SWB207 Young People, Social Justice and Diversity
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | SWB207 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
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| CSP student contribution | The Commonwealth supported place student contribution amount for this unit depends upon the course of study. Find out more |
| Pre-2021 CSP student contribution | The pre-2021 commonwealth supported place (CSP) contribution amount only applies to students enrolled in a course prior to 2021. To learn more, visit our Understanding your fees page. |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,204 |
| International unit fee | $4,572 |
Unit Outline: Semester 2 2025, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | SWB207 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Coordinator: | Katherine Reid | k6.reid@qut.edu.au |
Overview
As social work and human service practitioners it is essential to have an understanding of and capacity to critique the range of ways young people are constructed in academic and popular contexts. It is essential for social work and human service practitioners to have an understanding of dominant bio-medical discourses and social constructions of young peoples’ mental health. This unit introduces you to contrasting perspectives and debates in mental health policy and practice. A contextualised understanding of young peoples’ mental distress will be explored. Professional power in the mental health system will be analysed. You will develop knowledge about the role of advocacy for socially just ways of working in the child and youth mental health field. Trauma-informed, strengths-based and recovery approaches will be considered from a critical social work perspective. This unit supports critical mental health practice and emancipatory approaches with children and young people.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Critically analyse the various theoretical and popular approaches/ constructions around 'youth' and 'adolescence'
- Critique dominant and emerging mental health practice approaches with young people
- Critically articulate the ways diversity and marginalisation impact on young people
- Synthesise, apply knowledge of and reflect on contemporary mental health policies and service delivery systems and programs directed at young people in Australia
- Apply team collaboration and communication skills for emancipatory and socially just youth work practice
Content
The unit focuses on a critical orientation to youth work practice and the contemporary provision of youth services in relation to mental health. You will explore the following areas:
- Social construction of young people in mental health and social service delivery system.
- Dominant discourses and constructions of mental health.
- Critical theories and lived experience knowledge for critical social work mental health practice
- Perspectives in mental health practice: Trauma-informed, strengths-based, and recovery approaches.
- Socio-cultural dimensions: Diversity, inclusion, and professional power dynamics in service delivery.
- Role of advocacy: Driving socially just policies and practices.
- Positioning socially just approaches to working with young people and .children.
Relates to learning outcomes
Learning outcomes link to:
AASW Education and Accreditation Standards (2020): 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.3, 6.1-6.4
AASW Practice Standards (2013): 3.1, 4.1, 5.4
ACWA Practice Guidelines (2017): 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 1.6, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 , 2.6, 4.4, 5.2, 5.4, 5.5, 5.7
Learning Approaches
The unit is conducted through weekly lectures and small group learning activities such as discussion of readings, reflection on life experience, case analysis, and small group work. Teaching approaches are designed to encourage and support active learning and the development of the skills of critical analysis. Reading, questioning, talking, listening, reflecting, writing and identifying and dealing with problems are integral activities in the learning process. The role of the unit staff will be to promote and scaffold learning. A Canvas home page supports the unit.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
The unit will have both formative and summative assessment. Feedback in this unit in provided in the following ways:
- A range of formative exercises will be discussed in class
- Comments on summative assessment work in addition to criteria sheets
- Generic comments back to the cohort via QUT Canvas
- Criteria sheet grading
- Feedback from peers, and tutor during in class discussions and presentations.
You will work collaboratively in groups and individually. Each assessment item is designed to measure your ability to apply the knowledge and skills stated in the unit learning outcomes.
Assessment
Overview
There are two items of assessment in this unit: a group presentation and critical reflection essay. The first piece of assessment has a group and an individual component. The presentation provides an opportunity for you to collaboratively lead a group discussion. present on a chosen topic of practice with young people and offer individual insights. Your final piece of assessment provides an individual written analysis and critical reflection of socially just practice and policy in mental health organisations. Both assessment items are designed to measure your ability to apply the knowledge and skills stated in the unit learning outcomes.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Group Presentation
In small tutorial groups you will offer an analysis of a recent mental health awareness/anti-stigma campaign from a critical perspective.
Group (30%)
Drawing on key unit concepts and readings your group will analyse the benefits and concerns regarding your chosen campaign. Your small groups will also jointly facilitate a larger group discussion in your tutorial session.
Individual (20%)
Each group member will present their analysis component and ideas for an alternative campaign, which considers the social context of mental distress and is informed by a power analysis.
This assessment task is authentic as it mirrors social work core knowledge, values and skills for working with young people and collaboratively in teams in professional mental health practice contexts on a daily basis.
Assessment: Critical Reflection Essay
This written reflection will involve you identifying an image which represents how unit concepts reflect and/or challenge your prior understandings of mental distress/ and or the mental health system. You will provide a discussion about what you have learnt in the unit.
Based on your critical reflection you will also discuss what difference the learnings will make to your future practice in the child and youth mental health field. More specific requirements for this task will be discussed further in the lecture and tutorial sessions.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
White, R, Wyn, J & Robards, B (2017) Youth and Society (4th ed) Oxford University Press
Other
Key references for each week's topics
QUT readings for Semester 2 are on the unit home page.
Other readings can also be found under topic headings - this is updated regularly so keep checking the relevant topic folders.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.SW03 Bachelor of Human Services
- Critique tenets of social justice, inclusive of political and environmental justice, critical theory and social action, and cultivate a commitment toward contributing to an inclusive democratic society. Knowledge, Values and Disposition
Relates to: Critical Reflection Essay - Implement strategies for engaging with socially progressive, anti-oppressive, culturally safe and ethical practice and research, in the context of redressing injustices, inequalities and broad social problems. Practice, Values and Disposition
Relates to: Critical Reflection Essay - Critically examine diversity in human services and compare and contrast the effects of different social, political, cultural and historical circumstances on the beliefs, values and aspirations of various groups (including Indigenous and non-Indigenous, women). Knowledge, Values and Disposition
Relates to: Critical Reflection Essay
SW04 Bachelor of Social Work
- Critique and apply coherent theoretical, practical and contextually relevant social work knowledge, skills and values, and cultivate a commitment toward meeting diverse clients and community needs. [Knowledge, Practice, Values and Disposition]
Relates to: Critical Reflection Essay - Access, evaluate, and utilise relevant social work information that informs and assists in intra- and inter-professional communication in a range of contexts, through effective oral, written and digital interactions. [Practice, Knowledge]
Relates to: Critical Reflection Essay - Critically examine tenets of diversity and diverse perspectives in social work, and advocate for a socially just society and the promotion of human dignity that reflect different social, political, cultural and historical circumstances, on the beliefs, values and aspirations of various groups, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. [Values and Disposition, Knowledge, Practice]
Relates to: Critical Reflection Essay
SW05 Bachelor of Social Work (Honours)
- Critically evaluate theoretical, practical and contextually relevant social work knowledge, skills and values and, as a change facilitator, meet diverse client and community needs that promote social justice
Relates to: Critical Reflection Essay - Formulate and implement strategies using advanced knowledge and research skills to analyse, consolidate and synthesise social and practice evidence to generate solutions and to inform professional practice and decision-making
Relates to: Critical Reflection Essay - Construct and implement strategies for practising collaboratively and independently, focused on socially progressive, anti-oppressive, culturally safe and ethical practice, integral to the standards of professional social work practice
Relates to: Critical Reflection Essay - Access, evaluate and utilise social work information to advocate for a socially just society and the promotion of human dignity and worth that reflect different social, political, cultural and historical circumstances, on the beliefs, values and aspirations of various groups, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations
Relates to: Critical Reflection Essay