Succession and Success, New Generation Capacity Building in SW in Australia

In the past decade in Australia, a considerable body of research into the academic workforce as a whole has highlighted a number of key issues for long-term workforce planning. The broader picture is of a rapidly ageing workforce, particularly in senior leadership positions, of increasing casualization of the workforce and of a shrinking pool of likely applicants ready to take up positions as they become available. These issues are reflected in the social work academic workforce raising questions about succession planning, sustainability of programs and the reproduction of the discipline. The evidence base for an examination of these issues in the social work academic workforce in Australia is weak. In this article we consider the nationally and internationally available research in order to explore the key challenges in building and sustaining a strong social work academic workforce. We conclude by advocating for a comprehensive plan for capacity building underpinned by more integrated relationships between practice and academic social work.