Unit rationale, description and aim
The youth sector is a broad, diverse and at-times misunderstood field. Youth support services range from generalist services to specifically targeted programs that provide support within a unique framework of service delivery. This unit will provide students with an opportunity to develop an understanding of the Youth Work sector and the various settings within which youth workers operate. Students will be introduced to a range of organisations and practices that define contemporary youth work and will gain experience in building a professional network.
This unit will offer a guest speaker program that enables students to have rare access to specialist youth workers who are currently working in the sector. Through this, students will be exposed to various forms of Youth Work practice. Students will be supported to consider their own youth work goals and to develop essential work-ready skills. This unit aims to challenge students to consider their own values and engage in experiential learning practices to develop self-directed and autonomous work practices that will assist in the development of their own unique youth work pathway.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.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.
Demonstrate the attributes and professional skills...
Learning Outcome 01
Analyse and reflect on youth work practice across ...
Learning Outcome 02
Analyse the principles and practices of competent ...
Learning Outcome 03
Content
Topics will include:
- Introduction to the diversity of service delivery within the youth sector.
- Engagement with a range of guest speakers from across the youth sector.
- Development of personal and professional skills relevant to youth work practice.
- Insight into working conditions, physical environments, and employment realities for youth workers.
- Skills in preparing a professional resume and identifying current and emerging skills relevant to the youth sector.
- Strategies for approaching youth work agencies and sourcing appropriate employment and placement opportunitie
Assessment strategy and rationale
Students develop a professional resume and a simulated job application to build key youth work skills and demonstrate work-ready, industry-standard documentation. They identify a real-world youth work opportunity within a socio-political context of interest, preparing them for placement and future employment. This task addresses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 3.
Building on this, the job seeking exercise requires students to locate and analyse a broader range of youth work employment opportunities. This strengthens their capacity to identify career pathways aligned with their values, interests, and skills, and also addresses Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 3.
Students then critically reflect on their understanding of youth work—what it involves and how youth workers operate in different contexts. Drawing on unit readings, lectures, personal experience, and insights from at least two guest speakers, they connect theory to practice and consider how different approaches shape professional practice. Through this reflection, students articulate how their understanding of youth work has developed, informing their future engagement with young people. This assessment focuses on practice-based learning and reflective development, aligning with the unit’s work-integrated learning approach and addressing Learning Outcomes 2 and 3.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Development of a Professional ...
Assessment Task 1: Development of a Professional Resume and Job Application
Students are required to locate a youth work position that has been advertised and develop a job application for it. This assessment is about the student familiarising themselves with youth work agencies and developing skills to identify and locate them.
30%
Assessment Task 2: Job Seeking Exercise Student...
Assessment Task 2: Job Seeking Exercise
Students are required to locate positions within the youth work sector and analyse the advertisements. This builds on assessment 1, developing their capacity to identify pathways into the youth sector in accord with their developing skill set and areas of interest and expertise.
30%
Assessment Task 3: Critical Reflection on Youth W...
Assessment Task 3: Critical Reflection on Youth Work Practice
Students are required to critically reflect on their understanding of youth work practice—what it involves and how youth workers operate in different contexts. Drawing on unit readings, lectures, and personal reflections, students explore the core purpose and scope of youth work. Students will analyse insights from at least two guest speakers, considering how these presentations demonstrate different approaches and inform their understanding of the field. Through this reflection, students will connect unit learning with real-world examples and articulate how their understanding of youth work has developed, shaping their future approach to working with young people.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit provides students with a dynamic and engaging learning environment that integrates theory and practice through work-integrated learning (WIL). Students will engage directly with practicing youth workers via guest lectures and workshops, gaining first-hand insights into contemporary youth service delivery. Learning activities include real-life examples, case scenarios, role plays, and hypothetical situations, encouraging students to reflect on their own future youth work pathways. Lectures provide the analytical frameworks and content necessary to understand and analyse the youth work sector, while workshops and guest sessions enable students to apply theory to practice, synthesise knowledge, and develop professional skills. By connecting classroom learning with authentic sector experiences, students build both practice-based knowledge and career readiness, preparing them for entry into the youth work profession.
Representative texts and references
McAuliffe, D., Chenoweth, L., & Boddy, J. (2022). The road to social work and human service practice (7th edition.). Cengage Learning Australia. https://acu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?context=L&vid=61ACU_INST:61ACU&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&tab=Everything&docid=alma991013376650102352
Chui, W & Wilson, J 2017, Social work and human services best practice, 2nd edn, Federation Press, Annandale NSW. https://acu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61ACU_INST/13lm7d8/alma991012778035702352
Corney, T 2014, Professional youth work: An Australian perspective, Incolink, Carlton, Vic. https://acu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?context=L&vid=61ACU_INST:61ACU&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&tab=Everything&docid=alma991000978450402352
Hartje, JA, et al. 2008, ‘Youth Worker Characteristics and Self-reported Competency as Predictors of Intent to Continue Working with Youth’, Child & Youth Care Forum, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 27-41.
Russell, D., Higgins, D., & Stewart, J. (2019). Safety survey data from Victorian youth-serving organisations: Survey data from workers, young people, and organisational leaders’ self-reflections after implementing the Victorian Child Safe Standards. A report to the Victorian Government Department of Health and Human Services. Melbourne: Australian Catholic University – Institute of Child Protection Studies. http://doi.org/10.26199/5e27ad866a7c7
Rooney, RH & Mirick, RG 2009, Strategies for work with involuntary clients. Columbia University Press, New York. https://acu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61ACU_INST/qpf7hm/alma990016588260402352
Sutcliff, J & Cooper, T 2024, ‘Meaningful Youth Work Careers: Assumptions, Misconceptions, and Realities’, Journal of Applied Youth Studies, vol.7, no.2, pp.123-136
Trotter, C 2015, Working with involuntary clients: A guide to practice. 3rd edn, Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest, NSW. https://acu.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/61ACU_INST/13lm7d8/alma991013014296602352
Youth Affairs Council Victoria (YACVic) 2022, Youth work in Victoria: Youth worker and manager survey report, Youth Affairs Council Victoria, Melbourne.
Other sources:
Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic) https://www.yacvic.org.au/
YACVic announce e-newsletter https://www.yacvic.org.au/
ACYS Youth Field express e-newsletter
Youth Workers Association of Victoria (YWA) https://www.ywa.org.au/