Unit rationale, description and aim
Social workers are required to understand and respond to human experiences in the context of socio-political, cultural and environmental factors. In this unit students will be introduced to community development work as a method of social work practice. This unit focuses on developing knowledge and skills for practice with communities, in order to enhance the rights and wellbeing of community members. The unit requires students to develop advanced level capacities to identify, analyse and critically evaluate the role of social work in professional practice with communities in Australia and internationally, with particular reference to community development and social activism. Through critical examination of a range of community projects, campaigns and initiatives, students will identify, and appraise a range of theoretical underpinnings, methodological approaches, ethics and values involved in social work with communities. Ethical issues in community work and particular themes for diverse populations, including rural communities, Indigenous populations, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, and international communities, will be explored. This aim of this unit is to provide students with knowledge and skills in community work, an essential area of social work intervention and the profession’s commitment to wellbeing and social justice, including the opportunity to participate in a community project to put their theory and skills into action.
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.
Explain contemporary community work approaches and...
Learning Outcome 01
Identify and critique the key theoretical principl...
Learning Outcome 02
Evaluate and reflect on the use of self and the in...
Learning Outcome 03
Apply models, values and ethical principles in com...
Learning Outcome 04
Critically appraise the roles of social workers in...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
The Concept of Community
- The relationship between community work and social work
- Ethical issues in community work
- Differences between
- community development
- social development
- social action
- community organization
Contextualising Community
- Historical development of community work
- State intervention and the community
- Community as arena for social policy
- Community practice theories
- Emerging and innovative initiatives in community practice,
Social Action
- Radicalism and community work
- Activism and the labour movement
- Social movements and building alliances (Australian and overseas examples)
- Activism and the social justice movement and the role of social media
Social Development
- Integrated development
- Concept of social planning
- International development
- Aid programs and developments
- Role of agencies
- World Bank
- Civil Society in Development
Community Organising
- Understanding community organisations
- Legitimacy
- Accountability
- Representativeness
- Engaging with a community, including cultural sensitivity and consultation with Elders and cultural experts when required
- Participation and power
- Identifying inequality and discrimination in communities
- Strategies for working together
- Collaboration or competition
Community Development in and with Diverse Communities
- Local communities
- urban
- rural
- International communities
- Working with culturally and linguistically diverse communities
- Engaging and partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
- Concept of community work in these contexts
- Understanding the community and self as practitioner
Doing Community Work
- Models of community practice
- Capacity Building
- Asset-Based Community (ABCD approach)
- Needs and Wants
- Doing a community profile
Community Development Roles and Skills in Social Work Strategies:
- using the media
- lobbying
- funding
Evaluation in Social Work with Communities
- Program planning
- Evaluation in community organisations
Assessment strategy and rationale
ON CAMPUS MODE
This unit takes an authentic assessment approach allowing students to develop their learning and competency in social work practice with communities. Assessment 1 is designed for students to demonstrate their ability to evaluate and reflect on the use of self and the influence of personal values and ideologies on community practice.
Assessment 2 enables students to participate in a community project in a small group and present the project to the tutorial group. Students will demonstrate effective use of oral presentation skills to communicate key concepts, theories and frameworks when working in communities.
Assessment 3 enables students to describe, critically analyse and evaluate a community based project, campaign or initiative and identify:
- The degree of community participation with particular reference to community strengths and social capital building
- The roles of social workers and/or other professionals involved
- The theoretical principles employed
- Ethical issues and considerations
In order to pass this unit students must demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome, pass hurdle tasks, attendance requirements, and obtain a minimum mark of 50% in graded units.
ACU ONLINE
Assessment 1 is designed as a formative assessment to test students' knowledge on the core approaches used in social work with communities prior to the intensive block.
Assessment 2 enables students to participate in a simulated community project in a small group and present the project to their peers and educators. Students will demonstrate their application of key concepts, theories and frameworks when working in communities.
Assessment 3 enables students to describe, critically analyse and evaluate a community project and identify:
- The degree of community participation with particular reference to community strengths and social capital building
- The roles of social workers and/or other professionals involved
- The theoretical principles employed
- Ethical issues and considerations
In order to pass this unit students must demonstrate achievement of every unit learning outcome, pass hurdle tasks, attendance requirements, and obtain a minimum mark of 50% in graded units.
Overview of assessments
ON CAMPUS MODE
HURDLE ASSESSMENT - 80% attendance requirement hu...
HURDLE ASSESSMENT - 80% attendance requirement hurdle for on campus tutorials and community project activities.
Assessment 1: Reflective Task: To enable students...
Assessment 1: Reflective Task: To enable students to conceptualise a community work approach and further develop their ability to evaluate and reflect on the use of self and the influence of personal values and ideologies on community practice.
30%
Assessment 2: Group Presentation: To enable stude...
Assessment 2: Group Presentation: To enable students to communicate key community development concepts applied to a community project. 30 minute presentation.
30%
Assessment 3: Critical Analysis: To enable studen...
Assessment 3: Critical Analysis: To enable students to analyse a community project, applying key community development concepts and theoretical frameworks.
40%
ACU ONLINE
HURDLE ASSESSMENT - 100% attendance required for ...
HURDLE ASSESSMENT - 100% attendance required for five day intensive
Pre-intensive Assessment Task: Online Quiz: To te...
Pre-intensive Assessment Task:
Online Quiz: To test students knowledge of key approaches used in social work with communities.
30%
Group Presentation: To enable students to communi...
Group Presentation: To enable students to communicate key community development concepts applied to a simulated community project.
30%
Critical Analysis: To enable students to ana...
Critical Analysis: To enable students to analyse a community project, applying key community development concepts and theoretical frameworks.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
ON CAMPUS MODE
This unit adopts an authentic learning approach where students work in small groups in collaboration with human service organizations to identify a community issue, to plan a community work response and to implement some community work strategies. This unit involves 150 hours of learning of face-to-face lectures, interactive tutorials, and community engagement. Teaching and learning strategies include lectures, tutorials, workshops, community development projects, and reflective and critical thinking activities. Teaching and learning strategies will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner, and as a social worker who needs to work productively in groups and collaboratively with communities. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively within class and community activities. This unit comprises learning and teaching activities with a prescribed attendance requirement deemed necessary to achieve the intended learning outcomes and skill development. Lectures will provide detailed content about the theory of community development, practice models, collaborative and participatory practice, and responding to diversity and unique community contexts. The major project for this unit has students participate in a current community project with a service in their local area, to ensure active practice of community engagement and intervention skills on a real life project. This approach ensures theory and skills for community development are practiced, integrated and applied, preparing students for successful professional practice.
ACU ONLINE
This unit adopts an authentic learning approach where students work in small groups in collaboration to identify a community issue, to plan a community work response and to implement community work strategies based on a simulated community organisation. This unit involves 150 hours of learning with intensive in-person classes, online preparation, and simulation activities. Teaching and learning strategies include online recordings and activities, a five day on campus attendance intensive involving a simulated community development project, fostering reflective and critical thinking. Teaching and learning strategies will reflect respect for the individual as an independent learner, and as a social worker who needs to work productively in groups and collaboratively with communities. Students will be expected to take responsibility for their learning and to participate actively online and in-person.
This unit comprises learning and teaching activities with a prescribed attendance requirement deemed necessary to achieve the intended learning outcomes, skill development and AASW requirements for on-campus attendance, in person learning. Online content will provide the theory of community development, practice models, collaborative and participatory practice, and responding to diversity and unique community contexts. The major project for this unit has students participate in a simulated community project, to ensure active practice of community engagement and intervention skills. This approach ensures theory and skills for community development are practiced, integrated and applied, preparing students for successful professional practice.
REQUIREMENTS OF UNIT
This Unit incorporates professional social work skills based teaching and learning, and therefore has an attendance requirement of a minimum of 80% attendance at tutorials.
An attendance record for tutorials and community project activities will be kept for on campus students.
On line students are required to attend a five day intensive program (100% attendance requirement)
Reasons why attendance is required
In tutorials, you will be interacting with other students and developing skills which you will use in your professional experience. Students who do not attend are at risk of not developing the required knowledge and essential skills. As this hurdle task relates to a student’s attendance, there is only one attempt available to meet this requirement.
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