What is a Social Worker?

At the best of times, we all face challenges in our lives. However, in specific times of crisis, some people can suffer from mental health issues, injury or illness, family violence or abuse, and homelessness. These challenges can be difficult to overcome without additional support which is where Social Work can help.

What is a Social Worker?

Social Workers are accredited, highly trained health professionals who provide counselling, information about available funding & programs, and assist with referral pathways. At Alliance Rehabilitation Social Workers work within our interdisciplinary team as we take a holistic approach and follow the bio-psychosocial model of care.

Social Workers in Australia follow the AASW Code of Ethics which is summarised as follows:

Informed by principles of the inherent dignity of humanity, human rights, and social justice, social workers work with, and on behalf of, individuals, families, groups and communities to:
• enhance their individual and collective wellbeing and social development
• resolve personal and interpersonal problems
• improve and to facilitate engagement with the broader society
• address systemic barriers to full recognition and participation
• protect the vulnerable from oppression and abuse.

What can Social Workers assist with?

Click to Download Social Work Cheat Sheet

Social workers can support in a variety of ways. Reasons you can refer to a social worker include:

• Environment: Social Workers can provide assistance with Department of Housing (DoH) applications. They can support to explore housing options and can link people in with services that provide funding for crisis accommodation.
• Relationships: They can provide support to expand social support systems, referrals to relationship services (i.e. mediation), provide counselling and strategies to navigate these services.
• Social groups/activities: They are able to support to explore and help people link in with social groups within the local community.
• Services: Provide assistance with linking in with in-home and community services such as My Aged Care (MAC), the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Queensland Community Support Scheme (QCSS) and/or help to navigate/plan current services, provide support letters and functional impairment evidence letters.
• Transport: They can support to explore transport options, assist Occupational Therapists to complete a Taxi Subsidy Scheme (TSS) or Disability Parking Permit (DPP).
• Financial: Social workers can refer
•  participants on to services that offer Emergency Relief Funding (ERF), support to explore budgets, and assistance to apply for Centrelink or income protection paperwork.
• Legal: They can provide emotional support to understand and complete Enduring Power of Attorney (EPOA) and Advance Health Directives (AHD), assistance to link participants in with a Justice of the Peace and Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) applications.
• Mental Health: Some Social Workers can provide focused psychological interventions, case management, emotional regulation – parenting/carer support, grief and loss counselling, counselling, psychoeducation, anger management, working with high risk and highly volatile participants, crisis intervention, medication compliance, trauma support.
• Substances: They can also assist with counselling on smoking and drinking cessation, psychoeducation of effects of substance abuse, provide strategies and resources to change habits.