SWTP420 - Social Policy and Social Work (Honours)

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

SWTP321 Field Education in Social Work 2 OR SWTP333 Social Work Field Education 1

Teaching organisation

Unit rationale, description and aim

Social workers analyse, implement and contribute to the development of social policy. This unit analyses the policy dimensions of social work practice in the Australian context. Students will research and analyse public policy issues relevant for social work practice. The unit emphasises skill development in advocacy, and the analysis of public policy, particularly in relation to vulnerable and diverse populations within a broader ethical social work practice framework. As such, this unit will provide students with development of advanced knowledge and skills in examining how social policy frameworks explain the development and implementation of policy in both government and non-government contexts. Honours Students will critically analyse the current policy practice issues, evaluate policy evidence base and conceptualise social policy work as central to 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.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Outline the policy context of social work practice and the practice skills required (GA1, GA2, GA5)

LO2 - Relate social policy frameworks to the social, political and cultural contexts of public/social policy (GA5, GA10) 

LO3 - Apply social work values, skills and ethics to critique selected contemporary social issues and related policy responses (GA4, GA8)

LO4 - Articulate clearly an informed position on a selected policy issue that reflects the principles of social justice (GA6, GA8, GA9, GA10)

LO5 - Critically evaluate the evidence base for a selected policy. (GA8)

Graduate attributes

GA1 - demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity 

GA2 - recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society 

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession 

GA6 - solve problems in a variety of settings taking local and international perspectives into account

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.

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  

Content

Topics will include:

The Institutions of Public Policy

• role of social workers in social policy
• social, political and cultural institutions
• not-for-profit sector
• values based organisations in the human services

Policy Advocacy, Media and Writing for Policy 

• Policy in the media context, debates, discourses, analysis 

Contemporary Issues in Policy

• State and territory domains
• Commonwealth domain
• Indigenous Policy
• Multicultural Policy
• Women’s policy 
• Housing policy
• Disability
• Child safety

Policy Analysis - Analytical skills

• Models and theory for understanding policy
• Comparative policy
• Policy practice framework
• The policy cycle
• The purpose of policy analysis
• Analytic frameworks
• Policy instruments
• Models of public decision making & influence

Policy Practice Skills

• interactional skills & communication
• developing linkages
• analytical, interactional and political skills in policy discourse and practice
• writing policy skills
• implementing policy 
• influencing change in the policy context 
• evaluating policy in context 
• appraising the evidence base for policy choices

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit involves 150 hours with a combination of face-to-face lectures, small group tutorials and LEO. A visit to the local Parliament to observe Parliament in sitting is also recommended.

The lectures ensure that there is adequate coverage on the definitions, processes and implementation frameworks in public policy analysis for social workers. Tutorials incorporate small group, collaborative learning with students engaging in group learning tasks and active discussion of contemporary public policy issues relevant to social work practitioners. In order to achieve associated learning outcomes, there is an 80% minimum attendance requirement for tutorials. Policy analysis and review includes identification of policy themes as prioritised by the Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) and Australian Association of Social Works (AASW). These resources will be utilised allowing students to better understand and explore good practice policy outcomes. Through this engagement with contemporary policy discourses in Australia students will be building skills and competency in advocacy through policy making.

Assessment strategy and rationale

The critical media analysis and individual presentation assesses students’ capacity to identify and reflect on contemporary public policy discourses in the field of public policy. These directly relate to understanding social policy frameworks in the social, political and cultural contexts of public/social policy (LO2) examining key public policy discourses in social work practice. These assignments are authentic and adopt critical thinking approaches key to social work in a public policy environment. 

The policy proposal assesses students’ ability to prioritise, plan, and engage with public policy through identification of social problems and critically evaluating the evidence base for policy (LO5). These assessments give students an opportunity to articulate the importance of public policy in social work practice (LO4). 

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Althaus, C., Bridgman., P., & Davis, G. (2013). The Australian policy handbook (5thed.).  Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin. 

Carson, E., & Kerr, L. (2017). Australian Social Policy and the Human Services. (2nd ed) Cambridge, University Press. 

Cunningham, J. & Cunningham, S. (2012). Social Policy and Social Work: An Introduction. Exeter: Learning Matters.

Dalton, T., Draper, M., Weeks, W., & Wiseman, J. (1996).  Making social policy in Australia: An introduction. Chapter 4. Crow’s Nest: Allen & Unwin. 

Dickens, J. (2010), Social work and social policy - An introduction, London: Routledge.

Haigh, Y. (2012). Public Policy in Australia. Melbourne: Oxford University Press

John, P. (2012). Analyzing Public Policy. Basingstoke: Routledge.

Maddison, S., & Denniss, R. (2013). An introduction to Australian public policy: Theory and practice. (2nd ed.). Port Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.

McClelland, A. & Smyth, P. (2010), Social policy in Australia – Understanding for action. (2nd ed.), Melbourne, Australia: Oxford University Press. 

McConnell, A. (2010), Understanding policy success – Rethinking public policy. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Mendes, P. (2017). Australia’s Welfare Wars: The Players, The Politics and The ideologies,

                  (3rd ed). UNSW

Wanna, J.,Butcher, J.,& Freyens, B. (2010). Policy in action –The challenge of service delivery, Sydney, Australia: UNSW.