| Effective Term: | 2025/02 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Historical and Contemporary Issues in Social Welfare |
| Unit ID: | GCSCS6002 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 090599 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit enables students to develop a critical understanding of the historical and philosophical debates that underpin contemporary social and community services work in Australia and other cross-national contexts. It covers the history of social welfare and long-standing debates on topics such as social responsibility vs social contract; social justice vs charity and the roles and obligations of professionals as defined by International Human Rights Charters, Indigenous Rights, Children’s Rights, and the Victims' Charter Act. Social problems such as poverty, homelessness, displacement and statelessness; gender-based violence, disability and family violence are examined. Students critically examine and analyse the social, political, legal, historical, cultural and organisational contexts/systems impacting individuals and communities. They also examine and evaluate complexities related to human behaviour, development and life cycle stages and the impacts of family violence on individuals and communities. A key focus of the unit is the application of principles of self-determination and cultural safety in professional practice as informed by an understanding of First Nations cultures and the injustices experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people due to colonisation. Students also consider how colonisation has impacted service delivery and are challenged to reflect on effective and culturally safe ways of working with individuals or communities who have previously experienced trauma. |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: | |
| 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. | Critically analyse and evaluate the social, political, legal, historical, cultural and organisational contexts/systems impacts on people and communities; human behaviour and development; and life cycle stages in a family violence context. |
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| K2. | Reflect on and critically examine the power dynamics between client-practitioner and victim survivor-perpetrator. |
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| K3. | Recognise and manage personal values, prejudices, discrimination and bias, and understanding of how they can affect inclusive service provision. |
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| K4. | Recognise the impact of social welfare policies on professional/personal values in practice. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Identify, analyse, critically evaluate and debate issues of social and economic inequality in family violence service provision in Australian and crossnational contexts using advanced, independent research skills. |
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| S2. | Apply principles of self-determination and cultural safety in professional practice to transmit knowledge, skills and ideas to others. |
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| S3. | Critically analyse aspects of the regulatory environment and service system to practice, including accurate record keeping, data management and information sharing obligations, in consideration of confidentiality, informed consent and accountability. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Recognise and evaluate how historical debates in social welfare and family violence impact on contemporary social policies in the Australian and cross-national contexts. |
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| A2. | Apply theories of social welfare to contemporary social policies related to family violence in the community human services context. |
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| A3. | Recognise and evaluate how standpoints on family violence shape professional practice to demonstrate autonomy, well-developed judgement, adaptability and responsibility as a practitioner or learner. |
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| A4. | Provide a coordinated response and advocate with, or on behalf of, victim-survivors to secure their rights and access to resources. |
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| Unit Content: |
•Social, political, legal, historical, cultural and organisational contexts/systems.
•Human behaviour and development and life cycle stages.
•International Charters of Human Rights, Indigenous Rights and Children’s Rights and Victims' Charter Act.
•Aboriginal culture, self-determination and cultural safety.
•Working with victim-survivors to work towards recovery and healing, using a trauma-informed approach. |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, S3, A1, A2, A3, A4 | Participate in collective learning through a groupwork research exercise that traces historical and current responses to a specific social problem such as poverty, homelessness or disability and identifies shifts in the theoretical framework applied to this issue. | Simulation exercise with written report | 30-45% | | 2. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, S2, S3, A1, A2, A3, A4 | Develop a coherent analytical paper exploring a contemporary social issue related to family violence either in the Australian or a cross-national context. | Critical issue analysis paper | 30-45% | | 3. | K2, A2 | Active engagement in all aspects of the unit (attend at least 80% face-to-face classes or engage in at least 80% on-line discussion forums; complete all assigned unit readings and note-taking; discuss readings in a clear and reasoned manner; make informed contributions to learning activities). | Participation and contribution | 10-25% |
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