Bachelor of Social Welfare

The Bachelor of Social Welfare is a degree that enables students to specialize in one of two areas of study: child welfare or aged care. Students will develop the necessary skills, theoretical knowledge and values to work effectively in these respective fields of practice and to promote change at personal, group, community, organisational and political levels. Graduates will be able to engage in interpersonal counselling, research and policy, casework and case management and management of human service organizations. Graduates will be well situated to apply the knowledge gained at local, national and global levels. The Bachelor of Social Welfare is a coursework degree with theoretical, skill development and supervised professional practice units. The course includes opportunities for group-based learning, community engagement, practice research and integration of social welfare theory and practice and students will specialise in either child welfare or aged care during their final year of study. Social welfare skills components and professional practica introduce students to contemporary social welfare practice. The areas covered in the curriculum meet Australian Community Workers Association (AIWCW) accreditation requirements, including 400 hours of supervised professional practice. Graduates will be able to practice as professional social welfare workers in a range of human service fields. The social welfare profession is one of the fastest growing areas of employment in a range of fields but particularly in the fields of child welfare and aged care. Social welfare professionals are able to work in clinical or practice settings, in policy writing, program planning and evaluation and research. Graduates work is a broad variety of areas - for government and community agencies - in schools, correctional institutions, and community health services, a wide range of child welfare settings, including child protection and in a wide array of aged care services.
Minimum entrance requirements VCE/Year 12/Final Year High School qualifications should demonstrate a satisfactory level of performance in an English subject at Year 12 level. Applicants with complete or incomplete University studies may be considered eligible for entry into the course if they have the course pre-requisites. TAFE qualifications may be recognised where the applicant has completed at least an advanced certificate (Certificate 4 or above) or the first year of a Diploma to a satisfactory standard. Where the applicant has completed a TAFE Diploma in a relevant disciple they may be eligible for advanced standing. Applicants with TAFE qualifications must also meet the University's minimum English requirements. Specific arrangements for advancement standing for holders of a relevant Diploma for Chisholm TAFE are being negotiated. Students who have successfully completed the Diploma of Tertiary Studies and have achieved a pass in all subjects and a C average will also be considered as eligible for entry. Minimum entrance requirements for non-school-leavers ====English pre-requisites:==== Non Year 12 applicants must meet the English re-requisite requirements ====Academic requirement:==== Credit 60% average is the minimum requirement and applicants will be assessed on academic merit. VCE prerequisites Units 3 and 4-a study score of at least 30 in English (ESL) or 25 in any other English. International Baccalaureate subject prerequisites A score of at least 4 in English SL or 3 in English HL or 5 in English B SL or 4 in English B HL, and A score of at least 3 in any mathematics subject.
On completion of the course, graduates will be able to: •Enact the principles of social justice and human rights in their professional social welfare careers •Seek leadership roles in the social welfare and human services sector •Engage sensitively and confidently with individuals, groups and communities in local, national and international social welfare contexts •Analyse ethical issues in practice •Employ outstanding interpersonal skills for effective engagement and social action •Practice in a way that respects diversity, especially when working with Indigenous Australians •Critically analyse aspects of society, especially the impact of social, political and economic arrangements on individual and community wellbeing •Incorporate knowledge of the social welfare system, the law and concepts of power and oppression into social welfare practice •Apply sophisticated knowledge of individual development, and the impact of key life events on individual wellbeing, in social welfare practice •Demonstrate competence in the theory and practice of social welfare assessment, intervention and evaluation with individuals, families, groups, communities and organisations, and in research and social policy analysis •Execute practice decisions based on research and evidence •Reflect critically on their practice