Social Work Education and Regulation in Australia

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Healy
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Limited Government ◽  
Australian Association ◽  
Practice Standards ◽  
Professional Body ◽  
Work Education

This article provides an overview and analysis of social work education and professional standards in Australia. The professional education and practice standards are set and monitored by a single, professional body, the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). In Australia, there is no legislation protecting the title of social worker, and there is limited government involvement in regulating educational standards and professional practice. In this article, I outline the characteristics of the educational and professional standards for social workers set by the AASW. I will explain the Australian regulatory environment for health and human service professions and discuss how this contributes to conditions in which the AASW plays a central role in the regulation of social work education and practice standards in Australia. I will outline the opportunities and challenges posed by the highly deregulated environment and the consequent central role of the AASW in standard setting and monitoring. The article concludes with a discussion of the strategies currently being pursued via the AASW to achieve government authorized regulation of social workers.

Will she be right, mate? Standards and diversity in Australian social work

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Healy
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Human Service ◽  
Government Regulation ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Professional Standards ◽  
Australian Health ◽  
Limited Government ◽  
Australian Association ◽  
Professional Self

Australia is often characterised as a laid-back society. When it comes to the regulation of the Australian health and human services workforce there may be some truth to this depiction. Indeed, many Australian health and human service occupations operate in a largely self-regulated environment with limited government oversight of education or professional standards. This chapter discusses government regulation of the health and human service professions in Australia, and the implications for social workers seeking to relocate to Australia. The concept of ‘professional self-regulation’ is outlined, and the prospects and problems of self-regulation for achieving professional standards and achieving diversity within the social work profession are considered, as are the implications of the self-regulating environment for social workers migrating to Australia. It concludes with a discussion of how the Australian Association of Social Workers is collaborating with other allied health professions and with the New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board to strengthen professional standards and capacities.

scholarly journals Activity-Based Approach In Social Workers’ Professional Training

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (SPE3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olena Chuiko ◽  
Anastaciia Kuntsevska ◽  
Anastasiia Holotenko ◽  
Dong Jiahang
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Oriented Approach

Social work education in Ukraine has changed dramatically over the last decades. It has a strong connection with the evolution of social work education as a field of professional practice. Recent changes in Ukrainian social policy, in particular the implementation of professional education requirements, based on the competency-oriented approach, the implementation of professional standards for social workers, the distinction of social work in a separate field of science and the complexity of social practice require the creation of unified training curriculum that corresponds to social needs and practice requirements. Creating a meaningful learning environment and raising awareness of professional objectives would be achievable by applying an activity-oriented approach to the professional education of social workers. This means that knowledge could never be isolated from activity. Activity-oriented educational practices contain the core components of professional activities and concern different aspects of social work. Profession-oriented practice includes general (volunteer activities, research, social project design, organizational and management) and additional (communicative, play and game, teamwork) forms and technologies, which demand from students to accumulate their experience in obtaining the essential forms of professional activities. Professional practice encompasses a set of principles, based on the prioritization of the social work profession, individual activity, participation and reflection, which make possible the development of the student's personal maturity and independence.

Social work education in action: How studying for the profession facilitates the adaptation of internationally educated social workers in Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-127
Author(s):  
Annie Pullen Sansfaçon ◽  
Marion Brown
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Work Skills ◽  
The Social ◽  
Theory Project ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Adaptation Processes ◽  
Depth Interviews

This article presents the results and theorization of a 4-year Grounded Theory project that sought to understand the processes and dynamics involved in the professional adaptation of internationally educated social workers now practicing in Canada. In-depth interviews with 66 participants, who undertook social work education outside of Canada and have subsequently settled to practice in the country, were conducted. Results highlight that the social work educational background of the professionals not only offers key conceptual, theoretical, and analytical foundations needed to adapt knowledge and skills to practice abroad, but also provides tools to navigate and negotiate professional adaptation processes as a whole. We conclude that ultimately, social workers may adapt well to their new work contexts because of the transferability of social work skills, knowledge, and values to new practice settings, thus facilitating interventions with services users and also their own process of professional adaptation.

scholarly journals Social Work Education in Pakistan: Issues and Future Opportunities

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasreen Aslam Shah
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Community Organizing ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Welfare Programs ◽  
Social Welfare Programs ◽  
Work Education

Social work is a professional and academic discipline that committed to improve the quality and prosperity of individuals, groups, and communities through scientific knowledge, policy, community organizing, direct practice and teaching. Pakistan is very fortunate to have a good start of professional Social Work; the first social work training began in the year 1953. Social work education in universities started in 1954 and its aim is to provide trained social workers equipped with the basic knowledge and skills to assist government and private agencies in the development and implementation of social welfare programs. This study presents an overview of the brief history, current issues and future opportunities of social work education in Pakistan. This study emphasizes some of the significant issues that cause concern, such as the social work education and practice appropriate for Pakistan society, teaching and learning, fieldwork and supervision, certification and licensing for social workers. It’s important to talk about some issues of concern and the direction in which a strong and sound social work education can be developed.

Preparing Students for the Spiritual Issues of their Clients through a Self-Awareness Exercise

1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debora S. Rice ◽  
James R. Dudley
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Public University ◽  
Spiritual Identity ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Belief In God ◽  
Spiritual Issues ◽  
Work Education

In this recent study, 55 percent of the BSW students surveyed at a medium-size southeastern, public university stated that spirituality significantly influenced their decision to become social workers. Ninety-eight percent identified themselves as having a vital spiritual identity that included the belief in God or a universal spirit. Yet, until recently, social work education has all but ignored the relevance of spirituality in the lives of students and clients. This paper will present an assessment exercise designed to help students explore spiritual issues along with the responses of students to the exercise. Finally, the implications of this exercise for social work education will be discussed.

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