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Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 611 Social Work Practice and Intimate Partner Violence (Spring 2019)

Credits - 3

Description

This course will examine policy, varying service delivery systems, funding and the role of social workers in the areas of partner abuse, child abuse, and elder abuse. This course will help students understand the context in which domestic violence practice occurs. The course will also focus on the role of the social worker in assessing for domestic violence with their clients. Culturally sensitive practice issues will be discussed and their impact on individuals seeking services. The course will also focus on developing student’s abilities in assessment and intervention techniques with both survivors and individuals that batter. The course focuses on developing students’ abilities to identify and explore ethical issues in domestic violence practice.

“Violence against women and girls is perpetuated in every country in the world. This occurs in situations of peace and conflict. However, the state agents and private actors responsible are not held to account… While the international and regional communities have established standards to prevent, punish, and eradicate violence and discrimination against women, many states have yet to take the steps necessary to implement these standards in domestic legislation and practices… We highlight the fact that women who have been subjected to violence and discrimination generally lack access to effective judicial protection and remedies. Strategies must be implemented that involve law reform, and in particular reform of the criminal justice system. Training is required for policy makers, police, judges and prosecutors. There must also be provision of legal, medical and psychological counseling and adequate social services for victims. States should use the education system and awareness-raising campaigns aimed at the general public to assist them in implementing international standards at the national level.” (Joint Declaration of the Special Rapporteurs on Women’s Rights, March 8, 2002, http://www.cidh.org/women/declaration.women.htm, retrieved: 5/2/11.)

Social workers in all fields of practice will encounter individuals whose lives are affected by Intimate Partner Violence/Domestic Violence (IPV/DV). This course will increase students’ understanding of this complex issue. Any discussion of IPV/DV must include an examination of the societal values that contribute to violence in the home. The intersectionality of race, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion, and class will be examined for their impact on victims/survivors, children, and individuals who abuse their partners. Best practices in IPV/DV work will include screening/assessment, empowering interventions, safety planning, recognizing both the traumatic effects of DV on children as well as supports for resilience, evaluating mental health interventions/therapeutic modalities that are contra-indicated, accountability for the abuser, and the importance of inter-professional collaboration with other systems (e.g., medical, mental health, criminal justice system, etc.). IPV/DV requires that social workers engage in social justice advocacy to address institutional barriers for victims/survivors their children and individuals who abuse their partners. Students will develop skills in screening/assessment tools for working with survivors and individuals who abuse their partners. Current practices in the field of IPV/DV such as using Risk Assessments with individuals who batter in place of traditional mental health assessments will be reviewed as well as the requirements of ‘Duty to Warn.’ Students will develop skills in using empowerment practice models such as survivor therapy in working with survivors, which will include safety planning and advocacy skills with systems. Ethical practices for social workers’ engaged in providing services to victims/survivors and individuals who abuse their partners will be reviewed.

Materials

Required

Bancroft, L. (2003). Why does he do that?: Inside the minds of angry and controlling men. New York, New York: Berkley Books. ISBN: 9780425191651

Dutton, M. (1992). Empowering and Healing the Battered Woman: A Model for Assessment and Intervention. City: Springer Publishing Company. Available as ebook from UNE Library at https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uneedu/detail.action?docID=423525 

Each week has additional articles and multimedia.

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 Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Practice social inclusion by working towards supporting individuals and communities of diverse cultural backgrounds in improving the quality of their life through best practices in IPV and addressing the barriers to resources to enhance safety and accountability.
  2. Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior in work with clients by use of self-reflection and self-regulation in managing personal values and maintaining professionalism in practice situations with victims/survivors, children and individuals who abuse their partners. (EPAS # 1)
  3. Critically choose and implement best practices in IPV to assess and intervene, with victims/survivors and individuals who abuse their partners. (EPAS # 7)
  4. Develop skills in interprofessional collaboration to negotiate, mediate, and advocate on behalf of victims/survivors and their children to achieve beneficial practice outcomes. (EPAS # 8)

Assignments

Learning Activities

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

Readings and Multimedia

This course will use an array of readings, website resources, and videos to present the important concepts in the various weeks. The readings and media resources provide the foundation and background for student discussion threads, the reflection journal and other written assignments.

Discussions

An important learning method in this course is student participation and interaction in the discussion forums within each week. Students are expected to participate actively and in a respectful manner. Please refer to the Discussion Board Rubric in the course for grading criteria.

Writing Assignments, Projects, and Assessments

You will have two case study assignments that add up to half of your overall grade. You will submit the first case study assignment in Week 4 and the second case study in Week 7. 

Additionally, there is one reflective journal in this course.

Finally, in Week 6, there is too much reading to expect any one student to be able to finish on his or her own. Therefore, you will be assigned to pick from a pool of readings and write a Literature Review of your selections, to be shared with your groupmates. As each of your groupmates will also be submitting a literature review of their own, you will be able to refer to their work – and they to yours – to gain a more complete and thorough picture of the material than you would be able to do so on your own.

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

AssignmentPoint ValuePercentage of Grade
Participation360 points (30 points x 8 whole class discussion forums, plus 30 points x 4 small group literature reviews)36%
First Case Study Paper250 points25%
Second Case Study Paper and Summary of Feedback250 points 25%
Reflective Journals140 points (70 points x 2)14%
Total1,000 points100%

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

Schedule

Week 1: Introduction to Intimate Partner Violence | Dates: Wednesday, January 2 – Tuesday, January 8

Introductory Materials

Overview – What is DV/IPV, how prevalent is it, who is affected and what is the historical perspective on this issue?

Read:

Watch:

Discussions:

Experience with IPV, Myths about Abusers

Assignments:

Case Study #1 (due in Week 4) and Case Study #2 (due in Week 7) introduced

Week 2: Individuals who Abuse Their Partners | Dates: Wednesday, January 9 – Tuesday, January 15

Introductory Materials:

Read:

  • Bancroft, L. (2003). Why does he do that? Inside the minds of angry and controlling men. New York: Berkley. Chapters 4-15, pp. 76–234.

Multimedia:

Resources about abusive men, gay and female abusers

Discussion:

Individuals who abuse their partners

Assignment:

Continue working on Case Study #1 (due in Week 4)

Week 3: Individuals who abuse their partners (Part 2) | Dates: Wednesday, January 16 – Tuesday, January 22

Introductory Materials

Reading:

Choose two of the articles below:

Multimedia

  • Power and Control: Sarah Beul, J.D. – Activist and Law Professor – https://vimeo.com/10992348 (Time 6:07 mins)
  • Michael Paymar, Battered Women’s Movement Leader – Duluth Intervention Project (DAIP) – https://vimeo.com/10992068 (Time 11:16 mins)

Discussion:

  • Couples Counseling at a Mental Health Center

Assignments:

  • Continue working on Case Study #1 (due in Week 4)
  • Reflection Journal

Week 4: Exploring the Impact of Gender, Culture, Race, Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation and Religious Beliefs on IPV among Diverse Populations | Dates: Wednesday, January 23 – Tuesday, January 29

Introductory Materials

Required Reading Assignments

Multimedia

Discussion:

What Would You Do?

Assignment:

Case Study #1 due

Week 5: Assessment and Safety Planning for Survivors and Their Help-Seeking Experiences with Community Institutions | Dates: Wednesday, January 30 – Tuesday, February 5

Introductory Materials

Required Reading

Assessment Tools and Cases

  • www.dangerassessment.org – Visit and download tools as needed
    • Danger Assessment – multiple languages
    • Danger Assessment-Revised – for use in abusive female same-sex relationships
    • Danger Assessment-Immigrant (DA-I) – for use with immigrant women
  • Watch: Between Worlds: Immigrant Women & Domestic Violence – 18:00 mins, transcript
  • Controlling Relationship Assessment Questionnaire from Invisible Chains: Overcoming Coercive Control in Your Intimate Relationship by Lisa Aronson Fontes, Copyright 2015, by Guilford Press. Adapted with permission from the authors from Dutton, M.A., Goodman, L. and Schmidt, R. J., (2006). Development and validation of a coercive control measure for intimate partner violence: Final technical report, Washington, DC.: U.S. Department of Justice. Visit the page and download practical tools.
  • Watch one or more of the following videos on Power and Control

Discussions

  • Safety Planning Domestic Violence Case
  • Individual and Community Advocacy

Assignment:

  • continue working on Case Study #2 (due in Week 7)

Week 6: Best Practices and Empowering/Trauma-informed Interventions with IPV Survivors Struggling with Addiction & Mental Health Issues | Dates: Wednesday, February 6 – Tuesday, February 12

Introductory Materials

Required Reading

Choose 1 article from the Week 6 reading list for your literature review and discussion.

Multimedia

Discussions

  • Group Lit Review Discussion
  • Jenna’s case

Assignment

  • continue working on Case Study #2 (due in Week 7)

Week 7: Children and Domestic Violence, and Teen Dating Violence | Dates: Wednesday, February 13 – Tuesday, February 19

Introductory Materials:

Reading Assignments:

Multimedia

Discussions

  • Children and Violence
  • Dating Violence

Assignment

  • Case Study #2 is due

Week 8: Ethical Issues in social work practice with IPV/DV | Dates: Wednesday, February 20 – Sunday, February 24

Introductory Materials

  • PODCAST on Ethical Issues in IPV
  • Week 8 Lecture

Required Reading

Websites on IPV/DV

Discussions

  • Ethical Practice in Working with Survivors
  • Case Study: at a Women’s Health Clinic

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Social Work page

UNE Libraries:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Policies

Essential Academic and Technical Standards

Please review the essential academic and technical standards of the University of New England School Social Work (SSW): https://online.une.edu/social-work/academic-and-technical-standards-une-online-ssw/

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Confidentiality Statement

Student and faculty participation in this course will be governed by standards in the NASW Code of Ethics relating to confidentiality in sharing information from their placement sites and practice experiences. Students should be aware that personal information they choose to share in class, class assignments or conversations with faculty does not have the status of privileged information.

Attendance Policy

Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.

Late Policy

Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations.  Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final.  Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.