SWTP620 - Social Work Theories, Context and Fields of Practice

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

The social work profession responds to human vulnerabilities and social injustice. Social workers are constantly exposed to complex problems that require a sound foundation of theories and ethics to inform and guide how they respond to their clients and broader social issues. This unit will provide students with a critical understanding of the major theoretical frameworks in social work practice. The theoretical frameworks considered are those relevant for social work intervention in various fields and modes of practice. Emphasis will be given to how these theories can be used to inform social workers in key fields of practice. Debates surrounding the status of theory in social work including questions about what is 'theory' and how theory is integrated into practice will be included.

The unit covers the value and ethical foundations for social work, including a consideration of the philosophical and religious sources of ethics. An essential element of study in this unit is the in intersection of the personal and professional self, and the development of the skills of critical reflection and critical analysis. The overarching aim of this unit is for students to understand multiple social work and ethical theories and be able to apply those to key fields of social work practice.

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.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Explain and critique the purpose, values ethics and legal context of contemporary social work practice (GA1, GA2, GA4)

LO2 - Describe and critically analyse major theoretical approaches informing social work practice (GA4, GA5, GA8)

LO3 - Apply ethical principles and a range of social work theories to practice situations with diverse population groups, cultures, organizational contexts and fields of practice to understand individual and community issues and strategies for change (GA1, GA2, GA3, GA4, GA5, GA8, GA9)

LO4 - Critically reflect upon personal values and the professional use of self in social work practice (GA3, GA4)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - Demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity 

GA2 - Recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA3 - Apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making

GA4 - Think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA8 - Locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - Demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes

This Unit has been mapped to the ACU Graduate Attributes and the ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes. The following table sets out the broad relationship between the Learning Outcomes, Graduate Attributes and the ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes provided in the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards: https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/13565  

AASW Practice Standards

Content

Topics will include:

• An exploration of the purpose and historical development of social work theory and the values and ethical foundations for the profession;

• Philosophical perspectives on ethics and human rights;

• Key theories for social work practice including: 

• Structural, post-structural and critical perspectives

Activities will focus on the application of contemporary theories to Australian and international contexts and fields for practice, such as;

• Drug and alcohol

• Disability

• Domestic and family violence

• Asylum seekers and refugees

• Ageing – health and community care

• LGBTQIA+

• • Green social work  

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

Teaching and learning strategies for this unit will include lectures, small group discussions, and skill development workshops. A scenario-based approach is taken to facilitate understanding of the human services and legal context of social work practice and how theories are applied to analyse practice scenarios and guide social work responses. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively in class discussions and scenario-based activities in order to achieve the learning outcomes. These learning strategies will prepare students for the first field placement by: building knowledge of the social work practice context; practicing self-directed learning approaches expected of social work students on placements; and developing understanding of how theories guide practice.

This unit involves 150 hours of learning delivered within a blended learning mode combining with 36 hours of lecture material and face-to-face tutorials. Lectures will provide detailed content about social work values, ethical philosophies and principles informing practice, and social work theories. Tutorials will incorporate case scenarios relating to key fields of social work practice to build students’ knowledge and skills in integrating theory and practice. The approach adopted in this unit ensures that students integrate ethical philosophies and social work practice theories in practice, preparing students for successful and informed professional practice.     

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment for this unit ensures students are familiar with the AASW Code of Ethics and can apply social work theories and ethical principles to case scenarios. The first assessment therefore is a quiz designed to ensure students are familiar with and understand the content of the AASW Code of Ethics (LO1,). The critical reflective use of self is an important aspect of social work practice. in the second assessment students are required to verbally articulate comprehensive understanding of two social work theories and outline how these theories would inform and guide their practice in relation to a client scenario (LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4). The final assessment is a reflective essay which requires students to reflect upon their own personal values and developing professional social work identity in relation to knowledge of social work ethics, theories and fields of practice (LO2, LO3, LO4). Together these assessments ensure students are prepared for ethical social work practice, and are informed by social work theories when engaging with social work practice. Students who pass the unit will have demonstrated sufficient ethical and theoretical knowledge to be ready for their first placement. 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Allan, J., Briskman, L., Pease, B. (Eds.). (2009). Critical social work. (2nd Ed.) Crows Nest NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Bennett, B., & Green, S. (Eds.) (2019). Our voices: Aboriginal social work (2nd Ed.). London: Red Globe Press.

 Connolly, M., Harms, L. (2012). Social Work from Theory to Practice. Cambridge: University Press.

 Deacon, L., & MacDonald, S.J., (2017) Social Work Theory & Practice. London: Sage.

Gray, M., Webb, S. (Eds.). (2010). Ethics and Value Perspectives in Social Work. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Healy, K. (2014). Social work theories in context: creating frameworks for practice (2nd Ed.). Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan (This is available as an e-book through the library)

Ife, J. (2012) Human rights and social work (3rd ed.). Melbourne: Cambridge.

McAuliffe, D. (2014) Interprofessional ethics: Collaboration in the social, health and human services. Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press

Payne, M. (2021). Modern social work theory (5th Ed.). Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan

Pease, B., Goldingay, S., Hosken, N., Nipperess, S. (2016) Doing Critical Social Work: Transformative Practices for Social Justice. Crows Nest NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Rice, S., Day, A. & Briskman, L. (2018). Social Work in the Shadow of the Law (5th Ed.). Sydney: The Federation Press.