 |
|
Membership Categories
There are three general categories for Full membership in the Western Australian Association of Youth Workers; Certified Practitioner, Graduate Practitioner and Member. A special category of Fellow exists for those practitioners who, by their longevity and commitment to the field, are recognised by their peers at this high level. For a print out of all available membership categories, please click here
Full membership categories
Certified Practitioner
To attain the level of Certified Practitioner a practitioner must have at least:
- An Approved Degree in a Human Services Discipline
- Plus either
- 2 years of paid practice in the youth sector and 400 hours of Supervised Practicum Placement, part of which must have been in a youth work setting, or;
- 4 years paid practice in the youth sector, part of which must have been in a youth work setting.
Practitioners without Degree level qualifications may gain entry to this level through the Sunset Clause. For more information click here
See below for definitions of Paid Practice and Approved Degree.
Graduate Practitioner
To attain the level of Graduate Practitioner a practitioner must have at least:
- An Approved Degree in a Human Services Discipline
- Plus either:
- 400 hours of Supervised Practicum Placement, part of which must have been in a youth work setting, or;
- 2 years paid practice in the youth sector, part of which must have been in a youth work setting.
See below for definitions of Paid Practice and Approved Degree.
Member
To attain the level of Member a practitioner must have at least:
- A Diploma in Youth Work plus 2 years Paid Practice in Youth Work, or;
- A Certificate IV in Youth Work plus 4 years Paid Practice in Youth Work of more than 20 hours per week.
See below for a definition of Paid Practice.
Special Category - Fellow
Fellowship is only available to those practitioners who, by their longevity and commitment to the field, are recognised by their peers at this high level. Fellowship operates similarly to life membership in other organisations. A call for nominations for Fellowship will be made once per year. A panel of practitioners selected by the association will then assess each nominee and a limited number of Fellowships will be awarded. Check this website for the first call for nominations.
To be eligible for nomination, a practitioner must have at least 15 years experience in the field and a current full membership with the WAAYW.
For those without relevant qualifications
If you find that you do not meet the above requirements, but would still like to pursue membership, there may be further options available. These options are available in the Those Without Relevant Qualifications section.
Definitions
Paid Practice
Paid practice must be paid employment of 20 hours per week or more. If employment was for less than 20 hours a week, then an equivalent calculation can be made. For example 2 years working 10 hours per week is equivalent to 1 year working 20 hours per week.
Approved Degrees
There are a range of degrees that are Approved. A list of these, as well as a list of those that are not approved, is available here. If your degree does not appear in either list, it may not have been considered by the association. In these situations you will need to provide a list of units completed so that an assessment of the degrees relevance can be made.
Feedback
The Western Australian Association of Youth Workers has selected these Membership Requirements taking into consideration the situation of many people currently practicing Youth Work. The Requirements seek to find a balance between being inclusive of the diversity of practitioners whilst still remaining committed to a field that is aspirational in its pursuit of further education.
WAAYW also acknowledges that the decisions made about requirements are merely a starting point and welcomes feedback, either positive or negative, from the field. Future changes to Membership Requirements will be placed in the hands of members. Any feedback can be emailed to info@waayw.org
Home
|
|
|
