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Dr Margot Rawsthorne

PhD(Sydney)

Lecturer in Community Development

Convenor Post-Graduate Coursework, Social Work & Policy Studies

Email:

Phone: +61 2 9036 9313

Fax: +61 2 9351 3783

Building.Room: A35.728

Research interests

Social work and social policy

  • Community development
  • Counselling, welfare and community services
  • Violence in families

Professional biography

Dr. Margot Rawsthorne lectures in Community Development at the University of Sydney.  She worked for 15 years in south western Sydney in non-government agencies. Her research focuses on the experience of inequality, particularly shaped by gender, location and sexuality. Margot's current research projects focus on lesbian parents, rural young people, Aboriginal women and culturally diverse young women.

She has a strong commitment to supporting the developing research capacity of the non-government sector. Over recent years she has collaborated on a number of small research projects with agencies such as Liverpool Women's Health Centre, Joan Harrisons Support Services for Women, the Welfare Rights Centre and the P&C Federation of NSW. This research collaboration aims to ensure the relevance and usefulness of academic research and scholarship.

 


Awards

  • Faculty of Education and Social Work Teaching Excellence Award 2003


Professional and community roles

  • Member, Glebe Community Development Project steering committee

  • Co-founder, NSW Community Development Network, a branch of the International Association of Community Development


Current projects

  • Qualitative study of lesbian women who parent.
  • Evaluation of peer education program targetting Year 9 girls in relation to health relationships.
  • Evaluation of Aboriginal Women Against Violence project, aimed at increasing community capacity to respond to violence against Aboriginal women.
  • Longitudinal study of rural young people's health and wellbeing (jointly with Rural Health units).
  • Evaluation and development of Glebe Community Development project.

Current research students

Project title Degree Research student
The settlement experiences of the humanitarian entrants from Sub-Sahara Africa in Sydney. DSW Tesfaye Alemayehu
Multi-family group work DSW Heather Dalby
Emergence of Assets based community development on the Central Coast PhD Amanda Howard
Assessing the impact: Social inclusion and homelessness. Rethinking or rebranding? MPhil George Mudford
Parental stress DSW Rosa Pak

Selected publications

Book chapters

  • Rawsthorne, M. (2008). Violence against women in rural settings . In Barbara Fawcett and Fran Waugh (Eds.), Addressing Violence, Abuse and Oppression: Debates and Challenges (Vol. 1, pp. 93–105), New York London: Routledge.
  • Rawsthorne, M. (2008). Beyond the Sandstone: research partnerships between the community welfare sector and universities. In Bottrell D and Meagher G (Eds.), Communities and change: selected papers (Vol. 1, pp. 285–302), Sydney: Sydney University Press.
  • Rawsthorne, M. (2006). Unemployment at 29-year low: Why unemployment still matters. In Serr K (Ed.), Thinking about Poverty (Vol. 1, pp. 92–106), Sydney: The Federation Press.

Journal articles

  • Rawsthorne, M. (2009). Just like other parents? Supporting lesbian-parented families . Australian Social Work, 62(1), 45–60.
  • Rawsthorne, M, Shaver, S. (2008). Government/non-government relations: the impact of contractual reporting and accountability requirements on non-government organisations under previous arrangements in the Family and Community Services portfolio. Australian Social Policy Journal, 7, 141–155.
  • Rawsthorne, M, Vinson, T. (2007). 'The Most Liveable Place in Australia': The role of social indicators in realising the vision. New Community Quarterly, 5(4), 3–10.
  • Rawsthorne, M, Eardley, T. (2007). Working collaboratively: Improving services outcomes for young people. Australian Social Policy Journal, 2 (2006)(1), 85–119.
  • De Pree-Raghavan, A, Rawsthorne, M. (2007). Putting community development at the centre: 'teaching' community development in a social work program. New Community Quarterly, 5(2), 32–36.
  • Rawsthorne, M. (2006). Instability among low income families. Just Policy, 40, 25–33.
  • Rawsthorne, M. (2005). Community development activities in the context of contracting. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 40(2), 227–240.

Conference papers

  • Rawsthorne, M. (2009). Creating inclusive rural communities: Grass roots perspectives on the opportunities and challenges . In Australian Social Policy Conference 2009 An Inclusive Society? Practicalities and Possibilities . University of NSW, 8-10 July 2009.
  • Rawsthorne, M, Christian, F. (2005). Government/community sector compacts: real engagement?. In D. Gardiner and K. Scott (pp. 1–20). Queensland, 14-17 Aug 2005.

Other

  • Karen Healy, Margot Rawsthorne, Amanda Donnett, Fiona Caniglia, Anne Hampshire and Annette Michaux . (2009). Families on the Fringe: Promoting the social inclusion of young families moving to non-metropolitan areas, Sydney, Mission Australia and Benevolent Society.
  • Rawsthorne, M. (2009). Enabling participation of diverse families: A discussion paper for the P&C Federation, Granville, NSW P&C Federation.
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