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HSW1000 Foundations of the Human Services Disciplines

Semester 2, 2023 Online
Units : 1
School or Department : School of Psychology and Wellbeing
Grading basis : Graded
Course fee schedule : /current-students/administration/fees/fee-schedules

Staffing

Course Coordinator: Amber Smith

Overview

This course introduces students to the key elements in the field of health and social welfare - its historical and current socio-economic, political and organisational contexts. It demonstrates how these elements inform the issues and processes of assessment and intervention in a range of practice contexts with a view to give students a general idea of the profession they have chosen and encourage critical thinking about the areas that they may be interested in during coming semesters.

This course provides an overview and introduction of social welfare and health theories, services, values, and practice from Australian and international perspectives. It establishes the intellectual and value context for the broader human service field and introduces students to key perspectives of health, welfare, vulnerability and disadvantage. Content covered includes national and international history of health and social welfare provision and explores the philosophies, underpinning values, debates, and practice in Australia and abroad through interactive lectures and tutorial activities.

Course learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course students should be able to:

  1. Examine the historical and current social welfare and health systems in Australian society through an introductory analysis of prevalent trends in key sectors such as health, disability, aging, housing, justice, and employment.
  2. Explore relevant frameworks, concepts and values that influence and underpin international and local human services practice including disadvantage in social groups.
  3. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of various broader strategies designed to prevent and address disadvantage and promote wellbeing.
  4. Examine the scope of the roles, contexts, functions, and activities of human services and health services in addressing social care needs.
  5. Describe and critique key debates to identify trends within society that pertain to health and social welfare.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Introduction to health and social welfare 20.00
2. Wellbeing, vulnerability and disadvantage 25.00
3. Philosophies of practice 25.00
4. Service delivery 20.00
5. Where to from here? – Working with difference and diversity. 10.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

Chenoweth, L., & McAuliffe, D. 2021, The road to social work & human service practice, 6th edn, Cengage AU.

Student workload expectations

To do well in this subject, students are expected to commit approximately 10 hours per week including class contact hours, independent study, and all assessment tasks. If you are undertaking additional activities, which may include placements and residential schools, the weekly workload hours may vary.

Assessment details

Approach Type Description Group
Assessment
Weighting (%) Course learning outcomes
Assignments Written Quiz No 20 1,2
Assignments Written Essay No 40 2,3,4
Assignments Written Case Study No 40 3,4,5
Date printed 9 February 2024