Social workers employed within health services provide direct intervention to patient's/client's and their families/ carers aiming to minimise the impacts of illness, injury, biopsychosocial severity, complexity and treatment. A social worker's role within health is to enhance biopsychosocial and emotional functioning through targeted evidenced based, patient centred interventions. Social workers are essential members of the multidisciplinary team. They identify, educate, and provide therapeutic interventions and consultation on presenting biopsychosocial and emotional complexity and risks that impact on wellbeing. These interventions significantly influence the patients/ clients care plan to be more reflective of their needs, directly influencing positive outcomes, reducing the need for health service demand.
4090Headcount
87.6%Female
30.7Work hours per week
43.3Years average age
11.6%Future 60+
3.4%Aboriginal workforce target
Demand is expected to grow 1.9% (low demand scenario) to 2.2% (high demand scenario).
Workforce modelling indicates the need to grow the NSW social work workforce by around 20 to 34 new professionals per annum to meet community need in 2040 across both demand scenarios.
2769Headcount
30.9Work hours per week
43.4Years average age
2%Aged 60+
1.5%Aboriginal
1540Headcount
31.6Work hours per week
42.3Years average age
0.9%Aged 60+
1204Headcount
30Work hours per week
44.8Years average age
1.1%Aged 60+
The geographic distribution of the public workforce by local health district/network, by facility and per 100,000 population.
0 1-25 26-50 51-75 76-100 100+
0 1-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 20+
