Any other Social Workers out there?

[MsORPHAN]

Hello everyone,

Are there any other Social Workers at this Forum who can provide me some much needed advice on how to get started in Australia?

My husband and I have applied for a 143 Contributory Parent Visa, and are hoping to be able to join our family in Maroochydore on the Queensland Sunshine Coast in time for Christmas (although this seems increasingly unlikely due to the processing delays).

I am by profession a Counselling Social Worker, specialising with children, and in the use of Sand-tray and Play Therapy techniques. I am currently in private practice in Johannesburg, and would, in time, like to pursue this in Australia.. (I say "in time" because I believe that my starting point should be to work for Government or an Organisation for a number of years, in order to gain an understanding of Australian family culture and social environment, which may be vastly different to what I experience here.)

The Social Work profession has appeared on the Skilled Occupation List (Schedule 1) for quite a number of years now, and it appears that there is quite a shortage of them throughout Australia. So I am hopeful that I shall be able to find employment in the area where we intend to settle.

It would therefore be very helpful to be able to converse with other Social Workers who have either settled in Australia, or are in the process of doing so. If you are such a person, would you be kind enough to make contact?

[Orphan]

Hello MsORPHAN,

I expect that you are eagerly awaiting a response to your first post....so here it is....

The reason why you haven't been contacted by other Social Workers is because you ARE in very short supply, and there probably aren't any of them in this forum. Therefore Australia will be very pleased to have you settle on its shores.

I am married to a Social Worker...so I know!

Edited October 3, 2014 by Orphan

[RAD]

Hi Ms Orphan...there are a few social workers on this forum.....I'm one and I work for Department of Human Services in Child Protection. This is the Victorian State Govt. Here in Oz, like many things, the Welfare system is State run. So if you would like to get into a govt role, give some thought as to which state you would like stay in. In Victoria, there are many roles being advertised in Child Protection, if you are interested. However the Child Protection role is very much a statutory role and does not entail much therapeutic work. I can see that you are a counseling social worker. Perhaps you can also apply to the various state education departments re Welfare Coordinator roles.

In Victoria there are various Community Service organizations that will be able to utilize your therapeutic background, to name some: CONNECTIONS , FAMILIES FIRST, CHILD FIRST, OZCHILD, WINDERMERE, ELMS, ANGLICARE, WESLEY MISSION. Google these.

One more thing, if you are considering Victoria, then DHS recruitment is done by an agency called McArthur.

Hope this has been of some help.

[MsORPHAN]

Hi RAD,

Thank you for your response, I do appreciate all the information you so kindly posted..

I was wondering about the following:-

The registration process - is it the same in all the states, as Mr Orphan and I are heading for Queensland, on the Sunshine Coast? And will this be through the AASW?

Did you have to do any top-up courses before you could register to work as a Social Worker?

Are you aware of any other Social Service Departments in the Queensland Government other than the Child Protection Unit?

Based on your input, I'm really not keen on a statutory role, and will therefore be more likely to look at a Community Service Organization, because of my therapeutic background and my desire to continue working with children of all ages, .

[heidim]

Welcome to the forum mrs Orphan. I sent you a pm.

Edited October 3, 2014 by heidim

[RAD]

You're welcome Ms O......with regards to AASW, yes they are the national body to register with but most jobs state, "need to be eligible for registration with AASW". So you need to have them do the assessment but registration is optional. Once AASW have assessed, they award you an Eligibilty Certificate. No, I did not have to top up any courses. They request all the usual docs for skills assessment ie, degree, university transcripts etc. however in our situation when we applied for our PR, my hubby was the primary applicant. I had by then only done the general IELTS. when we got to oz and found that I needed to work, I had to do the Academic IELTS, as a requirement for AASW.

Sorry, I have very limited knowledge on the other states but what I do know is that in Oz, it's all about Support Support Support so the community services I mentioned in the earlier post do the actual social work, so I'm certain QLD should be the same.

I have not personally done any research on social work private practice in oz but seeing as you have specialized experience, perhaps consider it. I know at the Department we sometimes refer to private practitioners specializing in certain fields.

With regards to getting a well rounded understanding of the welfare system, you could also consider doing some locum work. Then you may be able to work in the various sectors.

LOL, I happened to fall into CP. It's extremely challenging and highly stressful(like many jobs) but I do enjoy it. Children's Court here is quite an experience as a newby but I also enjoy that. As CP's we are required to do and serve our own subpoenas. Try serving a "hostile witness". Lol, I do enjoy it though. It all adds to the Ozzie experience.

I'm certain you won't have too much difficulty finding a job in social work. Our oz experience: hubby is an engineer with years of experience but it took him 7 months to land a job. I landed this CP job after 4 months,with being a stay at home mum for the previous 12 years. so what I am saying is that social workers are in demand because as you know the job does have a high burnout rate, so staff turnover can be high.

All the best to you and Mr O in QLD, keep us all updated on your progress.....we've been here just over two years now and like many, with no family support, but it is GREAT .....and this coming from a family that had to chop and change plans because of the bumpy start.

[MsORPHAN]

Hi RAD,

I sent you a pm

[Heather]

I believe that John Flynn Hospital in Tweed (just on the border of QLD/NSW are desperatly needing Social workers. Tweed is not that far from your family - but you would have to live here on the Gold Coast which is not very hard and go up to them on weekends. Tweed is about 1 hr 20 mins from Brisbane.