Undergraduate - UnitSWK3400 - Critical social work 1: Individuals and families (context and practice)

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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12 points, SCA Band 1, 0.250 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational Unit	Department of Social Work
Offered	Caulfield First semester 2015 (Day) Caulfield First semester 2015 (Off-campus)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Uschi Bay

Synopsis

This unit covers child, adolescent and adult development with an emphasis on the development of resilience across the life course. A particular focus is on relevant contextual factors at individual, family, community and societal levels that impede or enhance development. The unit includes a social work practice theory section that provides an orientation to the theory of direct social work practice with individuals and families focusing on one to one work with individuals and on working with family groups. The unit has a skills component that includes assessment, engagement and the development of intervention strategies through the use of role plays, case studies.

Outcomes

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

Explain the specific developmental needs that arise in childhood, adolescence and adulthood.
Outline the biopsychosocial model of child, adolescent and adult development in relation to relevant contextual factors.
Analyse the values and assumptions underpinning various theoretical approaches to working with individuals and families.
Summarize the key evidence in relation to the effectiveness of different approaches to social work practice (with individuals and families).
Demonstrate the basic elements of the social work process including assessment, the worker/client relationship.
Recognise and articulate practice implications for working with individuals, children and families from different cultural groups.
Demonstrate basic skills in engaging with assessment of and intervention with clients.
Demonstrate the ability to show self-awareness and critically reflective on your own social work practice.

Assessment

Critical reflection on the life-span (1,000 words)
Case study analysis that asks student to apply the theoretical knowledge learned to a typical social work client situation (2,000 words)
A biopsychosocial assessment of a child, adolescent or adult (2,000 words)
Completion of a role play assessment activity (1,000 words)

Workload requirements

On-campus students will attend five hours of face to face contact per week that will include three hours of lecturers and two hours of tutorials. Fours hours will be spent on online activities and eleven hours will be spent on private study.

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Uschi Bay

Off-campus attendance requirements

Off-campus students participate in 20 hours residential workshops, four hours per week on online activities and 18 hours per week on private study. Off-campus students are required to attend a compulsory on-campus workshop for successful completion of this unit, where social work practice skills will be facilitated and practiced. Mandatory attendance is required by off-campus students for a 3 day workshop which is held at the Caulfield campus in the first week of June.

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Social work

Prohibitions

SWK3240.

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/socialwork/