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Social Work Practice with Groups and Communities
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MSWPG7108 - Social Work Practice with Groups and Communities
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20250100
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Course
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2.2
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2026-09-10
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2026-09-10
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Social Work, Community & Human Services
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Institute of Education, Arts & Community
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Social Work, Community & Human Services
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Postgraduate - Coursework
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15
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.125
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090501
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Social Work
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090501 - Social Work
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<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/mswpg7108">View unit fees</a>
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Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
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9
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Masters Degree
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Introductory
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<p>Students of this course will be introduced to the place of community work in social work practice. Students will gain an awareness of theories and frameworks for practice at the community-level, such as community development, community capacity building, co-design and collective impact, and begin to acquire the knowledge and skills required to integrate these with practice. Students will be introduced to social work ethics and values inherent in community work and reflect on their application to practice. Using case-studies, students will formulate and critically analyse different methods and processes of engaging and working with communities in disaster contexts. Students will be introduced to common problems and tensions and ethical dilemmas that arise in community work and strategies for addressing these. Students will be introduced to eco-social work and begin to acquire the skills to integrate environmental justice and decolonising approaches to community work.</p>
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<p>Topics may include: Introducing Community Work in Social Practice The place of community work in social work practice. Values and ethics in community work: Critical reflection re: social work identity and community work Community work approaches in contemporary social work ie. co-design, community development, collective impact Principles of group work and mutual aid in community work Community development collaborative processes and methodologies Disaster Social Work and Eco-Social Work The role of social work in disasters The place of eco-social work in social work practice Environmental justice and decolonising approaches Community Work: Values and ethics Conflicts and ethical dilemmas when working with communities Strategies to address problems and ethical issues in community work Advocacy and social action, including closet activism</p>
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<p>Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment.</p>
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2027
Current Year
2026
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MSWPG7108 - Social Work Practice with Groups and Communities
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MSWPG7108 - Social Work Practice with Groups and Communities
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Semester
Semester 1
Semester 2
Summer Semester
Year
2027
2026
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Overview
Key information
Requisites
Learning outcomes
Assessment
Parent Region
Overview
Unit description
<p>Students of this course will be introduced to the place of community work in social work practice. Students will gain an awareness of theories and frameworks for practice at the community-level, such as community development, community capacity building, co-design and collective impact, and begin to acquire the knowledge and skills required to integrate these with practice. Students will be introduced to social work ethics and values inherent in community work and reflect on their application to practice. Using case-studies, students will formulate and critically analyse different methods and processes of engaging and working with communities in disaster contexts. Students will be introduced to common problems and tensions and ethical dilemmas that arise in community work and strategies for addressing these. Students will be introduced to eco-social work and begin to acquire the skills to integrate environmental justice and decolonising approaches to community work.</p>
Unit content
<p>Topics may include: Introducing Community Work in Social Practice The place of community work in social work practice. Values and ethics in community work: Critical reflection re: social work identity and community work Community work approaches in contemporary social work ie. co-design, community development, collective impact Principles of group work and mutual aid in community work Community development collaborative processes and methodologies Disaster Social Work and Eco-Social Work The role of social work in disasters The place of eco-social work in social work practice Environmental justice and decolonising approaches Community Work: Values and ethics Conflicts and ethical dilemmas when working with communities Strategies to address problems and ethical issues in community work Advocacy and social action, including closet activism</p>
Key information
Institute / school:
Institute of Education, Arts & Community
Discipline:
Social Work, Community & Human Services
Study level:
Postgraduate - Coursework
Credit points:
15
EFTSL:
0.125
Field of education:
090501 - Social Work
Offering:
<p><strong>Semester 1</strong><p>Ballarat - Mt Helen (On Campus)</p><p>Berwick (On Campus)</p><p>Gippsland - Churchill (On Campus)</p></p>
Grade scheme:
Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
Placement component:
No
Fee information:
<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/mswpg7108">View unit fees</a>
Requisites
Prerequisite
None
Corequisite
None
Exclusion
None
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes
<p>On successful completion of this unit, students are expected to gain the following [K]nowledge, [S]kills and [A]pplication of knowledge & skills</p>
Learning Outcomes
Ref
Outcome
K1
<p>Identify the place of community work in social work practice and examine social work ethics and values in the context of community work;</p>
K2
<p>Demonstrate knowledge of theories and frameworks utilised in community work;</p>
K3
<p>Examine processes and methods of engaging and working with communities in disaster contexts;</p>
K4
<p>Demonstrate an awareness of principles of mutual aid and group work and their application to community work processes;</p>
K5
<p>Develop knowledge of eco-social work, environmental justice and decolonising approaches to community practice</p>
K6
<p>Identify potential role conflicts, tensions and ethical dilemmas when working with communities and strategies for addressing these and</p>
K7
<p>Explore community organising, social action and activism as dimensions of community practice.</p>
S1
<p>Identify and apply social work ethics and values to community work practice;</p>
S2
<p>Develop knowledge of theoretical models and frameworks that inform community-level practice;</p>
S3
<p>Apply appropriate processes and methodologies for engaging and working with communities in disaster contexts;</p>
S4
<p>Use appropriate communication, interpersonal and group work skills;</p>
S5
<p>Recognise complexity and uncertainty in community work and develop appropriate strategies to address common problems and ethical issues within the community development context;</p>
S6
<p>Integrate eco-social work, environmental justice, social action and activist approaches into community practice and;</p>
S7
<p>Reflect on and review practice as part of the process of developing a personal and professional practice framework with communities.</p>
A1
<p>Explain appropriate theoretical models/frameworks of social work community practice and apply them to simulated settings;</p>
A2
<p>Engage and work with communities in a collaborative manner which reflects social work ethics and values and;</p>
A3
<p>Demonstrate an ability recognise complexity and uncertainty in community work and develop appropriate strategies to address common problems and ethical issues within the community development context.</p>
Assessment
Learning Tasks and Assessment
Ref
Learning task
Assessment type
Weighting
Learning outcomes assessed
1
<p>Critical learning exercises that cover key concepts and prepare students for community-level social work</p>
<p>Learning Portfolio</p>
<p>15% – 30%</p>
K1, K2, K4, S1, S2, S7
2
<p>Using a case study, analyse community practice approaches and explore the potential dilemmas and challenges arising from their application.</p>
<p>Case-study analysis</p>
<p>25% - 40 %</p>
K1, K2, K3, K4, K6, S1, S2, S3, S5, S7, A1, A2, A3
3
<p>Develop a project proposal making use of eco-social work theories and community development approaches in response to a recent disaster.</p>
<p>Group project to be developed in consultation with staff</p>
<p>35%-45%</p>
K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, K6, K7, S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, A1
Supplementary assessment available:
Yes
Supplementary assessment information:
<p>Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment.</p>
Key information
Institute / school:
Institute of Education, Arts & Community
Discipline:
Social Work, Community & Human Services
Study level:
Postgraduate - Coursework
Credit points:
15
EFTSL:
0.125
Field of education:
090501 - Social Work
Offering:
<p><strong>Semester 1</strong><p>Ballarat - Mt Helen (On Campus)</p><p>Berwick (On Campus)</p><p>Gippsland - Churchill (On Campus)</p></p>
Grade scheme:
Graded (e.g. HD, D, C, etc)
Placement component:
No
Fee information:
<a href="http://www.federation.edu.au/locate/unit/mswpg7108">View unit fees</a>
Additional information
Add Info Static Text
Internal reference: MSWPG7108 - U2.2