Bachelor of Social Work

Year one introduces the foundations: social policy, sociology, human development across the lifespan, communication for human services and an introduction to Indigenous Australia. CDU's programme is AASW-accredited and weighted strongly toward the Northern Territory context with substantial coverage of remote community practice, Indigenous social work, cultural safety and trauma-informed approaches. Year two builds social work theory, counselling skills, group work and a 70-day first field-education placement. Year three covers mental-health practice, child protection, family violence, advanced communication and an elective stream. Year four delivers the second 70-day field placement (different setting), advanced practice units and a capstone research project. Expect heavy reading loads, role-play and observed-practice assessment, reflective journals and rigorous placement supervision. Cohorts at CDU are smaller than southern unis and rural and remote placement options run across the Top End and Central Australia.

AASW-accredited programme delivering 1000 hours of supervised field education across two block placements (typically 70 days each, a 500-hour block). CDU places students with NT Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities, NT Health, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, community legal centres, Anglicare NT, Mission Australia, Catholic Care NT, and the Northern Territory Mental Health Coalition. Rural and remote placement options run across the Top End and Central Australia. Students complete Working with Children and police clearance checks before placement and require structured supervision logs and final evaluation against the AASW practice standards.

Graduates are eligible for full membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers and accreditation as an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker after further training. Common postgraduate routes are the Master of Social Work (Qualifying) conversion stream is for graduates who did a non-AASW degree first (not relevant here), the Master of Mental Health Practice, the Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Trauma and Recovery and into doctoral study in social work at CDU and partner institutions. Alumni also pathway into community-services management and policy roles in NT and federal government.