Whispers on the wind : The small quiet voice of rural health and welfare practice

The rural health, social work and welfare literature includes work on the provision of services in rural and remote settings, the challenges of addressing those communities' needs, and the issues of the funding and staffing of service provision agencies. Rural sociology addresses the social, political and economic factors impinging on contemporary Australian rural life. What is missing from the discussion is extensive exploration of practitioner experience - the voices of the workers are largely unheard, particularly with regard to personal and professional role boundary issues. Health and welfare workers are confronted daily with ethical dilemmas arising from engagement in dual and multiple relationships within their communities. Numerous practitioners have presented anecdotes from their work, some small studies have been undertaken, and a few larger studies have been reported. These examples, which whet the appetite with regard to how these workers experience the boundary issues of rural practice, provide an introduction to the phenomenon that is Australian rural practice. This paper seeks to stimulate discussion about the experience of living and working in rural communities, and how ethical practice is achieved. It considers some of the published reflections of workers in this context, and gives voice to some previously unheard practitioners.C