Social workers play a vital role in enhancing life quality of individuals in need around the country. It is important that registration is achieved in order to ensure that quality care is provided to persons in vulnerable situations. If there is no governing body attached to the practice of social work then very real damage can be done by not approaching delicate situations and circumstances with due professionalism and accountability. It would be irresponsible to allow social work to continue to be practiced without registration.

"The social work profession is ready to embrace a national regulatory framework for the benefit of its clients and the Australian community" Professor Bob Lonne, National President AASW”

And about time they did become a 'profession' isn't it?

At the moment they have about the same status as a school chaplain, and they have as much credibility as a pet hamster.

I would certainly agree that Social Work as profession need to be regulated the same way as other medical and allied health professions. We do similar work? Don't we? We help people to get better, and if so social workers need to be equal to other helping profession. To be honest many of Australians if not all at some stage benefited from Social work profession. That much from a social worker :)

To The Blue Cross. "The same status as a school chaplain, and they have as much credibility as a pet hamster"

Really?

Ever met with a social worker?

Do you actually have any idea what a social worker does?

Or were you even aware of the 4 year degree they undertake to become a Social Worker.

Somehow, I think their credibility kind of beats that of a pet hamster. Keeping that in mind, when you want someone to advocate for your rights when you're an older person in hospital and your kids just want to chuck you away into a nursing home because you have gone batty. I hope your pet hamster can help you then.

Ah, the ego is pricked.

Social workers have denied the need to 'go professional' for years, and I have to wonder why that is.

So, a four year degree is a sign of something these days, eh?

Some people think MBAs are worth something too.

Chaplains claim to advocate for people in distress too, and they have to have a CERT IV. Does that mean anything at all?

All qualifications are something of a sham, because they bring no guarantee of professionalism. Just a base starting point of a hope that some of the skills might have been absorbed during that time.

Professional associations are no absolute guarantee either, but at least we can all go along with the idea, fiction or otherwsie, that a professional registration and an organisation that oversees the profession has an interest in keeping standards high, or at least higher than without such a status.

I keep guinea pigs, and they really love me.

And since you know so much, I've just had to place a parent into a home, who is totally dotty and largely immobile with Altzheimers and found the social worker from the mental health clinic to be a pain in the backside with her constant 'advocating' and her at-the-outset assumptions that we were all ditching our parent to 'grab the spoils'.

That we all live in different continents, seems not to have registered with this social worker at all.

I am generous enough to know that this person would not represent the entire industry, but all the same, it has been a very nasty experience.

considering i was meant to have posted this weeks ago i cant argue with any of you that think Social workers need to improve their professionalism. one thing i do think we fail to take into account is that while the supports of social works such as Lara and myself a dedicated to high quality service, some of those in the industry arnt, that leave university and are off to practice for the next 30 years with any improvement in practice happening almost by accident. mandatory ongoing learning could help change that, regular justification of practice would also help to weed out the workers that cause experiences to that of blue crosses or at least prevent that from using the title "social worker"

Quite so MikeyC. I agree with you.

As with all jobs, professional or otherwise, there are lurkers working alongside those who engage in hard yacker.

Since managers claim 'managements right to manage', and that is a long enshrined industrial principle accepted by all (in general at least) then it falls to management to explain how shirkers, the ill equipped, poorly trained, illsuited, shysters and old style lazy sods, remain employed.

This is not a case of Gillard's Fair Work laws, or the perceived sloth of public services, just a reflection of very poor managers and management systems.

And this occurs in public and private industry, even though private industry refuse to accept their own incompetence in knowing how to manage well.

Good luck with your new professional body, it's a good move.