| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Education, Arts & Community |
| Unit Title: | Professional Social Work Practice |
| Unit ID: | MSWPG7102 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 090501 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
Students will gain an understanding of key theoretical frameworks for professional practice at the micro-level and begin to acquire the knowledge and skills required to integrate these with practice. Students will be introduced to ethics and values inherent in social work and reflect on their application to case scenarios in varied settings, including homelessness, poverty and violence and mental health. Social work values, including social justice, professional integrity and respect for persons and diversity will be explored. Using case studies and participating in role play scenarios, students will gain an understanding of how structural factors impact on people’s lives and consider personal problems within a social and political context. Students will be introduced to social work processes of engagement, assessment and intervention and demonstrate skills in case planning, psycho-social assessment and evidence-based practice. Students will be introduced to, and demonstrate micro-counselling skills, communication and advocacy skills for a range of contexts. |
| 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 | | | | | | |
|
| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Identify key theoretical models/frameworks that inform micro-level social work practice; |
|
| K2. | Develop knowledge of the complex interplay between ethics, values, social work professional codes and social work practice (with a particular focus at the interpersonal level); |
|
| K3. | Distinguish and apply appropriate interpersonal communication skills which inform and underpin social work practice in diverse contexts, including poverty, homelessness and mental health; |
|
| K4. | Explore the range of social work processes involved in micro-practice, namely engagement, assessment, intervention and evaluation; |
|
| K5. | Recognise structural factors and other contextual and cultural factors when providing social work services and; |
|
| K6. | Determine appropriate practice interventions and develop skills in micro-counselling, case planning and advocacy in diverse contexts. |
|
| Skills: |
| S1. | Develop knowledge of theoretical models/frameworks that inform micro-level social work practice; |
|
| S2. | Use appropriate communication and interpersonal skills; |
|
| S3. | Apply a range of appropriate micro-practice skills to case scenarios which reflect the diversity of social work clients; |
|
| S4. | Conduct an initial assessment and plan and evaluate the most appropriate intervention/s; |
|
| S5. | Facilitate an effective counselling session with an individual client; |
|
| S6. | Demonstrate an increased capacity for self-awareness and critical reflection about own values, as well as interpersonal communication skills and; |
|
| S7. | Recognise ethical dilemmas that may arise in the context of social work practice, and develop a range of strategies to effectively address them in a way which is reflective of Social Work ethical standards and values. |
|
| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Explain appropriate theoretical models/frameworks of social work micro-practice and apply them to simulated settings; |
|
| A2. | Engage with clients and peers in a collegiate and collaborative manner which reflects core social work values and; |
|
| A3. | Develop an understanding of structural and other contextual factors and consider personal problems within a social and political context. |
|
| Unit Content: |
Topics may include: Preparing to learn social work practice skills Integrated framework for practice Anti-Oppressive Practice and Strengths-based approaches (micro, macro) Psychosocial framework Ethical theories/principles, Australian Association of Social Work Codes of Ethics (2020) and reflecting on professional self and personal self-sustaining social work practice: reflective practice (secondary trauma, self-care, supervision, collective care) Models for Engagement and Assessment Introducing Social work process (Engagement, Assessment, Intervention, Evaluation) Micro-counselling/engagement skills Cross-cultural engagement Delivering helping services online and Telehealth Assessment models for a range of contexts including mental health, disability and ageing Collaborative assessment Intervention and Evaluation Practice interventions and modalities Practice writing skills (case-notes, case plans, referral letters) Advocacy, Case Planning Working with involuntary clients Evidence-based approaches Endings and evaluation |
| 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.
|
| 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. | 1 - Yes | 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 |
|
| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K4, K5, K6, S1, S4, S5, S7, A3 | Critical learning exercises will cover key concepts and prepare students for practice with individuals. | Learning Portfolio | 15%-30% | | 2. | K3, K4, K5, K6, S2, S3, S5, S6, A2 | Demonstrate core interpersonal communication and assessment skills and apply them to a case study by undertaking a role play. | Role play | 25-40% | | 3. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, S1, S4, S7, A1, A3 | Demonstrate skills in case planning, intervention and evaluation by applying an integrated framework to the role play case study | Case study | 35-45% |
|