Social Work
Program Information
UAC Code: 422007
UNSW Code: 4031
The Bachelor of Social Work degree is designed to prepare students for the professional practice of social work. It is expected to be undertraken as a four-year full-time program. The aim is to produce a social worker who has a general foundation for continuing professional learning, and can undertake independent professional practice at a basic level of competence, utilising relevant knowledge and skills in accordance with the profession. In this first professional qualification, students will gain an understanding of the main dimensions of contemporary and future social work practice at the various levels and in the various fields of social work intervention.
- Bachelor of Social Work
- Bachelor of Social Work/Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Social Work/Bachelor of Social Science
Bachelor of Social Work students undertake two Field placements in the course of the degree. The first is in first semester of Third Year and involves 65 days placement in an agency. The second is in second semester of Fourth Year and involves 75 days of placement in an agency. In addition each placement involves compulsory seminars held at the university. Please refer to Field Education documentation for further information.
Field Education Documentation
Field Education Manual 2011 (PDF) (529 Kb)
Please check the rules of your program before enrolling in any courses listed. For program rules, please visit the UNSW Online Handbook.
http://www.handbook.unsw.edu.au/2011/index.html
Employment Opportunities
Our graduates gain employment in the following areas:
- Government Departments – State and Federal, such as the Department of Health, Commonwealth Rehabilitation Services, and the Department of Community Services
- Health – large public and regional hospitals, both general and psychiatric, private hospitals and community health centres
- Local Governments – in social planning and in the organisation and delivery of services for local residents
- Non-Government Welfare Agencies – peak (representative) councils, community, private, charitable and religious organisations
- Industrial Settings – such as Telstra, Sydney Water, unions, state transport services, banks, the armed services and private industry
Some social workers also work in private practice – working independently as counsellors, psychotherapists, or consultants in planning and social policy.
In addition, people with a Social Work education are to be found in other fields related to human well being, such as community legal services, consumer and welfare rights, equal employment opportunity, politics, adult education, the environmental and peace movements, international aid, human resource management, public policy analysis and development.
Social workers also have specialised knowledge in one or more of the following areas:
- Care for aged people
- Child and family welfare
- Child protection
- Community work
- Corrective services
- Developmental disability/physical disability
- Domestic violence
- Family law
- Family, individual and group counselling
- Hospital or medical social work
- Management and policy development
- Cross-cultural issues
- Mental health services
- Relationship difficulties
- Research, education and training
- Rural social work
- Services for victims of sexual assault
- Social planning
- Welfare and consumer rights
Social Work Accreditation
Australian Bachelor of Social Work degrees qualify holders for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). which a qualification required by many employers.
For more information about the Australia Association of Social Workers, click here
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Social Work?
The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.
This international definition of the social work profession replaces the IFSW definition adopted in 1982. It is understood that social work in the 21st century is dynamic and evolving, and therefore no definition should be regarded as exhaustive.
Social work in its various forms addresses the multiple, complex transactions between people and their environments. Its mission is to enable all people to develop their full potential, enrich their lives, and prevent dysfunction. Professional social work is focused on problem solving and change. As such, social workers are change agents in society and in the lives of the individuals, families and communities they serve. Social work is an interrelated system of values, theory and practice.
What are the values of Social Work?
Social Work grew out of humanitarian and democratic ideals, and its values are based on respect for the equality, worth, and dignity of all people. Since its beginnings over a century ago, social work practice has focused on meeting human needs and developing human potential. Human rights and social justice serve as the motivation and justification for social work action. In solidarity with those who are disadvantaged, the profession strives to alleviate poverty and to liberate vulnerable and oppressed people in order to promote social inclusion. Social work values are embodied in the profession’s national and international codes of ethics.
What theories is Social Work based on?
Social Work bases its methodology on a systematic body of evidence-based knowledge derived from research and practice evaluation, including local and indigenous knowledge specific to its context. It recognises the complexity of interactions between human beings and their environment, and the capacity of people both to be affected by and alter the multiple influences upon them including bio-psychosocial factors. The social work profession draws on theories of human development and behaviour and social systems to analyse complex situations and to facilitate individual, organisational, social and cultural changes.
What is Social Work practice?
Social work addresses the barriers, inequities and injustices that exist in society. It responds to crises and emergencies as well as to everyday personal and social problems. Social work utilises a variety of skills, techniques, and activities consistent with its holistic focus on persons and their environments. Social work interventions range from primarily person-focused psychosocial processes to involvement in social policy, planning and development. These include counselling, clinical social work, group work, social pedagogical work, and family treatment and therapy as well as efforts to help people obtain services and resources in the community. Interventions also include agency administration, community organisation and engaging in social and political action to impact social policy and economic development. The holistic focus of social work is universal, but the priorities of social work practice will vary from country to country and from time to time depending on cultural, historical, and socio-economic conditions.
What are the entrance requirements if I’ve done the HSC or other qualifications?
If you’ve done the HSC, Admission to the Bachelor of Social Work Degree is subject to selection on the basis of the ATAR. There are no prerequisite courses for the Bachelor of Social Work.
For information on entry requirements from other secondary or tertiary qualifications please check online or contact Undergraduate Admissions at (02) 9385 3228 or ugadmis@unsw.edu.au.
What can I do if my ATAR is not enough to get me into Social Work at UNSW?
If students do not receive a sufficient ATAR mark to obtain a place in Social Work at the University of New South Wales, students have the option of going to TAFE and studying for two years a Diploma in Welfare Studies. On completion of the Diploma students will be accepted into the degree with the possibility of completing the degree in three years as opposed to four years.
There are also a number of alternative entry options at UNSW.
Can I study the degree part-time?
Students do have the option of studying the degree on a semi part-time basis. While the full-time degree is four years, students do have the option of completing it in 6 years.
