Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

This unit focuses on a wide range of practice arenas relevant to work in services for young people. Increasingly professionals working with young people or in agencies concerned with or impacting on young people require expertise about specific issues and practice responses. This expertise may be related to a particular professional role (eg policy analyst and advocate), the orientation or framework employed by the funding program or service (eg early intervention or prevention), or particular practice approaches that respond to issues/needs that may be impacting on young people who constitute the target group (eg mental health, drug use, juvenile offending).

Many of the positions available in social work and human services oriented to young people require such specific knowledges, skills and understandings. As well as examine the specific skill and knowledge base of the various chosen practice arenas there will be an examination of the broader context of practice, particularly the legal, regulatory, and policy contexts in which practice is located, and the ethical and good practice dilemmas and issues that commonly face practitioners in particular contexts.

Aims

The aim of this unit is to develop skills, knowledge and awareness of current and emerging frameworks and good practices in key areas of youth service provision.

Objectives

On completion of the unit students should be able to:

1. Identify, discuss and analyse a range of specific practice foci utilised in contemporary youth services practice, in terms of the knowledge, skills and attributes required for critical, reflective and good practice. This will include and be complimented by analysis of the policy and service system contexts they are located in.


2. Demonstrate the ability to identify and discuss the legal and ethical dimensions of young people's situations and to articulate practice responses to these.


3. Apply good practice principles and frameworks to scenarios involving young people.

Content

Each week will generally be comprised of a two hour lecture followed by a one hour tutorial, except for three weeks when there will be a three hour workshop format used in the same class period. In early weeks students will examine frameworks to consider the legal, ethical, policy, and 'good practice' dimensions of contemporary practice in respect of young people. In later weeks a particular arena of practice will be considered. For each of these the broad contexts of practice will be examined, including relevant policies and laws. Service development trends, current notions of good practice, and key practice considerations will be canvassed. The expectation in this unit is that students will undertake substantial reading in respect of the various areas of practice canvassed.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Experienced practitioners from human services have been invited to share their insights on practice for a number of the lectures and workshops. This support from the field is a valuable way for students to be exposed to contemporary practice issues, ideas and realities. The tutorial on these weeks will collaboratively explore various dimensions of practice relevant to the week's topic. Students will engage with case studies on the Blackboard site for the unit as a way of exploring various dimensions of practice. Resources for use in the unit will often be placed on this site and students are strongly advised to regularly access the site. A field visit to the Brisbane Children's Court is envisaged.

Assessment

This unit is designed to assist students orient to undertaking youth services practice in a holistic and informed way. The assessment is designed to assist students to develop an in-depth appreciation of at least one field within youth services, as well as develop the capacity to respond in a holistic way to the multidimensional issues that young people accessing support often experience.Students will receive formative feedback on a draft of their final which can be submitted up to one week prior to the due dater. Each lecture contains a question and answer period during which students are invited to ask questions about the unit content and assessment tasks. Trial examination scenarios are provided to students and Blackboard discussion forums support collaborative investigation of these. Students are also encouraged to develop a portfolio of each weeks practice field which they can bring into the final exam with them.

Students are also strongly advised to email the lecturer or to utilise the consultation times to raise any concerns or questions they have.

Assessment name: Youth services practice paper
Description: A paper investigating an area of practice relevant to youth services, nominated by the student.
Relates to objectives: 1 & 2
Weight: 60%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 9

Assessment name: Examination (written)
Description: A school based open book exam on legal, ethical, policy and "good practice" considerations.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2 & 3
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End of semester

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

There is no set text.

Students are expected to read widely from provided references, materials placed on the Course materials database (CMD) accessed through the Blackboard site, materials placed on Course Reserve of Kelvin Grove library, and other relevant sources.

Risk assessment statement

There are no unusual risk management issues associated with this unit. Students are advised that they are to make their own travel arrangements to and from the Brisbane Children's Court workshop. Students are encouraged to refer any concerns to their tutor or to the Unit Coordinator.

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