Bob Lonne Queensland University of Technology Karen Healy University of Queensland

1. Workforce and Curriculum Trends and Issues Challenging the Human Services: Re-visioning the Place for Social Work Bob Lonne Queensland University of Technology Karen Healy University of Queensland

2. I acknowledge that we meet today on Indigenous lands

3. The views we express today are ours as academics rather than the positions we hold

4. What does the future hold for Social Work? Death by aThousand Cuts? How might we reach a new Pinnacle? A Ladder of Opportunity?

6. Today we will cover: • Study aims and methods • Key Questions to be addressed • Profound and rapid change in: • Health and Community Services • Tertiary and Higher Education Sectors • Contemporary and emerging challenges in the sector • Implications and options for the Social Work and Human Services profession

7. Study Background & Significance • Australian Learning & Teaching Council (Carrick) Grant aimed to: • Identifies and analyses the current workforce characteristics and emerging trends; • Identifies the educational and training needs and priorities; • Maps the existing curriculum across the sector; and • Bring key stakeholders together to develop a workforce educational plan that secures the long-term sustainable development of the industry

8. Study Method • Extensive literature review – identification of issues & trends • A blurred picture of trends and issues due to issues of diverse data sources with variable definitions and methodologies • Need to integrate the vision to distil the salient issues and identify key trends • Workforce data analysis (ABS Census & Labour force projections data, DEEWR data & projections)

9. Study Method • Web-based search of higher education & TAFE curriculum • Course structure, scope and length • Key components – knowledge, skills & values/attitudes • Pathway identification • Graduate data (DEEWR - undergraduate & postgraduate data, Graduate Careers, NCVER, Uni entrance scores)

10. Study Method • National forum of key employers, peak bodies, professional associations and educators • Survey of workforce needs, issues and priorities, including preparation of newly qualified practitioners • Identification of core curriculum needs & educational pathways • Development of national workforce and curriculum planning process • Building alliances for ongoing action • National report on the project distributed

11. Key Questions to be Addressed • What are the key workforce trends? • How adequate (strengths & limits) is the educational preparation for practitioners? • What are the sector’s workforce needs? • What are the key challenges confronting the sector and its workforce? • How might educators, employers and practitioners respond to these?

12. Broad Sector Workforce Trends • Broad and complex in diverse functions it serves (e.g. health, welfare, child protection, disability, community-based development etc); • Continuing profound alterations to its structures, service delivery processes, and workforce practices as a result of economic, social, demographic and governance changes; • Rapidly growing and predicted to continue to do so. • Rapidly ageing (more so than the general workforce);

13. Rapid Growth

14. Rapidly Growing & Diversifying

15. Diversification • Social workers spread across broad sector • Psychologists congregate in health and education • Counsellors congregate in community services and education • Welfare-related professionals dominate in community services and government administration, and to lesser extent in health

16. Growth Projections to 2013

17. Rapidly Ageing

18. Not well paid comparatively

19. Start off well paid but career drop

20. Overall Good Prospects??

21. Workforce Summary • Rapidly growing and diversifying • Rapidly ageing • Reasonable but relatively poorly paid • Stable jobs for social workers • Strong job prospects • Other disciplines and qualifications will do better over the medium-long term

22. Tertiary & Higher Education Sector • Marketisation and corporatisation • Rapid growth on a shoestring • Clearly linked to economic, workforce and innovation policies • Ageing workforce • Not well paid and struggling to recruit • Bradley Report – market driven, equity groups targeted, VET-Higher Ed pathways, probably rationalisations

23. Bachelor Degree Students

24. Bachelor Degree Programs

25. Declining Entrance Scores

26. Workforce Size Relativities

27. Highest Qualifications

28. Postgraduate Students

29. What we also found: • VET sector diplomas have relatively consistent curriculum – linked to industry needs • VET focus on skill development competencies • Higher Ed focus on development of professional purpose, critical analysis & professional practice as well as skill development • Substantial exchange between VET and Higher Ed but generally poor pathways - luck • Strong % of women, Indigenous & CALD

30. What we also found: • Social work has consistent generic curriculum with little specific input on fields • 3 year Human Services & Social Welfare degrees relatively consistent with specific fields given emphasis - child and family, youth justice • Bewildering array of social and behavioural science courses – not linked to industry needs and with little or no placement learning • Massive expansion of these courses and psychology but little to back claims of job prep.

31. Curriculum Summary • VET pathway haphazard but important • Marked growth in social & behavioural sciences, psychology courses & students -fragmented curriculum with little relevance to industry knowledge & skill requirements • Social work consistent curriculum • Social work less attractive career option • Declining entrance scores • Poor take up of postgraduate studies • Further diversification of graduate’s skills

32. Challenges for the Sector • Deprofessionalisation & reprofessionalisation • Continued rapid workforce growth & fragmentation of qualifications • Ensuring relevant knowledge, skills & values • Addressing poor salary levels • Building educational pathways • Attracting talented students • Meeting the need for highly skilled staff • Ensuring quality and accountable practice

33. Implications for Social Work • Need to reassert social work’s traditional leadership of sector • Articulate knowledge, skills & values debate • Need to practise life long learning by embracing educational pathways • Research the profile of social work and develop strategic responses • Reposition the profession via self-regulation and pursuit of registration of sector

34. Each day forces us to totter on planks we hope will become bridges Kevin Hart

35. Let us address these issues in an evidence-based way In the field of opportunity its plowing time again! Email:k.healy@uq.edu.au b.lonne@qut.edu.au

36. Thank you for your appreciative attention The End