Bachelor of Social Work

Why study the Bachelor of Social Work at UNE?

The Bachelor of Social Work provides graduates with the theoretical and practical skills required to work as a professional social worker, an occupation that the Australian government predicts will continue to experience very strong growth. Graduates are eligible for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers. UNE social work graduates typically work with disadvantaged and marginalised individuals, groups, and communities using a social justice and trauma-informed framework in counselling, advocacy, and community development to enhance people's health and well-being. Social workers address barriers, inequality and injustices faced by many groups, particularly those who are socially excluded. UNE's social work program embraces a framework that examines the dynamic interaction of human behaviour and complex social interactions and institutions. Covering all the core requirements of an accredited professional social work degree, the Bachelor of Social Work at UNE emphasises practice in rural and complex community environments, and focuses on rights-based practice, mental health, Indigenous peoples, child protection and the law. The course incorporates 1000 hours of professional fieldwork placement supervised by experienced practitioners in diverse social work settings locally and overseas. Students can suit their own learning needs and choose to study either on campus or online, with periodic compulsory intensive face-to-face classes for students who learn by distance.

This course is accreditated with the Australian Association of Social Workers.

Students who complete the Honours Pathway may be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Social Work with Honours. To be invited to the Honours Pathway students must have completed 96 credit points (including HSSW105, HSSW301, HSSW410 and HSSW310) towards the degree with a grade point average of 5.5 or higher.

Career Opportunities

Social work is an occupation that the Australian government predicts will continue to experience very strong growth. It has many fields of practice, providing a diverse and rewarding career path with multiple opportunities to make a real difference in people's lives. UNE's BSW offers graduates career opportunities found in: hospitals; government agencies (such as justice, housing and youth and child protection services); community-based family support and welfare agencies; women's refuges and community legal centres; city councils; mental health, disability and aged care facilities, schools and for-profit human services (e.g. private practice counselling, employment services), to name just a few. Australian social work qualifications are portable and Australian graduates are highly regarded internationally.

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Degree Snapshot

DURATION

4 Years Full-time
Up to 10 years Part-time

FEES

CSP
International

2017 ATAR / OP

72.55 / 12

2018 STUDY OPTIONS
Armidale

Trimester 1, Online
Trimester 1, On Campus
Trimester 2, Online
Trimester 2, On Campus

Official Abbreviation BSW
Course Type Undergraduate
CRICOS Code 064581M
Commencing
Location Admission Period Mode of Study
Armidale Trimester 1 Online
Armidale Trimester 1 On Campus
Armidale Trimester 2 Online
Armidale Trimester 2 On Campus
Course Duration
  • 4 Years Full-time
  • Up to 10 years Part-time
2017 ATAR 72.55
2017 OP 12
Fees CSP / International
Total Credit Points 192
Intensive Schools

Mandatory intensive schools may be a requirement of some of the units in this course. See Unit Catalogue for specific requirements.

Entry Requirements

A candidate shall:

(a) hold an AQF Level 5 Diploma or an AQF Level 6 Advanced Diploma qualification from: a Vocational Education Training (VET) Community Services Package; or from a Vocational Education Training (VET) Health Training Package in one of the following areas: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Care; Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Practice; Nursing. For more information go to http://training.gov.au; or

(b) be qualified for admission (see Admission Undergraduate and Postgraduate (Coursework) Rule and Admission Undergraduate and Postgraduate (Coursework) Procedures).

All students must meet the University's English Language Requirements for Admission Rule.

Recommended studies: any two units of English.

Additional Requirements

Inherent Requirements: Students must meet the Inherent Requirements in order to complete this course.

NSW Ministry of Health Requirements

To be eligible to attend field placement experience all Bachelor of Social Work students must meet NSW Ministry of Health verification requirements within the NSW Health's ClinConnect system by week 9 of the first trimester of study .These include:

1. Adult Vaccination** as per the NSW Ministry of Health requirements for Category A Health Care Workers (Any interim compliance issued by NSW Ministry of Health has individual dates of issue and expiry)

2. National Criminal History Check**:

Students must have a current (expires 3 years from date of issue) National Criminal History check and International students must also have an International Police Check or statutory declaration. A valid National Criminal history check must comply with the following requirements:

· It must be from a CrimTrac Accredited Broker Agency (as listed on the CrimTrac website) or an Australian State NSW Police or Territory Police Force or the Australian Federal Police, and

· It must state that it is a National or Australia wide check, and

· It must include the student's full name and their date of birth, and

· It must not have any offences listed (students with criminal history must provide a Clinical Placement Authority Card (CPAC) or conditional letter from the Employment Screening and Review Unit, NSW HealthShare), AND

· The name on the Police Certificate must be the same name as on the Student's ID card.

3. Completion of mandatory NSW Ministry of Health forms.

UNE Specific Placement Requirements

In addition to the above, students must meet UNE requirements by week 9 of the first Trimester of Study

These include:

A Working with Children Check for the state or territory in which the student will undertake placement. NSW Working with Children Checks are valid for 5 years from date of issue.

Practical, Clinical or Work Experience

UNE field education units are compliant with the AASW requirements for practical experience. UNE will require that students undertake 1000 hours of fieldwork. In the Bachelor of Social Work this will be taken as two placements over two units. Students may be required to travel some distance to undertake the placement.

The first fieldwork placement is HSSW310 (18 credit points). There is a compulsory three-day intensive school to prepare students for their placement experience. The number of days per week will be negotiated with individual students and placement agencies (with a minimum of 3 days per week), including a full time block of at least 2 weeks during the placement, and a compulsory intensive held.

The second placement is HSSW411 (18 credit points) and is commonly undertaken alongside the capstone unit HSSW412 which entails a research/evaluation project. Honours students do not do HSSW412 and instead have a capstone experience in their research project unit HSSW402H. This second placement totals 500 hours + 2 days on campus for a preparatory intensive school. The number of days per week will be negotiated with individual students and placement agencies (with a minimum of 3 days per week required) including a full time block of at least 2 weeks during the placement. Due to the nature of fieldwork and the range of agencies involved, this unit will only be offered full time trimesters 1 and 2 of any year, with part time students needing to increase their study load for their placement trimester.

Advanced Standing

Candidates admitted under Rule (a) shall be granted 30 credit points of Specified Advanced Standing based on their admission to candidature. Up to a further 18 credit points of Advanced Standing may be granted on the basis of the qualification on which admission was based where equivalence of units can be demonstrated. Up to a further 78 to 90 credit points may be granted based on units that were not part of the degree on which admission was based. The overall maximum amount of Advanced Standing granted towards the course is 67 per cent.

Candidates admitted under Rule (b) are referred to the University Policy on Advanced Standing.

Formal Learning:

Advanced Standing for Formal Learning will only be considered where a candidate meets admission criteria and has successfully completed prior study with an accredited Australian Social Work program at a recognised Australian university or, alternatively, has successfully completed formal study as part of another qualification where learning outcomes that are substantially equivalent to the learning outcomes of units within UNE's Bachelor of Social Work course or the course learning outcomes. Consideration can be given for Field Placement units - please refer to the Non-formal Learning section directly below for instructions on How to Apply for this.

No Advanced Standing will be granted for HSSW412 or HSSW410H or HSSW402H.

Non-formal Learning:

Students who have prior work/field placement experience in the social work field may apply for Advanced Standing for Non-formal Learning for the first field education unit only, and in some cases other academic units, due to their Non-formal Learning achieved through prior work experience. Applications are submitted through the Directorate of Student Administration and Services via the Advanced Standing Application after the student has first discussed this possibility with the School of Health Social Work Course Coordinator. Applications must be received in the trimester prior to enrolling in the first field placement unit in accordance with the AASW guidelines and School of Health Social Work Fieldwork Procedures on Advanced Standing for Fieldwork.

Academic Colours

Old Rose (BCC 157)

Further Information

You can find instant answers to many of your questions or contact UNE directly via AskUNE

These course rules & plans are ONLY to be used if you commenced, transferred or changed versions in the Bachelor of Social Work in 2018.

Admission to Candidature

A candidate shall:

(a) hold an AQF Level 5 Diploma or an AQF Level 6 Advanced Diploma qualification from: a Vocational Education Training (VET) Community Services Package; or from a Vocational Education Training (VET) Health Training Package in one of the following areas: Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Care; Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care Practice; Nursing.For more information go to http://training.gov.au; or

(b) be qualified for admission (see Admission Undergraduate and Postgraduate (Coursework) Rule and the Admission Undergraduate and Postgraduate (Coursework) Procedures).

All students must meet the University's English Language Requirements for Admission Rule.

Additional Requirements

Inherent Requirements

Students must meet the Inherent Requirements in order to complete this course.

NSW Ministry of Health Requirements

To be eligible to attend field placement experience all Bachelor of Social Work students must meet NSW Ministry of Health verification requirements within NSW Health's the ClinConnect system by week 9 of the first trimester of study. These include:

  1. Adult Vaccination** as per NSW Ministry of Health requirements for Category A Health Care Workers (Any interim compliance issued by NSW Ministry of Health has individual dates of issue and expiry)
  2. National Criminal History Check**:
    Students must have a current (expires 3 years from date of issue) National Criminal History check and International students must also have an International Police Check or statutory declaration. A valid National Criminal history check must comply with the following requirements:
    • It must be from a CrimTrac Accredited Broker Agency (as listed on the CrimTrac website) or an Australian State NSW Police or Territory Police Force or the Australian Federal Police, and
    • It must state that it is a National or Australia wide check, and
    • It must include the student's full name and their date of birth, and
    • It must not have any offences listed (students with criminal history must provide a Clinical Placement Authority Card (CPAC) or conditional letter from the Employment Screening and Review Unit, NSW HealthShare), AND
    • The name on the Police Certificate must be the same name as on the Student's ID card.
  3. Completion of mandatory NSW Ministry of Health forms.
UNE Specific Placement Requirements

In addition to the above, students must meet UNE requirements by week 9 of the first trimester of study. These include:

A Working with Children Check for the state or territory in which the student will undertake placement. NSW Working with Children Checks are valid for 5 years from date of issue.

Practical, Clinical or Work Experience

UNE field education units are compliant with the AASW requirements for practical experience. UNE will require that students undertake 1000 hours of fieldwork. In the Bachelor of Social Work this will be taken as two placements over two units. Students may be required to travel some distance to undertake the placement.

The first fieldwork placement is HSSW310 (18 credit points). There is a compulsory three-day intensive school to prepare students for their placement experience. The number of days per week will be negotiated with individual students and placement agencies (with a minimum of 3 days per week), including a full time block of at least 2 weeks during the placement, and a compulsory intensive held.

The second placement placement is HSSW411 (18 credit points) and is commonly undertaken alongside the capstone unit HSSW412 which entails a research/evaluation project. Honours students do not do HSSW412 and instead have a capstone experience in their research project unit HSSW402H. This second placement totals 500 hours + 2 days on campus for a preparatory intensive school. The number of days per week will be negotiated with individual students and placement agencies (with a minimum of 3 days per week required) including a full time block of at least 2 weeks during the placement. Due to the nature of fieldwork and the range of agencies involved, this unit will only be offered full time trimesters 1 and 2 of any year, with part time students needing to increase their study load for their placement trimester.

Advanced Standing

Candidates admitted under Rule (a) shall be granted 30 credit points of Specified Advanced Standing based on their admission to candidature. Up to a further 18 credit points of Advanced Standing may be granted on the basis of the qualification on which admission was based where equivalence of units can be demonstrated. Up to a further 78 to 90 credit points may be granted based on units that were not part of the degree on which admission was based. The overallmaximum amount of advanced standing granted towards the course is 67 per cent.

Candidates admitted under Rule (b) are referred to the University Policy on Advanced Standing.

Formal Learning:

Advanced Standing for Formal Learning will only be considered where a candidate meets admission criteria and has successfully completed prior study with an accredited Australian Social Work program at a recognised Australian university or, alternatively, has successfully completed formal study as part of another qualificationwhere learning outcomes are substantially equivalent to the learning outcomes of units within UNE's Bachelor of Social Work course. Consideration can be given for Field Placement units - please refer to the Non-formal Learning section directly below for instructions on How to Apply for this.

No advanced standing will be granted for HSSW412 or HSSW401H or HSSW402H.

Non-formal Learning:

Students who have prior work/field placement experience in the social work field may apply for Advanced Standing for Non-formal Learning for the first field education unit only, and in some cases other academic units, due to their Non-formal Learning achieved through prior work experience. Applications are submitted through the Directorate of Student Administration and Services via the Advanced Standing Application after the student has first discussed this possiblity with the School of Health Social Work Course Coordinator. Applications must be received in the trimester prior to enrolling in the first field placement unit in accordance with the AASW guidelines and School of Health Social Work Fieldwork Procedures and Advanced Standing for Fieldwork.

Period of Candidature

The period of candidature shall be:
(a) four years as a full-time candidate;
(b) up to ten years as a part-time candidate.

Course Requirements

(a) To qualify for the award a candidate must pass units to the value of 192 credit points which includes 36 credit points of field work.
(b) To qualify for the award of Honours a candidate must pass units to the value of 192 credit points which includes 36 credit points of field work and 24 credit points Honours units.

Program of Study

Candidates shall complete an approved program of study as outlined in the Course Schedule comprising:

For candidates admitted under Rule (a)
Course Structure Credit Points
Specified Advanced Standing 30 cps
Core Units (including 1000 hours of field placement experience) 138-150 cps
Listed Units
OR
0-12 cps
Honours Units 0-24 cps
Total 192 cps

To view complete Program of Study click here

For candidates admitted under Rule (b)
Course Structure Credit Points
Core Units (including 1000 hours of field placement experience) 168-180 cps
Listed Units
OR
0-12 cps
Honours Units 0-24 cps
Total 192 cps

To view complete Program of Study click here

Progress and Conduct

1. Candidates are referred to the Course Progression Rule and the Course Progression Procedures.
2. A candidate who twice fails HSSW310 (BSW Fieldwork 1) shall not be permitted to re-enrol in the unit without the permission of the Course Coordinator.
3. A candidate must satisfactorily complete HSSW306 Community Development Practice and HSSW413 Human Rights, The Law and Social Justice before progressing to the final trimester of full-time study or equivalent of the degree.
4. A candidate who twice fails HSSW411 shall not be permitted to re-enrol in the unit without the permission of the Course Coordinator.
5. A candidate who breaches the Australian Association of Social Workers Professional Code of Ethics will be excluded from the degree.

Exit Pathways

Subject to meeting Advanced Standing Rules, candidates admitted under Rule (a) who apply to discontinue their studies in the course may be eligible to exit with the Diploma in Community Welfare and Wellbeing on completion of 24 credit points of core Bachelor of Social Work units.

Subject to meeting Advanced Standing Rules, candidates admitted under Rule (b) who apply to discontinue their studies in the course may be eligible to exit with the Diploma in Community Welfare and Wellbeing on completion of 48 credit points of core Bachelor of Social Work units.

Candidates who apply to discontinue their studies and exit with the Diploma in Community Welfare and Wellbeing must apply for re-admission and will be subject to current course requirements or the Bachelor of Socail Work. This may mean that they will not receive full recognition for their previous studies should the course structure have changed in response to University or external accreditation body requirements.

Award of Degree

Candidates who meet the course requirements shall be awarded the Bachelor of Social Work or Bachelor of Social Work (with Honours).

Pathway to Honours

Students may be awarded the degree of Bachelor of Social Work with Honours on the basis of an academic record deemed by the School to be of sufficient merit. To be admitted to the Honours stream candidates must have completed 96 credit points towards the degree with grade point average (GPA) of 5.5 or higher. The completed units must include HSSW410 and HSSW310. Honours places are subject to the availability of supervision. There will be a limited number of academic placements which will be offered on academic merit based on GPA.

Award of Honours

To qualify for the award of the degree with Honours, candidates must have successfully completed HSSW401H and HSSW402H.

There will be two levels of Honours: First Class Honours and Second Class Honours. Second Class Honours will have two divisions: Division 1 and Division 2.

An exceptionally distinguished student who has been awarded First Class Honours may be awarded a University Medal.

Quality in Bachelor Honours Degrees

All students as well as all individuals undertaking a supervisory role for bachelor honours students will be familiar with the responsibilities associated with research supervisors and students, the research examination procedures and procedures for handling any difficulties that might arise during supervision, and the consequences of failing in their obligations. These responsibilities are outlined in School of Health Honours Handbook and available on the School website.

Appointment of Supervisor

Students are appointed a research supervisor. A co-supervisor may also be appointed. Students meet with their supervisor fortnightly at the start of their program. Meetings with their supervisor will become less frequent as the program progresses. Meetings may be in person, online, video conference or telephone conference. From time to time students may be requested to attend supervision meetings in person.

Dissertation

(a) On completion of the course of advanced study and research, the student shall present for examination a dissertation, embodying an independent investigation on a topic approved by the supervisor, in a form approved by the School. The results of the student’s work shall make a sound contribution to the discipline of social work.
(b) Depending on the topic under investigation, the approval of the relevant Ethics Committee must be sought if required.
(c) Except with the permission of the School, on the recommendation of the supervisor, the dissertation shall not exceed 20,000 words of text, excluding appendices.
(d) Candidates shall be required to enrol in and complete the dissertation in the relevant Year Long H1 - Period 1 (39 weeks) or Year Long H2 - Period 2 (39 weeks) or Year Long H3 - Period 3 (39 weeks) in the case of full-time candidature. Candidates are encouraged to enrol in HSSW402H during Year Long H3 to prepare and undertake the research project and write up the results into their thesis.

Submission of Dissertation

(a) The dissertation is due in the last week of the teaching period. Candidates must submit an electronic copy of the dissertation for examination to the Honours Coordinator. A final electronic version of the dissertation, incorporating any changes recommended by the examiners, must also be submitted prior to a grade being awarded for the dissertation. The presentation of the dissertation must follow the guidelines outlined in the School of Health Honours Handbook.

(b) The student shall state generally in the preface of the dissertation, and specifically in footnotes or endnotes where appropriate, the sources from which the information is derived, the extent to which the student has made use of the work of others and the portion of the work which is claimed as original.
The student may not present as the dissertation any work that has been the basis of the award of a degree at this or another university, but will not be precluded from incorporating such in the dissertation provided that, in presenting the dissertation, the student clearly indicates the part of the work which has been so incorporated.

(c) At the time the dissertation is submitted, the supervisor shall inform the Honours Coordinator in writing that:

(i) the principal supervisor and co-supervisor(s) have discussed with the student and amongst themselves the academic content of the dissertation in the form submitted and that, while neither expressing nor implying a judgement about the merit of the work, in the principal supervisor's opinion all are agreed that it is ready for submission for examination for the degree; and
(ii) the physical form and presentation of the dissertation are appropriate to the discipline.

(d) The student shall, upon submission of the dissertation, following protocols approved by the School of Health, make arrangements for all original data to be retained in an area of safe storage for a period of not less than five years from the date of submission. The data stored must be in a form that would, at a minimum, permit replication of all analyses reported in the dissertation.

Examination of Dissertation

(a) The dissertation is examined by two examiners - one is normally external to the School. The supervisor must submit the name and contact details of the recommended examiners to the Honours Coordinator at least four weeks prior to submission of the dissertation for examination. A short statement should accompany the recommendation of the external examiner indicating their qualifications and the reason they are deemed appropriate to examine the dissertation.
(b) A dissertation will not be examined by a candidate's supervisor, but the supervisor should be consulted in the determination of the final result.
(c) The supervisor may consult with the candidate prior to the submission of the dissertation regarding potential examiners, but the name of the examiners should not be made available to the candidate.
(d) Examiners are normally expected to complete and return their report to the Honours Coordinator within FOUR (4) weeks of the dissertation being delivered.
(e) Examiners may request to not have their name released to the student.
(f) The examiners shall decide whether to recommend that the dissertation be given the grade of Fail, Pass, Credit, Distinction or High Distinction, or that it be revised for re-examination.
(g) In the event of a disagreement between the examiners, they may be asked to consult and report to the Teaching and Learning Committee through the Honours Coordinator.
(h) If the examiners are unable to reach an agreement, the Teaching and Learning Committee shall refer their reports to a sub-committee appointed by the Chair for a recommendation.
(i) The Honours Coordinator will advise the supervisors of the outcome of the examination, along with a copy of examiners' reports as appropriate, indicating any amendments to be considered. Students need to consult with the supervisor and undertake any minor amendments to the satisfaction of the supervisor.
(j) In the event of a disagreement between the examiners, they may be asked to consult and report to the Teaching and Learning Committee.

(1) If the examiners are unable to reach an agreement, the Teaching and Learning Committee shall refer their reports to a sub-committee appointed by the Chair for a recommendation.
(2) After considering the examiner's recommendation(s) and report(s), any comments from the supervisor and any recommendations from the appointed sub-committee, the Teaching and Learning Committee may:

(i) recommend that the dissertation be awarded the grade of Fail, Pass, Credit, Distinction or High Distinction;
(ii) allow the candidate to revise the dissertation for re-examination;
(iii) appoint an additional examiner or examiners.

(k) The supervisor is to send a note to the Honours Coordinator, that amendments suggested by the examiners have been addressed to their satisfaction and that the result may be finalised. The Honours Coordinator will finalise the result and make a summary recommendation to the Teaching and Learning Committee regarding:

(i) the grade to be awarded for the dissertation (Fail, Pass, Credit, Distinction or High Distinction);
(ii) the percentage mark to be awarded for the dissertation; if amendments to the dissertation were made before the grade was finalised;
(iii) whether the candidate should be allowed to revise and resubmit the dissertation for re-examination (a maximum grade of Pass and score of 50% shall be given for any resubmitted dissertation).

(l) The School Teaching and Learning Committee shall make the final determination as to the outcome of the examination of the dissertation, based on the recommendation from the Honours Coordinator.

Results

Honours grades will be awarded in accordance with the University assessment policy.
(a) The ratio of assessment components should equal the ratio of marks within the final grade. For example, if the coursework is worth 50% and the dissertation 50% then the final mark will be the coursework mark multiplied by 0.5, plus the dissertation mark multiplied by 0.5.
(b) After the grade has been finalised, the student is required to archive a final copy of the dissertation in accordance with the processes outlined in the School's Honours Handbook.

Suspensions and Extensions

The school may grant an extension or suspension of candidature, or a combination of both, to full-time candidates for up to six months or to part-time candidates for up to 12 months as follows:
(a) to compensate by way of extension of candidature, a candidate for time lost by ill-health or unforeseeable and unavoidable difficulties; or
(b) to compensate by way of suspension of candidature, a candidate who produces evidence that they shall not be in a position to pursue work towards the Bachelor of Social Work (Honours).

Re-enrolment

(a) A student enrolled in the dissertation component of the Bachelor of Social Work with Honours may be granted special leave by the Head of School to re-enrol in a subsequent year if they withdraw from candidature by the census date of the teaching period in which they commenced; without prejudice to the right to re-enrol in a succeeding year.
(b) A student may re-enrol in the same subject for the degree, provided that:

(i) two years will have elapsed before such re-enrolment;
(ii) the topic of study undertaken within the dissertation is different from that of the original enrolment.

(c) A candidate who withdraws later than two months prior to the data on which the dissertation is required shall be deemed to have failed.
(d) Unless a candidate shows good cause why such action should not be taken, the School may, on the recommendation of the Honours Coordinator, withdraw a candidate on the ground of having failed to meet the requirements of the course and deem the canddidate to have failed in it.
(e) A candidate who is deemed to have failed may, after a lapse of three years, be permitted to apply for re-admission to the course, provided the proposed dissertation work is in a different topic of study from that of the original enrolment.

Appeals

Candidates are referred to the Academic Assessment Appeals Policy and the Academic Assessment Appeals Procedures.

Course Progression

Candidates are referred to the Course Progression Rule and the Course Progression Procedures.

Improper Conduct

Candidates are referred to the Student Coursework Academic Misconduct Rule and the Student Coursework Academic Misconduct Procedures.

Course Aims

The Bachelor of Social Work aims to prepare graduates for employment as professional social workers in a variety of roles and fields, including government and non-government agencies, and community-based organisations that provide services to redress the impacts of social conflict, mental illness, social inequality and disadvantage. With a wide range of practice possibilities within Australia and internationally, in a diversity of employing organisations, the course aims to equip graduates with:

(i) values, skills and knowledge for social work practice aiming to address issues of social change and social justice;

(ii) evidence-informed, creative and accountable responses to people's presentations of social issues;

(iii) structured learning experiences in supervised agency settings assessed against the Practice Standards of the Australian Association of Social Workers;

(iv) lifelong learning skills with a firm preparation for professional and career development; and

(v) capstone experience in applied research and evaluation skills for entry-level social work practice.

Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
  1. apply and adhere to the principles of ethical practice as defined by the Australian Association of Social Workers' Code of Ethics and professional Practice Standards;
  2. demonstrate knowledge of the human rights of all individuals and groups in society, and how social, economic and other factors affect the achievement of these;
  3. evidence knowledge of, and understand, injustice, inequality, and human rights, particularly the implications for marginalised groups, including Indigenous Australians;
  4. understand the impacts of disadvantage, disability and trauma upon the health and well-being of people, and its implications for practice and policy responses;
  5. demonstrate the linkage between theory and practice and how this is informed by evidence and the ability to critically reflect on their practice;
  6. develop a critical framework for effective practice, policy and organisational responses to meet individual, familial and group needs in rural and complex community settings;
  7. demonstrate an understanding of, and ability to, respond to rapidly changing social and environmental issues that influence the lives of individuals within a given community at local, natonal and international levels; and
  8. articulate an understanding of the place of research in furthering social work theory and practice.
  9. BSW with Honours students will also be able to demonstrate discipline knowledge, problem-solving and analytical skills necessary to conduct research that contributes to the social work discipline and adheres to principles of ethical practice;
  10. capacity to devise and complete all components of a thesis under supervision for an approved research proposal within an appropriate timeframe;
  11. skills and techniques necessary to advance to postgraduate research and/or further career progression; and
  12. academic writing skills necessary to produce a thesis and/or papers for scholarly publication.
Graduate Attributes
Knowledge of a Discipline

BSW: Students study theory and practice units covering increasingly complex social work practice knowledge, skills and values. Social work students are taught to practise using local and global perspectives of social work and thereby develop an understanding of disadvantage, marginalisation, and the ways in which societal structures and culture contribute to these. This will be assessed through assignment tasks. BSW Hons: Students study theory and practice units covering an increasingly complex social work practice knowledge, skills and values. Students in the honours cohort will be taught how to contribute to discipline knowledge by identifying a research problem, conduct research and complete a dissertation, which will be assessed. Social work students are taught and practise from local and global perspectives of social work. This will be assessed through assignment tasks and the course dissertation.

Communication Skills

BSW: Cooperative peer feedback is an essential part of tutorial/online discussions as students are taught to develop their understanding of the course materials which will be assessed and practised through a range of assessment tasks. BSW Hons: Cooperative peer feedback will be an important part of tutorial/online discussion as students are taught to develop their understanding of the course materials and their thesis work. This attribute will be assessed and practised through a range of assessment tasks related to students chosen research topics and the course dissertation.

Problem Solving

BSW: Many social work theory and practice units are taught using case scenarios to critically examine the biopsychosocial implications and develop practice options. This process is assessed and practised through assessment tasks. BSW Hons: Students in the honours cohort will extend, practise and be assessed on problem solving skills through the identification of a research problem, the articulation of the research methods/processes and the conduct of research related to the problem.

Information Literacy

BSW: All social work and practice units are taught in ways which will build information literacy and capability. Through completion of an academic literacy unit early in their course, guidance is provided so students utilise a variety of quality sources of information. Students are encouraged to embrace digital technologies to identify and locate information and analysis relevant to their particular enquiry. This attribute will be assessed through all assignments. BSW Hons: Students will demonstrate their information literacy skills through successful and relevant literature searches using a variety of sources that relate to the chosen topic of study.

Ethical Conduct and Social Responsibility

BSW: Ethical practice and social responsibility are core social work requirements that are taught, assessed and practised across the course in assessment tasks. BSW Hons: Students develop this attribute through engaging with the research project process, interacting with potential participants, agencies, peers and supervisors.

Lifelong Learning

BSW: Consistent with the AASW Practice Standards, students will be exposed to, taught about and expected to develop independent learning plans and strategies throughout the course and in subsequent practice. BSW Hons: This attribute will be practised through identifying and investigating a research problem and methodologies that illustrates how continuous development processes work for individuals and groups.

Independence and Collaboration

BSW: Social work theory and practice units are taught using case scenarios where students are expected to contribute to group analysis and learning and reflective practice. This is assessed and practised in assessment tasks. BSW Hons: Students will demonstrate this attribute during field placement and the research project process, through interacting with service users, peers, agencies and supervisors.

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