Social workers
Social work is about empowering individuals, families, and communities by connecting them to essential services and resources that improve their overall wellbeing. Discover how social workers make a meaningful impact, the qualifications required, and the diverse settings where they provide critical support across Queensland.
What is a social worker?
Social workers help individuals find community services that can meet their needs. This role includes assessing clients to determine the level of care they need and advocating for them in moments of crisis or change.
Social workers understand the impact a community can have on the individual. By resolving community conflicts, they can affect change and improve care. As such, they often provide support to clients experiencing mental health problems. These can include clients living with trauma, mental illnesses, addiction and much more.
Mental health social workers can also work with clients to improve their wellbeing. They can work with clients to address psychological factors that impact them as well as offer counselling services for additional support.
Become a Social Worker in Queensland
What qualifications do social workers need?
There are only a few steps to becoming a qualified social worker in Queensland. First, you must complete a degree in social work. If you have already completed a tertiary degree in a different course, you can complete a two-year Master of Social Work instead.
Once you have completed your degree, you must become a member of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). This is the professional representative body for social workers in Australia, AASW. These are the key qualifications you need to become a social worker in Queensland.
Once qualified, you can pursue a specialisation such as mental health. To specialise in this field, you must have an accreditation with the AASW as an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. This may involve training for clinical counselling and gaining experience in a clinical setting.
Where do social workers work?
Social workers are employed in a range of different settings. They are generally found in hospitals, community health clinics and disability support services. This can also include aged care facilities and community education and mental health support services.
Social work often involves youth and child protection services. But it is also designed to provide care to anyone in need. Many social workers specialise in care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as well as the LGBTQIA+ community. Likewise, social workers can branch out into other settings. These can include legal support, employment services and providing financial advice.
Social workers often work with other organisations and agencies. They collaborate to ensure they are providing the best care for their clients.
The daily life of a social worker in Queensland
Depending on where you work you may travel fairly regularly. Clients are generally expected to come to you in a hospital or clinic setting. But if you work as part of a social support service, you may travel to meet clients or engage with other agencies.
Priorities for social workers change from day to day. If they meet a new client, they may assess their wellbeing. They determine the care needed by evaluating their emotional, physical and financial state. Once completed, a care plan is designed to help guide the client forward.
Depending on the assessment, mental health social workers can also provide counselling. They can organise group or family therapy sessions, or provide crisis intervention support.
The next step is providing their clients with health care, education, employment or other services. This often involves working with other agencies and professionals. Social workers would then reassess clients as they progress to set new goals and update care plans.
Common questions about social workers
As of 2024, entry-level social work positions start at around $83,000 annually. Many experienced social workers can earn up to $116,000 a year, but average earnings are just under $50 an hour.
Social work highly values empathy and communication skills. Being able to listen and think clearly about which steps to take are key components of the role. Social workers also rely on several skills that can be developed through experience. These include time management, advocacy, negotiation as well as research skills.
As a social worker, you will often be working with people in crisis. Setting emotional boundaries is a key technique social workers utilise. This helps them manage the stress they may experience through work. Many jobs can be stressful, but with the right skills, they are manageable.
Demand for social workers is currently high and expected to grow. There are currently just under 50,000 people employed as social workers across Australia. With only around 17% of this number located in Queensland, there is a lot of demand for more workers.
Social work is the utilisation of community services to provide care to those in need. What sets social work apart is how vast the field is. Social workers work with people in different communities every day. Likewise, they build relationships with other professionals in different industries. Social work is unique because it encourages new experiences and building skills.
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