Foundations for social work practice

This unit is designed to equip you with the foundational knowledge and skills for effective social work practice. It establishes the baseline capabilities critical for optimal performance in your first field work placement.

The focus of this unit is on your application of the micro skills known to be common to effective client engagement and therapeutic change. You will master a beginner level practice competency built from an understanding of the self and your implicit biases, and developing a non -judgemental lens to conceptualise and frame client problems. From this position you will learn how to connect with a broad range of service users with a focus on individuals and families. You will develop the building blocks of a therapeutic alliance that reinforces and reflects collaborative decision making, deep listening, open questioning and reflection in client interactions. This unit privileges the ‘doing’ of your social work practice through undertaking role plays, case studies and structured simulations in small classes as the platform of learning.

This unit emphasises your strengths-based approach across the lifespan and explores the interrelated dimensions of a person’s life such as biological, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual.

You will critically appraise and practice administering a biopsychosocial assessment. You will also identify risk and protective factors at individual, family, community and societal levels that impede or enhance child, adolescent and adult development

You will explore the symbiotic relationship between assessment and intervention and the common skills that form the foundation of accurate and effective assessment tools and interventions in social work practice to enhance wellbeing and reduce risk.