Year
2022Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
NilTeaching organisation
This unit comprises 48 hours of face-to-face learning and teaching (or equivalent) with a prescribed attendance requirement.Unit rationale, description and aim
Acknowledging, respecting, collaborating, and learning from the experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is a priority in social work practice. The AASW recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing contribute to social work practices. Social workers are responsible for ensuring that their practice is culturally aware, responsive and safe. The social work profession has a responsibility to strive to respect, understand, listen to, support, and promote the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures.
The overall aims of this unit develops students’ knowledge and experiences of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and aims to develop professional and culturally responsive capabilities to work effectively and collaboratively in this area 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 how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing can inform social work practices with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (GA1, GA4, GA5)
LO2 - Analyse the impact of key historical and social policy issues on the contemporary experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (GA5)
LO3 - Apply culturally appropriate, safe and responsive practice approaches and knowledge to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in different fields of practice (GA5, GA6, GA7, GA8)
LO4 - Critically reflect on personal and professional identities, values and ethical issues when working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (GA1, GA4)
Graduate attributes
GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity
GA4 - think critically and reflectively
GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account
GA7 - work both autonomously and collaboratively
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
AASW Practice Standards
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
1.Values and ethics |
2.Professionalism |
3.Culturally responsive and inclusive practice |
4.Knowledge for practice |
5.Applying knowledge to practice |
6.Communication and Interpersonal skills |
7.Information recording and sharing |
8.Professional development and supervision |
ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes
This Unit has been mapped to the AASW Practice Standards. The following table sets out the broad relationship between the Learning Outcomes, ACU Graduate Attributes and the AASW Practice Standards.
| Standard/Attributes/Criteria | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|
1.1Practice in accordance with the AASW Code of Ethics 3.2 Respect, strive to understand and promote the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures 4.4 Understand and articulate how and when theories, knowledge bases and knowledge sources inform practice 5.4 Apply critical and reflective thinking to practice | LO1 |
3.2 Respect, strive to understand and promote the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures 4.1 Understand higher level systemic influences on people with respect to an area of practice. 5.4 Apply critical and reflective thinking to practice | LO2 |
1.1Practice in accordance with the AASW Code of Ethics 3.1 Work respectfully and inclusively with cultural difference and diversity 3.2 Respect, strive to understand and promote the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures 4.4 Understand and articulate how and when theories knowledge bases and knowledge sources inform practice 5.1 Assess and analyse needs to inform practice | LO3 |
1.1 Practice in accordance with the AASW Code of Ethics 2.2 Behave in a professional manner and be accountable for all actions and decisions 3.1 Work respectfully and inclusively with cultural difference and diversity. 5.4 Apply critical and reflective thinking to practice. | LO4 |
Content
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing
- Connection to Country
- Kinship and connection to community
Historical and Political overview
- Pre-invasion - Dreamtime
- Political and social history - resistance and activism
Human Rights and social justice issues
- Privilege and power
- Racism
- Self-determination and sovereignty
Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB)
- Identity and intersectionality
- Transgenerational trauma
- SEWB Practice frameworks
- Trauma informed practices
Theoretical, Practice Frameworks and skills
- Critical race and whiteness theories
- Anti-racist practice
- Anti-oppressive practice
- Cultural responsiveness and cultural safety
- Yarning
- Deep listening and use of silence
Community practice
- Cultural protocols, inclusive engagement, consultation and relationship building
- Collaborative practice
- Allyship
Professional and personal identity
- Critical use of self
- Social work values and ethics and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander way of being and doing
- Being a culturally responsive practitioner
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
The unit will be co-facilitated by an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lecturer and a non-Indigenous lecturer. The aim is to model collaborative practice, joint knowledge and practice development and application. Teaching and learning strategies will reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of learning (Yankapoorta - 8 ways of learning):
Tutorials will incorporate a range of simulation activities designed to provide learning opportunities that facilitate the development in culturally responsive communication and practice.
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit objectives consistent with University assessment requirements.
ASSESSMENT 1
This assignment focuses on one historical event that has impacted on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing and the contemporary lived experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Students will discuss how this informs contemporary social work practices with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.(LO1, LO2) 30%
ASSESSMENT 2 - Written assignment
This assignment will be a case study focusing on a field of practice, such as aged care, family support or working with people with disabilities. Students will be asked to explore issues of racism and intergenerational trauma as related to social and emotional well-being and discuss approaches and knowledge, that would inform culturally responsive and safe social work practice in the presented field (LO3) 40%
ASSESSMENT 3
This reflective assignment addresses the importance of students demonstrating insight about their own cultural identity, lived experiences and socialization and how that influences their professional identity.
Students will be required to consider how these insights inform their developing ethical and culturally responsive social work practice (eg Allyship and collaboration) with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. (LO4) 30%
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Written Assignment This assignment focuses on one historical event (students to choose the event) that has impacted on the contemporary lived experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their interactions and relationships with human services and the social work profession. | 30% | LO1, LO2 | GA1, GA4, GA5, |
The written assignment will be a case study focusing on a field of practice, such as aged care, family support or working with people with disabilities. | 40% | LO3 | GA5, GA6, GA7, GA8 |
Reflective Assignment addresses the importance of students demonstrating insight about their own cultural identity, lived experiences and socialization. | 30% | LO4 | GA1, GA4 |
Representative texts and references
Atkinson, J. (2002). Trauma trails, recreating song lines : The transgenerational effects of trauma in Indigenous Australia. North Melbourne: Spinifex Press
Bennett, B., & Green, S. (2019). Our Voices: Aboriginal social work (Second ed.). London: Red Globe Press
Bennett, B., Green, S., Gilbert, S., & Bessarab, D. (2013). (Eds). Our Voices: Aboriginal and Torres. South Yarra, Melbourne: Palgrave Macmillan
Briskman, L. (2014). Social work with Indigenous communities : A human rights approach (2nd ed.).
Dudgeon, P., Milroy, H., Walker, R. (Eds.) (2014) Working Together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mental Health and Wellbeing Principles and Practice. (2nd ed). Commonwealth of Australia.
Muller, L., & Robertson, B. (2014). A theory for Indigenous Australian health and human service work : Connecting Indigenous knowledge and practice. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin
Pascoe, B (2014) Dark Emu. Broome, WA: Magabala Books
Tascon, S. & Ife, J (2020) Disrupting Whiteness in Social work (First Edition). London: Routledge.
Waldegrave C., Tamasese T.K., Campbell W., Tuhaka F. (2018) Just Family Therapy. In: Lebow J., Chambers A., Breunlin D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham