Your piece of assessment is a 1800 word report (+/- 10%) on your emerging Practice Framework for social work - how you will go about the complex professional task of providing social work services to those in need. You are referred to the first workshop material on practice frameworks and the sort of factors that shape the ways in which different social workers practice. For example the Domain Theory provides a number of areas, or domains, that influence the diverse ways that practice is organized, undertaken and understood across the human services.
The essential assessment task is to describe, analyse and justify your emerging professional practice framework, highlighting the key influential factors shaping your approach to practice and two core theories you will utilise within a specific nominated practice field and service-delivery organizational context.
This assessment piece requires you to do the following:
1. Describe the practice field (or sub-sector) that you wish to practise social work in and the type of agency, service and role that you aspire to work as a social worker
2. Identify, describe and critically analyse your personal and professional capabilities (knowledge and skills) that you have or that you do not yet have at the required level but are seeking to develop
3. Critically analyse your personal fit with core social work values and ethics and examine how these will shape the ways in which you will approach your practice roles
4. Identify, describe and critically examine two practice theories, models or approaches that you are confident will be congruent with your values and beliefs about social work practice
5. A succinct summary and conclusion highlighting the key points made
You will be building upon the work undertaken to complete your PLP but enhancing this by clearly articulating the linkages between your capabilities and values, the fit with the social work profession's approaches, and some specific theories for practice within an identified practice field. This assessment piece will help to prepare you for your subsequent professional placement in the following semester, or later if you are studying part time. In essence, this assessment piece requires you to articulate your emerging practice framework and critically analyse the approaches you will undertake in practising social work by identifying the salient influences that shape your approach to practice.
Report Structure
There are many ways that the report can be structured and the following is a suggested outline for how you might approach structuring this piece of assessment, but this is not the only way that can be taken.
Introduction and area of practiceThis should succinctly introduce the report and outline to the reader what areas it will cover. It should then highlight the area of practice sought in their career by the student. It might include, for example, the practice field, type of agency (e.g. NGO) and service delivered (e.g. family support), and the nature of the social work role and its duties (e.g. case management, community development).(up to 200 words)
Social work capabilitiesIn this part of the report you should succinctly describe your personal and professional capabilities for social work practice in the practice field identified earlier. This part should critically analyse the degree of fit with the student's current knowledge and skills with the established requirements for practice in the particular area and to identify areas of strength and those which require further development. (up to200 words)
Social work values and ethicsWhen addressing this area students should focus on their own alignment with the social work profession's identified values and ethical principles and highlight areas of congruence and difference.The emphasis of this section is might these various influences shape the author's social work practice.This should be followed by a critical examination of how the student anticipates advocating and implementing values such as social justice, human rights and the key ethical principles of respect and integrity, and the associated ethical requirements (e.g. confidentiality, informed consent etc). Students might explore points of tension with their own and the profession's values, and how well (or not) their own ideological beliefs fit within those of the profession (e.g. non-judementalism, support for the marginalized and impoverished groups, self-determination). (up to400 words).
Selected social work theories for practiceIn this major section the student must select two theories for practice (this can include theories such as ecological systems, models such as crisis intervention, or approaches such as narrative therapy). They must succinctly describe these theories and highlight how the student proposes to use them in their selected practice field and human service agency's services to address the pertinent issues that service users present with. Hence students need to justify why the selected theories are valid ones to use in this particular service context. (up to 900 words)
Summary and conclusionYou should summarise the key points and arguments made in your report so that the reader is left with a clear understanding of the essence of your thesis. (up to 100 words)
Reference List
You should appropriately use references and the APA style guide to support your arguments in this assessment piece. The references should not be included in the word limit of 2000 words
E-Portfolio
We recommend that you place relevant material into your E-Portfolio.The E-Portfolio will then remain with you and continue to be developed throughout the MSW.You will need to do the tutorials which can be located at:https://www.studenteportfolio.qut.edu.au