"Social workers help people to deal with personal and social problems, either directly or by planning or carrying out programs that benefit groups or communities."

Social workers may perform the following tasks:

• counsel individuals through a crisis that may be due to death, illness, relationship breakdown or other reasons
• provide clients with information on services to assist them
• provide letters of referral or reports that will help clients to obtain other services such as crisis accommodation or social security benefits
• guide small groups of people to share their experiences, support each other and learn social skills
• help community groups to plan and carry out programs to help themselves (e.g. assisting newly arrived immigrants to form an association)
• research community problems, needs and solutions through client contact and records of welfare and health agencies
• analyse statistics and write reports
• develop policy and evaluate programs
• manage and train staff
• attend professional meetings
• lobby to change social welfare policies and procedures in the pursuit of social justice for all members of the community.
• Social workers specialise in fields such as family, youth and child welfare services, medical and health services, disability services, psychiatric and general mental health services, juvenile and family law courts, aged care and disabilities, income support and mediation.
  

Some social workers travel to visit clients or run group meetings. In country areas they may travel long distances. They may also be involved in private practice, research or teaching.

Personal Requirements:

• emotional maturity
• keen analytical abilities
• able to view other people's problems objectively
• good organisational skills
• good communication skills
• able to work as part of a team
• able to work independently
• commitment to social justice.

Graduates develop generic skills in:

• Written expression
• Capacity to analyse and interpret in a dispassionate and objective manner
• Critical thinking
• Knowledge application
• Problem solving
• Computer literacy
• Conceptual ability
• Creative self expression
• Decision making
• Data aquisition and analysis
• Communication
• Research techniques
• Marshalling facts in support of arguments
• Personal growth/critical self awareness
• Understanding of cultural differences

Relevant Degrees. These links will take you directly to the UTas handbook Bachelor of Social Work

For further information... Download the Humanities and Social Sciences brochure In Adobe Acrobat format Faculty of Arts Career Selector Contact the School of Sociology and Social Work for more information