THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF
WELFARE
THE ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE
PROFESSIONALS
Vic. Reg. A0036440S
ABN 28 696 828 620
COURSE AND
CAMPUS APPROVAL – DETAILED GUIDELINES
1. Basic Requirements and Application Procedure
(1) The
minimum qualification is an AQF Diploma studied over a minimum of four (4)
semesters over two (2) years of full time study (or part-time equivalent). Certificate courses cannot be approved because
the level of study does not conform to AIWCW and AEI-NOOSR standards. Bachelor degree courses at universities may
be approved on the basis of the range of delivery options.
(2) Content must cover: society (including
individual & family roles), community, social and political structure and
function; individual human structure and function, including psychological,
physical and social aspects; general and specialised welfare services and
welfare systems; and welfare work with individuals, groups and communities.
(3) Fieldwork supervised by a suitable
professional person in at least two separate field settings of at least 140
hours, and totalling at least 400 hours. See additional document “AIWCW
Requirements for Field Education 2005”.
(4) Applications are initially assessed by the Membership Coordinator.
For routine applications from long established courses where the appropriate
declarations have been signed by the course leader and head of division or
campus, and where the minimum required documentation has been supplied, the
Membership Coordinator may recommend to the
(5) Where complex or doubtful circumstances warrant more elaborate
assessment, or for a substantially new course or campus, the application will
be referred to an appropriate Membership Assessment Panel (
(6) For a substantially new course; where there is
no pre-existing course similar to the applicant course (e.g. community
development, youth work, rehabilitation, social work), or where no educational
infrastructure has been in place for at least 2 years (i.e. the institution has
only recently begun offering courses at this level), then the Course Assessor
may determine:
a) that AIWCW Approval cannot be granted until
the course has been operating for at least 6 months, and
b) that a Campus Visit will be required.
See separate document: AIWCW Campus Visit
Guidelines.
(7) For a substantially new course (as described
in (6), and particularly those targeting international students), there are additional
requirements, set out in the separate document AIWCW Approval for New Courses. Ideally, there should be consultations
with AIWCW at least 6 months before such a new course commences enrolments.
(8) Formal Approval is for a three year period,
with provision for interim additional audits (see Section 7. below).
(9) The
2. Teaching Staff
(1)
Teaching staff must have
sufficient education and professional experience for the subjects in which they
teach. Those teaching the professional and practice subjects should ideally
have welfare work or social work qualifications.
When this does
not apply, if staff are teaching in work with individuals, they must at least
have appropriate and substantial academic specialisations or specific
qualifications, together with appropriate experience, in clinical psychology or
counselling, etc. Similarly, staff teaching in group work, community work/community
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development,
social policy and administration, and research, must each have the
corresponding academic
specialisations,
or qualifications and appropriate experience, if they are not qualified welfare
or social workers. Such specialised
teaching staff need not be eligible for AIWCW membership.
(2.) The field education coordinator should be
eligible for membership of AIWCW, preferably via Pathway A, and have at least 2
years of professional experience. For courses with more than 100 students
[effective full-time), a separate field education coordinator should be
nominated at 0.5 or above, whose duties may overlap with some teaching, but not
with course coordination. Only with student numbers less than 20 can the course
coordinator also coordinate field education.
(3) Any teaching staff must have at least two years full time work
experience (or part-time equivalent) following
completion of any welfare/social work course. It is
not appropriate to have an inexperienced new graduate teaching in a welfare
work course.
(4) Staff teaching introductory psychology or sociology should have at
least a bachelor degree with a major
in psychology or sociology, respectively.
They need not have welfare/social work qualifications, but this is desirable.
(5) The course coordinator or lead teacher should
be eligible for AIWCW membership, even if not teaching practice subjects. If
this does not apply to the formal course leader (who may for administrative
reasons be the head of the relevant department), a professionally qualified
staff member should be nominated (and appropriately paid) to coordinate the
course.
(6) Field education supervisors should have
education and experience relevant to the field education, so that a community
development placement can be supervised by someone with community development
qualifications, and a counselling placement can be supervised by a clinical
psychologist (for example).
(7) Opportunities
should be available for staff development and staff involvement in community
work, and in course development and management.
Availability of staff study leave, and for consultations and committee
work in the community should be evident if requested.
(8) There should be adequate representation of
the course on all relevant committees within the educational institution. The
head of the program or department or their representative should be members of
relevant advisory or decision-making bodies. There should be provision for
contributions from all teaching staff.
(9) A list of current staff, their qualifications
and experience, and the subjects/modules they teach must be supplied with the
Basic Campus Approval Application. Qualifications details should include its
title, the name and location of the educational institution, and year of
completion. Experience details should include broad outlines of positions held,
not merely a `years of experience’ statement. Modified curricula vitae are
preferable, and will remain confidential.
(10) A minimum of 1.5 contracted
(not casual) staff be employed at each campus, dedicated to teaching in the
welfare/community studies course; and if effective full-time student numbers
(EFTS) exceed 30, 2 FT staff be employed; for 45 EFTS, 2.5 staff; 60 EFTS, 3
staff, etc. For a new course with less
than 20 students, less than the 1.5 staff requirement is satisfactory, but for
the first semester only.
(11) Sufficient support staff are
employed or readily available for administrative, clerical and financial
aspects of the course, and for counselling of students and staff.
(12) Any significant changes in staffing, even after Approval is
granted, must be notified to AIWCW, and approval of suitability obtained. For
courses with more than 100 students (EFTS), a statement should be supplied to
AIWCW twice per year, by 1st May and 1st October, containing the details in
Par. 2. (9) above, and specifying who holds the positions of Course Coordinator
and Field Education Coordinator. For courses with more than 40 students (EFTS),
these details should be supplied by 1st May each year.
(13) Teaching staff, students, administrative and clerical staff,
and owners and directors of colleges are each part of the college community, in
which exploitation or oppression (bullying) should not be tolerated. In addition
to any formal grievance procedure usually available to individuals,
opportunities should be available for advice-seeking, collaboration or
cooperation between and among any of the stake-holders (and including
appropriate external parties such as AIWCW) to resolve any apparently
widespread grievances or disputes involving unfair or exploitative practices or
harassment.
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3.
Resources
(1)
A statement of expenditure on library acquisitions should be supplied.
Initial expenditure to start the course should exceed $10,000 (discounted up to
50% for those resources already available and/or shared with other courses).
There should be an additional initial expenditure of $2000 for each additional
15 equivalent full time students beyond the first 15, and annual expenditure
after the first year should include $2000 for each 15 equivalent full time
students, up to a maximum of $12,000 p.a.. On-line material may be substituted
for hard-copy where appropriate, but should not affect the above expenditure.
(2) Adequate audio-visual and computer
facilities should be available, including adequate set times for the exclusive
use of students in the course.
(3)
Physical and transport facilities
should be adequate, including size and availability of classrooms, provision
for heating and cooling, availability of public transport and/or car parking,
and personal security of staff and students.
(4) An adequate written introduction and overview or handbook for the
course should be available to students; and for a substantially new course,
should accompany the application for Approval, along with any promotional
material about the course.
4. The
AIWCW Code of Ethics should be adhered to in all aspects of the course
operation.
5. Course
Review Provisions
(1) Course Review Provisions must be
readily available to students and staff, in an accessible place on campus, and
available in leaflet, course brochure, or handout format, and on any available
Internet website.
(2) Any
complaints about the course, including but not limited to lack of conformity to
AIWCW Requirements, the AIWCW Code of Ethics, and these guidelines, may be made
using the Course Review Provisions. Complaints may be made by any student in
the course (preferably a group of students), staff member, AIWCW member,
welfare agency, educational institution or education coordinating body.
(3) Initial informal enquiries or complaints from
any of the above may be made to the AIWCW National Office, or a formal
complaint made regarding the course as a whole, aspects of it, the way it is
taught, the lack of resources, etc.
(4)
Complaints from individual students about individual teachers are
normally not accepted, and it is suggested the student first take these to the
course coordinator. Only if the student reports no satisfaction, and has the
support of at least 2 other students, will further action by AIWCW be
considered.
(5) The AIWCW National Membership Coordinator
may hold initial informal discussion with the course staff regarding a
complaint, or refer it to a Membership Assessment Panel member, via the
(6) If these cannot resolve the issues, the
original complainant(s) are asked to put the complaint in writing, and include
any documentary evidence and references to witnesses or other support for the
complaint, as well as steps already taken by the complainant (or others) to
resolve the issues.
(7) The Membership Coordinator or
(8) If the formal complaint is initially
accepted, it is referred via the
(9) The CRP Chairperson will communicate
formally (by letter or email) with the course coordinator (and any other
relevant individual, including the complainants) setting out the details of the
complaint (edited if appropriate), and invite a response, including any
documentary evidence.
(10)The CRP may call for further clarification or evidence from any of the
parties, or seek expert external advice, before arriving at draft
recommendations (using 5 (12) as a guide), which should be communicated to the
relevant parties, with further opportunity to respond.
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(11)
Final recommendations are then circulated to the AIWCW National
Executive, and discussed via email or teleconference, if appropriate, before a
decision is made.
(12) The AIWCW National
Executive may decide one or more of the following:
a)
the complaint is unwarranted and no action should be taken
b)
there is insufficient information or that the circumstances and
relative contributions to the situation are so complex that no action can be
taken
c)
that a formal censure be issued to one or more of the parties involved
d)
that (i) suggestions, (ii) recommendations, or (iii) requirements be
issued to overcome the complaint situation
e)
that actions to remedy the situation be required within a stated time
period and that if compliance with AIWCW requirements is not forthcoming
(within a specified time) AIWCW Campus Approval be Suspended or Withdrawn.
f)
That Campus Approval be Suspended or Withdrawn because the overall
conduct of the course is unsatisfactory.
(13) The Withdrawal of Campus
Approval requires a completely new application for Campus Approval, after a
delay of at least 12 months.
(14) Suspension of Campus
Approval requires evidence to the Campus Review Panel that deficiencies have
been rectified, upon which Approval may be renewed, following endorsement by
the National Executive.
(15) The decision of the
National Executive may be appealed using the External Appeal mechanism applying
to Membership applications. However, a fee of $300 will apply, together with
any expenses incurred by the External Appeal Panel.
(16) Any substantial changes to
the course during the three years following AIWCW Approval must be notified to
AIWCW.
6. (1) Students
should be selected not solely on secondary school performance and special
consideration should be given to mature age applicants. Where possible,
interviews are used in selection. Students should demonstrate prior
interest/involvement in welfare work.
(2)
Students should be fully informed of all
requirements and have the opportunity to contribute to course development and
management.
(3) Approval of Recognition of Prior Learning
should be scrutinised and attested as appropriate, by an independent person,
not directly involved with the student applicant. Educational institutions are
encouraged to set up reciprocal arrangements with each other so that
applications for RPL are routinely examined externally.
7. Renewal
of Approval
(1) An ongoing master list of AIWCW Course and
Campus Approvals be maintained at the National Office, and renewal dates
diarised
(2) Prior to the expiration of the second year
following formal AIWCW Approval, the
Course Leader be asked to supply within 28 days, up-to-date staffing details, and details of
any substantial changes to the course contents or conduct, in a formal document
signed by the course leader and the head of division or campus.
(3) Prior to the expiration of the third year
following formal AIWCW Approval, a formal Renewal process be invited using the
same guidelines which apply to new applications for Approval, including the use
of a Campus Visit if necessary. The relevant AIWCW Branch be notified and
invited to provide comment or objections.
Further
enquiries about this document and a full set of application materials is
available from the
AIWCW National Office
CRSE.03 Ver Jul09