Unit rationale, description and aim
Youth workers frequently engage with young people who face complex challenges, often including significant trauma, abuse, or neglect. This unit provides students with the tools and frameworks necessary to analyse and respond to these multifaceted issues within the context of youth work.
Students will learn to design and implement tailored interventions that address the specific needs of each young person, ensuring that responses are flexible, adaptive, and grounded in a deep understanding of the young person’s current situation. The approach encourages working from ‘where the young person is at’, recognising their strengths, challenges, and lived experiences to guide effective, empathetic, and empowering support.
The unit aims to develop the skills needed to provide young-person-centred and holistic support by focusing on the unique and diverse experiences of each young person.
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.
Critically analyse the concept of "complex needs" ...
Learning Outcome 01
Examine key theoretical frameworks and models used...
Learning Outcome 02
Conduct assessments of young people with complex n...
Learning Outcome 03
Apply crisis intervention techniques and risk mana...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- Development of Skills to Address Complex Needs: Students will develop key skills to address areas of vulnerability in young people, such as mental health issues, substance use, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. This includes learning how to effectively assess and respond to these challenges with sensitivity and professionalism.
- Interventions for Promoting Resilience: Students will learn about various interventions suited to the wide range of challenges young people may face. This includes interventions that address both their problems and strengths, with an emphasis on resilience-building. They will also gain insight into when and how these interventions can be most effectively introduced and adapted to the individual’s needs.
- Holistic Care Approach: The course will cover the provision of holistic care, recognizing that a young person’s issues are influenced by a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors. Students will learn to assess and support the whole person, considering these factors when designing interventions and providing care.
- Working with Young People with Multiple and Complex Needs: Students will gain insight into the processes involved in supporting young people with multiple and complex needs. This includes working with those experiencing substance abuse, mental health challenges, neglect and abuse, homelessness, social marginalization, and involvement in the criminal justice system. They will develop strategies for addressing these interconnected issues in a supportive and non-judgmental way.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment strategy for this unit has been designed to ensure that students develop both theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to address the complex needs of vulnerable young people. By engaging with various types of assessments, including reflective analysis, program development, and case study application, students are encouraged to critically engage with the material, apply their learning to real-world scenarios, and demonstrate both their understanding of theoretical frameworks and their ability to implement effective, empathetic interventions.
The assessments aim to build students' capacity to analyse and respond to complex youth issues such as trauma, substance abuse, mental health challenges, and socio-economic disadvantage. Each assessment is scaffolded to gradually build students’ competencies, enabling them to engage in deep reflection, critical thinking, and practical application of concepts, all while receiving continuous feedback to guide their learning process.
Overview of assessments
Assessment 1: Written Assessment In this assessm...
Assessment 1: Written Assessment
In this assessment, students are required to engage deeply with the concept of complex needs in vulnerable young people by responding to a series of reflective questions. The goal is to enable students to critically analyse and reflect on how various factors—such as mental health, substance use, trauma, socio-economic disadvantage, and experiences of abuse—intersect and impact the development of young people. This reflective process encourages students to connect theoretical concepts learned in the unit with practical, real-world challenges they may encounter as future youth workers.
30%
Assessment 2: Presentation - Group Program In th...
Assessment 2: Presentation - Group Program
In this assessment, students are required to design a therapeutic group program tailored for vulnerable young people, focusing on resilience-building, strength-based approaches, and the specific complex needs they face (such as mental health issues, substance use, trauma, and socio-economic disadvantage). The purpose of this assignment is to give students hands-on experience in developing interventions that foster positive outcomes in group settings, emphasizing the holistic and individualized support that vulnerable young people need.
40%
Assessment 3: Case Studies In this assessment, s...
Assessment 3: Case Studies
In this assessment, students are required to respond to a series of case studies that focus on addressing the complex needs of vulnerable young people. The goal of this assessment is to assess students’ ability to apply theoretical knowledge, critical thinking, and practical skills to real-world scenarios, where they must consider a range of factors—such as mental health issues, substance use, trauma, socio-economic disadvantage, and involvement with systems like juvenile justice. Students will analyse the cases, identify the young person’s needs, and propose interventions or approaches that align with best practices in youth work.
30%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This 10-credit point, face-to-face unit is grounded in an experiential learning approach, and is designed to immerse students in hands-on, practice-based activities that mirror the realities of working with vulnerable young people.
Delivered over 150 hours, the unit integrates case studies, role plays, and collaborative activities to support the development of practical knowledge and key intervention skills. The unit utilises face-to-face classes to allow students to foster the relational and reflexive learning essential to this area of youth work, and to enable students to utilise supported skill development, which is particularly important when navigating sensitive or complex scenarios. Key learning activities focus on tailored interventions for young people facing a range of issues and include simulations of real-life situations where students can practice and refine their approach.
Lectures are interactive and provides students with an introduction to core content and analytical frameworks. These sessions complement practical learning by helping students synthesise theory and apply it meaningfully in practice-based contexts.
Representative texts and references
Centre for Multicultural Youth. (2023). Better the devil you know than the system you don’t understand: Creating better outcomes for newly arrived young people experiencing family violence. https://www.cmy.net.au/resource/family-violence-policy-paper/
Daley, K. (2016). Youth and substance abuse. Springer International Publishing.
Deans, E., Ravulo, J., Conroy, E., Kelly, P. J., Grados Bonner, E. L., Lal, J., Morrison, J., & Whitton, G. (2024). Engaging and retaining clients in AOD treatment: Young people’s perspectives. Journal of Youth Studies, 1–16
Gibbs, A., Bagley, K., Badry, D., & Gollner, V. (2020). Foetal alcohol spectrum disorder: Effective helping responses from social workers. International Social Work, 63(4), 496–509
Geldard, K, Geldard, D & Foo RY 2016, Counselling adolescents: The proactive approach for young people, Sage, Los Angeles.
Mate, G 2018, In the realm of hungry ghosts, Close encounters with addiction, Vermilion, London.
Mendes, P., & Chaffey, E. (2024). Examining the mental health care needs and outcomes of young people transitioning from out-of-home care (OOHC) in Australia. Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond, 11(1), 103–124
Ungar, M 2020, Working with children and youth with complex needs: 20 skills to build resilience. Routledge, New York, NY.
Ungar, M 2011, Counselling in challenging contexts: Working with individuals and families across clinical and community settings, Brooks/Cole, Belmont, CA.
Online References:
AOD tool box (Youth Support and advocacy service) http://www.youthaodtoolbox.org.au