Child and Family Studies

Major in child and family studies for a meaningful career in social care 

Children, young people and families thrive when they feel safe, supported and connected to their communities. The Child and Family Studies major within our Bachelor of Applied Social Care prepares you to understand the social, cultural and developmental factors that shape childhood, youth and family life while building the skills to support wellbeing across diverse care and human services settings. 

Throughout your child and family studies course, you’ll explore child and youth development, family dynamics, socialisation, advocacy and relationship-based care practices. You’ll examine how social, cultural and economic factors influence children’s wellbeing and how families, communities and policy environments shape growth, learning and belonging. 

You’ll also develop reflective, ethical and person-centred approaches to supporting children, young people and families from diverse backgrounds. Through research-informed learning, you’ll build communication, critical thinking and interpersonal skills that prepare you to respond to complex care needs with empathy, professionalism and cultural awareness. 

You can also tailor your applied social care degree by combining this major with other study areas such as Human Rights or Foundations of Business Management, broadening your understanding of advocacy, leadership and care practice. 

By the time you graduate, you’ll be prepared for a rewarding community care career supporting children, youth and families across education, health, community and social support services settings. 

3 reasons to study child and family studies at Murdoch University 

• Explore child, youth and family care through a major developed to reflect the evolving needs of communities and care services. 
• Study at the university ranked #1 in Western Australia for full-time employment, median salary and student support in Humanities and Social Sciences (Good Universities Guide 2026). 
• Learn at a university rated five stars for student support at both undergraduate and postgraduate level (Good Universities Guide 2026). 

What you’ll learn 

• Understand key theories and frameworks related to child, youth and family development. 
• Explore how social, cultural and economic factors influence childhood, wellbeing and family life. 
• Develop communication and interpersonal skills for supporting children, young people and families. 
• Apply ethical and reflective approaches to child- and youth-centred care practice. 
• Analyse research, policy and contemporary issues affecting children, youth and families. 
• Build inclusive, person-centred approaches that support safety, wellbeing and belonging. 

Your future career in child and family support 

With our Child and Family Studies major, you’ll develop the knowledge and practical skills to pursue a community care career supporting children, young people and families across education, health and human services settings. 

Potential roles include: 

• Child and family support worker 
• Youth support worker 
• Community services officer 
• Family support worker 
• Residential care worker 
• Child wellbeing officer 
• Youth outreach worker 
• Social care advocate 

For more details about our Child and Family Studies major, download our information pack.