Department of Social Work, The University of Melbourne
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Social Work education commenced at the University of Melbourne in 1941. Since then, the Department has expanded greatly in its research and teaching activities. We are located in the School of Health Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences.
Our entry to practice qualification, the two-year full-time Master of Social Work degree is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers, our national accrediting body. Each year, we admit approximately 150 students, around 25% of whom are international students from around the world.
We also offer a Master of Narrative Therapy and Community Development, taught jointly with the Dulwich Centre in Adelaide. This program brings people from around the world, including many Indigenous students, to study narrative practice.
For qualified social workers, we offer a fully online suite of subjects as part of our nested Specialist Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Master of Advanced Social Work programs.
Our Master and Doctor of Philosophy programs are well-established, with around forty students currently enrolled in a variety of topic areas.
Our academics are partnered with many local and international organisations for knowledge and practice advancement. Our departmental research agenda is organised around three major themes:
- Child and family welfare: our core areas of focus are in the prevention of domestic and family violence; gender-based violence; and child protection and wellbeing, and the improvement of statutory systems.
- Health, mental health and disability: our core areas of focus are on hospital-based social work with people facing acute and chronic health experiences; co-design and mental health service reform; improving the lives of people with disability through strengthening families, and building community capital; and psychosocial recovery from disaster.
- Criminal justice: our core areas of focus are on young people and the justice system; restorative justice programs and trauma; and the use of sport in prison contexts.
In all of these research areas, we bring a strong focus on building knowledge for translation into policy and practice, to improve the lives of those facing structural disadvantage, oppression and marginalisation. We also integrate Indigenous knowledges and strengths into our research practices and outcomes.
These links provide you with detailed information about our programs and our academic team at The University of Melbourne.
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