| Effective Term: | 2025/02 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Navigating Child and Family Services |
| Unit ID: | MSWCF7110 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 090501 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This unit introduces students to child and family service systems, with a particular focus on the processes, pathways and protocols applied within the Australian statutory child protection context. Students examine the movement of child abuse notifications between the intake, investigation, intervention and care stages. They also examine intervention pathways including differential and partnered responses, family group conferences and care and protection orders. Additionally, students become familiar with standard child protection protocols including partnered responses, suicide risk assessments and duty of care safety checks. The practical aim of this exploration is to equip students with a strong conceptual map that can enable them to navigate statutory child protection systems, and understand the protective measures built into child protection systems within the Australian context. |
| 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 processes, pathways and protocols applied within the Australian child protection service system |
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| K2. | With reference to relevant assessment frameworks on child safety, best interests trauma-informed and family violence, evaluate the extent to which child protection processes, pathways and protocols address child safety concens |
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| K3. | Critically appraise the cultural construction of 'safety' within the child protection system and evaluate the extent to which constructions of safety represent or under-represent the cultural diversity in Australia. |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Identify processes or phases in the child protection system and recognise their interconnectedness and linkages |
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| S2. | Critique and evaluate the processes, pathways and protocols applied within the child protection system |
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| S3. | Assess the cultural construction of 'safety' as conceptualised within the child and family service system. Identify who is 'empowered' or 'disempowered' by these constructions of safety. |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Demonstrate a critical appreciation of the complexity and connectedness of the Australian child protection system |
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| A2. | Describe processes, pathways and protocols applied within the child protection system and how they reflect principles and protective factors. |
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| A3. | Discuss the cultural construction of 'safety' as understood within the child and family service system and identify who is 'empowered' or 'disempowered' by these cultural constructions. |
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| Unit Content: |
Topics may include: The movement of child abuse cases between the intake, pathway, investigation, intervention and statutory care phases The range of pathways available to Care and Protection Social Workers (e.g. Differential Response, Partnered Response, Family-led contract, Family Group Conferencing, Protection Orders) Case consults as a means of clarifying intervention pathways Standard protocols applied within the care and protection system (e.g. joint investigations with police, suicidal ideation tests, duty of care checks) Evaluating the effectiveness of child protection processes, pathways and protocols with reference to relevant assessment frameworks on child safety, best interests, trauma informed and family violence The cultural construction of 'child safety' as understood in the child protection system - and who is empowered or disempowered by these constructions Indigenous Australian perspectives on child safety Child safety lived experience expertise |
| 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 at this level will demonstrate an advanced ability in a range of contexts to effectively communicate, interact and work with others both individually and in groups. Students will be required to display high level skills in-person and/or online in: • Using and demonstrating a high level of verbal and non-verbal communication • Demonstrating a mastery of listening for meaning and influencing via active listening • Demonstrating and showing empathy for others • High order skills in negotiating and conflict resolution skills\\ • Demonstrating mastery of working respectfully in cross-cultural and diverse teams. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 2
Leadership | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery in professional skills and behaviours in leading others. • Creating and sustaining a collegial environment • Demonstrating a high level of self -awareness and the ability to self-reflect and justify decisions • Inspiring and initiating opportunities to lead others • Making informed professional decisions • Demonstrating initiative in new professional situations. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 3
Critical Thinking and Creativity | Students at this level will demonstrate high level skills in working in complexity and ambiguity using the imagination to create new ideas. Students will be required to display skills in: • Reflecting critically to generate and consider complex ideas and concepts at an abstract level • Analysing complex and abstract ideas, concepts and information • Communicate alternative perspectives to justify complex ideas • Demonstrate a mastery of challenging conventional thinking to clarify complex concepts • Forming creative solutions in problem solving to new situations for further learning. | 1 - Yes | FEDTASK 4
Digital Literacy | Students at this level will demonstrate the ability to work competently across a wide range of tools, platforms and applications to achieve a range of tasks. Students will be required to display skills in: • Mastering, exploring, evaluating, managing, curating, organising and sharing digital information professionally • Collating, managing complex data, accessing and using digital data securely • Receiving and responding professionally to messages in a range of professional digital media • Contributing competently and professionally to digital teams and working groups • Participating at a high level in digital learning opportunities. | 3 - N/A | FEDTASK 5
sustainable and Ethical Mindset | Students at this level will demonstrate a mastery of considering and assessing the consequences and impact of ideas and actions in enacting professional ethical and sustainable decisions. Students will be required to display skills in: • Demonstrate informed judgment making that considers the impact of devising complex solutions in ambiguous global economic environmental and societal contexts • Professionally committing to the promulgation of social responsibility • Demonstrate the ability to evaluate ethical, socially responsible and/or sustainable challenges and generating and articulating responses • Communicating lifelong, life-wide and life-deep learning to be open to the diverse professional others • Generating, leading and implementing required 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, S1, S2, S3, A1, A3 | Developing a map showing the movement of a case between the notification and Family Group Conference phases. Evaluating the effectiveness of this process with reference to relevant assessment frameworks | Process Map | 40-60% | | 2. | K2, K3, S1, S3, A1, A2, A3 | Reviewing constructions of child safety within the child and family services and linking these constructions to power and social positions. | Position Paper | 40-60% |
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