What We Do
Social Work Education
The Australian Association of Social Workers accredits professionally qualifying social work degrees offered by Higher Education Providers (HEP) throughout Australia. Graduates of accredited social work qualifications are eligible for membership of the AASW, their professional association.
Social Work is not currently nationally registered. The profession is regulated by the AASW, which sets standards for social work practice, ethics and education. Eligibility for membership of the AASW is the benchmark for qualified practice in Australia. Many jobs require eligibility for membership of the AASW.
The AASW accredits both Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work qualifications as entry qualifications to the Social Work profession.
In order to be eligible for membership, you need to complete one of the AASW approved degrees.
Click here to view the list of AASW Accredited Social Work Programs
Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS)
The Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) sets out the principles, standards and graduate attributes for social work education in Australia. It also sets out the criteria for the accreditation of a professional social work program with the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW).
The AASW has recently completed a review of the standards and the new ASWEAS 2012 are now available:
• Glossary
The following Guidelines (Guidelines 1.1 to 1.6) are compulsory and provide guidance for programs on the implementation of the ASWEAS 2012:
• Guideline 1.1: Guidance on essential core curriculum content (Ref ASWEAS 3.3)
• Guideline 1.2: Guidance on field education programs (Ref ASWEAS 3.4)
• Guideline 1.3: Guidance on RPL, articulation and credit transfer (Ref ASWEAS 4.4)
• Guideline 1.4: Guidance on organisational arrangements and governance of social work programs
• Guideline 1.5: Guidance on reaccreditation reviews (Ref ASWEAS 6.1) with annual report template
• Guideline 1.6: Guidance on new programs (Ref ASWEAS 6.2) with report templates
Important information for students and employers
All references to AASW accredited social work qualifications in Higher Education Provider (HEP) publications and marketing materials must state clearly that they are entry level programs. They should be accompanied by the following statement:
This is an AASW-accredited qualification. It is an entry qualification into the social work profession and has been determined to meet the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS).
All references to AASW-accredited social work qualifications in HEP publications must also be accompanied by one of the following AASW-accredited course logos:
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More information
For more information or enquiries about social work education please contact the National Education Officer at education@aasw.asn.au or phone 02 6232 3909.
Previous - AASW Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards
The current ASWEAS 2012 will be implemented from January 2013. Social work programs approved under the previous policy (ASWEAS 2008, updated 2009, 2010, 2012) will have until the date of their next review to meet the requirements of this policy if their next review is due after January 2014. A social work program that has a review in 2013 may choose to use the newly adopted policy or the previous policy.
Click here for a copy of the previous ASWEAS 2008 (updated 2009, 2010, 2012).