Welfare workers are an important part of student support services in schools. They help individual students and families, as well as helping build a positive school culture.
Find out what a welfare worker does and the related Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses and pathways you can take to secure a job.
What is a welfare worker?
Welfare workers support people with emotional, social and financial difficulties. You may help individuals, families or groups.
You could be a welfare worker in a school, or in the broader community.
In an education context, welfare workers help students with a range of issues. These could include:
- bullying and other social issues
- family issues
- mental health issues
- truancy and disengagement from school
- drug use.
Welfare workers may also work across the school community to improve student wellbeing and build a positive culture.
Find out more about welfare workers(opens in a new window) and these related jobs on the Victorian Skills Gateway(opens in a new window):
- community worker(opens in a new window)
- disabilities services officer(opens in a new window)
- family support worker(opens in a new window)
- youth worker(opens in a new window).
Related training courses
Search for related VET courses on the Victorian Skills Gateway(opens in a new window):
- alcohol and other drugs(opens in a new window)
- chaplaincy and pastoral care(opens in a new window)
- child, youth and family intervention(opens in a new window)
- community services(opens in a new window)
- counselling(opens in a new window)
- disability support(opens in a new window)
- mental health(opens in a new window)
- National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)(opens in a new window)
- welfare(opens in a new window)
- youth work(opens in a new window).
You may be eligible for government funding to help pay for your course.
Average salary
The average weekly earnings for a welfare worker in Australia is $1,163.
Source: Your Career(opens in a new window)
Note this salary is current as of April 2024 and is indicative only. A range of salaries apply to different roles across the industry.
Job demand in Victoria
Below is the number of welfare support worker jobs in Victoria. Figures show the number of workers in 2023 and the new workers expected to enter the workforce by 2026.
‘New workers expected’ accounts for workers adding new jobs to the economy and replacing retirees over the next 3 years. These forecasts are estimates only. There will be additional jobs available as people move between jobs and industries.
| Region | Workers 2023 | Workforce growth 2023-2026 | New workers needed by 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria | 18,730 | 3.2% | 2,834 |
| Melbourne – inner metropolitan | 3,154 | 2.6% | 408 |
| Melbourne – inner south-east metropolitan | 1,486 | 3.1% | 216 |
| Melbourne – southern metropolitan | 2,543 | 3.5% | 409 |
| Melbourne – northern metropolitan | 2,272 | 3.6% | 369 |
| Melbourne – eastern metropolitan | 2,399 | 2.9% | 337 |
| Melbourne – western metropolitan | 1,730 | 3.6% | 281 |
| Ballarat and surrounds (Central Highlands) | 575 | 3.6% | 94 |
| Bendigo, Echuca and surrounds (Loddon Campaspe) | 774 | 3.2% | 115 |
| Geelong, Colac and surrounds (Barwon) | 1,315 | 4.3% | 246 |
| Gippsland | 808 | 3.3% | 124 |
| Horsham and surrounds (Wimmera Southern Mallee) | 165 | 1.5% | 16 |
| Mildura, Swan Hill and surrounds (Mallee) | 271 | 2.1% | 31 |
| Shepparton, Seymour and surrounds (Goulburn) | 482 | 3.9% | 83 |
| Wangaratta, Wodonga and surrounds (Ovens Murray) | 465 | 3.3% | 72 |
| Warrnambool, Hamilton and surrounds (Great South Coast) | 292 | 2.2% | 34 |
Source: Victorian Skills Authority employment forecast dashboard
Resources to plan your next steps
Visit our education and training services industry profile to find out about:
- what it’s like to work in education and training services, and some of the jobs you could do
- training and skills to work in the industry, and financial assistance to help pay for your course
- help getting a job in education and training services, and industry job forecasts for Victoria
- other free resources and advice to plan your training and career.
Also visit our working with children and young people industry profile.
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