| Effective Term: | 2025/02 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Social Policy: Development and Impact |
| Unit ID: | BSWUG3005 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 090501 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
In a society marked by increasingly inequitable distribution of resources, social workers require skills and knowledge to interpret, critique, and shape social policy. This course provides students with foundational knowledge about how social policy influences the lives of individuals, families, communities, and how social workers and the social work profession are influenced by, and can influence, social policy. Specifically, the course focuses on competing definitions of social policy, social welfare, the role of political ideologies and values in shaping policy development, implementation and evaluation. This course introduces students to the ‘social construction of problems’ that influence the development, implementation of social policy using Carol Bacchi’s critical social policy framework. The course will introduce students to social policy in action and apply theoretical frameworks of social policy to an area of social work practice, such as disability policy, housing and homelessness, family violence and poverty and welfare policy. Students will be required to develop skills to analyse discourses that underpin social policies, identify the political and ethical implications and advocate in macro settings. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: No |
| Supplementary Assessment:Yes |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | | | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | |  | | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Identify and analyse competing definitions and explanations of social policy, social welfare, and “the welfare state”; |
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| K2. | Examine how ‘social construction of problems’ is shaped by social norms and values and this impact on different fields of social work practice; |
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| K3. | Evaluate theoretical frameworks of social policy analysis and policy making processes; |
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| K4. | Apply theoretical frameworks of social policy analysis to a particular area of social work practice, including mental health policy, social and economic inequities related to First Nations People and Communities, family violence, aged care and; |
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| K5. | Apply relevant theoretical frameworks of social policy analysis to advocate for social policy reform in diverse practice settings. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Identify definitions, critiques, and criticisms of “the welfare state” and how these influence social policies shaping contemporary social work practice; |
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| S2. | Analyse how values, social norms and political ideologies shape ‘social problems’ and impact on social work practice; |
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| S3. | Determine the impacts the policy process has at the community, organisational, worker and service user levels; |
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| S4. | Develop skills to advocate for social policy reform in diverse practice settings and; |
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| S5. | Interpret social policy in relation to core social work values. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Interpret social policy in relation to core social work values. |
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| A2. | Analyse the social construction of social problems; |
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| A3. | Understand the role of political ideologies and values in shaping social policy development; |
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| A4. | Apply relevant theoretical frameworks of social policy analysis to a particular area of social work practice and; |
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| A5. | Articulate the link between social work’s core values and social policy. |
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| Unit Content: |
The Social Construction of Social Problems - Key theoretical constructs underpinning social policy
- The role of political ideologies and values in shaping social policy development
- How social policy influences the lives of individuals, families, communities, and how social workers and the social work profession are influenced by, and can influence, social policy.
Key Theoretical Constructs Underpinning Social Policy - Historical and Contemporary debates about the “welfare state”
- Political Ideologies and the welfare state
- Neo-liberalism and the post-welfare state.
Social Policy in Action: Macro Skills in Social Work Practice - Social advocacy and social policy reform with focus on royal commission case studies, including the Royal Commission into Victoria’s mental health system, the Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody, the Royal Commission into family violence and Royal Commission into aged care.
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| Graduate Attributes: |
| Federation University recognises that students require key transferable employability skills to prepare them for their future workplace and society. FEDTASKS (Transferable Attributes Skills and Knowledge) provide a targeted focus on five key transferable Attributes, Skills, and Knowledge that are be embedded within curriculum, developed gradually towards successful measures and interlinked with cross-discipline and Co-operative Learning opportunities. One or more FEDTASK, transferable Attributes, Skills or Knowledge must be evident in the specified learning outcomes and assessment for each FedUni Unit, and all must be directly assessed in each Course.
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| FED TASK and descriptor | Development and acquisition of FEDTASKS in the Unit | | Level | FEDTASK 1
Interpersonal | Students will demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate, inter-act and work with others both individually and in groups. Students will be required to display skills in-person and/or online in: • Using effective verbal and non-verbal communication • Listening for meaning and influencing via active listening • Showing empathy for others • Negotiating and demonstrating conflict resolution skills • Working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams. | Level 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students will demonstrate the ability to apply professional skills and behaviours in leading others. Students will be required to display skills in: • Creating a collegial environment • Showing self -awareness and the ability to self-reflect • Inspiring and convincing others • Making informed decisions • Displaying initiative | Level 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students will demonstrate an ability to work in complexity and ambiguity using the imagination to create new ideas. Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically • Evaluating ideas, concepts and information • Considering alternative perspectives to refine ideas • Challenging conventional thinking to clarify concepts • Forming creative solutions in problem solving. | Level 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students will demonstrate the ability to work fluently across a range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks. Students will be required to display skills in: • Finding, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and sharing digital information • Collating, managing, accessing and using digital data securely • Receiving and responding to messages in a range of digital media • Contributing actively to digital teams and working groups • Participating in and benefiting from digital learning opportunities. | Level 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context | FEDTASK 5
Sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students will demonstrate the ability to consider and assess the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting ethical and sustainable decisions. Students will be required to display skills in: • Making informed judgments that consider the impact of devising solutions in global economic environmental and societal contexts • Committing to social responsibility as a professional and a citizen • Evaluating ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable challenges and generating and articulating responses • Embracing lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to diverse others • Implementing required actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life. | Level 3 - Student works independently with limited guidance or works within self-determined guidelines appropriate to context |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, S2, A2, A3 | Learning exercises will explore key concepts covered in the course using a range of written and/or oral activities. | Learning Portfolio | 15%-30% | | 2. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, A1, A4 | Analyse key theoretical constructs which underpin social policy development in the context of social work practice. | Essay | 25%-40% | | 3. | K5, S3, S4, S5, A1, A2, A4, A5 | Choose a contemporary social policy area important to social work practice and develop a policy brief to advocate for change. | Policy Brief | 40%-50% |
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