Bachelor of Social Work

The Bachelor of Social Work is offered full-time and part-time. If you are intending to study part-time, it must be noted 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 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.

Note the campus offerings for core social work courses in third and fourth year:

• 3005HSV Social Work in Health and Mental Health - offered at Logan campus and Gold Coast blended only
• 3023HSV Working with Family Violence - offered online. An on-campus offering will be available at Gold Coast or Logan campus
• 3036HSV Social Work 1 - offered online only
• 3038HSV Social Work 2 - offered at Gold Coast campus and online only
• 4002HSV Critical Reflective Practice - offered online only.

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

On-campus
The Bachelor of Social Work is offered full-time and part-time, on-campus at the Gold Coast and Logan campuses.

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.

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.

Distance Education
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. Students can enrol into the Distance Education offering of the program and will be able to complete the program off-campus by distance learning via our online learning management system with the exception of field placement and four compulsory five-day face-to-face intensive on-campus courses.

As a Distance Education student, your online studies may include online coursework, readings, research, discussions and other course related study. You should check the minimum computer specifications for studying online before considering applying for the Distance Education offering of this program.

Your compulsory 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 off-shore (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.

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.

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".

Graduates of Griffith University's Bachelor of Social Work are ethical and innovative thinkers, effective communicators, problem solvers, change facilitators and leaders. The social work program prepares you for a wide range of social work roles that involve practice with individuals, families and communities.

You may consider careers in child protection, youth work, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander services, child and family welfare, youth and adult offending, disability, hospital and community health settings, mental health, community development work, employment and income support, counselling, aged care, work with migrants and refugees, policy planning and development, management and administration, research and even private practice.

There are so many flexible career paths in social work. Social workers are employed in government and non-government agencies and found wherever inequality and social problems exist.

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.