Erica Russ

Erica Russ serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work within the Faculty of Health at Southern Cross University, where she integrates teaching, research, and community engagement focused on social work education and workforce development.

Her academic credentials include:

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from University of New England, Armidale, Australia
• Bachelor of Social Work (BSocWk) from University of Queensland
• Graduate Certificate of Advanced Social Work Practice (GC AdvSocWk) from University of Queensland

Her research examines the social work career trajectory through qualitative collaborative studies on workforce readiness, wellbeing, and resilience. Key areas include field education, child welfare systems, rural/eco-social work, and methodologies amplifying children's voices in practice and policy.

She actively contributes to contracted research initiatives including Their Futures Matter projects with Family and Community Services NSW, community sector wellbeing studies, and child participation frameworks. Current supervision includes a PhD candidate, with prior principal supervision of completed PhD and MPhil theses.

Professor Russ maintains leadership roles in professional networks including the Australian Association of Social Workers, European Social Work Research Association's Workforce Research SIG, and The Family Centre Graduate School board.