Focus Statement

This assessment is designed to assist you in preparation for the integration of theory and practice and group work and team building activities that you will experience in field placement. You are asked to undertake a case study via a group work process and present the case study at the residential school. Students will have the opportunity to showcase their teamwork skills and knowledge and be guided by the Community Focused Learning (CFL) process, working together to create a theoretical analysis, assessment and proposed intervention for the case study.

Your role

You are a student social worker working with your peers in a group to undertake a case study. Using the CFL process, the group is required to discuss and critically analyse the provided case study. It is expected all students will undertake a role in the group presentation.

Product/performance

Students will be placed in small groups at residential and provided the case study. Students will be given time at residential to work on the case study. The group is to engage in a CFL model of group work and be guided by the principles and strategies of the CFL model. The presentation is to incorporate the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Code of Ethics and Practice Standards to guide and inform the case study analysis and plan. These documents and literature on the CFL model will be given to the group at residential. The presentation will also require groups to engage in and integrate independent research and reading. 

In a presentation format of your choice, the group will deliver a 10-15 minute presentation that explores these main areas:

1. The presenting and background issues integrating at least (2) relevant theories that seek to explain the situation. The theories must be clearly identified and the relationship to the scenario articulated.
2. Proposed intervention/s and a rationale for the decision. The rationale needs to identify at least (2) relevant theories informing the intervention.
3. The methods and skills that will be utilised in the proposed intervention.
4. The social work values and ethics informing your team's case analysis and proposed intervention that considers the use of professional power.
5. The benefits, risks and any other implications of the case analysis and proposed plan for those involved.
6. Irrespective of whether the case study involved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients/communities or those from Culturally and Linguistically diverse backgrounds, your presentation needs to consider the appropriateness of the theoretical approaches and interventions in these contexts.
7. Identify the insights gained for your future practice and developing practice framework from this critical evaluation process; including the use of self and self-care strategies for future practice.

Time limit

Presentations are required to remain within the 10-15 minute time limit. Presentations will be timed on the day.

Focus statement

Context is central to social work practice, and therefore, social work theories need to be examined in light of the political, cultural, social, organisational, and client context. Healy (2005, p.4) contends that 'through understanding our context, we can both recognise how our practice is shaped by context and how we might act as agents of change both within, and in relation to our context'. Drawing on unit readings, the knowledge gained from your previous study in the social work program, and field placement experiences and resources, you will discuss the interrelationship of context and social work practice including the relevance of theory and its application in your field placement organisation.

Product/performance

Produce an essay that demonstrates your analysis of the field placement context and how it informs social work practice in your field placement organisation. The essay should include the following areas:

• A brief introduction to the key elements of the field placement organisation including its mission, auspice, structure, goals and values.
• Legal, political, policy and or cultural factors and dominant discourses impacting the organisation, workers and service users.
• Knowledge of the client group/s and the problems/issues the organisation is responding to, and the theory and methods employed by the organisation to achieve its goals and respond to the needs of service users.
• An analysis of the social work practice purpose in this organisation and the theory, methods and skills utilised by social workers. Discuss how this practice purpose aligns with social work values and ethics, referring to the professional use of power and cross-cultural competencies.
• Strategies for professional self-care in this organisational context.

Word Limit

1000 -1500 words - You must remain within 10% of the word limit excluding appendices and references (maximum 1% of the overall mark will be deducted for every 100 words over or under this range). Students are welcome to use headings in the essay and include appendices such as diagrams or a brochure for the provision of additional organisational information. Headings will not be included in the word count. 

This assessment should be submitted as a Microsoft Word Document in the submission area on Moodle.

Penalties will be applied to late submissions.

References

Healy, K 2005, Social Work Theories in Context: Creating Frameworks for Practice, Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Focus statement

With a focus on social work knowledge and skills geared toward the client and/or social change, select an experience from Field Education 1 to be used as a case study to demonstrate how you integrate theory and knowledge into your practice to understand the situation and plan intervention. The case study need not be confined to direct practice such as casework, case management, group work, or family work but may be based on indirect practice such as organisational practice, neighbourhood or community work and development, social policy or research.

Product/performance

Before commencing this assessment, as Assessment 3 and 4 require students to use the same case study, it is imperative that you have chosen a case relating to your field placement experiences and carefully read both Assessment 3 and 4 task descriptions. Once this task has been undertaken you are to proceed to author short answer responses to the focus questions that highlight the research and reflective analysis you are required to engage in as part of your initial case study analysis, assessment and intervention plan. Students are welcome to use the questions as subheadings if desired and include diagrams such as an ecomap or genogram as appendices for the provision of additional case information. 

The focus questions include:

1. What are the background and primary presenting client/case needs or issues? 
2. What theories do you draw from to inform your understanding of the client/case and the issues? How do the context and other related knowledge influence this understanding (culture, organisational, policy, legal, research, etc.)? What are the possible implications of your understanding/assessment for your practice and the client/case? 
3. What are the goals for social work intervention with the case study, and the theoretical approaches informing the proposed intervention? What factors influence the goals or prioritisation of issues in this context? How does the intervention plan define change?
4. What methods and skills are necessary for these interventions to affect the desired change?
5. Discuss the social work values, ethics and standards that have been integrated into your case analysis, assessment and intervention plan. Explain how social work values and standards will be evident in your practice including your use of self with this case/client? 

Important note - Students are required to observe all ethical and professional practices and placement organisational directives in relation to respecting the anonymity of those involved. 

Word Limit

1000 words – You must remain within 10% of the word limit excluding appendices and references (maximum 1% of the overall mark will be deducted for every 100 words over or under this range)

This assessment should be uploaded as a Microsoft Word Document to the Moodle submission area. Please ensure a Size 12 font, 1.5 line spacing, paragraphs are justified, there is a cover page with essential information. Students are welcome to use the questions as headings. Headings are not included in the word count.

Penalties will apply for late submissions.

Focus statement

Reflection and evaluation of our performance and responses to various practice situations can become critical learning junctures that are incorporated into our practice framework. Reflecting on your involvement in the case study on field placement that was used in Assessment 3, you are to prepare a written essay that critically evaluates the knowledge base (theories and knowledge) and skills utilised in your involvement in the case study. With a focus on reflective and reflexive practice, you are to identify recommendations for your case formulation and future involvement in this case along with the insights you have gained about your developing practice framework.

Product/performance

You are to provide a written academic and professional evaluation of your practice through your involvement in the case study (the same case study used in Assessment 3) while on field placement. The evaluation needs to include your assessment of whether processes of change reached an impasse or if change strategies were accomplished. The integration of knowledge, theory and research along with social work values and ethics should inform your evaluation and recommendations. The use of examples will be necessary to support the evaluation and demonstrate the integration of theory and practice.

Your evaluation should include:

• A summary of the change interventions that were possible in the case study or where change processes reached an impasse, and justify, on reflection, your course of action. Clearly articulate how you are defining change or impasse in relation to the case and the knowledge informing this understanding.
• In light of your involvement in the case and what you know now, evaluate the initial theoretical understanding, assessment, and intervention plan and identify the values and assumptions informing the case formulation, its impact on the client/situation and any implications it had for working with this client/case. Identify the influence of individualistic and or social/structural theory in your case study plan and evaluate the impact of these understandings on the client/situation and your practice.
• A summary reflection and evaluation of your involvement in the case including your reflections on both your strengths and areas for development in your practice and your use of self.
• Demonstrating reflective and reflexive practice, identify new understandings and knowledge you have gained from your involvement in the case, and discuss how this new knowledge will inform your developing practice framework and future practice with this case or similar case situations.
• Irrespective of whether the case study selected involved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients/communities or those from Culturally and Linguistically diverse backgrounds, a section of the paper must be devoted to evaluating the theoretical approaches that would be appropriate to your chosen course of action in these contexts.

Important note - Students are required to observe all ethical and professional practices and placement organisational directives in relation to respecting the anonymity of those involved.

Word Limit

1500 - 2000 words - You must remain within 10% of the word limit excluding appendices and references (maximum 1% of the overall mark will be deducted for every 100 words over or under this range).

This assessment should be uploaded as a Microsoft Word Document to the respective Assessment submission area on Moodle. Please ensure a Size font 12, 1.5 line spacing, paragraphs are justified, and there is a cover page with essential information.

Penalties will apply for late submissions.

You must attend the compulsory residential to complete this course. Please note that attendance and successful completion of the residential is a course requirement, and therefore, any previous attempts at Field Education 1 and Integrating Theory and Practice 1 that resulted in a fail grade, any previous residential attendance for this unit are not rolled over or counted towards a subsequent attempt at the course.

You must ensure that you have 'signed in and out' of every residential session. The residential staff will be reviewing the attendance sheet after each session to ensure that students are present for the entirety of the residential. Staff will not be expected to follow up on any absentees, it will be solely the responsibility of the student to ensure that 'record of attendance' is completed. In order to meet the requirements of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), a student cannot miss any more than two hours of the residential and must provide a reason to do so (i.e. unavoidable event, illness).

You must pass this assessment to pass the unit. Failure to pass this unit will result in the final grade of 'Fail' for the entire unit.