Course Title: Critical Social Work with Families
Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Critical Social Work with Families
Credit Points: 12.00
Important Information:
Please note that this course may have compulsory in-person attendance requirements for some teaching activities.
To participate in any RMIT course in-person activities or assessment, you will need to comply with RMIT vaccination requirements which are applicable during the duration of the course. This RMIT requirement includes being vaccinated against COVID-19 or holding a valid medical exemption.
Please read this RMIT Enrolment Procedure as it has important information regarding COVID vaccination and your study at RMIT: https://policies.rmit.edu.au/document/view.php?id=209.
Please read the Student website for additional requirements of in-person attendance: https://www.rmit.edu.au/covid/coming-to-campus.
Please check your Canvas course shell closer to when the course starts to see if this course requires mandatory in-person attendance. The delivery method of the course might have to change quickly in response to changes in the local state/national directive regarding in-person course attendance.
Terms
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
HWSS2092 |
City Campus |
Undergraduate |
330H Social Science & Planning |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 2 2006 |
HWSS2092 |
City Campus |
Undergraduate |
365H Global, Urban and Social Studies |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 2 2007, Sem 2 2009, Sem 2 2010, Sem 2 2011, Sem 2 2012, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014, Sem 2 2015, Sem 2 2016, Sem 2 2017, Sem 2 2018, Sem 2 2019, Sem 2 2020, Sem 2 2021, Sem 2 2022, Sem 2 2023 |
Course Coordinator: Dr Sebastian Cordoba
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 9956
Course Coordinator Email: pushkar.cordoba@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: Building 8, Level 10
Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
Required Prior Study
You should have satisfactorily completed the prerequisite courses HWSS1135 Casework and Advocacy before you commence this course.
Note it is a condition of enrolment at RMIT that you accept responsibility for ensuring that you have completed the prerequisite/s and agree to concurrently enrol in co-requisite courses before enrolling in a course. For your information the RMIT Course Requisites policy can be found at: http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=twx09y07zi1c
Course Description
Social Work with Families course prepares you to work from a family sensitive framework, acknowledging the impact and influence of family, culture and location on people’s lives. The course assumes and builds on your knowledge of theories from earlier in the social work program including critical, anti-oppressive, feminist, psychological - attachment, trauma and developmental and strength-based theories and extends and applies these to family-sensitive social work practice. There is an emphasis on promoting safety in families, including social work responses to racism, family violence, child abuse and neglect, disability, isolation, homelessness and ageing. You will critique ‘the family’ from local, global and systemic perspectives, and consider transgenerational, transcultural and family life cycle theories for understanding issues in families. You will explore and practise ways of engaging multiple members of a family system, including how to work with family members’ different beliefs, setting goals, problem solving and constructing effective questions. Self-reflection and self-awareness will be constant themes. The subject matter will be considered in the context of current policy, and program and service delivery environments.
Please note that if you take this course for a bachelor honours program, your overall mark in this course will be one of the course marks that will be used to calculate the weighted average mark (WAM) that will determine your award level. (This applies to students who commence enrolment in a bachelor honours program from 1 January 2016 onwards. See the WAM information web page for more information.)
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
You will be assessed on your development of the following program learning outcomes:
- apply a body of interdisciplinary knowledge, values and skills in working with and for society’s most vulnerable and marginalised individuals, families, groups and communities
- critically analyse, synthesise and reflect on issues of social disadvantage, marginalisation and oppression in both local and international contexts, and proactively work to promote social justice and human rights
- demonstrate creativity, critical thinking and practical reasoning when identifying and addressing problems in diverse contexts within the discipline of social work
- work with others in a range of roles and contexts, demonstrating cultural, environmental and social awareness while promoting respectful, ethical and reflective practice
- apply initiative and ethical judgment in planning, seeking solutions and decision making in your current and continuing professional practice
At the conclusion of this course, you will be able to:
- Critically analyse the concept of ‘The Family’, acknowledging global diversity and the impact of social structures such as class, gender, ancestry and culture, sexuality, age and disability;
- Appraise family connections and situations from systemic, psychological, developmental, trans- generational and critical perspectives;
- Facilitate family casework to include multiple people, construct respectful questions as interventions in family sessions, case conferences and family advocacy;
- Identify program, policy and legislative contexts affecting the delivery of family services.
Overview of Learning Activities
There will be a variety of teaching modes, including didactic presentations, discussions, practical and experiential exercises, videos, excursions, exploration of case material, role-plays and critical reflection and discussion. Visiting speakers will include practitioners and policy makers.
Overview of Learning Resources
RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course. Where possible lectures are recorded and available through our online systems, with lecture notes and reading resources. A list of recommended learning resources will be provided by the course coordinator, including books, journal articles and web resources.
Overview of Assessment
You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and your development against the program graduate learning outcomes. Assessment tasks may include, but are not limited to, reflective essays and case studies.
Assessment Tasks
Assessment Task 1: Short Answer Questions, 50%, CLO1, CLO2, , CLO3 and CLO4
Assessment Task 2: Extended Answer Questions, 50%, CLO1, CLO2, , CLO3 and CLO4
Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.
If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.
Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.