| 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:
Overview
Over the last two decades in Australia and other countries, statutory child protection services have had to manage increasing numbers of children and young people entering and remaining in the child protection system. Given the breadth and scope of child protection work across Government and Non-Government agencies, it is crucial for human services professionals to understand the foundational concepts that contribute to child protection practice. Practitioners must be cognisant of the influence of their own values and experiences on thresholds of risk. Human services professionals must learn critically reflective practice as an essential introductory concept in the safety and well-being of children and young people.
This course will enable participants to examine the origins and evolution of the idea of child protection practice and underpinning theoretical concepts. The moral, social, educational, legal and political discourses as well as educational, psychological, sociological and medical theories of child development will be considered as contributors to shaping child protection practice. A socio-political lens will be applied to child protection practice and the influence of broader social structures on child abuse will be considered. Further, participants will reflect on how their own values, beliefs and experiences shape how they might approach assessing the safety and wellbeing of a child and/or young person.
Course learning outcomes
On completion of this course students should be able to:
- Describe and critique the definition of child abuse and the competing discourses and theoretical perspectives that contribute to how this definition is enacted in practice.
- Describe the origins and evolution of the idea of child protection practice.
- Critically reflect on how personal values and beliefs influence risk assessment in child protection practice.
- Determine the breadth and scope of child protection practice across Government and Non-Government sectors.
- Examine effective roles for human service workers within child protection practice.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Origin and Evolution of the idea of Child Protection Practice | 12.50 |
| 2. | Dominant Discourses Shaping Perspectives on Risk | 12.50 |
| 3. | Theoretical Underpinnings of Child Abuse | 12.50 |
| 4. | The Social Construction of Child Abuse | 12.50 |
| 5. | Application of Theoretical Underpinnings to Practice | 12.50 |
| 6. | The Influence of Personal Values and Beliefs | 12.50 |
| 7. | Critically Reflective Child Protection Practice | 12.50 |
| 8. | Determining Knowledge for Child Protection Practice | 12.50 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
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
| Description | Group Assessment |
Weighting (%) | Course learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Case 精东传媒app | No | 20 | 1 |
| Essay 1 | No | 40 | 1,2,3 |
| Essay 2 | No | 40 | 1,4,5 |