Units
Child Protection and Family Practice
Unit code: SWB304
Credit points: 12
Information about fees and unit costs
The unit extends and deepens knowledge gained in Child and Family Introduction. You will particularly focus on developing a framework for assessment with families and gain further knowledge for practice with families who are refugees, where there is domestic violence and in the hospital context. Emphasis is placed on developing strategies to promote the participation of children and young people. You will also enhance skills of identifying worthwhile service change and submission writing.
[SWB304 is incompatible with HHB304]
Availability
| Semester | Available |
|---|---|
| 2013 Semester 1 | Yes |
Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013
Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.
Rationale
This unit contributes to the aims of the social work and human services courses by extending and deepening your knowledge for practice with children and families. In particular you will extend and apply understandings related to child development and family process, cultural safety and the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families, service contexts and collaborative practice, and contemporary policy and practice frameworks for child and family work. You will also have practice in the transfer of generic social work and human service skill to work with children and families, in particular you will study assessment frameworks and practices and interpersonal skills for essential building productive relationships with children.
Aims
This unit is designed to provide you with knowledge and skills for practice in a range of child and family services, in particular services in the child protection service continuum, as well as for practice in settings where family issues are prominent, such as domestic violence services and services in the health and family law systems.
Objectives
Following successful completion of this unit students will:
- demonstrate knowledge, attitudes and skills related to promoting the rights, wellbeing and cultural safety of children and caregivers (GVS1; GSV4)
- demonstrate knowledge of current legislative, socio-legal, cultural and services contexts of practice with children and families (GVS1)
- be able to creatively and critically apply generic practice principles and processes to work in settings where children and families are key client groups (GVS1; GSV3; GVS4)
- be able to identify, assess and communicate, risk and protective factors related to child development and family process in families with complex needs (GSV1; GSV2)
Learning outcomes link to:
AASW Education and Accreditation Standards: 2.4, 2.5, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1.1, 4.1.3, 4.1.4, 4.1.5, 4.2.2
AASW Practice Standards for Social Workers: 1.1, 1.4, 2.1, 3.2, 3.6, 4.4
AIWCW Core Competencies: 1.1, 1.2, 4.1, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4
Content
This unit begins with discussion of knowledge essential for practice across all service contexts: for example, information about child development and the impact of trauma; skills for working with children and approaches to practice with children; and issues for families and practitioners as they present in a range of service systems including knowledge for policy practice and service development. In the second part of the unit you will focus on knowledge and skill for practice in services that are part of the child protection continuum: that is, prevention and early intervention through to tertiary and statutory contexts.
Approaches to Teaching and Learning
This unit involves attendance on campus for four hour blocks roughly every two weeks and associated time reading and writing in independent study. Class times will involve a mixture of formal lectures, peer demonstrations, practical exercises and guest lecturers.
Assessment
You will complete two pieces of assessment for this unit: a critical essay regarding principles and practices for work with children and a report detailing your analysis of a child protection case scenario.You will be provided with feedback on your learning during class and tutorial sessions where you will have opportunities to ask questions and provide comments about your learning. You will also receive written feedback on the two major pieces of assessment.
Assessment name:
Demo & written discourse
Description:
Contexts and practices for work with children.
Students will research a 'staff training' session that informs and builds skill in a method of practice suitable for work with children. This will be accompanied by a written essay on that practice method incorporating feedback from participants.
Relates to objectives:
1, 2, & 3
Weight:
50%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Individual
Due date:
Week 5 or 7
Assessment name:
Case Study
Description:
In this assessment item students will respond to a selection of scenarios related to child protection practice. You will outline principles and plans for responding to the child and family. You will demonstrate understanding of the roles of other professional groups involved and articulate strategies for effective collaborative practice. Elements of this assessment will be conducted in class.
Due date: Weeks 10 & 12 in class exercises. Final case analysis Week 13
Relates to objectives:
1, 2 & 4.
Weight:
50%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Individual
Due date:
Weeks 10, 12 & 13
Academic Honesty
QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.
A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.
Resource materials
A text is used, mainly in the second part of the unit:
Tilbury, C., Osmond, J., Wilson, S. & Clark, J. (2007). Good practice in child protection. Frenches: Forest, NSW: Pearson Education.
You will be provided with a reading schedule which will include materials from the following texts:
AASW. (2010). Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards. Addendum 3: Statement of specific child wellbeing and protection curriculum content for social work qualifying courses.
Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth. (2011). Working together to prevent child abuse and neglect - a common approach for identifying and responding early to indicators of need. Available online at http://www.aracy.org.au/cmsimages/file/CAARS%20Final-Report.pdf
Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth. (2009). Inverting the pyramid: enhancing systems for protecting children. Available online at http://www.aracy.org.au/publicationDocuments/REP_Inverting_the_Pyramid_Enhancing_Systems_for_Protecting_Children_2009.pdf
Bagshaw, D., Quinn, K. & Schmidt, B. (2006). Children and families in transition: Towards a child-centred integrated model of practice. [electronic resource]. Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies, University of South Australia. Available online at http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/cpcm/documents/cafit-report-06.pdf
Colton, M., Sanders, R. & Williams, M. (2001).An introduction to working with children: a guide for social workers. Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Daniel, B., Wassell, S. & Gilligan, R. (2010). Child development for child care and protection workers [eBook]. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Brown, T. & Alexander, R. (2007). Child abuse and family law: understanding the issues facing human service and legal professionals [eBook]. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Geldard, D. & Geldard, K. (2008). Counselling children: a practical introduction (3rd ed.). London: Sage
Howe, D. (2005). Child abuse and neglect: attachment, development, and intervention. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Humphreys, C. & Stanley, N. (Eds.) (2006). Domestic violence and child protection: directions for good practice [eBook]. London: Jessica Kingsley
Mellor, D. & Haebich, A. (Eds.) (2002). Many voices: reflections on experiences of Indigenous child separation [audio CD]. Canberra: National Library of Australia.
Schaefer, C.E. (2011). Foundations of Play Therapy [eBook]. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
Secretariat National Aboriginal & Islander Child Care. (2007). Through young black eyes: A handbook to protect indigenous children from the impact of family violence and child abuse. Victoria: SNAAIC. Available online at http://www.snaicc.asn.au/_uploads/rsfil/02251.pdf
Walker, S. (2010). The Social Worker's Guide to Child and Adolescent Mental Health [eBook]. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd., 2010.
Wilson, C. & Powell, M. (2003). A guide to interviewing children: essential skills for counsellors, police, lawyers and social workers [eBook]. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
Risk assessment statement
There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.
Last modified: 17-Oct-2012
