Welcome to the School of Social Work
Serving the community professionally, ethically, creatively
The national School of Social Work offers courses at the Brisbane Campus (McAuley at Banyo), the Canberra Campus (Signadou) and the Strathfield Campus (Mount Saint Mary). The courses are accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers. Advantages of our courses are:
- High quality and challenging programs at undergraduate and postgraduate level
- Excellence in teaching, staff availability and small class size
- Graduates are employed in direct service and policy and research positions throughout Australia.
Values and principles
Fundamentally the School is based on a commitment to social justice through ethical practice. These values and principles are the foundation of the content of the courses and facilitate the School's outreach to the community.
We prepare graduates to be highly skilled and leaders in the development of social work practice and knowledge. There are many challenges facing social workers and it is imperative that graduates are highly skilled and competent to meet these challenges. The social work program incorporates a strong focus on research and policy. The Bachelor of Social Work course is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers.
Field education
Field education is central to social work. Students undertake two practicums, each of approximately 14 weeks full-time. Through supervised practice, students are introduced to agency work and procedures, effective practice and dilemmas facing social workers. Experienced practitioners supervise students.
Careers
Graduates practice in areas such as administration, policy analysis and development, research, social action, program planning, community development, group work, family work, case management and individual casework. Employment opportunities exist in government and non-government agencies. Government departments concerned with health, community services, education, corrective services, rehabilitation and social services employ social workers. A growing number of social work graduates offer clinical services, education and consultation on a fee-for-service basis.
Staff
The staff of the School are experienced social work and welfare practitioners, committed to a social justice perspective. They are engaged in collaborative research projects and are involved in a variety of community activities. All are highly committed to providing students with a personalised, quality and highly interactive program.
- For information about courses offered by the School of Social Work, please refer to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences' list of courses.
- For information on how to enrol, and for access to more detailed course and unit information, please visit the Enrol section of the ACU National intranet.
