Occupation description
A Welfare Worker is a person who is qualified and experienced in working with individuals, families, and groups to ensure they have access to needed services and are supported to achieve and maintain social inclusion.
A Welfare Worker assists individuals, families and groups with social, emotional or financial difficulties to improve quality of life, by educating and supporting them and working towards change in their social environment.
Common occupational titles
Common occupational titles
Intake and Assessment Officer, Housing Officer, Counsellor (AOD, family, grief, etc.) Case Manager, Case Worker, Multicultural Support Officer, Child Protection Practitioner, Community Corrections Worker, Parole Officer, Crisis Intervention Worker.
Important note: Having your occupational title listed does not necessarily mean your work experience is relevant. Please refer to all relevant information, including the minimum qualification requirement. Roles at a suitable skill level should typically require completion of an AQF Bachelor degree or higher.
Main tasks
- providing support while exploring alternatives with clients who experience difficulties such as marital problems, unemployment, illness and drug abuse
- assessing risks and providing intensive short-term crisis counselling for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, disasters and other crises
- assisting to establish and administer neighbourhood houses, community groups, employment training programmes and other services
Available DAMA regions
Select one of the DAMA regions below to view the required qualifications & experience.
If you are nominating a Western Australia DAMA (WA) occupation for skills assessment, you must meet the minimum skill level requirements for your occupation (refer to 'Occupations we assess' for the relevant occupation criteria), as well as additional work experience requirements depending on which visa you are applying for.
Additional work experience that can be assessed according to visa subclass:
- Have at least one (1) year (30 hours per week or part-time equivalent) of relevant work experience for the Skills in Demand (SID, formerly TSS) visa program;
- Have at least two (2) years (30 hours per week or part-time equivalent) of relevant work experience for the SESR and ENS visa programs where the nominated worker (the skills assessment applicant) will be living and working in Regional Western Australia;
- Have at least three (3) years (30 hours per week or part-time equivalent) of relevant work experience for the SESR and ENS visa programs where the nominated worker (the skills assessment applicant) will be living and working in Metropolitan Perth.
Assessment Criteria
Qualifications can be one of the following:
1. A Community Work Australia accredited qualification: Community Work Australia accredited Diploma, Bachelor degree or higher,
or
2. A recognised relevant qualification: A professionally accredited course recognised by Community Work Australia as being equivalent to a Community Work Australia accredited AQF Level 7 degree or higher.
A recognised relevant qualification meets all the following:
- is a Bachelor degree or higher (equivalent to AQF Level 7)
- has a community and human services focus
- is professionally accredited by the source country’s professional body which has equivalent accreditation standards to Community Work Australia. Professional accreditation is a process by which a course is validated by a professional body similar to Community Work Australia;
or
3. A relevant Bachelor degree or higher qualification: A Bachelor degree or higher qualification related to community services.
A relevant qualification is one which adequately prepares graduates to perform community work in Australia. It has a focus on providing community and human services and will typically cover:
- sociology; social, political, economic structures and function
- social policy, human development and function including psychological, physical and social aspects
- general and specialised welfare services and systems
- work with individuals, families, groups and communities
- communication, basic counselling and interpersonal skills
- additional subjects which could include child development, social justice, child protection, mental health, case management, group theory, drug and alcohol issues, crisis intervention, psychology, youth work, working with children and families, community development, juvenile justice, family violence.
Please note:
- In instances where an applicant has used recognition of prior learning (RPL) to gain credit towards their qualification, Community Work Australia will accept a maximum of 40% RPL otherwise the qualification will not be recognised. For all VET qualifications, RPL is clearly detailed in a USI VET transcript, which may be requested for assessment. Additionally, if an applicant has received RPL towards their qualification, Community Work Australia will require supporting documents issued by the education provider which clearly evidence how RPL was assessed and approved. If RPL was awarded on the basis of unsuitable work experience or study, Community Work Australia reserves the right not to accept the qualification for skills assessment purposes.
- Some courses do not contain the breadth of core content required to prepare graduates for practice e.g., graduate certificates and graduate diplomas. These qualifications must follow a relevant undergraduate or additional related qualification, otherwise they will not be considered sufficient.
- Community Work Australia will not accept qualifications which are unduly short. Unduly short qualifications do not provide students with sufficient time to gain the required skills and knowledge.
Employment in the industry is defined as paid employment which involves the provision of direct service to clients at an individual, group, family, or community level. It is employment within the past 5 years, post-qualification, and must be at an appropriate skill level.
1. Applicants must have a minimum of 1 year of full-time (or part-time equivalent) industry experience within the last 5 years.
Currency
Applicants must also demonstrate their knowledge and skills are up to date in one of the following ways:
- Hold a relevant qualification which was completed within the past 4 years; or
- Have at least 12 months of relevant employment in the last 5 years.
Additional work experience
- Have at least one (1) year (full-time or part-time equivalent) of relevant work experience for the Skills in Demand (formerly TSS) subclass 482 visa programs;
- Have at least two (2) years (full-time or part-time equivalent) of relevant work experience for the SESR subclass 494 and ENS subclass 186 visa programs where the nominated worker (the skills assessment applicant) will be living and working in Regional Western Australia;
- Have at least three (3) years (full-time or part-time equivalent) of relevant work experience for the SESR subclass 494 and ENS subclass 186 visa programs where the nominated worker (the skills assessment applicant) will be living and working in Metropolitan Perth.
Occupations not considered relevant
- ANZSCO 272611 Community Arts Worker
- ANZSCO 272612 Recreation Officer / Recreation Coordinator
- ANZSCO 4117 Welfare Support Workers
- These occupations are elsewhere classified in ANZSCO.
The application process
Match your experience
Find the occupation that matches closely with your qualification, skills, and experience.
Nominate your occupation
Read the ANZSCO description to ensure you meet the eligibility and application criteria for that occupation.
Prepare your documents
Gather all your documents in the required formats. Check you have the right documents in our document checklist.
Create an account
Create an account on our portal with a current email address. All update emails will be sent to this email.
Submit application
Submit your complete application via our portal. Track your progress, and download your outcome certificate.
Before you apply
Before you apply for your skills assessment, make sure you meet the eligibility criteria, have the necessary documents ready, and understand the assessment process. Preparing in advance will help make your application experience simpler and more straightforward.
