Unit rationale, description and aim
Social workers engage and facilitate change with individuals experiencing complex life issues, requiring effective and sensitive communication skills. In this unit, students are introduced to social work processes of engagement, assessment, planning, intervention, closure and evaluation, as well as theories and frameworks for practice with individuals that are anti-oppressive, culturally safe, decolonising and neurodivergence-affirming. Through experiential learning, students develop interpersonal communication skills, including skills for effective practice with First Nations peoples, culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) service users, and in digital and technology-mediated practice. Ethical principles and values underpinning practice with individuals are explored through case studies, practice examples and contemporary issues. The unit prepares students to integrate social work values, ethics and knowledge when working across contexts of difference, complexity and change.
The aim of this unit is to develop students’ social work skills for engaging, communicating, assessing, planning and facilitating change with individuals across diverse and complex contexts.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Integrate knowledge of historical and contemporary...
Learning Outcome 01
Apply models, frameworks, and interpersonal, writt...
Learning Outcome 02
Apply social work processes and practice skills, i...
Learning Outcome 03
Critically reflect on the influence of personal va...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
1. Foundations of Contemporary Social Work Practice
· Professional use of self
· Professional values
· The influence of personal values on practice
· Collaborative practice
· Critical reflection and reflective practice
· Power, privilege and positionality in direct practice
· Working in culturally safe and anti-oppressive ways
· Self and collective care
2. Social Work Processes in Working with Individuals
· Understanding the change process
· Engagement Skills with Service Users
· Social Work Assessment skills
· Planning skills
· Intervention planning skills
· Evaluation and closure
3. Communication and Relationship-Based Practice
- Advanced interpersonal communication skills
- Communication for relationship building
- Communication across difference
- Communication in complexity (trauma, violence, disasters, climate emergencies and conflict)
- Language as practice and documentation as communication
- Digital communication, technology and e-health practice
4. Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice in Practice
- Social work practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in historical, social, political and cultural contexts
- Social work practice with people from culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) backgrounds, including migrants, refugees and asylum seekers
- Disability, neurodiversity and LGBTQI+ affirming social work practice
5. Practice Models and Frameworks
- Task-centred approaches
- Solution-focused approach
- Trauma-informed practice
- Cultural safety and cultural responsiveness
- Anti-oppressive and anti-racist practice
6. Ethical, Professional and Digital Practice
- Respect and social justice principles in professional practice with individuals
- Practice competency and professionalism
- Professional boundaries and dual relationships
- Conflicts of interest
- Ethical issues and ethical dilemmas in social work practice
- Information recording and sharing
- Digital ethics and online practice
- Ethical use of artificial intelligence and technology
- Balancing care, risk and autonomy
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements.
Assessment 1 is a short answer quiz, and requires students to demonstrate their knowledge of key concepts.
Assessment 2 is the development of an interview plan informed by social work knowledge, ethics and values.
Assessment 3 (Graded Hurdle) is a role play skills assessment and reflection. This is a graded hurdle task because it demonstrates the student's capability to undertake field practicum in subsequent units. Students will have 2 attempts to pass this hurdle task.
To pass the unit, students must demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome, pass hurdle tasks, meet the attendance requirement, and obtain a minimum mark of 50% in this unit.
Overview of assessments
Short Answer Quiz Enables students to demonstrate...
Short Answer Quiz
Enables students to demonstrate their knowledge of key concepts in the social work process
15%
Interview Plan Enables students to prepare an ini...
Interview Plan
Enables students to prepare an initial service user interview informed by social work knowledge, ethics, and values.
40%
Graded Hurdle Task Roleplay Skills Assessment&n...
Graded Hurdle Task
Roleplay Skills Assessment and Reflection -
Enables students to demonstrate social work practice skills in undertaking an interview with a client and to reflect critically about their own interview performance.
45%
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS UNIT
Students are expected to attend 100% of scheduled tutorials, with a minimum attendance requirement of 80%. Attendance will be recorded for all tutorials.
Reasons why attendance is required
Tutorials provide opportunities to practise professional skills and receive feedback. Students who do not attend may not develop the knowledge and skills required for professional practice.
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit prepares students for direct, face-to-face communication, relationship building, assessment, and report writing in social work practice settings. It supports the development of self-awareness, professional identity, and reflective practice, together with the assessment, synthesis, and analysis of information relevant to social work.
Teaching and learning strategies include lectures, small group discussions, skills tutorials, role plays, and reflective practice activities. These activities are designed to develop the knowledge and skills required for effective social work practice.
The unit is delivered on campus using a scaffolded and experiential learning approach that reflects the process of engaging, assessing, and working with clients in practice settings. Learning activities build progressively across the semester, enabling students to integrate knowledge, skills, and reflective practice in preparation for professional placement.