Meet Emma McMahon! Emma is a 20-year-old Wiradjuri woman who has lived on Dharawal Country all her life.
Emma is studying Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Wollongong. Through the CLCNSW First Nations Cadetship Program, she took her first community legal centre placement at the Illawarra Legal Centre.
We asked Emma some questions about her experience of the First Nations Cadetship Program and her plans for the future!
How are you enjoying the Cadetship Program so far?
I am so grateful to be a part of this amazing cadetship program with CLCNSW. I love that they include other degrees alongside people studying law as I believe it is very beneficial to be a part of this program from a social work perspective as law underpins many social work core principles. Being in the law sector also allows social workers to provide a more holistic view towards clients.
What have you enjoyed the most?
I have particular interest in the outreaches that the CLC does with the community as I understand the importance of rapport-building in the community and working with client in a space that they are familiar with and feel safe in. I have also enjoyed networking with other community workers and services as this will help me with my future practice as I can understand what specific services can assist with for referrals and to ensure the bets outcome for clients.
Do you have a particular area of interest in law?
Working in the legal sector is an area that is not talked about much throughout the social work degree. However, I believe it is so important for social workers to have general knowledge of the law to provide better service delivery overall. I did not start my degree with the intention of working in the legal sector, however, with my involvement in this cadetship with CLCNSW, I now understand the value of having social workers working alongside solicitors in this space. I now see the legal sector as an area of interest for my future career.
Which courts and lists have you visited so far in the Cadetship Program?
So far this year, I have visited the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Parramatta Drug Court and Parramatta Childrens Court.
What would you like to be doing in five years?
I originally wanted to undertake the Bachelor of Social Work to work with my Aboriginal community, and this is still a very real possibility for me. However, going through the degree I have now realised the number of different fields that social workers can work in and so many of these sounds interesting and rewarding to work in. As a result, I want to undertake my two university placements in fields I am unsure about working in as this gives me a chance to work in the field and get a feel for if I like it or not. I do not have a plan for what I would like to be doing in 5 years. However, I think that is the beauty of social work. If you do not like a certain field of work, there are a multitude of other fields you can have a go at.
What do you hope to get out of your cadetship?
Throughout this cadetship program, I hope to challenge myself and experience and aim to get a practical head start for my future after I graduate. I hope to experience working with community through outreaches and work alongside clients to help empower them to reach their full potential. I also hope to experience how the different courts work. Even though I will not be working in the court as a lawyer, I aim to understand how the courts work to support future clients who may have to be involved in court at some stage and help them understand the environment as well as break down legal language into simpler terms that are easier to understand. Finally, I hope to undertake a range of training that will help to assist and prepare me for a range of different situations that I may come across in the future.
Pictured: Ji Robinson Stone, Solicitor at Illawarra Legal Centre, with Emma McMahon in the office.