| Effective Term: | 2026/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Historical and Contemporary Themes in Social and Community
Services |
| Unit ID: | GCSCS6006 |
| 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 develops an understanding of the historical, philosophical, and socio-political foundations of social and community services work in Australia and internationally with a focus on First Nations’ perspectives. It explores the evolution of community services with an emphasis on perspectives and addresses key debates such as social responsibility roles and obligations of professionals as defined by the Children Youth and Families Act 2007, Family Violence Protection Act 2008 and Family Law Act 1975 (including Family Law Amendment Act 2024). International Charters on Human Rights, Indigenous Rights and Children’s Rights are also considered. Students examine family violence as a major public health issue and ways that family violence can disrupt individual, family and social development and engagement with social and community services. Family violence is contextualised using an intersectional approach to examine how prejudice and discrimination against marginalised groups of people, especially First Nations peoples, LGBTIQA+ communities, and people with disabilities etc. impacts adverse outcomes for adults experiencing family violence and children experiencing family violence. Applying a First Nations, decolonial, anti-oppressive lens, the unit also explores the impacts of colonisation on First Nations’ peoples, with a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and invites students to reflect on culturally responsive approaches that prioritise self-determination and recognize, and respond appropriately to, intergenerational 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. | Evaluate the social, political and legal foundations of social and community services work in Australia and internationally. |
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| K2. | Examine the context of family violence using an intersectional approach to ways in which prejudice and discrimination against marginalised groups of people impacts adverse outcomes for adults experiencing family violence, and children experiencing family violence. |
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| K3. | Evaluate key debates in social and community services work such as social justice vs charity and social responsibility vs social contract with reference to professional roles and responsibilities as defined by human rights frameworks. |
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| K4. | Examine complex social issues – such as poverty, homelessness, displacement, disability, systemic colonial marginalisation and gender-based family violence – with particular attention to the impacts of family violence on ways that family violence can disrupt individual, family and social development and engagement with social and community services. |
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| K5. | Reflect on the ongoing impacts of colonisation and demonstrate understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ ways of knowing, being, and doing, while articulating culturally responsive approaches that recognise intergenerational trauma and prioritise self-determination in responses to social issues when working with adults experiencing family violence, children experiencing family violence and persons using family violence. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Apply advanced and independent research skills, in Victorian, Australian and international contexts. |
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| S2. | Identify ways to apply principles of decolonisation, self-determination and cultural sensitivity in professional engagements with adults experiencing family violence, children experiencing family violence and persons using family violence. |
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| S3. | Apply knowledge of international Human Rights frameworks – including Indigenous Rights, Children’s rights and the Victims' Charter – to inform and guide services practice. |
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| S4. | Co-create practice responses with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples or by referencing Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples' practice frameworks, applying principles of cultural governance, sovereignty, and relational ethics. |
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| S5. | Analyse aspects of the family violence regulatory environment and service system for advanced family violence practice, including accurate record keeping, data management and information sharing obligations, in consideration of ‘limited confidentiality and mandatory reporting obligations’. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Recognise and evaluate changing attitudes to family violence over time. |
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| A2. | Apply relevant theories, and Aboriginal and/or Torres Islander peoples’ self-determination, to contemporary social policies related to family violence services for adults experiencing family violence, children experiencing family violence and persons using family violence. |
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| A3. | Recognise and evaluate how common misconceptions of family violence shape professional practice, demonstrating autonomy, sound judgement, adaptability and responsibility as an advanced practitioner. |
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| A4. | Provide a coordinated advanced response and advocate with, or on behalf of clients. |
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| A5. | Apply principles of self-determination and decolonisation to develop culturally sensitive and trauma-informed approaches when working with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples. |
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| A6. | Clearly differentiate between colonial social structures and systems and with Aboriginal and/or Torres Islander peoples’ governance and cultural systems as distinct and separate systems. |
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| Unit Content: |
1. Historical Foundations of Social and Community Services with a focus on family violence services
· Early critiques: paternalism, moral judgment, racial segregation, and colonial imposition. · Institutional care (orphanages, missions, stolen generations) and its marginalising impacts.
2. Evolution of Welfare Systems
· Development of state-led welfare in the mid-20th century. · Expansion from charity to rights-based approaches: healthcare, education, housing, and income support. · Influence of civil rights, feminist, and Indigenous movements on policy and practice reforms. · Person-centred, strengths-based models emphasising cultural competence and anti-oppressive practice. · Shift towards community development, empowerment, and service user participation. · First Nations’ critiques of mainstream welfare approaches.
3. Complex Social Issues in Contemporary Contexts with a focus on family violence - Poverty, homelessness, displacement, disability etc.
- Gender-based family violence, with a focus on its impact on individual development.
- Intersections of social issues and systemic inequality.
- Regulatory and service delivery requirements: Accurate records, data management and information sharing in family violence services.
4. Rights-Based Frameworks and Legal Obligations - International Human Rights Charters and frameworks.
- United Nations and World Health Organisation Declarations.
- Victorian and Australian legislation.
- Applying Human Rights frameworks in social and community services practice focused on advanced family violence practice.
5. Decolonising Social Welfare: First Nations Knowledge and Resistance - Affirming connection to land, community, spirituality, and relationality.
- Holistic wellbeing: interconnections between physical, emotional, spiritual, and cultural health.
- Oral traditions, ceremony, and lived experience.
- Cultural revitalisation, language preservation, and land rights movements.
- Asserting Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples’ sovereignty and self-determination.
- Resisting deficit-based models and challenging colonial narratives and policies.
6. Culturally Responsive and Trauma-Informed Family Violence Practice - Applying principles of self-determination and decolonisation in practice.
- Developing culturally sensitive, community-led approaches.
- Working ethically and effectively with Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples.
- Recognising the historical and contemporary impacts of violence on Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples.
- Embedding relational ethics, cultural governance, and sovereignty in family violence service delivery.
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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 high-level skills to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups Students will be required to display (in person and/or online) high-level skills in-person and/or online in: • Effective verbal and non-verbal communication via a range of synchronous and asynchronous methods • Active listening for meaning and influencing • High-level empathy for others • Negotiating and demonstrating extended conflict resolution skills • Working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students will demonstrate the ability to apply leadership skills and behaviours Students will be required to display skills in: • Creating, contributing to, and enabling collegial environments • Showing self-awareness and the ability to self-reflect for personal growth • Inspiring and enabling others • Making informed and evidence-based decisions through consultation with others • Displaying initiative and ability to solve problems | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students will demonstrate an ability to work in complex and ambiguous environments, using their imagination to create new ideas Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically on complex problems • Synthesising, evaluating ideas, concepts and information • Proposing alternative perspectives to refine ideas • Challenging conventional thinking to clarify concepts through deep inquiry • Proposing creative solutions in problem solving | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students will demonstrate the ability to work proficiently across a range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks Students will be required to display high-level skills in: • Finding, accessing, collating, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and appropriately and securely sharing complex digital information at a high-level • Receiving and responding to messages in a range of digital media • Using digital tools appropriately to conduct research • Contributing proficiently to digital teams and working groups • Participating in and utilising digital learning opportunities | 2 - No | FEDTASK 5
Sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students will demonstrate the ability to think ethically and sustainably. Students will be required to display skills in: • The responsible conduct of research • Making informed judgments that consider the impact of devising solutions in multiple global economic environmental and societal contexts • Demonstrating commitment to social responsibility as a professional and a citizen • Generating research solutions which are sustainable,ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable • Extending lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to diverse others • Demonstrate extended actions to foster sustainability in their professional and personal life. | 1 - Yes |
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| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S1, S3, S5, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 | Engage in collaborative research and co-design to examine historical and current responses in relation to a specific social issue - such as poverty, homelessness, family violence or disability. Outline the changes required to make these responses more culturally responsive and appropriate for a specific Australian First Nations community. | Co-design and simulation exercise with written report | 30-45% | | 2. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, A1, A2, A3, A4, A6 | Develop a coherent analytical paper exploring a contemporary social issue related to family violence either in Australia or internationally. | Issues analysis paper | 30-45% | | 3. | K2, K5, A1, A2 | Develop a reflective journal tracing key learnings across the unit. | Reflective journal | 10-25% |
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