Form 1183 - Assessment of Eligibility for Membership of the AIWCW (overseas qualifications only) - Australian Residents

Important: Please read these explanatory notes carefully before completing the application.

The information on the attached form is collected by the Australian Institute of Welfare and Community Workers Inc. (AIWCW) for the purpose of assessing overseas qualifications.

All personal information will be handled confidentially. Details may be verified with or provided to other agencies where necessary or required by law.

Should you use this form?

Use this form if you are:

• an Australian citizen;
• a permanent resident of Australia; or
• a citizen of New Zealand permanently or temporarily resident in Australia; or
• a temporary resident of Australia (eg an overseas student) with a visa which gives you permission to work in Australia;and

an overseas trained Welfare Worker seeking an assessment to practise your occupation. In addition it is essential that you read the NOOSR leaflet Recognition of Social Work and Welfare Work Qualifications in Australia.

Do not use this form if you ...

• are seeking an occupational assessment for the purposes of migration to Australia;
• are seeking to change your migration status to Australian resident; or
• do not have a visa which allows you to work in Australia.

If you are in any of the above categories you would need to use Form SWNR available from the AIWCW or the nearest Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate.

Note: If you would like your formal general academic (university or equivalent) and/or technical qualifications obtained overseas assessed in educational terms, you would need to contact the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR) for advice.

Need help?

If you need advice on completing the form, please contact the AIWCW at the address below.

Experience has shown that, due to differences in social work education between countries, the courses studied by many overseas qualified social workers who initially seek to join the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) do not meet AASW membership eligibility requirements. In the past many of these people have met the eligibility requirements of the Australian Institute of Welfare and Community Workers (AIWCW). You will find more details about the assessment criteria of both organisations in the NOOSR leaflet Recognition of Social Work and Welfare Work Qualifications in Australia.

Completing the form

The information you give is required by AIWCW to determine whether or not your qualifications meet AIWCW eligibility requirements.

You will need to provide all the information asked for and all documents and necessary fees before your application can be finalised. Incomplete applications cannot be processed and may be returned to you.

Answer all questions in English, unless otherwise requested. Initial and date any alteration to the form.

If you have more than two qualifications, please provide details of these in the same format as required on the form but provide this information on a separate piece of paper and sign and date it.

If you need more space than that provided to outline each field work placement undertaken as a required component of your course or to complete Section 19 (work history), please provide a separate piece of paper or use the space provided under Section 20 Additional information. Please send all required documents and your assessment fee to the AIWCW at the address below.

Documents you should include

To support your application, you will need to provide certified copies of all the documents listed below. Please do not send the original of these documents or copies of certified copies. All documents not in English must be translated and certified copies attached to the documents to which they refer. Extract translations are not acceptable. The documents required are:

1. The degree, diploma or certificate in the original language;
2. Official transcripts of educational courses completed (or student book or mark sheets) in the original language. A transcript lists the subjects studied by the individual student each year and marks obtained and can usually be obtained from the relevant educational institution;
3. Course outlines, which are descriptions of courses taken from a syllabus or course handbook;
4. Evidence of a change of name (where applicable);
5. Marriage certificate (where applicable);
6. Evidence of Australian citizenship, or permanent resident status of Australia, or New Zealand citizenship and permanent resident status of Australia or temporaryresident status with permission to work in Australia. For example, copies of:
   • pages from your passport or other travel documents showing passport/document number, personal details, visa and entry stamp, or
   • your citizenship certificate, birth certificate, or
   • a statement from the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, confirming permanent residency has been granted, or
   • relevant pages from your New Zealand passport
7. Evidence of registration/licensure from the country in which training was undertaken; and
8. Detailed work history and references. This work history should include: the dates at which you began and completed work at each workplace; the name of the workplace; the title of your work position; the type of work undertaken in some detail; and whether full or part-time and if part-time, the number of hours per week. References from supervisors and employers should conform the dates of employment and the type of work undertaken in the relevant job.

Note: If your original degree, diploma or certificate is in other than the Latin alphabet eg. Cyrillic, Arabic or Chinese, a transliteration of the title of your award should be included in the translations.

AIWCW reserves the right to request applicants to provide translations completed by a translator accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). Level 3 accreditation is normally required.

If forged, altered or falsified documents are submitted to AIWCW, no assessment

report will be issued and no refund will be provided.

You should try to obtain the required documents from the relevant institution or authority. It is unusual for an educational institution or authority not to have records. If you cannot obtain the required documents you should contact AIWCW at the address below for advice. In some instances AIWCW will accept a Statutory Declaration in place of some of the required documents.

Certification

It is essential that copies of documents are certified. A copy has to be clearly authorised as a true copy of the original by an appropriate person.

Persons who may certify documents include Justices of the Peace (JP), legal practitioners, admissions officers of all Australian universities and officers of State and Territory Government overseas qualifications units. To have your copies certified you will need to present both the original and the copy of each document to the person certifying the copies.

Each copy of the document must be certified separately and must show clearly:

• the words "certified true copy of the original";
• the signature of the certifying officer; and
• the name and address or provider/registration number (where appropriate) of the certifying officer legibly printed below the signature. It must be possible, from the details provided, for AIWCW to contact the certifying officer if necessary.

Agents

AIWCW normally deals directly with applicants seeking an assessment of membership eligibility of their overseas qualifications. AIWCW will not discuss your application with other people (third parties) unless specifically authorised to do so.

If you want someone such as a family member or other agent to deal with AIWCW on your behalf, you will need to attach a letter signed by you authorising this person (by name) to act as your agent.

Payment of fees

A fee of AUD$200 is payable for an assessment of overseas educated welfare workers who are resident in Australia. The fee is subject to change without notice and is not normally refundable. The fee must be paid in Australian dollars and must accompany your application form as a bank cheque, money order or personal cheque, made payable to ‘National Office - AIWCW’. Please do not send your payment of fees in cash by post. AIWCW is not responsible for the loss of cash if sent by post.

A receipt will be issued to acknowledge AIWCW has received your application.

This fee is in addition to any fees charged by the AASW for assessment against its membership eligibility requirements. No additional application fee for membership of AIWCW is payable, but annual membership fees are payable for those who wish to join this professional organisation.

You should allow at least two months for the assessment to be completed.

Assessing welfare work qualifications

Assessments of welfare work qualifications are based on assessment of formal post secondary and tertiary qualifications and experience, according to the membership eligibility requirements of the AIWCW. More information about assessment criteria can be obtained by reading the leaflet Recognition of Social Work and We/fare Work Qualifications in Australia and by contacting the AIWCW at the address below.

A positive assessment of your welfare work qualifications will indicate that your

 

After you receive an assessment of your welfare work qualifications

qualifications and experience meet the eligibility requirements of the AIWCW. Should you decide to apply for membership, an annual membership fee will apply. If your qualifications do not meet requirements, the AIWCW will provide advice in your assessment letter regarding appropriate further study.

Reviews

If you disagree with the assessment of your welfare work qualifications and are considering requesting a review, please contact the AIWCW for information about review procedures.

How to contact AIWCW

For information or advice on completing this form contact AIWCW.
Australian Institute of Welfare and Community Workers
Overseas Assessment
Ross House
247 Flinders Lane
MELBOURNE VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9654 8287
Fax: (03) 9654 1081
E-Mail: info@aiwcw.org.au