Championing a strong, ethical profession

Community Work Australia is the national voice for qualified community work professionals. We strengthen the profession through education, standards, ethics and advocacy — ensuring practitioners are equipped to support individuals and communities across Australia.

We promote a workforce that is skilled, ethical and committed to social justice.

Community work in practice

Our purpose

To ensure community work professionals are widely recognised as having the qualifications, skills, ethics and knowledge to actively play a proactive role in bringing about a fair and socially just society.

What we do

Community Work Australia plays a central role in shaping and supporting the profession. Our work spans education, ethics, advocacy and recognition — all focused on strengthening practice and promoting the value of community work professionals across Australia.

Setting standards for the profession

We define what it means to be a professional community work practitioner in Australia. This includes:

  • Accrediting vocational and higher education courses that prepare future professionals
  • Maintaining national qualification and ethical practice standards
  • Assessing skills and qualifications for migration and employment
  • Promoting ethical practice

Ethics are at the heart of community work. We uphold an Ethical Practice Framework that guides professionals to work with integrity, respect and cultural awareness.

Our Code of Ethics is central to our approach and underpins professional conduct across the sector.

Advocating for social justice

We work toward a fair and just society — one where all people can access the support they need to thrive. Community work professionals are central to this mission, addressing inequality at both the grassroots and systemic levels.

We collaborate with government, education providers and community organisations to advance social justice through inclusion, access and empowerment — particularly for people and communities experiencing disadvantage.

Benefits of being a Community Worker
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