Considering a Career as a Social Worker in Child and Adolescent Mental Health?

The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work. (International Federation of Social Work, July 2000).

Social workers are comprehensively trained professionals that work in a wide range of settings including the child and adolescent mental health sector. Social work interventions range from primarily person-focused psychosocial processes to involvement in social policy, planning and development. These include counselling, clinical social work, group work, and family treatment and therapy as well as efforts to help people obtain services and resources in the community.

A mental health social worker is a health professional that has specialised skills in understanding mental health issues and also maintaining social justice issues, improves models of community care and social welfare issues relating to mental health issues. As a child and adolescent mental health social worker you will learn to work with both children and adults, so the skills and knowledge you develop are incredibly diverse ranging from specialist assessment skills, child development knowledge and family therapy models. Mental Health Social workers can work in either community or hospital settings.

Listen to a social worker talk about her work.

Also, please check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for further information about becoming a social worker in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Most Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services prefer social workers to have a degree level social work qualification. This is usually a three or four year course in which you will have practical experience in the field. Check the New Zealand Social Workers Registration Board’s list of 'recognised qualifications' for the purposes of registration www.swrb.org.nz.  There are many courses available in New Zealand at both universities and polytechnics. Please read the handbooks for each University or Polytechnic for their course entry requirements, paper selection, and course specification.

The map below shows the major New Zealand tertiary providers offering degree level social work courses and also the postgraduate courses in child and adolescent mental health.

Various child and adolescent public mental health services (CAMHS) have regular vacancies.  To increase your confidence and gain particular knowledge about this specialised field there are two specific courses in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. The University of Auckland offers a Certificate and Diploma course in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.  The University of Otago offers the Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences (PGCertHealSc) endorsed in Child and Adolescent Mental Health.  Both these courses can be accessed via distance teaching and are available to social work graduates throughout NZ. Some CAMHS may pay for this additional study or grant study time to complete these courses. These courses can be undertaken part/full-time. Other Universities such as Massey University and Auckland University offer papers in mental health and social work.

On 9th April 2003 the Social Workers Registration Act was passed which provides for the registration of social workers in New Zealand. The Social Workers Registration Board has identified the minimum levels of qualification set for the statutory registration of social workers in New Zealand. Go to www.swrb.org.nz for information on this and all other requirements for statutory registration.

Below is a map with links to social work courses in other tertiary institutions around the country.

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