Bachelor of Social Work

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program at IHM emphasizes fostering relationships and well-being within communities, focusing on social care, health initiatives, and prevention. Accredited by the AASW, the program provides 1,000 field education hours and prepares graduates for careers in social work fields such as child protection, counseling, and disability services.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) program offered at IHM emphasizes the well-being and fostering of relationships with individuals, families, and communities while connecting local with global perspectives. It delves into social care, health and wellness initiatives, and programs that seek to establish and locate systems and relationships that emphasize prevention and education. Graduates of the BSW program will be equipped with the ability to have an impact on local, national, and international social policies that affect all people and communities. The IHM Bachelor of Social Work program is notable for the extensive interaction between students, their peers, social work academics, and social work/human services agencies, which provides the knowledge, skills, and professional relationship building required for graduates to be practice-ready upon completion of the program. Moreover, the BSW program at IHM incorporates 1,000 field education hours. The program is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). This accreditation signifies that the program meets the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards. The provisional accreditation conferred to the IHM Bachelor of Social Work Program (2022-2025) indicates that it is a new program that has yet to produce its first graduating class. Nevertheless, provisional accreditation does not impact the eligibility and standing of graduates of the BSW course with this status; they possess the same eligibility and standing as graduates of fully accredited social work programs.

Outline:

The learning outcomes of the BSW course are anchored in the AASW's principles of human dignity and worth, social justice and fairness, and social workers working with and on behalf of individuals, families, groups, and communities to:

• Enhance their sense of well-being and social growth on both individual and collective levels
• Address interpersonal and personal conflicts
• Facilitate and enable participation within the broader society
• Identify and eliminate systemic barriers to full recognition and involvement
• Safeguard the vulnerable against injustice and abuse
The Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) is structured to provide a sequenced and staged learning experience across core units through major streams, offering a scaffolding approach to the development of knowledge and skills, as well as increasing complexity in assessments and professional reflection. This design reflects the course objectives, graduate qualities, and application of knowledge and abilities, all of which culminate in field education placements, professional outcomes, and accreditation for individual students. The curriculum framework includes major streams that are integral to the program:
• Society and culture
• Behavioral science and public health
• Generalist social work practices
• Specialist social work practices
• Field education experience (1,000 hours)
To complete the Bachelor of Social Work, students must attain 256 credit points. The provisional accreditation conferred to the IHM Bachelor of Social Work Program (2022-2025) signifies that it is a new program that has yet to produce its first graduating class.

Careers:

After completing the BSW program, graduates can explore career paths in the following fields:

• Child and family services
• Counseling
• Child protection
• Disability
• Ageing
• Refugee and Settlement
• Mental Health
• Rehabilitation
• Mediation