Social work services 003-12000000

The social work service is a network of social workers available in face-to-face, telephony and national teams. The agencies social workers help people who are going through a difficult time.

Social workers:

• assess people’s needs
• offer short term counselling
• provide information and referrals to specialised services

Social workers give priority to:

• people presenting at risk of suicide or self-harm
• young people without adequate support
• people experiencing family and domestic violence
• people impacted by disasters and emergencies

Staff can refer a customer to a social worker if they think the customer needs extra help. The Resources page has a link to the Social Work Services Intranet page.

If a customer indicates they are at risk of suicide or harm to themselves or others, staff should:

• stay calm
• listen to the customer and not dismiss any information they share
• give the customer time to express themselves
• say to the customer 'I will get someone who is trained to help you'

Stay with the customer until they are speaking to a social worker. A social worker will respond straight away to customers who are at risk of suicide.

In some circumstances, delegated staff members may release information to the relevant authority without the customer’s permission if they believe it is necessary to prevent or lessen risk of harm to the life, health or welfare of a person. Wherever possible, seek the customer’s permission to release information to the relevant authority.

For more details, see:

• Customers talking about suicide or self-harm and
• Disclosing information to third parties

Social workers can help young people:

• who do not have adequate support
• if there are concerns for their safety or wellbeing

Social workers undertake:

• Unreasonable to Live at Home (UTLAH) assessments for young people under 18 years
• Youth Protective Assessments on behalf of the agency when referring young people to state or territory welfare authorities, and
• Social Casework which helps young people under the age of 25 and other priority groups to achieve outcomes

Staff may need to refer customers affected by Family and domestic violence to a social worker if they are in an unsafe situation and/or for professional intervention or assessment of specific entitlements. This may include delegating claims for Crisis Payment or a child support exemption due to family and domestic violence.

Social workers provide support to people affected by disasters and emergencies, as part of a whole-of-government and community response. Social workers can provide personal support and counselling and help with referrals to material aid and community services.

Social workers assist customers who are facing a major disruption due to traumatic life events or circumstances. This may include bereavement, family breakdown or caring responsibilities.

Social workers complete professional assessments in relation to specific income support entitlements. This can include:

• Unreasonable to Live at Home (UTLAH) assessments for young people who have left home, under 18 years
• customers who are claiming a Crisis Payment due to family and domestic violence
• customers with concerns about child support matters seeking an exemption
• an assessment of care situations for Carer Payment and Carer Allowance claims, when the claimant is under 18
• Vulnerable Welfare Payment Recipient Income Management assessments

Social workers also accept referrals from the National Redress Scheme, Information and Integrity and Participation Solutions Team.

For more information about other tailored services offered by social workers, refer to the Contents and Related Links section.