Social Work and the Sustainable Development Goals: A Student Placement Model

ABSTRACT

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a blueprint to address urgent global challenges, with a clear role for social workers. This paper explores a Sustainable Development Goal’s focused student placement at the Australian Association of Social Workers, with RMIT University. Students reviewed the AASW’s policy actions and their contribution to the SDGs, including recommendations for future work. The review identified advocacy in key areas, and the need for action on several issues, including climate action. Students learned about social work policy, practice, and sustainability. The placement itself provides a model for other organisations to align their actions to the SDGs.

IMPLICATIONS

• There is a need for greater social work engagement with the United Nations’ SDGs to address urgent social and environmental challenges.

• Field education placements can provide an important opportunity for students to learn about sustainability, social work policy practice, and the SDGs.

• The placement model proposed in the article is suitable for any organisation that seeks to review their actions and better align their work to the SDGs.

KEYWORDS:

• Field Education
• Policy
• Climate Action
• Sustainable Development Goals

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).