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Location Domestic International
Gold Coast Session 1 Session 1
Online Session 1,  3 Session 1,  3

Unit Summary

Unit type

PG Coursework Unit

Credit points

12

AQF level

9

Level of learning

Introductory

Former School/College

Former School of Arts and Social Sciences

Unit aim

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

  1. Human rights and social work
  2. Understanding policy processes and analysis
  3. Understanding law making and the courts
  4. Mental health law and policy
  5. Domestic violence law and policy
  6. Social security law and policy
  7. Social work roles in the law and policy practice, including as policy actors
  8. Making submissions to public inquiries

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.

GA1: , GA2: , GA3: , GA4: , GA5: , GA6: , GA7:
On completion of this unit, students should be able to: GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 Explain the ways in which the law and social policy provide both opportunities for and constraints on social work practice.
2 Explain the legal obligations of practising social workers in Australia.
3 Analyse legal and policy processes in relation to particular fields of social work practice, including mental health, domestic violence, and social security.
4 Identify and critically evaluate social work practice strategies that make use of legal and policy knowledge.

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

  1. Explain the ways in which the law and social policy provide both opportunities for and constraints on social work practice.
    • GA4:
  2. Explain the legal obligations of practising social workers in Australia.
    • GA1:
  3. Analyse legal and policy processes in relation to particular fields of social work practice, including mental health, domestic violence, and social security.
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  4. Identify and critically evaluate social work practice strategies that make use of legal and policy knowledge.
    • GA1:

Prescribed texts

  • Fawcett, B, Goodwin, S, Meagher, G & Phillips, R, 2010, Social Policy for Social Change, Palgrave Macmillan, South Yarra.
  • Kennedy, R, Richards, J & Leiman, T, 2013, Integrating Human Service Law, Ethics and Practice, 3rd edn, Oxford Uni Press, South Melbourne.

  • Fawcett, B, Goodwin, S, Meagher, G & Phillips, R, 2010, Social Policy for Social Change, Palgrave Macmillan, South Yarra.
  • Kennedy, R, Richards, J & Leiman, T, 2013, Integrating Human Service Law, Ethics and Practice, 3rd edn, Oxford Uni Press, South Melbourne.
Prescribed texts may change in future teaching periods.