School Social Work in Australia

Abstract

This study explores the current state of social work services in Australian schools. A total of 65 social workers participated in the survey. The majority of respondents had permanent positions and over half of them were working part time. The number of schools serviced was wide ranging and the median was six schools. The major funding source was state governments, the primary referral sources were school staff, and the primary reasons for referral were behavioural and mental health problems. Respondents reported good support from employers and high levels of work efficacy and satisfaction. A large proportion of their hours were spent on counselling, paperwork, case management, and consultations. The major barriers to their work were lack of time, lack of resources, and lack of recognition given to social work perspectives and roles. Given the paucity of literature, findings from this study are expected to lay a foundation for future studies.

Keywords:

• School Social Work
• Social Work in Schools
• Student Wellbeing

Acknowledgements

I thank respondents for their participation in the survey, Linda Johannsen, Damian Mahony, and members of the Special Interest Group in the Victorian Branch of the AASW for their help during the development of survey, and my colleagues at UNSW and anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.