Unit rationale, description and aim
Social work is a distinct discipline and social workers demonstrate their professional identity by applying and integrating social work values, ethics, knowledge and skills in diverse practice contexts. This unit is the first of two professional practice units that builds on theoretical knowledge and practice learning in the first two years of the degree. Students will undertake a supervised field placement of 500 hours in human service agencies, including attending 10 hours of campus-based integrative seminars. Learning in this unit is informed by the AASW Practice Standards and the AASW Code of Ethics. The learning outcomes of the unit are consistent with the Bachelor of Social Work curriculum that embeds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and prepares students for practice with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The aim of this unit is that students develop a beginning level of competence in social work practice in an agency setting.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Implement knowledge of social work practice and se...
Learning Outcome 01
Assimilate and demonstrate professional and ethica...
Learning Outcome 02
Apply knowledge and skills developed in campus-bas...
Learning Outcome 03
Understand and prepare for Field Education process...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Interactive discussions and experience-based learning activities assist students to explore placement learning experiences, with a focus on:
- Relating theory and knowledge to practice
- Exploring values and ethics in practice
- Critical reflection
- Building social work identity
Students’ learning needs are responded to as they work toward meeting AASW requirements for field placements.
Assessment strategy and rationale
Students are assessed on a range of activities that accumulate prior to commencing placement and over the beginning, middle and end of the placement and which reflect developmental and experiential learning principles. Assessment of placement preparation is designed to reinforce the student’s learning in relation to the process of placement. The assessments of learning prior to placement and at the beginning, middle and end are designed to identify areas of competence and deficit, as well as strategies for students to address areas of deficit prior to the next assessment point. Students will have unlimited attempts to complete and pass the pre-placement quiz. They must achieve 100% for this quiz to be eligible to begin placement. This promotes the student’s understanding of the process and expectations of placement. The tasks that contribute to the assessments during placement include a Learning Agreement, Mid Placement Report and Final Placement Report. The mid and end of placement report are structured in line with Australian Association of Social Workers Practice Standards. Students are also required to submit a signed timesheet at the end of their placement. Each assessment task is informed by the identified learning outcomes for the unit.
The Learning Agreement is developed in collaboration with the social work supervisor. It sets out the specific goals and activities associated with the placement and the nature of evidence required to demonstrate achievement of learning outcomes.
The Mid Placement report requires students to demonstrate their progress toward their learning goals at the mid-point of their placement. The report also includes feedback from the student’s Field Educators. This task provides students with the opportunity to review progress against learning goals and plan for tasks and strategies to meet goals for the remainder of the placement. The Mid Placement tasks enable students to articulate the connections between relevant social work theory and ethics to their placement experience in order to develop informed practice decision making.
In the Final Placement Report, students demonstrate their progress toward and achievement of the learning goals at the conclusion of their placement. The report also includes feedback from the student’s Field Educators. Students use the Final Placement Report to evidence beginning practice capability.
In negotiation with the ACU Liaison Visitor and Social Work Supervisor, students will be able to revise the Learning Agreement and Mid Placement Report in response to feedback on the requirements to achieve a satisfactory standard.
In order to pass this unit, Students are required to pass the preplacement quiz, submit all assessment pieces to a pass standard, complete all 500 hours of placement and attend integrative seminars as per the attendance requirements.
Overview of assessments
Hurdle Task preplacement quiz Reinforces the info...
Hurdle Task preplacement quiz
Reinforces the information about placement processes and what to expect during placement.
Hurdle Task
Learning Agreement Enables students to identify ...
Learning Agreement
Enables students to identify their learning goals, tasks and timeframes for completion in alignment with AASW Practice Standards
Pass/Fail
Mid Placement report enables students to int...
Mid Placement report enables students to integrate relevant social work theory and ethics to their placement experience
Pass/Fail
Final Placement Report Enables students to dem...
Final Placement Report
Enables students to demonstrate their progress against learning goals and beginning competence in relation to all AASW practice standards.
Pass/Fail
Signed Time Sheet Students to demonstrate comple...
Signed Time Sheet
Students to demonstrate completing at least 500 hours on placement by providing a time sheet signed by the placement agency.
Pass/Fail
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
For this professional experience unit, learning happens in three asynchronous, online preplacement sessions, the 500-hour placement and in the classroom. The main teaching and learning strategies include experiential learning, reflective learning, practice - theory integration and skills development. These are used in the placement setting, and integration of this experience with social work knowledge, values and ethics is facilitated in 10 hours of campus-based integrative seminars. Planned learning goals and strategies for the specific placement are recorded in the Learning Agreement. This Unit Outline needs to be read in conjunction with the Social Work Field Education Handbook.
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS OF UNIT
Punctual and full attendance on the placement is an essential requirement for the unit. The attendance requirements are specified in ACU Assessment Policy, in accordance with AASW requirements. Attendance at all integrative seminars is expected and an attendance record of all seminars will be kept. Students are required to complete 500 hours of placement, including at least 80% of all integrative seminars scheduled for this unit.
Reasons why attendance is required
In integrative seminars, students will be interacting with each other and developing skills which will be used in professional/clinical practice. Students who do not attend are at risk of not developing these essential skills. Attendance is required as part of meeting the AASW requirement to integrate campus learning with field placement learning and skill development.
Field education practice in community-based agencies as well as class seminars.
Duration: Students will participate in the equivalent of 500 hours of supervised field education experience including 10 hours of participation in class seminars.
AASW Practice Standards
This Unit has been mapped to the ACU Graduate Attributes and the ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes. The following table sets out the broad relationship between the Learning Outcomes, Graduate Attributes and the ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes provided in the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards: https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/13565
ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes
This Unit has been mapped to the ACU Graduate Attributes and the ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes. The following table sets out the broad relationship between the Learning Outcomes, Graduate Attributes and the ASWEAS Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes provided in the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards: https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/13565