Course Title: Undertake systems advocacy

Part B: Course Detail

Teaching Period: Term1 2010

Course Code: HWSS5323C

Course Title: Undertake systems advocacy

School: 365T Global Studies, Soc Sci & Plng

Campus: City Campus

Program: C6054 - Advanced Diploma of Disability Work

Course Contact : Mary Collins

Course Contact Phone: +61 3 99254598

Course Contact Email:mary.collins@rmit.edu.au


Name and Contact Details of All Other Relevant Staff

Nominal Hours: 90

Regardless of the mode of delivery, represent a guide to the relative teaching time and student effort required to successfully achieve a particular competency/module. This may include not only scheduled classes or workplace visits but also the amount of effort required to undertake, evaluate and complete all assessment requirements, including any non-classroom activities.

Pre-requisites and Co-requisites

Students are assumed to be experienced disability staff working in the disability or community services fields.

Course Description

This unit describes the competency required to advocate ensuring that the rights and needs of consumers and clients’ issues are maintained within the broader rights and needs of the general community.


National Codes, Titles, Elements and Performance Criteria

National Element Code & Title:

CHCAD3A Undertake systems advocacy

Element:

1. Obtain, analyse and document information relevant to the needs of clients as a community of interest within the general community

2. Work with consumers, service users, services and other stakeholders to develop strategies to address the needs of clients with specific needs

3. Advocate for and facilitate the implementation of strategies developed to address the needs of clients with specific needs.

Performance Criteria:

1.1 Relevant documented information about particular issues are obtained and analysed
1.2 Relevant statistical and research data are obtained and analysed
1.3 Consultations with consumers, carers, and other stakeholders are conducted to identify and describe issues of concern
1.4 Other research is conducted as appropriate
1.5 Relevant information is synthesised into forms appropriate for communicating with, and providing to, relevant agencies and stakeholders

2.1 Close working relationships/networks are developed and maintained with relevant stakeholders
2.2 Formal meetings, working groups and other activities are organised to develop policy statements, action plans, projects, and programs to address identified needs
2.3 Meetings, working groups and other activities aimed at developing relevant strategies are participated in
2.4 Strategic/action/project plans are prepared in forms that are appropriate to the needs and roles of relevant stakeholder organisations

3.1 Relevant opportunities for communicating formally and informally about the needs of clients are identified and pursued
3.2 Submissions for resources to implement identified projects, action plans, etc are prepared
3.3 Relevant government policy development is participated in
3.4 Consumers and other stakeholders are worked with to implement relevant projects and action plans
3.5 Opportunities are pursued and comments provided on policy documents, legislation, project plans and other relevant documents regarding the needs of clients


Learning Outcomes


Please refer to elements.


Details of Learning Activities

You will attend a program of workshops which will focus on key themes and issues and which will include guest presenters from the disability area and other industry areas.
The student cohort is comprised of experienced industry staff so the workshops are based on extending your knowledge and skills focussing on current work practices, industry initiatives and issues, legislative and policy changes and developments. Some in-class assessment tasks are included in workshops. 


Teaching Schedule

 workshop number  topics  
 1  Program introduction, student administration, RPL, workplace learning
 2

 Semester 1 Learning and Assessment Tasks - distribution and discussion

Systemic Advocacy -presentations and discussion

 3

 Library orientation

In-class task 2.1 - statistics and analysis

 4  Community services in Australia at a local, state and federal level.
 5  In-class assessment 2.2 -Student discussions on Advocacy Projects
 6  Disability worldwide - an international perspective
 7

 Counselling - principles and practices

In- class assesment 2.3 - Counselling, first contact and referrals

 8

 Cultural diversity in disability and community services work

In-class assessment 2.4 - networking and cultural perspectives

 9  Student Presentations - Advocacy Projects


Learning Resources

Prescribed Texts


References


Other Resources


Overview of Assessment

Assessment will be through a mix of in-class tasks, workplace based projects and a workplace assessment. A workplace assessment appointment will be undertaken once per year with each student to allow students to present and discuss workplace evidence.  


Assessment Tasks

This unit is assessed by the following tasks:

1 - Professional communication. Students will be presented with a scenario. They will use their professional knowledge and skills to analyse the issues, research resources and linkages and then develop a response to the scenario.

2.1 Statistics - analysis and, argument and advocacy. Students will access statistics profiling the incidence of disability in Australia. They will work in groups to analyse the data and identify trends, patterns and suggest future service needs in the system

2.2 Student discussions - students will each lead a discussion giving an overview of their Advocacy Project (L & A Task 3)

2.3 Counselling - first contact and referral. Students will consider a set of scenarios and the appropriate responses from a range of perspectives

2.4 Cultural perspectives - how culture and disability affect a person’s life and our service provision


3. Systems Advocacy Project - students will identify, explore and research a current issue in the disability or related fields. They will then develop an advocacy campaign to promote systemic change to address that issue.

4.  Workplace assessment - A workplace assessment appointment will be undertaken once per year with each student to allow students to present and discuss workplace evidence.

You may be asked to provide supplementary evidence from your workplace to demonstrate competence.


Assessment tasks will be graded as follows:

Competency Achieved - CA

Not Yet Competent - NYC


Assessment Matrix

The Assessment Matrix will be distributed and discussed in class. The matrix is used to track the student’s progress to "Competency Achieved" through the full set of learning and assessment tasks each semester.

Other Information

The following 5 units are delivered as a cluster with a common workshop schedule. The learning and assessment tasks are designed to address the set of units.

CHCAD3A Undertake systems advocacy

CHCDIS11C Coordinate disability work

CHCNET3B Develop new networks

CHCORG20B Promote and represent the organisation

CHCCOM3C Utilise specialist communication skills to build strong relationships

Learning and Assessment tasks for cluster:

1 - Professional communication. Students will be presented with a scenario. They will use their professional knowledge and skills to analyse the issues, research resources and linkages and then develop a response to the scenario.

2.1 Statistics - analysis and, argument and advocacy. Students will access statistics profiling the incidence of disability in Australia. They will work in groups to analyse the data and identify trends, patterns and suggest future service needs in the system

2.2 Student discussions - students will each lead a discussion giving an overview of their Advocacy Project (L & A Task 3)

2.3 Counselling - first contact and referral. Students will consider a set of scenarios and the appropriate responses from a range of perspectives

2.4 Cultural perspectives - how culture and disability affect a person’s life and our service provision

3. Systems Advocacy Project - students will identify, explore and research a current issue in the disability or related fields. They will then develop an advocacy campaign to promote systemic change to address that issue.

4. Workplace assessment - A workplace assessment appointment will be undertaken once per year with each student to allow students to present and discuss workplace evidence.

Course Overview: Access Course Overview