Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Integrate the principles of social justice and human rights into contemporary social work practice and adopt an intersectional approach to practice
2. Be cognisant of what it means to adopt an anti-oppressive and anti-racist stance in social work practice.
3. Develop a critical understanding of social work from a social justice, human rights and intersectional perspective with service user groups from diverse backgrounds, including diversity in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and ability/disability
4 Be familiar with key social justice and human rights considerations in working through an intersectional lens with particular groups who are likely to experience oppression and discrimination, including refugee populations, the Traveller community, older people and members of the LGBTQ+ population
CORU Proficiency Domains
Students should be able to demonstrate the following in line with CORU proficiency domains (according to stage of development: Year 2 Semester 1 Module)
Domain 1: Professional autonomy and accountability
1. Be able to practise safely and effectively within the legal, ethical and practice boundaries of the profession
3. Be able to act in the best interest of service users at all times with due regard to their will and preference
5. Respect and uphold the rights, dignity and autonomy of every service user including their role in the diagnostic, therapeutic and social care process
9. Recognise the importance of practising in a non-discriminatory, culturally sensitive way and acknowledge and respect the differences in beliefs and cultural practices of individuals or groups
11. Understand and respect the confidentiality of service users and use information only for the purpose for which it was given
12. Understand the limits of confidentiality in the context of a variety of team settings
18. Recognise personal responsibility and professional accountability for one’s actions and be able to justify professional decisions made
20. Understand the principles of professional decision-making and be able to make informed decisions within the context of competing demands including those relating to ethical conflicts and available resources
Domain 2: Communication, Collaborative Practice and Teamworking
1. Be able to communicate diagnosis/assessment and/or treatment/management options in a way that can be understood by the service user including non-voluntary service users
2. Be able to modify and adapt communication methods and styles, including verbal and nonverbal methods to suit the individual service users considering issues of language, culture, beliefs and health and/or social care needs
3. Recognise service users as active participants in their health and social care and be able to support service users in communicating their health and/or social care needs, choices and concerns
5. Be able to recognise when the services of a professional translator are required
9. Be able to express professional, informed and considered opinions to service users, health professionals and others e.g. carers, relatives in varied practice settings and contexts and within the boundaries of confidentiality
12. Understand the need to work in partnership with service users, their relatives/carers, guardians and other professionals in planning and evaluating goals, treatments and interventions and be aware of the concepts of power and authority in relationships with service users
13. Understand the need to build and sustain professional relationships as both an independent practitioner and collaboratively as a member of a team
14. Understand the role and impact of effective interdisciplinary team working in meeting service user needs and be able to effectively contribute to decision-making within a team setting
15. Understand the role of relationships with professional colleagues and other workers in service delivery and the need to create professional relationships based on mutual respect and trust
Domain 3: Safety and Quality
1. Be able to gather all appropriate background information relevant to the service user’s health and social care needs
2. Be able to justify the selection of and implement appropriate assessment techniques and be able to undertake and record a thorough, sensitive and detailed assessment
4. Be able to analyse and critically evaluate the information collected in the assessment process
5. Be able to demonstrate sound logical reasoning and problem solving skills to determine appropriate problem lists, action plans and goals
6. Be able to demonstrate an evidence-informed approach to professional decision-making, adapting practice to the needs of the service user and draw on appropriate knowledge and skills in order to make professional judgments
Domain 4: Professional Development
1. Be able to engage in and take responsibility for professional development
3. Be able to evaluate and reflect critically on own professional practice to identify learning and development needs; be able to select appropriate learning activities to achieve professional development goals and be able to integrate new knowledge and skills into professional practice
Domain 5: Professional Knowledge and Skills
1. Know, understand and apply the key concepts of the domains of knowledge which are relevant to the profession for individuals, groups and communities
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of social work theory, methods and skills, social policy and social research, including consideration in a global context
5. Critically understand and be able to apply principles of social justice in one’s work including being able to appropriately challenge negative discrimination and unjust policies and practices.
6. Demonstrate a critical understanding of cultural competence; and work towards social inclusion
7. Critically understand and apply a human rights based approach
8. Critically understand the legislative basis of actions within a service
9. Demonstrate an awareness and critical understanding of how social work practice is influenced by regulations, national guidelines and standards, findings of inquiries, investigations, associated reports; issues and trends in public and policy development; and be able to access new and emerging information which affects social work practice
10. Critically understand the role and purpose of relationship based practice, including the importance of planning the withdrawal of services
15. Recognise the role of advocacy in promoting the needs and interests of service users; be able to advocate on the behalf of service users
17. Recognise that service users have the right to self-determination including to take risks
22. Demonstrate skills in evidence-informed practice, including translation of theory, concepts and methods to professional practice
24. Be able to identify and critically understand the impact of organisational, governmental, community and societal structures, systems and culture on health and social care
Indicative Module Content:
The module brings together theories of social justice and human rights to critically appraise anti-oppressive practice in social work from a justice and human rights perspective. The principles of international human rights and social justice are used to consider a range of topics including, children’s rights; ageing; disability; race and anti-racism; social work with refugee populations; social work with Travellers; sexuality; gender; & gender-based violence. Through adopting an intersectional approach within the module, students will develop an understanding of what it means to work in an anti-oppressive, anti-racist and culturally competent way in accordance with principles of social justice and human rights