Associate Professor Dr Mark Hughes BSW(Hons)(JCU), PhD(UQ) 

Mark Hughes is a social work and social welfare academic, based at the Gold Coast Tweed
Heads Campus. He completed his undergraduate degree at James Cook University in 1988 and
his PhD at the University of Queensland in 1996. He has worked as a social worker in
Australia and the UK, and previously held academic positions at the University of
Queensland, the University of New South Wales, and Goldsmiths College, University of
London. He is currently Coordinator of the Bachelor of Social Science. 

Mark’s research interests centre on ageing, care-giving and aged care service delivery,
including social work and human service practice with older people. His PhD research
investigated conflict, violence and abuse in care-giving relationships involving older
people, while his earlier honours research looked at dementia and care-giving. In the UK
Mark researched the transitions of older people through health and social care systems,
including the use of multi-disciplinary panels in gate-keeping entry to residential aged
care. In Australia Mark has researched privacy in aged care, educational initiatives to
facilitate reflective practice with older people, and the ageing experiences of lesbian,
bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people. The latter program of research has
included studies on sexual identity expression in health and aged care settings, social
workers’ capacity to discuss sexual identity in assessment activities, LGBTI people’s
concerns about ageing and accessing services, and the care networks of older lesbian and
gay people. 

Mark has also researched and published more widely on social work and human service
practice, and social work education. He is co-author of five books, including Social Work
and Human Service Practice 5th Edn (with Ian O’Connor, Jill Wilson and Deborah
Setterlund), Organisations and Management in Social Work (with Michael Wearing) and Older
People, Ageing and Social Work (with Karen Heycox). He has also published a wide range of
refereed journal articles, and is on the Editorial Board of the Australian Social Work
journal. Mark is an active member of the Australian Association of Social Workers, the
Australian Institute of Welfare and Community Workers, and the Australian Association of
Social Work and Welfare Education. He is also engaged in a number of community activities
related to LGBTI ageing.

Journal articles

PDF

Older LGBT people’s care networks and communities of practice: a brief note (with Sue Kentlyn), International Social Work (2011)

This paper critically examines literature relating to the care of older lesbian, gay, bisexual and...

PDF

Expectations of later life support among lesbian and gay Queenslanders, Australasian Journal on Ageing (2010)

Aim: To examine lesbian and gay people’s expectations of support, socialising and cohabitation in older...

OpenURL

Diversity and ageing (with Elizabeth Ozanne and Christine Bigby), Australian Social Work (2009)

PDF

Lesbian and gay people's concerns about ageing and accessing services, Australian Social Work (2009)

There is growing awareness in Australia of the issues faced by lesbian and gay people...

OpenURL

Social work practice with older lesbians and gay men by Ann Fannin, Lee-Ann Fenge, Christina Hicks, Nichola Lavin and Keith Brown: book review, Australian Social Work (2009)

Books

Studying for social work (with Eileen Baldry, Linda Burnett, and Ian Collinson), School of Arts and Social Sciences Papers (2011)

This essential guide to study skills takes social work students through every step of their...

Older people, ageing and social work: knowledge for practice (with Karen Heycox), Older people, ageing and social work: knowledge for practice (2010)

Description:
'Essential reading for practitioners, educators and researchers within the general field of social work with...

Social work and human service practice (with Ian O'Connor, Jill Wilson, and Deborah Setterlund), Social work and human service practice (2008)

Description:
The changing context of social work and human service practice means that now more...

Link

Organisations and management in social work (with Michael Wearing), Organisations and management in social work (2007)

"What role does social work play in human service organizations? How do social workers experience...

Link

Social work and social care practice (with Ian O'Connor, Danielle Turney, Jill Wilson, and Deborah Setterlund), Social work and social care practice (2006)

"This lively and engaging book is an adaptation of the bestselling introductory social work book...

Book chapters

Advocacy: an overarching approach (with Jill Wilson), Case management for community practice (2009)

Imagined futures and communities: older lesbian and gay people’s narratives on health and aged care, Growing older: perspectives on LGBT aging (2009)

Role of the interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary team (with Annette James, Geoffrey Mitchell, Michelle Bissett, Lee Zakrzewski, Anthony Wright, Susan Balandin, and Michelle Lincoln), Chronic illness and disability : principles for nursing practice (2008)

Conference publications

Experiences and issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (GLBT) carers, and those for whom they care, and implications for service provision, Changing society; changing needs – new directions in carers support: Carers NSW Biennial Conference (2011)

Diversity and older people’s care networks: research in progress (with Sue Kentlyn), Doing diversity: 7th National GLBTI Health in Difference Conference (2010)

GLBTI people’s expectations about ageing and accessing services, Climate for change: ageing into the future: International Federation on Ageing 10th Global Conference (2010)

Work-family balance: a contemporary challenge for social workers (with Parveen Kallaith and Peter Newcombe), 20th Asia Pacific Social Work Conference (2009)

Work-family conflict and enrichment among Australian social workers: an assessment of the direct and moderation effects (with Parveen Kallaith and Peter Newcombe), Harmonizing work, family and personal life in times of crisis: III International Conference for Work and Family (2009)