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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.

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.