SWM5160 - The child in society: Promoting children's wellbeing and responding to child maltreatment - 2017

This unit explores a number of issues related to social work practice that involves children; particularly children whose well-being may be at risk or who have suffered child abuse or neglect. Attention will be drawn to the relationship between the child, the family, the community and the state, with a particular focus on children's perspectives, children's status, and children's rights.

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

1. Describe complex relationships between the child, the family, the community and the state.
2. Reflect upon and evaluate/critique complex relationships between the child, the family, the community and the state.
3. Describe, reflect upon and document considered responses to, historical and current perceptions of children, the family, and child well-being.
4. Describe, reflect upon and document, considered responses to historical and current perceptions of child protection concerns.
5. Identify legislation in relation to specific fields of child welfare, child protection, child abuse and/or child neglect.
6. Identify and document links and discrepancies between policy and practice in relation to specific fields of child welfare, child protection, child abuse and/or child neglect.
7. Propose well-informed written suggestions for desirable law reform, and/or changes to current policies.
8. Propose well-informed, written suggestions for improvements in current attitudes towards children and responses to families.

• An annotated bibliography of an issue related to childhood or children in society (2,500 words) (30%)
• Detailed plan/selected reference list for major essay (1,000 words) (10%)
• Major essay (4,500 words) (50%) (Hurdle)
• Online participation - commentary/discussion 1,000 words (10%)

Professor Margaret Alston

Social work

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