Foundational Social Work Field Practice Course in Health and Ageing (SWSP3029)

Course overview

This course introduces students to key elements of social work practice across a wide variety of health contexts, including acute, primary and community health and non-government health-related contexts. The course adopts a lifespan approach to identify and discuss the health and practice issues for different population groups, and the personal, geographical, and cultural diversity of population groups. The learning activities in this Foundation course are designed to provide students with knowledge of the socio-political and theoretical contexts which frame social work practice in health, and with skills in basic assessment and intervention and professional communication. To maximise student learning experiences, the Health and Ageing Foundation engages social work practitioners in the design and delivery of workshops.

Welcome to Foundational Social Work Field Practice in Health and Ageing. I hope you enjoy this course.

The health sector is a the major field of practice for social workers. To enable you to practice in the health sector, this course will provide students with the knowledge and skills to work in various health care settings including hospitals, community health and aged care, and other health related organisations.

This course will introduce students to the social determinants and consequences of health concerns, the social and political context of health care, and the core areas of knowledge and expertise. Students will learn practical skills in assessment and intervention to support individuals and families in managing their health and care needs.

The course combines a one-hour lecture and a two-hour tutorial. Both the lectures and tutorials incorporate active learning integral to students gaining the knowledge and skills for practice in the health sectors. All classes are face-to-face.ﾠﾠ

I look forward to meeting and working with you.

Maree

ASWEAS Required Curriculum Content Areas covered in this course:

The Bachelor of Social Work (Hons) program is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers. The Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (2020) stipulates that accredited social work programs are required to include content that addresses the five core curriculum areas listed below. This course contains content in the following curriculum areas: 

1. Constructions of social work purpose, place, and practice. 

2. Power, oppression, and exploitation. 

3. The history and contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 

5. Psychosocial health and wellbeing across the lifecycle. 

The BSocWk(Hons) will undergo re-accreditation in 2026 under the new ASWEAS (2024), which outlines updated required curriculum. This course content maps to the following: 

1. Social worker values and professional identity. 

2. Approaches to social work. 

3. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Course requirements

Assumed background

This is an introductory course which introduces students to the socio-political, organisational and professional elements of social work practice in a wide range of health settings. The course encompasses working with individuals and families across the lifespan, and is the foundation for the 4th year course, Professional Practice in Health and Ageing.ﾠ

Incompatible

You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:

SWSP3036, SWSP3056

Course contact

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

This course involves one-hour lecture and a two-hour tutorial held in one block. The tutorials apply the learning from the lectures. In this course you will learn practical skills in understanding individuals and people's concerns, conducting an psychosocial assessment, and planning interventions. Developing these skills requires discussion and applying new knowledge in the tutorials.

I will hold voluntary catch-ups during the semester to assist with assignment and exam preparation.

Aims and outcomes

The aim of the course is to develop students' knowledge and skills to enable them to practice social work in a range of health settings. The course will give students an understanding of socio-political and theoretical contexts of social work practice in health; legal and ethical considerations of practice; knowledge and skills in grief and loss, transitions associated with health changes, trauma, acute care and elder abuse. In addition the course will enable students to acquire skills in psycho-social assessment and intervention, and written communication.

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Psychosocial assessment

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

40% marked out of 100

Due date

10/10/2025 1:00 pm

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L02, L03, L04, L05

Task description

Submission guidelines

This assessment requires students to submit an electronic version of their assignment via Blackboard. The electronic version of your assignment will be submitted via Blackboard, using the Turnitin software.

Please refer to ITS help if you experience difficulties in submitting your assessment in Blackboard or using Turnitin.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. 

Extension guidelines 

• Extension requests should be submitted prior to the assessment deadline. 
• Requests for extensions received after the assessment item submission due date may not be approved. Late requests must include evidence of the reasons for the late request as per the guidelines in my.UQ.  
• The extension granted should be in proportion to the period of illness or disruption caused by the exceptional circumstances and will typically be no more than the specified maximum extension length for each assessment.  
• A maximum of three assessment requests can be submitted for each assessment, and the third request must include an Assessment Management Plan. 
• Students who have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 4 weeks in a semester are advised to carefully consider whether they are capable of successfully completing their courses and may need to consider applying for removal of course.  
• Students who have a disability or a chronic medical condition (including a mental health condition) are encouraged to meet with a Disability Advisor within Student Services to request a Student Access Plan (SAP) with a clause on extension requests. Students who have an SAP can apply for a 7-day extension.  

Outcome of application 

Extension requests are generally processed within 2 working days.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Exam

• In-person

Mode

Written

Category

Examination

Weight

60% marked out of 100

Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

8/11/2025 - 22/11/2025

The end of semester exam will be held on campus. The exam is a closed book exam.

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05

Exam details

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Additional course grading information

Important note: In order to pass SWSP3029, ALL assessment tasks must be submitted. Students who do not submit all assessment tasks, regardless of the marks received for work submitted, will not be eligible to pass the course.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

1. Useful resources

There are a number of key journals relevant to this course:ﾠ

• Australian Social Work
• British Journal of Social Work
• Health and Social Care in the Community
• Ageing & Society
• Health & Social Work
• Research on Social Work Practice
• Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work
• Australian Journal of Primary Health
• Social Work in Health Care
• Families in Society

Reputable websites with data and current research on health:ﾠ

• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
• Australian Bureau of Statistics
• Productivity Commission
• The Conversation. It is not recommended you use The Conversation as a source.ﾠ However it does link you to the work of academics or government websites e.g. Stephen Duckett is a respected Health Economist and writes for The Conversation but also has numerous academic texts and evidence based reports.

2. Student Email

Students are provided with a UQ email account and must monitor the account whilst enrolled at UQ. Please see the Information Communication Technology Policy and the Personal use of UQ email section in the Acceptable use of ICT Resources guideline for information regarding the appropriate use of email.

Students must use their UQ email account for all correspondence with academic staff.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.