Social Work Education in Australia and the U.S.A: Comparative Perspectives and Contemporary Issues
Social work profession is undergoing rapid changes in its efforts to respond to the changing geopolitical, socioeconomic, cultural and technological environments that impact the quality of life and general well being of individuals, families and communities in modern society. It is important for social work educators to equip professional social workers with the required knowledge and skills to meet the increasing demands of the changing times. To what extent professional social work education and curricula reflect these changes?
This paper will compare selected aspects of social work education and identify contemporary issues affecting professional social work practice in Australia and the United States. It will examine three related questions: 1) What are the similarities and differences in social work education and practice? 2) What are some of the contemporary issues that affect social work education and practice? 3) What are the areas of mutual learning and knowledge?
The data for this paper has been collected from extensive review of literature, secondary data sources and through authors’ reflections. The analysis will compare history and origin, the growth of social work education, curricula and curricular models, accreditation standards, practice settings, code of ethics, professional licensure and associations, etc. Based on the findings, the paper will correlate current education and contemporary practice in social work, highlight the similarities and differences as well as areas of mutual learning. The implications of the findings will be discussed in the context of current global environment particularly focusing on the Asia Pacific and North American regions.