Inherent requirements for Bachelor of Social Work

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Compliance with the codes, guidelines and policies (opens in a new window) facilitates safe, competent interactions and relationships for students and/or the people with whom they engage. This supports the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of all.
» Knowledge of, and compliance with the AASW Codes of Ethics (opens in a new window) is a requirement of course accreditation and graduate standards as mandated in the AASW Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards June 2012 [PDF, 703 KB](opens in a new window)

Exemplars:

» Demonstrating appropriate behaviour with confidential information in classroom and field placement settings
» Demonstrate ability to reflect on ethical dilemmas and issues and take responsibility for ensuring awareness of ethical behaviour

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Behavioural stability is required to work individually and in teams in changing and unpredictable environments. Social work students will be exposed to highly complex human situations and will be required to have behavioural stability to manage these events

Exemplars:

» Being receptive and responding appropriately to constructive feedback
» Coping with own emotions and behaviour effectively when dealing with individuals in the field placement setting

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Knowledge, understanding, and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements are necessary prerequisites to field placements in order to reduce the risk of harm to self and others
» Compliance with these professional regulations and the Australian Law in the field placement setting ensures that students are both responsible and accountable for their practice

Exemplars:

» Complying with relevant child protection and safety legislation and reporting any notifiable concerns to your field placement supervisor

Student demonstrates:
» Sensitivity to individual and/or cultural differences
» The ability to understand and respond to verbal communication accurately, appropriately and in a timely manner
» The ability to provide clear instructions in the context of the situation
» Timely clear feedback and reporting

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Communicating in a way that displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships
» Communication may be restricted to verbal because of physical limitations of the individual (e.g. injury, disease or congenital conditions)
» Speed and interactivity of communication may be critical for individual safety and or assessment
» Timely, accurate and effective delivery of instructions is necessary to provide safe professional support

Exemplars:

» Participating in tutorial and clinical discussions
» Responding appropriately in an interview in the field placement setting

Justification of inherent requirement:

» The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues assists with building rapport with people and gaining their trust and respect in academic and professional relationships.
» Displaying consistent and appropriate facial expressions, eye contact, being mindful of space, time boundaries and body movements and gestures promotes trust in academic and professional relationships.
» Being sensitive to individual and/or cultural differences displays respect and empathy to others and develops trusting relationships that are essential for effective professional support.
» The ability to observe and understand non-verbal cues is essential for effective observation of client reactions to facilitate assessment and to provide professional support.

Exemplars:

» Recognising and responding appropriately in classroom situations
» Recognising and responding appropriately to cues in the field placement environment

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Construction of written text based assessment tasks to reflect the required academic standards are necessary to convey knowledge and understanding of relevant subject matter for professional practice standards
» Accurate written communication, including record keeping, client instructions and case notes is vital to provide consistent and accurate assessments and professional support in the field placement context

Exemplars:

» Constructing an essay to academic standards
» Constructing a social worker's report in a timely manner that meets professional standards

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Safe and effective social work practice is based on knowledge that must be sourced, understood and applied appropriately
» A demonstrated defined range of knowledge and cognitive skills is a requirement for course accreditation, field placements and professional registration by the AASW

Exemplars:

» Ability to conceptualise and use appropriate knowledge in response to academic assessment items
» Appropriately applying knowledge of policy and procedures in the field placement setting

Justification of inherent requirement:

» The ability to acquire information and to accurately convey messages is fundamental to ensure safe and effective assessment, treatment and professional support
» The ability to read, decode, interpret and comprehend multiple sources of information is fundamental for safe and effective professional support in the field placement context

Exemplars:

» Conveying a spoken message accurately and effectively in a field placement setting
» Paraphrasing, summarising and referencing in accordance with appropriate academic and/or professional practice conventions
» Producing accurate, concise and clear case notes which meets legal and professional practice requirements

Student demonstrates:
» The ability to establish and maintain rapport with clients, academic staff, supervisors and peers
» The ability to engage in effective and empathic counselling skills
» Ability to engage and relate appropriately in individual and group clinical supervision and experiential learning groups

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Highly developed relational skills are a cornerstone of effective relationships that permit effective assessment and intervention

Exemplars:

» Rapidly building rapport with a client in order to engage them in an assessment while on placement
» Effectively using relational and interpersonal skills to manage relationships with clients while on placement

Student demonstrates:
» The ability to accurately reflect on their professional performance
» The ability to accept feedback on their professional practice and respond constructively

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Participation in supervision is a key teaching strategy in social work education which requires well developed understanding of oneself in order to appropriately engage in this activity
» Working with clients while on placement and understanding and responding to them requires well developed understanding of oneself and the ability to effectively manage one's reactions to situations that may arise

Exemplars:

» Identifying when a practice issue is outside one's scope or expertise or when one's practice may be negatively affected by personal experience and/or reactions.

Justification of inherent requirement:

» Sufficient physical and mental resilience is an essential requirement needed to perform tasks in an assigned period to provide effective, safe and professional support in the field placement context

Exemplars:

» Participating in tutorials, lectures, skills
» Providing consistent field placement practice over a negotiated time frame