Social work in Australia has its roots in the late 19th century when philanthropic organizations started to emerge. The first school of social work was established in Sydney in 1914, and by the 1920s, social work gained recognition as a profession. The profession witnessed significant changes, responding to the shifting dynamics of society and the increasing demands of individuals.
Background Scenario
Commentators who focus on British social work history to explain Australian social work beginnings are, therefore, missing the history of what actually happened in Australia. This deviance means that little systematic claim has been made about Australian 19th-century social activists as proto-social workers. By contrast, in England, Edward Denison, William Booth, Samuel Barnett, Octavia Hill, Robert Owen, Elizabeth Fry, Mary Carpenter, Josephine Butler, and in the US, Dorothea Dix, Charles Loring Brace, Stanton Coit, Vida Scudder, Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr (to name a few) are all claimed as (early) social workers.
While there have been a few claims that some early Australian women workers/activists were ‘social workers.’ Australian social work historians concentrate on professional associations in the 20th century, ignoring social activists, particularly women, who pre-date professional social work. This lack of awareness continues as contemporary writers substitute British and American history with Australian social work history.
Emergence (1900 to 1930)
Social work in Australia traces back to the early 20th century (1900 to 1930) when pioneers like Sister Elizabeth Kenny and Eileen Cosh played instrumental roles in addressing social issues. Sister Kenny, known for her work in polio treatment and rehabilitation, exemplified early forms of social work by focusing on healthcare and community well-being. One of the first professionally trained social workers, Eileen Cosh contributed to establishing social work as a recognized discipline.
The Beginnings of Professional Social Work
The women’s suffrage movement at the end of the 19th century shared many of the aims of philanthropy, particularly alleviating the effects of the exploitation of women and children. The majority of its leading members were also members of women’s philanthropic organizations.
The National Council of Women (NCW), founded in Sydney in 1915 and in Melbourne in 1917, epitomized women’s political activism post-suffrage. The NCW was open to all women’s organizations, including charities. The NCW had several standing committees that promoted action and involvement in areas such as Public Health, Trades and Professions, Education, and Child welfare. For example, one of the organizations initially affiliated with the NCW was the Catholic Women’s Social Guild (CWSG), founded in Melbourne in 1916.
Catholic Women’s Social Guild (CWSG)
Catholic Women’s Social Guild (CWSG) was founded in Melbourne in 1916. The CWSG immediately advocated a vigorous role for lay Catholic women in social and political reform in the community. Further, it adopted a feminist philosophy that was early and consistently manifested in calls for equal rights for women in political, civil, and industrial matters.
Essentially, the CWSG leaders aimed to mobilize lay Catholic women to monitor social and economic conditions, particularly as they affected women, and to act on these either alone or in concert with other women’s organizations. Education of members on the issues and means of action was a high priority. The CWSG journal Women’s Social Work had a central role.
Norma Parker, a later pioneer of university training for social workers and president of the Australian Association of Social Workers from 1946 to 1953, was elected to the Central Committee of the CWSG in 1932. Parker was also a member of the Victorian branch of the St Joan’s Sodal and Political Alliance, an organization of Catholic laywomen founded in Australia from England in the 1930s.
Contributions of Activists
The St Joan’s Alliance mounted many campaigns for women’s rights about employment, housing, factory conditions, the position of women in unemployed families, a greater role for women in public life, and social policy. Parker was later a foundation member of the NSW branch of the St Joan’s Alliance in 1946. In 1933, Nanna Parker and Constance Moffit approached Archbishop Mannix to establish a Catholic Social Service Bureau (CSSB) in Melbourne.
Both were the University of Western Australia graduates and had gained Master’s degrees in social work at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. The CSSB, founded in 1935, was the first of 32 Centacare agencies that provide individual and family welfare services around Australia.
Part of this activist network of women were industrial activists such as Eleanor Hinder, the first social welfare worker at Farmers department store in Sydney and one of several industrial welfare officers who assisted in training the first social work students at Sydney University.
Eleanor Hinder initiated five elected staff committees to discuss working conditions, established training classes for junior and senior staff, including those attending Sydney University, and set up first-aid service and recreational, cultural, and sporting associations for staff. In 1923, Farmers funded Hinder to travel to Europe and the US to study the training of welfare workers and trade union activities.
She was also asked by the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) to visit China and report on factory conditions, especially for women and children. She worked for various UN agencies until she died in 1963. Other industrial welfare officers were also closely involved with social activists in the NCW and the YWCA in the 1920s and 1930s and the training of social work students.
Besides individual activist work, some activists set up organizations to address social justice issues. These organizations are the very ones in which social workers now seek work. The Brotherhood of St. Laurence and Community Aid Abroad were founded by an Anglican priest, Gerard Kennedy Tucker, in 1930 and 1954, respectively.
Tucker was interested in social reform and had been inspired by the Oxford movement in the East End of London. Tucker and his colleagues established a range of social services for low-income families, the unemployed, and the elderly, as well as a research and policy section.
Professionalism (1940 to 1960)
During the mid-20th century, social work in Australia experienced institutional growth and professionalization. The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) was established in 1946, signifying a collective effort to standardize and regulate the profession.
Social work education programs gained prominence, and the profession began diversifying its focus, addressing issues such as child welfare, mental health, and Indigenous rights. Notably, the Stolen Generations policy, which forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families, brought attention to the need for culturally sensitive social work practices.
Rise of Professional Social Work
A crucial feature of welfare provision—both government and private—was the rise of professional social work, which was heavily influenced by the feminist movement and Leftist welfare sentiments. During the 1980s, economic rationalism led to new ideas about citizenship and welfare entitlements. It was a period in which Australia was transformed from a ‘social laboratory to a welfare laggard.’
Advocacy and Policy Making (1970 to 1990)
In the late 20th century, social work in Australia became increasingly involved in advocacy and policy development. Social workers actively participated in movements addressing gender equality, Aboriginal rights, and refugee support. The AASW continued to evolve, emphasizing cultural competence and ethical practices. The 1980s and 1990s marked a period of expansion in social work roles, with professionals contributing to community development, welfare reform, and the promotion of human rights.
Specialization (2000 to Onward)
In the 21st century, social work in Australia has continued to adapt to changing societal needs. The profession has diversified into various specializations, including aged care, disability services, and international development. Technology has played an increasingly significant role in social work practice, facilitating communication and service delivery. The National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) introduced in 2010 has contributed to ensuring high standards of practice by requiring social workers to be registered professionals.
Throughout history, social work in Australia has evolved as a dynamic and responsive profession, addressing the complex social issues of each era. The commitment to social justice, human rights, and ethical practice remains at the core of the profession’s identity.
Social Work Education in Australia
- Four-year basic social work education
- Must have a social work-specific undergraduate degree to practice
- Distinctions are made between social work and youth work, welfare work, community development, and child care. Social workers tend not to be employed in these areas.
- Very limited involvement in education, childhood, or childcare
Australian postgraduate study in social work, too, requires a basic BSW before proceeding to a Master’s or PhD by research. A two-year qualifying master’s degree has recently been introduced in social work in Australia, which requires a three-year undergraduate degree, not necessarily in social work.
In Australia, most social workers are employed by the federal or state governments rather than local governments, and they are mostly employed in the health and community services sector. The most reliable estimate of the number of people who have completed an accredited social work degree is from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
Given social work is not a registered profession, no system of professional registration exists, and the voluntary membership of the AASW of approximately 6000 social workers, the majority practice outside the jurisdiction of the professional association, which sets ethical, educational, and practice standards. Nevertheless, the AASW sets standards for social work practice.
There are several worrying trends relating to the social work workforce, not least the static membership numbers of its professional association;
- Its aging workforce with only modest growth in the number of enrolments in entry-level social work degree courses
- The increasing competition for employment from nonsocial work degree-qualified welfare professionals
- The absence of protection of title for social work and lack of registration for the profession
- There is a lack of a sector-wide workforce strategy, a generally poor understanding of the role of social work by the community, government, and industry, and a generally low profile for the profession.
Universities for Social Work in Australia
Several of the best universities for social work in Australia offer reputable social work programs.
- University of Melbourne
- Australian National University (ANU)
- University of Sydney
- Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
- University of Western Australia (UWA)
Areas and Benefits of Social Work in Australia
- $60,000 to $80,000 per year on average
- Support individuals and communities, advocate for social justice, and provide counseling
- Common areas include child protection, mental health, and indigenous services.
Role of Social Work in Australia
The role of social work is linked to the Australian government’s adoption of neoliberal ideology since the 1980s. Within Services Australia, social workers are dedicated to providing support to individuals facing significant challenges, including those at risk of suicide or self-harm, young people and children in need of out-of-home care, and individuals impacted by family and domestic violence (previously known as DHS, 2017).
In the current neoliberal environment, social workers in Services Australia face criticism for primarily serving as gatekeepers assessing users’ eligibility for services. However, some argue that there is a need for social workers to focus more on empowering users by addressing structural inequalities and advocating for policy change. The programs of Services Australia claim to have gender-neutral policies, and it is difficult to determine if social workers can effectively advocate for policies that consider the subordinate gender position of female users in their daily practices.
Government organizations, profit organizations, and non-profit organizations all play a role in providing welfare services. Non-profit organizations are a common workplace for many individuals in the field of social work. Government entities, both at the federal and state levels, play a crucial role in funding non-profit organizations.
Non-profit organizations align with the government’s objective of providing services, interpreting policies based on their guiding principles, and developing service practices that are tailored to local or micro contexts. Certain non-profit organizations have roots in religious beliefs and were established in the Australian tradition of Christian charity, while others emerged during the flourishing social movements of the 1960s and 1970s.
Health and Community Service
Nevertheless, social workers continue to play an important role in health and community services in Australia. Health involves mainly hospital-based work and includes mental health services in community-based agencies, while ‘community services’ refers to the industry sector for welfare services.
Social workers might be engaged in child protection, disability and aged care services, homelessness, income support, welfare-to-work programs, and so on, mostly in the government sector. They mostly work with allied health professionals, mainly in the health context, and other welfare and care workers in the community services sector.
Inter-discipline and inter-professionalism remain important in the social work philosophy, especially when service partnerships between public and private providers are the norm. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Act 1987 outlines the core areas of welfare provision in Australia in terms of which data is collected and reported, focused on five primary areas of welfare: Aged care, child care, disability, housing, and child welfare.
Today’s Social Work in Australia
Today, social work in Australia, despite the increasingly restrictive neoliberal welfare system, social workers continue to work across varied practice domains, including work with individuals (particularly single session and short term), families and partnerships, group work, community work, social policy; research and evaluation; organizational practice, management, and leadership; as well as education and training, and continue to adapt to changing welfare needs in these service contexts.
Social work involves professionals who support individuals and communities to improve their well-being. Social workers in Australia help people facing challenges such as family issues, mental health concerns, poverty, and discrimination. They work to enhance the quality of life for vulnerable individuals by providing counseling, advocacy, and practical assistance.
Universities in Australia that offer social work programs are globally recognized, ensuring that students receive an education that meets international standards. For instance, institutions like the University of Melbourne and the Australian National University have reputable social work programs that provide a solid foundation for future practitioners.
