The world we live in is constantly changing, with issues such as the global financial crisis, globalisation and global warming impacting upon our lives on a daily basis.
One of the first industries to feel any impacts on social structures is the social work profession. From justice to health, employment to environment, social workers are active in an incredibly broad spectrum of society.
The profession is adapting constantly to best meet the needs of the community it serves, but in the NT, there’s a unique challenge to be faced.
In this diversely cultural area, Territory social workers have to be innovative in how they provide for their communities.
The distinctive nature of the NT requires a different breed of social worker, a requirement that Charles Darwin University has recognised and built in to its Bachelor of Social Work degree. This is a professionally accredited degree that offers students the opportunity to study the core elements of social work with a focus on issues relevant to the Territory.
A key element of students’ learning is the requirement to undertake two, 70-day placements in the third and fourth years of their study. This means that once they have completed their studies, they are work-ready.
Head of Social Work at CDU, Associate Professor Deborah West said that as a long-time social worker she understood all too well how her students needed to be equipped for the profession in the NT.
Dr West said her vision for the future of social work was for “critical social work practice that recognises and influences the changing world we live in, with reference to the impact of globalisation, cultural diversity and environmental relationships”.
“We’re often working with society’s most vulnerable people so we’re very conscious that we have a duty to make their voices heard,” Dr West said.
“As social workers, we’re certainly very active in speaking out about some of the more structural issues affecting communities and in particular, Indigenous communities. We put a strong emphasis on social justice in order to empower people to make changes in their own lives.Here in the NT we adopt what’s called a ‘learning community approach’ which is, what we like to think of as a social work community that encompasses undergraduate and postgraduate social work students, academics, practitioners and agencies that come together to discuss key issues simply because the type of problems we’re faced with don’t always have clear answers so we need to work together,” she said.
For information on the Bachelor of Social Work, phone 08 8946 7310 or visit www.cdu.edu.au.