Work

Visibility of alcohol and other drug subjects and careers provided by Australian social work programs

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Higher education providers play an important role in equipping social work students with alcohol and other drug (AOD) related knowledge, attitudes and skills to help them support clients. They also play a role in promoting awareness of AOD-related career pathways. A scoping review of the websites of sixty-three accredited pre-service social work degree programs in Australia found that nine (14%) programs offered explicit AOD-related subjects (n = 9) and 12 (19%) programs referenced AOD-related careers. These findings suggest that many social work graduates may be inadequately prepared to support clients with AOD issues. A specialist AOD credential or program could increase knowledge and skills and promote awareness of AOD-related careers for social workers, but should not detract from the relevance of AOD-related content at an undergraduate level. This study establishes the need for primary research with graduates to determine their AOD-related knowledge, attitudes, and skills.

Source: Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions

DOI: 10.1080/1533256x.2025.2480323

Authors: Jane Anne Fischer, Kirrilly Thompson, Armin Muminovic, Helen McLaren

Institutions: Flinders University, Australian Catholic University

Language: English

Topic: Social Work Education and Practice

Subfield: Public Administration

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Quality education

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Government