Unit of Study SWRK5003 Social Policy and Law for Social Work (2023)

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Unit Snapshot

Unit type

PG Coursework Unit
Credit points

12
Faculty & College

Faculty of Health
Placement

No

Unit description

Introduces the legal and social policy contexts of social work practice. Identifies the ways in which the law and social policy can be used to promote the rights and needs of clients and community members. Examines the legal obligations of social works and strategies for social workers to use the law and policy in their practice.

Unit content

Social policy and legislation in Australia
Policy analysis and policy advocacy
Children, young people, families and ageing
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Mental health, health and disability
Immigration, refugees and asylum seekers

Availabilities

Location	Domestic	International
Gold Coast	Summer Term Term2	Summer Term Term2
Online	Summer Term Term2	Summer Term Term2

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

explain the ways in which the law and social policy provide both opportunities for and constraints on social work practice

explain the legal obligations of practising social workers in Australia

analyse legal and policy processes in relation to particular fields of social work practice, including mental health, domestic violence, and social security

identify and critically evaluate social work practice strategies that make use of legal and policy knowledge

Teaching and assessment

Teaching method

Tutorial 2 hours (Weekly)

Workshop 1 hour (Weekly)

Assessment
Policy Analysis Report	40%
Policy Advocacy Proposal	60%

Teaching method

Tutorial 2 hours (Weekly)

Workshop 1 hour (Weekly)

Assessment
Policy Analysis Report	40%
Policy Advocacy Proposal	60%

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts

Rice, S., Day, A., & Briskman, L. , 2018, Social Work in the Shadow of the Law , 5th Edition, The Federation Press , Sydney. ISBN: 9781760021610.

Prescribed Resources/Equipment

The materials for this unit of study are presented via the Blackboard site for the unit.

Prescribed Texts

Rice, S., Day, A., & Briskman, L. , 2018, Social Work in the Shadow of the Law , 5th Edition, The Federation Press , Sydney. ISBN: 9781760021610.

Prescribed Resources/Equipment

The materials for this unit of study are presented via the Blackboard site for the unit.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.

Fee information

Domestic

Commonwealth Supported courses
For information regarding Student Contribution Amounts please visit the Student Contribution Amounts.

Fee paying courses
For postgraduate or undergraduate full-fee paying courses please check Domestic Postgraduate Fees OR Domestic Undergraduate Fees.

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