Graduate Profile - Social Work

Stephanie Walter is 26-years-old with a Bachelor of Arts (Sociology, Legal Studies) and a Postgraduate Bachelor of Social Work from Adelaide's Flinders University. She is currently employed as a social worker/community corrections officer with the South Australian Department for Correctional Services, a position which involves case management and supervision of offenders subject to community-based orders. Her work also involves preparation of comprehensive court-ordered pre-sentence reports and parole reports.

Stephanie will spend 12 months working as a social worker with Thailand's Department of Corrections (DOC) in Bangkok. While based in the DOC office, she will spend time in nearby prisons, working primarily with the foreign inmates.

Currently no social work programs exist to meet the needs of these prisoners and Stephanie is aiming to develop and implement both individual and group counselling programs. She also plans to train her Thai counterparts to continue facilitation of such programs following the end of her placement.

Taking time to travel and work overseas has been Stephanie's ambition for a number of years and she is excited about the unique opportunity she now has to fulfil this dream.

She views this opportunity as an Australian Youth Ambassador to be an invaluable chance to broaden her horizons, both personally and professionally, while assisting with the needs of a developing country.

This profile is used with the permission of AusAID