Allied Health Discipline
Evidence-Based Practice for
Social Work in Australia
Social workers in Australia are governed by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and operate across a wide range of settings — hospitals, community health, aged care, disability services, mental health, and child protection. The evidence base for social work draws on systematic reviews of psychosocial interventions, trauma-informed practice frameworks, and outcome measurement research. OpenBook Clinical enables social workers to search PubMed, Campbell Collaboration reviews, and Australian service standards quickly and efficiently.
Key Clinical Conditions
- Mental health support — community and inpatient
- Child protection and family preservation
- NDIS support coordination and planning
- Domestic violence and trauma-informed care
- Aged care assessment and transition support
- Refugee and asylum seeker health and psychosocial needs
- Substance use and dual diagnosis
- Palliative care and end-of-life social support
Key Assessment Tools
- Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) — mental health screening
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) — child wellbeing
- Camberwell Assessment of Need (CAN)
- Suicide Risk Assessment frameworks (SA-45, Columbia)
Databases Searched
- Campbell Collaboration (social welfare evidence)
- PubMed / MEDLINE (social work and mental health)
- Cochrane Mental Health Group
- AASW Practice Standards evidence base
Australian Guidelines
- AASW Australian Social Work Practice Standards
- Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission — Care Standards
- NDIS Practice Standards — Support Coordination
- Australian Child Protection Framework — AIHW
Ready to search the Social Work evidence base?
OpenBook Clinical searches 35 million papers across PubMed, Cochrane, and Australian guidelines. AI-synthesised summaries. Evidence graded by quality. Free to try.