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Unit of Study SWRK5002 - Social Work Direct Practice I (2024)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Unit type

    PG Coursework Unit

  • Credit points

    12

  • Faculty/College

    Faculty of Health

  • Placement

    No

  • Enrolment information

    Full-time students are advised to take this unit at the same time as SWRK5001 Social Work Foundations for Practice. Students are required to meet participation requirements in this unit. Attendance is compulsory. Online students must attend a four-day residential and Gold Coast students must attend four one-day seminars across the term. Further details, including dates, will be advised via the Blackboard site and Timetables.

Unit description

Develops students’ skills in social work communication with a wide range of clients. Enables students to understand the principles of effective interpersonal communication in professional settings, and to reflect critically on the development of their own communication ability. Seeks to introduce students to common approaches to assessing and working with individuals in social work settings.

Unit content

  1. Introducing social work relationships and communication 
  2. The developing professional relationship 
  3. Interviewing skills 
  4. Skills for building relationships
  5. Social work assessments
  6. Human development

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Gold Coast
Term1,5
Term1,5
Online
Term1,5
Term1,5

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:

apply the principles of and strategies for effective communication in social work practice with a range of client groups, including people from culturally diverse backgrounds

demonstrate effective written and verbal communication skills in a simulated social work context, including an ability to communicate cross-culturally

explain the relevance of human development theories for engaging with people at different points in the lifespan

apply knowledge and demonstrate skills in bio-psycho-social and risk assessment

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • Harms, L, 2015, Working with people: Communication skills for reflective practice, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.
Prescribed Resources/Equipment
  • No prescribed resources/equipment.

Prescribed Texts
  • Harms, L, 2015, Working with people: Communication skills for reflective practice, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.
Prescribed Resources/Equipment
  • No prescribed resources/equipment.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.