Students face poverty from course they 'do for love'

Skipped meals, housing insecurities and potential unemployment are some of the things social workers face when undertaking student placement.

One in five social work undergraduates are withdrawing from study due to financial stress, according to research commissioned by the Australian Council of Heads of Social Work Education (ACHSWE).

The Per Capita Report reveals students face one thousand hours of placements, or the equivalent of six months' full-time work, without pay.

A group of students, academics and union representatives visited Parliament House on Wednesday to address the issues social work students face from unpaid placements.

As head of the Students Against Placement Poverty group, university student Isaac Wattenberg often hears stories of financial stress and cries for help.

"We have overwhelming evidence that this policy is directly causing poverty," he said.

"We have a lot of single mothers who come up to us and they're not able to finish their degree because it comes down to feeding their kid or finishing their placement."

The vast majority of social work students are women, and the average age is 30 - alluding to more responsibilities and stretched out budgets.

"We need urgent relief - now," Mr Wattenberg said.

Per Capita executive director Emma Dawson is calling on the Labor government to support another 10,000 social workers around the country over the next two years.

With only about 1500 students completing their studies each year, Ms Dawson said the completion rate must be tripled in order to meet the "demands of our communities for social work across the nation".

Ms Dawson is concerned by the lack of fairness in unpaid work when apprentices in other fields such as engineering and electrical are paid at the minimum wage.

"They're actually serving people in their community, just as apprentice engineers help build tunnels and electricians help install solar panels," she said.

While some students might accept the hours they "do for love", Ms Dawson said, they "shouldn't be penalised for doing the kind of work that's so desperately needed".

Australian Services Union Secretary Angus MacFarlane said the reason only 50 per cent of social workers complete their course is because they cannot afford to continue.

"We believe there's a lot of momentum in what the students are calling for but we do need action and we need it now," he said.

Ms Dawson said research recommended the government stipend be paid in the first instance to employer-hosts as this was the most equitable, inclusive, effective and legislatively simple of the examined models.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store