October 18, 2018

Social work degree to help students make a difference in Liverpool community

Father Chris Riley launches Masters of Social Work (Qualifying) at UOW South Western Sydney

The Masters of Social Work (Qualifying) at the University of Wollongong’s (UOW) Liverpool-based campus is helping to boost access to vital services and address the shortage of social workers in the surrounding community.

Father Chris Riley AM, CEO and founder of acclaimed organisation Youth Off The Streets, will officially launch the postgraduate degree at the UOW South Western Sydney campus tomorrow (Thursday 18 October).

The Masters of Social Work (Qualifying) will provide students with the tools, knowledge, and skills to contribute to the wellbeing of people and communities.

Associate Professor Jioji Ravulo, Academic Program Director for the Masters of Social Work (Qualifying), said the postgraduate degree would help students in the community make a difference in their own backyard.

“Social work has a ripple effect throughout society. The positive actions of just one individual can impact throughout the community, providing vital emotional support, improving services, or empowering those in need to make a change,” Professor Ravulo said.

“With the rapid expansion occurring across Western Sydney, the Masters of Social Work (Qualifying) will help our students contribute in a meaningful way to the development of socially inclusive service models to assist equity groups, including young people, refugees, the elderly, and those living with mental health issues and disabilities.

“Social workers are one of the unsung heroes of our society. By providing world-class education and training, we are preparing the next generation of social workers to help their communities. It reflects our commitment at UOW to contribute to positive social change.”

Professor Glenn Salkeld, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, said students in the region would gain an exceptional education in social work, which would help those vital skills to remain in South Western Sydney and positively impact the community.

“The launch of the Masters of Social Work (Qualifying) demonstrates the University of Wollongong’s commitment to the students and community of the Liverpool region. It enables students who may not have had the means nor the desire to study outside the region to obtain a world-class education in social work locally, with the community, in turn, benefiting from those qualifications,” Professor Salkeld said.

“It will contribute to the ongoing growth of the region by training social workers who can then help disadvantaged members of the community to empower themselves.”

The Masters of Social Work (Qualifying) became available at UOW’s South Western Sydney campus from Spring 2018.

In 2017, the Federal Government’s Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) ranked UOW as the second among all universities in NSW and the ACT for Social Work.