The AASW maintains the professional standards in Australian social work but also recognises the value of internationally qualified social workers to Australia’s multicultural society. It is now possible for the AASW to assess international professional social work qualifications that are lower than bachelor degree level in combination with evidence of paid post-qualifying social work experience, an assessed year, or further relevant studies that meet the AASW learning outcomes.
In these situations, you may be asked for a Professional Statement in addition to your other documentation.
Your Professional Statement should address the nine Social Worker Learning Outcomes linked to the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS). Link this to your post-qualifying social work experience/employment as a qualified social worker to the learning outcomes which relate to your work. Your Professional Statement should be 2,000–3,000 words .
Applicants must provide examples of their work and may be asked to explain a case scenario from their recent practice. Recent work experience is a minimum of 12 months of social work practice experience within the past seven years.
We suggest that you write your Professional Statement as if you were preparing a presentation to social work colleagues and/or staff from an academic and analytical point of view, addressing each of the nine Graduate Learning Outcomes.
You may refer to a scenario from your recent work experience that highlights your direct social work practice, research, social policy work or social work management.
We recommend that you structure your Professional Statement in terms of each step of casework practice intervention processes from referral, to planning the work, conducting the work, ending and how you reflected on your work through supervision or otherwise. Explain any further action you took, such as identifying any training or learning needs. Address all nine Graduate Learning Outcomes.
Clearly outline your social work practice case scenarios in the work you carried out and explain which Graduate Learning Outcomes they relate to. Address all nine Graduate Learning Outcomes. We ask that you list the number of the corresponding Learning Outcome and Indicator related to the case scenarios and how your social work practice achieved each of the nine Learning Outcomes. For example, if your scenario includes evidence of your ability to work with diversity and demonstrate respect for culture and your advocacy, negotiation and mediation skills and shows your experience with undertaking evidence informed practice and demonstrates your knowledge of empowering and non-oppressive practice and your knowledge regarding the needs of children, your ability to promote their wellbeing, identify when their well-being is compromised and use a range of methods to respond to their needs, list the Learning Outcome/s you are evidencing in the following format 8. a), 7. c), 6. b), 3. b) and 3. f).
It is strongly suggested that you refer to Page 6 – Criteria 4. Point 1 and Section 6 – Page 22 of Application Form 1 which details how to present your Professional Statement.