Bachelor of Social Work

The Bachelor of Social Work is offered full-time on-campus and Online, with mandatory intensive courses on-campus and placements.

All social work students are required to attend at least 20 days on campus throughout their full period of study. This is a non-negotiable requirement of all AASW accredited social work programs in Australia.

Some of the courses in this program may be run in an intensive block format. It is important to check course profiles and your timetable carefully to ensure that all course requirements are fully understood.

As a full-time on-campus student, you will generally attend 10-15 hours of scheduled classes per week throughout the Trimester. Classes may be scheduled during the day and evening throughout the week. The program includes two practical professional placements which sit in the third and fourth year of the program during which you must be available five working days each week. Some of the courses in this program are run in an intensive block format. It is important to check course profiles and your timetable carefully to ensure that all course requirements are fully understood.

Online, with mandatory placements and on-campus courses

Students in the Online offering can enrol in online course offerings with the exception of field placement and four compulsory five-day face-to-face intensive on-campus courses.

Your attendance is in the form of one five-day intensive course per year held at the Gold Coast campus as follows:

• 1008HSV Interpersonal Skills (offered in T3 only)
• 2027HSV Group Facilitation (offered in T3 only)
• 3005HSV Social Work in Health and Mental Health (offered in T2 only)
• 3020HSV Counselling Individuals and Families (offered in T1 only)

Domestic students studying offshore (that is, outside Australia) will be required to attend the compulsory face-to-face intensives on-campus in Australia as part of designated courses and will also need to complete one of the two field placements in Australia in accordance with professional accreditation requirements.

Trimester 3 Compulsory Study

This program includes compulsory study in Trimester 3 of Year 3.

Placements

Students intending to study part-time should note that the workplace placements are to be completed within a full-time study load. Students will need to be available full-time to attend 1000 hours of professional practice education placements in Years 3 and 4 as follows:

• 3012HSV Social Work Field Placement 1 (30 credit points)
• 4012HSV Social Work Field Placement 2 (30 credit points)

The field placements must be completed over two calendar years in accordance with Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (AWSEAS). The two compulsory field placements are completed in full-time mode and students must complete a minimum of 1000 hours of placement through the entirety of the program. In the case of extenuating circumstances only, placement days per week may be negotiated but must still fit within Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) accreditation guidelines. This will not change the number of hours in total that are required to be completed overall - therefore, placement may end after the scheduled University trimester end date.

Student Income Support

To be classed as a full-time student, you are required to enrol in a minimum number of credit points each standard study period. The minimum credit points for full-time enrolment in this program is 30 credit points.

Trimester 1 and Trimester 2 are deemed standard study periods. As Trimester 3 is a non-standard study period, continuing students moving from one year to the next will not be required to study during this trimester to be eligible for student income support.

Domestic students who commence in Trimester 3 may be eligible for student income support from the onset of study provided they are enrolled full-time in this study period.

Please refer to the Australian Government website for more details.

Commonwealth Prac Payment

The Australian Government will establish a new Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) for students undertaking mandatory placements in eligible degrees. Visit Commonwealth Prac Payment for more information.

Work-integrated learning activities (professional placements) integrate theoretical learning with its application in the workplace. The inclusion of work-integrated learning activities in the degree program demonstrates Griffith's commitment to preparing its graduates for success in their working life.

In this program you will spend time in the work/professional environment undertaking placements at various locations. Placements may be outside of the Brisbane metropolitan/Gold Coast area including northern New South Wales and (by negotiation) interstate or overseas. Total work placements (hours): 1000.

In accordance with Section 4 of the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) 2020 "Placements will be undertaken over at least two years of the professional social work program of study".

Social workers make an impact on the lives of others through professional practice, working with individuals, families, groups and communities. 

Graduates of the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) are ethical and innovative thinkers, effective communicators, problem solvers, change facilitators and leaders. This degree has a strong focus on critical reflection and ethical practice, which will enhance your employment opportunities.

You'll be prepared for a wide range of social work roles including community work; advocacy, research, planning and policy development, management and administration. 

Fields of practice include child and family welfare including child protection, health and mental health, counselling, youth and adolescents including school social work, youth and adult offending, hospital and community health settings, working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people from diverse cultures including migrants and refugees, LGBTIQA+ individuals and communities, disability and neurodiversity, alcohol and other drugs, housing and homelessness, aged care, palliative care and end-of-life, employment and income support.

Other career options may include community development, family support, foster care services, disability services, environmental and disaster work, international social work and humanitarian work, multicultural services, services for women and many other social welfare organisations. Many social workers are employed in policy roles within government, and can engage with political processes, including work in rural, regional and remote areas.

The Bachelor of Social Work is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).

Graduates of this program will be eligible to apply for registration with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) subject to meeting any additional requirements that may be stipulated by the AASW. As these requirements may change from time to time, students should contact the AASW to confirm registration requirements.

There are placements associated with this program and before undertaking professional experience placements, all students in this program are required to have completed the following by the end of their first trimester of study:

• Vaccinations and Health Tests
• Licenses and Certificates
• Online Training
• Health Placement Requirements

Students should refer to the checklist of professional practice requirements for their Health discipline on the Health Placement Support Hub for full details of the requirements regarding professional placement to ensure that they meet eligibility for placement.

If you are living in a remote or rural area, you may be expected to travel to a professional placement and this may also incur accommodation and living expenses to you. A Griffith University Placement Officer will work with you to find a suitable local placement however, this cannot always be guaranteed. Domestic students studying off-shore outside Australia can complete the placement (by negotiation) interstate or overseas.