Non driving social worker.. Sponsorship???

[Quoll]

In the Uk you have to be registered with the GSCC to work as a social worker, as a profession we also have a code of ethics to which we work, social work in Oz seriously compromises these and for me it was a compromise too far. Racism and discriminatory practice are rife in the workplace and it was with much regret that I chose to leave Oz. The practice is at least 20 yrs behind the UK and the Aussies were too arrogant to even contemplate learning from the experience Uk recruits bring to Australia, their micro management style would be better suited to newly qualifieds. The whole experience has been a very very steep learning curve.

 

Sorry to hear your Aus experience was not really nice that but I cant say that I am surprised. I was working in a parallel field when our local C&P recruited some UK SWs and it was like a breath of fresh air with real collaborative practice but that didnt last long and we were back to the same old same old.

 

I think that micromanagement and bullying is pretty endemic across a few jurisdictions from what I can gather - and not just in SW either. I have come to the conclusion that bullying in the work place is rather more common than ever I imagined. I had thought it was restricted to the workplace I found myself in once but now discover it seems to be current Australian management practice full stop! (and all in the name of professionalism and PC!!!)

[Petals]

I think before embarking on a career such as social work in Aus people need to realise that we do not have birth to grave benefit system here in Aus. Social workers have to work within a framework of little money being given to a lot of the people they will deal with. Hence there is a big turnover of people in child protection etc as no support systems for them to refer on to. UK has spent a lot of money on social needs, its not done in Australia and I do not think it will be any time soon.

 

We have some support but mainly its help yourself. Instead of saying that they are twenty years behind just think they have it a lot harder and make the most of what they have. It does not mean they are less educated. Also the distances are huge and cannot nip to the next town etc here.

[madgen]

It's really not a resource issue, rather a case of backward attitudes and no statutory framework. The reason for high staff turnover relates more to the very low value placed on the profession in Australia coupled with low levels of pay. There is no consistency in practice and is not child centred. Working as a social worker in Oz is very disappointing and frustrating. I would encourage people to do their homework thoroughly before embarking on a social work career in Oz, if you think you've got it bad in the UK you aint seen nothing til you experience social work in Oz!

[Guest Revs30]

You keep going on about low pay over there. When using the 2.2 rate they are actually payed 2k more than a qualified social worker based in Cambridgeshire.

[madgen]

They only paying £26000 in Cambridgeshire then? That must be a NQ rate of pay, they only want very experienced sw's with a significant amount of experience in child protection rather than other disciplines. This is what makes it so frustrating, they told us UK recruits that they had creamed off the best applicants and yet still expect to pay poor salaries and place us in positions that don't reflect experience or qualification. The role I was in did not need my experience or qualification as was the case for other UK recruits in other teams, this would have been undetaken but unqualified workers in the UK.

[livethedream]

Hi all, this makes interesting reading. I too am a social worker hoping to move to oz in a few years. Most people's experience of social work in oz appear to focus around Victoria. What about other areas such as Western Oz or South Australia. What have your experiences been like. I have heard similar negative experiences in ACT. Is there anyone out there who has had a positive experience of social work in oz who would like to share their experiences?

[madgen]

It might be intereseting to know that Victoria is meant to be the most forward thinking state in Oz, this doesn't bode well for the other states. WA however, does off $20000 pa more than Victoria. good luck in your decisions, I'm more than happy to share my experience based purely on very recent practice experience in Melbourne.

[_shel]

All very interesting and a little worrying given we're off to NSW in September. No job to go to as yet but with everything I'm reading about SW in Aus is putting me off. Mainly ACT & Vic but it cant be just there? Maybe time to start studying again!

[Bienkie]

Hi

 

I am currently a Child protection SW here in the UK and was hoping to one day go to Aus to do SW. I find this topic very interesting and would hope that the ones going there will keep us updated. It is quite a daunting task to go to another country to work in your profession. I am originally from South Africa so I have a different perspective on Social Work. I am thinking that Aus may be in the middle....with South Africa being the place with the least resources, UK with the most and Aus in the middle. Will be very interesting to hear how the new SW in Aus will experience their new jobs. Please keep us updated.

[Guest Revs30]

Hi

 

I am currently a Child protection SW here in the UK and was hoping to one day go to Aus to do SW. I find this topic very interesting and would hope that the ones going there will keep us updated. It is quite a daunting task to go to another country to work in your profession. I am originally from South Africa so I have a different perspective on Social Work. I am thinking that Aus may be in the middle....with South Africa being the place with the least resources, UK with the most and Aus in the middle. Will be very interesting to hear how the new SW in Aus will experience their new jobs. Please keep us updated.

 

The wife and I will let you know how it's all going, we are leaving the UK in June and will still be on here :biggrin:

[Guest smileykylie]

I too find this very interesting. I am a SW who trained in Australia but who went to the UK as soon as I graduated and worked for 7 years in a variety of teams. I have only been a social worker in Australia for just over a year. What I find interesting is the notion that only social workers in Aus are micro managed. I found that you could not make a simple decision in the UK without talking it through with your manager which does not bother me to be honest, but is not really different than what I have found here.

 

What I do like about Australia is that you do not have to work for a statutory service to call yourself a Social Worker, you can work in a much broader range of roles and you can use your therapeutic skills in a different way here. I found in the UK the role of social worker was very task oriented and rigid. It was much more assessment based. Again that did not bother me at all and I like being quite rigid so it suited, I have found in my role now (for a not for profit disability organisation) that I can go to a family and just provide emotional support, talk and listen, not assess and look for a solution all the time as I am not the provider of the resources or care.

 

I would encourage people to look outside of traditional social worker roles, ie hospital, child protection and look at the range of jobs we can use our skills for here. Obviously sponsorship may be an issue, but there is a wider range of jobs here for Social Workers.

 

Just my 2 cents and off topic!!