SOCWORK 711 : Social Work Interventions for Best Practice
Education and Social Work
2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
This course explores the concept and production of "evidence" and its relevance to "best practice" in social work. Emphasising the critical analysis of evidence-based practice, this course encourages students to become discerning consumers of knowledge to ensure the interventions they employ are grounded in the best available evidence. Students will evaluate evidence-informed approaches, such as Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for their efficacy and applicability to social work across cultures and client groups. They will learn to make informed practice decisions and to adapt interventions to meet unique client needs, with a view to the best possible outcomes for the clients and communities they will serve. Through practice, reflection, and critique of different approaches, students will begin to articulate, evaluate, and refine their own practice ideas.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 1: | People and Place |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate competence in critically evaluating different sources and forms of social work knowledge including indigenous perspectives and bicultural considerations. (Capability 3.1, 3.2 and 4.3)
- Relate best practice concepts to social work interventions in complex practice situations. (Capability 1.3, 1.4 and 4.3)
- Demonstrate the ability to make informed, ethical practice decisions that integrate evidence, critical thinking, and the unique needs and perspectives of clients and communities. (Capability 1.2, 4.2 and 5.2)
- Articulate an understanding of their personal and professional lenses, knowledge, and skills and how the integration of these factors shape their professional practice framework. (Capability 3.3, 5.1, 7.1 and 8.1)
- Critically analyse the implications of individual, professional, and organisational factors for the implementation of social work processes and intervention. (Capability 1.2, 3.2, 4.1 and 5.2)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Practice Reflection | 40% | Individual Coursework |
| Quizzes | 20% | Individual Coursework |
| Assignments | 40% | Group & Individual Coursework |
| 3 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||||
| Practice Reflection | ||||||||||
| Quizzes | ||||||||||
| Assignments | ||||||||||
To pass this course students must submit all assessments and achieve at least 50% for the overall course.
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course. Students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
For this course, you can expect 24 hours of lectures, 12 hours of tutorials, 40 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 40 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience
Lectures may be available as recordings where facilities allow. Other learning activities will not be available as recordings.
The course may include live online events.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.
Learning Resources
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.