The Bachelor of Community Services provides graduates with accredited diplomas in community services opportunity to further their career in community service or welfare sectors. Studies provide students the knowledge and skills to pursue careers as support workers, case managers or service coordinators, or leaders across government and nongovernment settings in urban, regional and rural localities. To be eligible students must have an Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA) accredited Diploma in Community Services. The course strongly focuses on the advanced skills of an effective practitioner including: relationship-building; psychosocial assessments; working with cultural diversity and advocacy; and navigation of policy, legal and ethical frameworks across a range of organizational contexts. Two rapidly growing fields of practice, disability and family violence, are covered in the final year. Graduates will make a contribution to the social wellbeing, needs and rights of individuals, groups and communities. The degree course takes two years full-time (four years part-time) to complete. No further professional placement is required as this is undertaken in the approved ACWA Diploma (min 400 hours).
The degree provides opportunity to exit with an Associate Degree after completing 120 credit points (8 subjects across 1 full year). Alternatively, students may apply to transfer into the third year of the four year Social Work degree (accredited AASW - Australian Association of Social Workers). The three Essentials - Global Citizenship, Innovation & Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Thinking are specialist areas designed to give you an edge with employers. Essentials will enable you to adapt your knowledge and skills to new contexts in a rapidly changing world. Subjects addressing the Essentials are part of all undergraduate La Trobe degrees and can be identified in the subject search by distinct icons. The list of approved subjects can be found on the Essentials webpage.