thematic analysis. The narratives analysed appeared to blur the lines between ST and burnout, a more widely recognised professional risk among Italian social workers. However, traumatic symptoms of ST are particularly pervasive when working with sexually abused children in specific situations, such as family separations or trials. Our findings show that participants identified personal, work-related, organisational, and interorganisational factors that function either as job demands or resources, influencing the reinforcement or mitigation of ST risk. The findings offer insights into developing targeted strategies to prevent ST, thereby fostering sustainable and supportive work environments. IMPLICATIONS Systemic interventions are crucial to addressing secondary traumatisation among social workers, including specialised training throughout their careers, particularly in high-risk contexts like court trials and removals of children from the home due to abuse and neglect. Policy reforms should focus on reducing caseloads, enhancing professional supervision, and fostering team collaboration. Improved interprofessional and interorganisational co-operation can further alleviate the isolating nature of the profession, promoting social workers' wellbeing and improving care quality for vulnerable children and families.

ABSTRACT Emergency relief (ER) provides financial assistance to people experiencing hardship. While research suggests holistic ER characterised by relational practices, has benefits over transactional ER characterised by the basic supply of material assistance, the underlying psychological mechanisms that drive these differences remain unclear. This study utilised Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to explore how holistic and transactional ER support the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. In a sample of ER recipients accessing holistic (n = 99) and transactional (n = 99) support, those in the holistic group reported significantly higher levels of autonomy support, financial competence, trust in the ER support worker, and financial wellbeing compared to those in the transactional group. These findings support the importance of relational ER delivery practices and the relevance of SDT as a framework for investigating the effectiveness of ER. Limitations and implications are discussed, emphasising the need for future longitudinal studies to establish the practical implications of psychological needs-based support on ER client outcomes. IMPLICATIONS Recipients of holistic emergency relief (ER) reported higher levels of autonomy supportiveness, financial competence, trust in ER support workers, and financial wellbeing than recipients of transactional ER. These findings provide a foundation for longitudinal studies to explore the potential benefits of holistic emergency relief further.

ABSTRACT Historically, kinship care was considered “high risk” in comparison to general foster care and therefore best practice models of supporting kinship have not been prioritised. In this article the author emphasises the importance of adopting evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches in the kinship space to encourage reflection and robust discussion. Without this, the sector risks experiencing a decline in kinship care, mirroring the trends seen among general carers over time, which would adversely impact children requiring supportive, alternative care placements. IMPLICATIONS Kinship carers experience many of the same challenges and barriers as general foster carers in Australia, including financial, social, and emotional hardship, and require greater focus on their unique experience of assessment, training, and support. Social workers in child protection are uniquely placed to advocate for and develop more evidenced-based, trauma-informed approaches to support kinship care.