Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Social Work Practice
Credit Points: 12.00
Terms
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
HWSS2091 |
City Campus |
Undergraduate |
330H Social Science & Planning |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 2 2006 |
HWSS2091 |
City Campus |
Undergraduate |
365H Global, Urban and Social Studies |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 2 2007, Sem 2 2010, Sem 2 2011, Sem 2 2012, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014, Sem 2 2015, Sem 2 2016, Sem 2 2017, Sem 2 2018, Sem 2 2019, Sem 2 2020, Sem 2 2021, Sem 2 2022, Sem 2 2023, Sem 2 2024 |
Course Coordinator: Christina David
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 39925 3137
Course Coordinator Email: christina.david@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: B8. L10
Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
Enforced Pre-Requisite Courses
Successful completion of course 035665 HWSS2090 History & Trends Social Work
Note: it is a condition of enrolment at RMIT that you accept responsibility for ensuring that you have completed the prerequisite/s and agree to concurrently enrol in co-requisite courses before enrolling in a course.
For your information go to RMIT Course Requisites webpage.
Course Description
Please note that this course has a mandatory attendance component and hurdle requirements in line with accreditation requirements from the Australian Association of Social Workers.
This course will introduce you to the foundational skills of social work practice. You will have the opportunity to develop confidence and skills in many basic social work tasks including gaining an understanding of the interpersonal and micro-skills used in interviewing and skills in critically reflecting on your own social work practice. Through role plays, small group work, and other experiential learning activities you will be given an opportunity to learn and practice active listening skills and awareness and appreciation of diverse experiences, including from an intersectional perspective.
You will be introduced to a theoretical framework for gathering information and engaging in critical practice that recognises intersectional disadvantage, oppression and its manifestation in attitudes, systems and practices which further marginalise people and communities.
This course is one of your four major direct practice courses in your degree. The other three are Group Work Theory and Practice HWSS2093; Casework and Advocacy HWSS1135; and Critical Social Work with Families HWSS2092.
Details regarding the hurdle requirement are outlined in the Overview of Assessment section below.
If you are enrolled in this course as a component of your Bachelor Honours Program, your overall mark will contribute to the calculation of the weighted average mark (WAM).
See the WAM information web page for more information WAM information web page for more information.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- apply a body of interdisciplinary knowledge, values and skills in working with and for society’s most vulnerable and marginalised individuals, families, groups and communities
- critically analyse, synthesise and reflect on issues of social disadvantage, marginalisation and oppression in both local and international contexts, and proactively work to promote social justice and human rights
- communicate using diverse formats and strategies to stakeholders within and external to your discipline
- work with others in a range of roles and contexts, demonstrating cultural, environmental and social awareness while promoting respectful, ethical and reflective practice
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:- Apply the knowledge and practice skills to work with and for society’s most vulnerable and marginalised individuals, families, groups and communities
- Analyse issues of social disadvantage, oppression and marginalisation from a socio-political and economic framework recognising the impact of capitalism on social relations
- Promote social justice and human rights within a global and international perspective
- Understand the strengths and limits of the state’s policy, legislative and institutional arrangements on the context and practices for addressing social disadvantage
- Acquire relevant interdisciplinary knowledge required for practice
- Apply their knowledge and practice skills in a manner that confronts structural disadvantage arising from cultural and religious difference, patriarchy, racism, disability, age and discrimination of the basis of sexual preference.
- Promote ethical, respectful, accountable and transparent practice processes
Overview of Learning Activities
The learning activities in this course will include face to face lectures and workshops. The workshops will involve working in small groups, contributing to large group discussion and extensive use of role plays and experiential learning designed to encourage you to actively engage with and practice foundational social work skills, clarify personal values and assumptions in relation to social work practice, and identify and analyse issues presented in diverse scenarios.
This is the first practice skills course in this degree and has mandatory attendance requirements. You are expected to attend a minimum of 9 out of 12 workshops in order to develop your practice skills, complete your assignments, and achieve course learning outcomes. Please see Part B of this course guide for details regarding inability to attend required workshops due to illness or other unexpected circumstances.
Weekly readings and resources will be on Canvas.
Overview of Learning Resources
RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. A list of recommended learning resources will be provided by your lecturer, including books, journal articles and web resources. There will be digitised readings and forms available for each week on the blackboard and you may be required to use a set text. You will also be expected to seek further resources relevant to the focus of your own learning. The University Library has extensive resources for social work students. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal.
Overview of Assessment
This course has a mandatory attendance component and hurdle requirements in line with accreditation requirements from the Australian Association of Social Workers.
Hurdle requirements: the hurdle requirement for this course are indicated in the following assessment outline against the relevant assessment task(s) and are as described in RMIT policy. For more information please see Part B of the course guide and the CANVAS course page.
Mandatory attendance requirements: in order to complete the assessments you must attend all the relevant skills workshops. For this course this will be a minimum of 9 out of the 12 workshops in the semester. For more information please see Part B of the course guide and the CANVAS course page.
Hurdle requirements and mandatory attendance are necessary to demonstrate to the accrediting body (Australian Association of Social Workers) that students are competent and are being sufficiently assessed against practice-focused professional standards throughout the course of their program.
If you have a long-term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program manager or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.
Assessment Tasks
Assessment Task 1: Critical self-reflective journal submission, 25%, CLO 1,3, 5
Assessment Task 2: Reflective analysis in pairs, 25%, CLO 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
Assessment Task 3: Practice skills portfolio, 50%, CLO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 . This is a hurdle task. The portfolio includes critical reflection and skill development journal entries weeks 5 to 11, a recorded or in person role play, and critical reflection on the role play.
Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.
If you have a long-term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.
Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.