About McAlpine B

Why We Do What We Do

There are 1.3 million support workers in Australia, whether you call them caseworkers, support workers, youth workers, support workers, peer workers or justice workers. These frontline workers work directly with the most vulnerable and marginalised clients in Australia.

They are not the CEOs, program directors, managers or even co-ordinators within organisations. They are in their clients’ homes every day. They know their clients by name and they’re caring for their daily needs.

At McAlpine B we understand that this complex work.

• Complex because clients may have endured years if not decades of trauma and may see little hope for the future.
• Complex because vulnerable clients can sometimes be violent towards the very workers who are trying to help them.
• Complex because caseworkers have to maintain a sense of hope and purpose even when the odds are overwhelmingly against their clients.
• And complex for caseworkers working with non-voluntary clients who may be actively hostile.

We also understand that while most caseworkers come to the field with a strong commitment to social justice, the complex and demanding nature of the work can cause staff to become burnt out, jaded or too overwhelmed to cope.