Truly experiencing the impact of social work

I have always been passionate about human services. Upon graduating from my bachelor degree, I engaged in the community outreach space within the corporate sector. I worked with various development sector teams that partnered on several community development programmes across Sri Lanka and I truly enjoyed the work done around vocational skills development and poverty eradication. However, I wanted to have more engagement with the beneficiaries to truly experience the impact of the work that I do and engage with the people I work with. As I contemplated undertaking a master degree, I found social work appealing because I would be able to work closely with individuals, to support them in ways they needed.

Why social work at QUT?

Coming from the tropical climate of Sri Lanka, the Sunshine State easily made it to the top of my list. Based on my research on the programs offered by various universities in Queensland, I was assured of the quality of education I would receive at QUT. I was also attracted by the program content, which I found to be full-fledged compared to other Master of Social Work programs offered. I also chose QUT because of the unit called Community and Policy Practice, as I have always been passionate about poverty eradication in community context and working to ensure quality of life for all. QUT's university ranking, the lecturers and the overall reputation also played a role in justifying the investment I chose to make.

I entered the programme with limited knowledge on what social work really looked like in practice. Having completed two semesters, I found every unit to be very interesting as we delved deeper into the world of social work. I enjoyed all these units which have helped me understand social work within the Australian context. I appreciate the emphasis given to the development of critical skills as social workers to ensure ethical and accountable practice, which I believe is unique of the programme offered at QUT.

Social work placements – what to expect

My first practice placement at a local neighbourhood centre was a great opportunity for me to understand Australian culture and observe social work practice in a local context allowing me to apply my learnings and skills. It also allowed me to develop an understanding of the social issues and the systems and mechanisms available to support individuals, while understanding the challenges and limitations of practice and ways to overcome these. I developed critical reflection skills through the unit Critical and Ethical Practice in Organisations and had robust supervision, which were helpful in navigating complexities and dilemmas that arose during my placement. This support available to me during my placement made the experience a truly rewarding experience for me as an emerging social worker.

I believe overall the course at QUT is designed to be compatible with the so called 'real world'. Often, academic programmes tend to be scoffed as being highly theoretical and academic and in conflict with 'real world' practice. The experiences and cases shared in the classroom context, with descriptive explanations on the limitations in practice along with the practice placement experiences, have helped with understanding the use of the skills and knowledge in the practice. The classroom experiences also taught the practical limitations and challenges social workers experience working within organisational contexts and the importance of concepts such as self-care when working in a profession that makes you vulnerable to vicarious trauma. To me, the QUT Master of Social Work programme has so far been able to strike a good balance by being relatable to 'real world' practice.

Supportive teaching staff

I am always pleasantly surprised by how supportive and understanding the lecturers are. They have been amazing educators, social workers and cheerleaders of the students. Each and every one of them have shown flexibility and empathy, and have been understanding of the multiple roles that we play, while simultaneously being students. It has been inspirational to see how their knowledge, values and skills as social workers are brought into the program, creating a supportive environment for emerging social workers such as myself. They work towards achieving socially just outcomes as practitioners and advocates, walking the talk and showing us aspiring professionals how its done.

I definitely would recommend QUT to anyone who plans on studying for a Master of Social Work. QUT has an excellent program which disseminates knowledge and cultivates critical skills that essentially all social workers should have to ensure that we remain ethical and accountable in our approach to supporting people. I believe that lecturers, resources and placement opportunities provided have helped me gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be ready for what awaits me out there.

Study a QUT Master of Social Work – Qualifying like Tharindi

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