ABSTRACT
As we have discussed throughout this book, one of the unique and defining factors of regional, rural and remote social work practice is the very nature of the location, visibility and how social workers may be connected, or choose to connect with the communities they live and work in. Again, this varies across regional, rural and remote settings, as often the smaller the community, the more visible the individual may be in their professional role. We should also consider the variabilities of individual experiences, including how much control social workers are able to exert in relation to this visibility and how comfortable they may feel in relation to this. This can be influenced by how connected the individual may feel to their local community, where they live and work and their own personal philosophy in managing the complexities of practising in a regional, rural and remote environment. We discussed the unique contexts of people in their environments in Chapter 3, and in this chapter we will explore more fully how the social workers we spoke with navigate the insider/outsider status they are faced with and how they view, interpret and manage the boundaries of social work practice and rural life.
