‘You have to love it’: What does it take to work in remote community services? Hearing Country Voices Research Partnership Report no. 13

This report presents findings from the study What specialist knowledge and skills are required for working in regional and remote community service programs? The study was conducted by researchers at the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University in partnership with Uniting Country SA. Using a mixed method rapid ethnographic approach, the study explored the specific skills and knowledge required for working regional and remote services and programs administered by Uniting Country SA. Our findings align with the evidence that the main areas of distinctive regional and remote practice include: the ability to collaborate and build relationships; the acquisition of specialist-generalist skills, and; personal skills such as creativity, lateral thinking and resilience. These practices and characteristics of workers are powerful in mitigating the structural inequities that are most stark in regional and remote contexts.