Standing Committee on Employment, Education
and Workplace Relations
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Submission 82
Australian Association of Social Workers Ltd
National Office
Suite 17b National Press Club
16 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600
Postal Address
PO Box 4956, Kingston ACT 2604
1 December 1997
Mr Paul McMahon
The Secretary
House of Representatives Standing Committee on
Employment, Education and Training
R1 116 Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600
INQUIRY OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT,
EDUCATION AND TRAINING INTO THE ROLES OF INSTITUTES OF TECHNICAL AND FURTHER
EDUCATION
The Australian Association of Social Workers welcomes
the invitation to contribute to the inquiry of the House of Representatives
Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training into the roles
of institutes of technical and further education, and their possible overlap
with universities.
The AASW is a professional Organisation that represents
the interests of its more than 5,000 members. The Objectives of the Association
are:
- To promote the profession of social work;
- To provide an organisation through which social workers can develop
a professional identity;
- To establish, monitor and improve practice standards;
- To contribute to the development of social worker knowledge; To advocate
on behalf of its clients;
- To actively support social structures and policies pursuant to the
promotion of social justice.
We believe that it is the third and fourth of these objectives
that are of particular relevance to your inquiry into the appropriate
roles of institutes of technical and further education.
Social work is committed to the pursuit of social justice,
and pursues this goal through addressing the barriers and inequalities
that exist in society, as well as through involvement in situations of
personal distress and crisis, and through research, policy development
and implementation, consultancy and management. Its practice focuses on
the least advantaged members of our society, who are entitled to high
standards of competent and effective service.
The Association acknowledges the need for high quality
practice in its emphasis on the development and improvement of practice
standards, and on the development of social work knowledge.
There are several ways through which the Association
monitors and fosters improvement in the practice standards of its members.
These include the development of a Code of Ethics which must be adhered
to by members, the review of programs offers by Schools of Social Work
to ensure that students are adequately prepared for practice; and the
implementation of a program of Continuing Professional Education.
Australian social workers are required to complete four
years of university degree-level education that includes required academic
content as well as 140 days of professional field education taken under
the supervision of a qualified social work practitioner. We believe that
the complexity of the issues and situations confronted by social workers
in their practice require that they develop substantive knowledge of the
society in which they will be working, of the social welfare arrangements
and structures that exist in Australia, and of individual development
and behaviour. They also require knowledge and skills in methods of social
work intervention, and in the skills of analysis, critical thinking and
research. We believe this education is best provided in a university setting
rather than in an institute of technical and further education.
However, the Association suggests that institutes of
technical and further education are well placed to provide short courses
on specific topics which could complement the basic professional education
of practitioners. Universities already offer some such courses; there
would seem to be room for TAFE institutes to develop a range of relevant
offerings. Examples of short courses that could be developed include mediation,
conflict management, and the use of information systems. These could be
offered by local TAFE institutes, making them readily accessible to social
workers.
The Association does not believe that a number of short-focused
courses are the equivalent of a planned professional degree, or can be
equated with the rigorous in-depth studies undertaken as part of the basic
social work degree. The Association sees the role of an institute of technical
and further education as being to provide valuable complementary and supplementary
education and training, rather than to provide educational programs that
would offer an alternative pathway to qualification as a social worker,
and membership of our Association.
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this inquiry.
Jo Gaha
BSocStud (Hons) MSocStud (Syd.Uni) MAASW
NATIONAL PRESIDENT
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