Unit rationale, description and aim
Social workers are often required to understand relevant legislation governing practice in diverse areas and to understand and deal with the impact of the legal system on people. This unit will introduce students to key laws relevant to social work practice and explore ways in which the legal system influences and interacts with social work practice. The aim of this unit is for students to develop an understanding of the relevant knowledge and skills required for working in a legal context and explore the impact of the legal system on a range of population groups. The social justice and human rights focus of ethical social work practice in legal and statutory contexts will be examined. This unit enables students to develop awareness of legal and ethical knowledge to inform practice and to demonstrate effective recording and communication skills and ethical practice as important components in social work practice.
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.
Articulate how social work practice intersects wit...
Learning Outcome 01
Explain the Australian legal system and how the la...
Learning Outcome 02
Recognise key laws relevant to social work practic...
Learning Outcome 03
Explain how the legal system and law enforcement p...
Learning Outcome 04
Demonstrate the skills required for working with o...
Learning Outcome 05
Apply a social justice and human rights focus of e...
Learning Outcome 06
Content
Topics will include:
Introduction to the Australian legal system
- How the law is made and law enforcement processes
Key laws relevant to social work practice
- public and private law
- case law and statute law
- criminal law
- administrative law
- family and children’s law
- child protection
- mental health and
- consumer law
Contemporary contexts of social work practice
- the social worker and the court
- court processes and vulnerable offenders
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians
- people with mental health issues or disabilities
- children and young people
Social work skills for working in legal contexts
- recording for legal purposes
- report writing e.g., social work reports, affidavits
Ethical social work practice
- human rights and the law e.g., freedom of information, international conventions
- social work advocacy role in legal contexts
- negligence and duty of care
- social work professional responsibilities in relation to duty of care
Assessment strategy and rationale
The unit takes an authentic case-based approach to assessments facilitating students to develop and demonstrate their learning in relevant diverse contexts. The initial assessment is designed for students to demonstrate their factual knowledge of the Australian legal system. Assessment 2 is a case-based task that requires students to apply legal and social work practice knowledge towards the demonstration of social work skills and ethical practice in legal contexts by using case-notes to write a report that simulates genuine practice. Assessment 3 allows students to demonstrate and apply their knowledge of key relevant laws and their understanding of social justice and human rights considerations to a case scenario. The final assessment enables students to analyse the way in which the legal system influences and interacts with social work practice.
Overview of assessments
Test: Enables students to demonstrate understandi...
Test: Enables students to demonstrate understanding of background to the law.
20%
Legal Report: Enables students to demonstrate abi...
Legal Report: Enables students to demonstrate ability to produce a report for the court in support of client
30%
Written assignment: Enables students to demonstra...
Written assignment: Enables students to demonstrate ability to analyse and critique the intersection between social work practice and the legal system.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
Teaching and learning strategies for this unit involves lectures, small group discussions, compulsory simulated experiences and Canvas online activities. Instruction comprises 36 hours of face to face and online instruction. Tutorial activities incorporate small group learning with students engaging in discussion, often applying knowledge and theoretical unit content to cases and scenarios, and a compulsory court attendance or simulated experience of court processes. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively in class discussions. Online activities in and outside class enable students to learn from recorded video and online material and within interactive online forums.
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
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
Representative texts and references
Brayne, H., & Carr, H. (2010). Law for social workers (11th ed.) Oxford University Press.
Davis, L. (2015). See you in court. A social worker’s guide to presenting evidence in care proceedings (2nd ed). London: Jessica Kingsley.
Forrester, K., & Griffiths, D. (2015). Essentials of law for health professionals (3rd ed.). Sydney: Mosby Elsevier.
Healy, K., & Mulholland, J. (2012). Writing skills for social workers. London: Sage.
Kennedy, R., Richards, J., & Leiman, T. (2013). Integrating human service law, ethics and practice. (3rd ed.). South Melbourne, Victoria Australia: Oxford University Press.
Kerridge, I., Lowe, M. & Stewart, C. (2013). Ethics and law for health professions (4th ed.). Annandale, NSW Australia: Federation Press
Lonne, B., Parton, N., Thomson,, J., & Harries, M. (2009). Reforming child protection. Abingdon, England: Routledge.
Rice, S., Day, A. & Briskman, L. (Eds.) (2018). Social work in the shadow of the law (5th ed.) Annandale, NSW Australia: The Federation Press.
Stout, B. (2017). Community Justice in Australia: Developing knowledge, skills and values for working with offenders in the community, Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin.