Practice and Careers
Support & Resources
The AASW Practice and Careers area hosted within the MyAASW portal is a member benefit which offers a one-stop information resource based on your career stage or field of practice. Here you will find relevant and useful tools, templates, articles, documents, videos, links, and other supporting items within logical sub-tiles such as Social Policy & Advocacy, Professional Networking, Credentials, and more.
The areas currently available, and regularly updated are listed below, with new practice fields being developed and added on an ongoing basis. If yours is not here now, please check back later and in the meantime visit the MyAASW Resources tab to view our extensive resource library.
An example of resources in the various sections include:
- Schedule of Suggested Fees
- How to prepare before applying for a credential
- Preparing for a job interview
- Becoming a Supervisor
- Case note recording for social workers
- MBS items schedule for social workers
- Trauma informed care and practice guide
- Mandatory reporting by professionals to child protection authorities guide
And many more.
Addiction, Alcohol and Other Drugs
Addiction is a chronic health condition that occurs when someone is unable to stop undertaking an activity, even if it is causing physical or psychological harm, or affecting their life. Behaviours can be related to substances such as drugs or alcohol, or activities such as gambling, gaming, or shopping.
Child Protection
Child protection social workers have an invaluable role with children and families to respond to concerns about risks to children’s safety and wellbeing. Child protection social workers support the safety of children to reduce the effects of trauma, children are either supported with safety planning to stay at home or supported in placements.
Child, Youth and Family
Social workers work with children, youth and families by empowering them with knowledge, skills and professional support to help enhance their capacity for social functioning. In this suite, you will find resources and tools that will assist you in your role and consequently support communities in need.
Disability
Social workers can work with individuals with a disability or families with a child or family member with a disability. Social workers have the knowledge, skills and expertise to provide support at numerous levels, and the NDIS has created new roles and broader opportunities for Disability based social workers including as local area coordinators, planners, positive behaviour supports, community development and direct practice roles.
Family & Domestic Violence
Social workers play a critical and leading role in supporting people affected by Family and/or Domestic Violence.
This set of resources has been developed and sourced to support your work in this important practice area.
Graduates
As a Social Work Graduate you are at the beginning of your career journey. This set of resources has been developed and sourced to support your journey through the TRANSITION from finishing University to starting your employment eg applying for and obtaining a job, through ADJUSTMENT while you settle into your position and seek to develop personally, GROWTH as you develop as a social worker, expanding your role and skillset and finally SUSTAINING your social work career.
Health - Primary & Community
Working as a social worker in the primary and community health sector offers a range of employment and career opportunities such as visiting people’s homes, working in early childhood centres, community health centres, and other community locations. Primary care is often the first point of contact for people in need of healthcare and therefore there are opportunities for intervention as well as preventative practices in this area of practice.
Health - Tertiary
Tertiary health is a large employer of social workers. Hospitals offer a large variety of specialties as well as generic areas for social work that cover may roles such as assessments, crisis intervention, advocacy, counselling, case management and service coordination.
Housing & Homelessness
Social workers play a crucial role in supporting individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. They advocate for access to safe, affordable housing and provide holistic support, addressing underlying issues such as mental health, substance use, and financial instability. Their work is essential in fostering resilience and promoting social inclusion for some of the most vulnerable populations.
LGBTQIA+
Social workers supporting the LGBTQIA+ community in Australia provide vital services that promote inclusivity, acceptance, and well-being. Addressing unique challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals, such as discrimination, mental health issues, and family rejection, they work to create safe spaces and drive systemic change by educating communities and organizations on LGBTQIA+ issues. Their efforts help foster resilience, affirm identities, and ensure that LGBTQIA+ individuals can thrive in all aspects of their lives.
Mental Health
Mental Health is an issue that touches all practice areas of social work. This set of resources has been developed and sourced to support social workers working in the mental health space, including information on Focussed Psychological Strategies (FPS) and details on becoming an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW) which makes you eligible to be a Medicare Provider.
Older Persons
Social workers are integral to services that cater for the health and wellbeing of older Australians across government, non-government organisations, hospitals, health settings, and private practice. They help support older people to lead a good life longer at home and in residential settings. Engaging with older people across a wide variety of settings using a large range of skills, knowledge, interventions and approaches.
Private Practice
Social workers in private practice can be self-employed in their own practice or work for someone else who is. They work in a private social work setting rather than an organisation such as a government agency or not-for-profit. If you are considering starting in private practice (or you have already made the move), this set of resources has been developed to offer information relevant to social workers in or starting private practice.
Rural & Remote
Working in regional and remote Australia offers numerous benefits, both personally and professionally. It is an opportunity to travel, grow your career and make a difference. While it may come with its challenges, many individuals find the experience to be rewarding and fulfilling.
Schools
School social workers maintain a dual focus: improving human wellbeing; and addressing systemic or structural issues that may impact on the wellbeing of children and young people in schools, such as inequality, injustice and discrimination.
Students
Social work students have access to a range of resources, networking opportunities, templates, guides and free webinars to support their education and professional development. These resources help students build their knowledge, develop essential skills, and stay informed about current practices and policies in the field of social work as they begin their career journey.
Supervision
Supervision is an ongoing activity of social workers and central to their professional identity and growth across all roles and organisational settings. This set of resources has been developed and sourced to support social workers receiving supervision, becoming a supervisor and providing supervision, it covers supervision as an individual, in groups and in peer environments.
Veterans
Social work offers opportunities for addressing needs specific to veterans in a variety of settings including through the Dept of Veteran Affairs or Open Arms.
This set of resources has been developed and sourced to support social workers working with veterans.