Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSW 633 Social Work Practice with Children, Adolescents and Families (IFG Advanced)

Credits - 3

Description

This advanced year elective focuses on integrating, expanding and applying knowledge and skills acquired in the foundation year to social work practice with children, adolescents, parents/caregivers and community partners across multilevel settings and with diverse populations. Course content begins with a focus on the influence of early childhood experiences and early brain development on outcomes for children from birth to adolescence. Students integrate social science research with practice models, and examine factors that offer the best course toward health-promoting outcomes for children and their families. They analyze how social and institutional policies, as well as distribution and access to social resources influence family health and well-being. Methods for building therapeutic relationships with children and adolescents across settings are examined as are specific child-centered techniques. The interdependency of children and families is used as a framework for students to explore the world of childhood through multiple lenses including those of the child, the parent/caregiver, social work professionals, and community partners charged with their care.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

1. Practice social inclusion to enable people, populations, and communities to fully participate in society, enhance human bonds in the context of cultural diversity and ensure improved quality of life and equitable resource distribution. EPAS Competencies 2 & 3
2. Engage in culturally-informed relationship building, being respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competencies 3 & 6
3. Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competency 8
4. Promote ethical reflection, critical consciousness and shared decision-making based in social work values and with consideration of the broader contexts of the world in which we live. EPAS Competency 1
5. Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 6
6. Engage as critical consumers and producers of research as it relates to assessment, intervention and evaluation of clinical and community practices. EPAS Competencies 4, 7, 8 & 9
7. Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of early childhood social science research, early brain development and adverse childhood experiences and their influence on children’s health including their social, emotional, relational and cognitive development; (Program Outcomes: 6)

2. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of social policies and how they influence choice of practice models and interventions in practice with diverse adolescents, children and their families; (Program Outcomes: 1, 3)

3. Articulate and apply of a range of theories for practice with children, adolescents and families that are relational and empowering, and recognize interdependent and systemic aspects of child/family-centered interventions; (Program Outcomes: 1, 3)

4. Demonstrate ability to critically analyze theories and approaches used for child-centered assessments and interventions; (Program Outcomes: 4, 6)

5. Demonstrate knowledge and skills for building partnerships with families that are collaborative, empowering, and sustaining; (Program Outcomes: 3, 5)

6. Articulate and apply reflexive and decision-making knowledge and skills to examine ethical dilemmas that arise when working with the conflicting needs of children and adults within families, and also the conflicting goals and priorities of families and social institutions; (Program Outcomes: 4, 7)

7. Demonstrate leadership and apply knowledge and skills for building community partnerships when working with children, adolescents and families across multi-level systems; (Program Outcomes: 5)

8. Utilize Reflexivity including examination of belief systems, life experiences and assumptions that influence all aspects of practice with children, adolescents and families. (Program Outcomes: 1, 7)

Assignments

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

A variety of learning activities are designed to support the course objectives, facilitate different learning styles, and build a community of learners. Learning activities for each module include the following:

Readings and Multimedia:

Description: Readings, case studies, films, websites, podcasts, and other multimedia learning activities will be used to illustrate theory, practice approaches, early childhood science and practice research findings, and social and institutional policies that impact child and family social work practice. Course readings reflect a range of theories and practice approaches for your consideration and critique. They were selected to prompt critical thinking and personal reflection as well to provide insight into evolving knowledge. Students are encouraged to explore the literature and share their new knowledge with each other.

Discussions:

An important learning method in this course is student participation and interaction in the discussion threads within each module. Students are expected to participate actively and in a respectful manner; citing from generally recognized academic reference sources to support main points and perspectives shared. Please refer to Course Policies for specific details on discussion participation expectations. refer to Course Policies about participation for a full discussion of expectations.

Assignments and Grading: 

Assignment requirements and grading rubrics are provided in the Learning Modules. Please refer to the Learning Modules for more information. 

Due dates for all learning activities are provided in the Course Schedule. 

Grading Policy

The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignment	Point Value	Percentage of Grade
Weekly Discussions	400 points (50 points x 8 weeks)	40%
Practice Cases	180 points (45 points x 4 cases)	18%
Complex Issues in Child-Centered Practice Paper	170 points	17%
Child-Focused Practice Paper	250 points	25%

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00