Unit Outline

This unit will introduce you to the way in which health and community services are organised, integrated, funded and governed in Australia. This unit is contextualised to reforms in Australia's health and community services system, emphasising a shift in focus from institutional to community settings, from sick-care to wellness and prevention, and from system-led to consumer-directed approaches. You will explore current trends, changes and challenges in health and community services, including regulation, resources and the impact of technology. You will be introduced to service planning and distribution, resource allocation, consumer access, and service coordination, at both a system and organisational level.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Explain the influence and impact of reforms on Australia’s health and community services sector
2	Describe the various ways in which health and community services are organised, funded, governed and distributed
3	Use discipline-based knowledge, skills and data to inform service planning, coordination and resource decisions
4	Research and communicate the application of technologies and other strategies or solutions in health and community services

Alterations as a result of student feedback

The Intended Learning Outcomes, Assessment Tasks and Learning Materials for this unit have been revised to reflect changes in contemporary health and community service policies, principles and models, and to extend opportunities for students to tailor or contextualise their learning and assessment in this unit to particular areas of professional interest or practice.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Multiple Choice & Short Answer Quiz	Week 4	25 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Funding Proposal: Health and Service Improvement	Week 9	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Future Trends and Technology Analysis	Week 13	35 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Multiple Choice & Short Answer Quiz

Task Description:

In this task, you will be required to complete a series of multiple-choice and short-answer questions relating to the first three weeks of content for this unit.

You will be considering key principles relating to health and community services in Australia, including interpreting and applying health frameworks and data.

Task Length:

600 words

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

25 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Evaluate and apply health data	LO2
2	Apply knowledge of health and community services in Australia	LO1, LO3
3	Incorporate relevant literature and learning resources to justify answers	LO2

Assessment Task 2: Funding Proposal: Health and Service Improvement

Task Description:

For this assessment task you will develop a proposal for a health, wellbeing or service improvement project to be submitted as a grant application.

You will provide a rationale for your project and justify why it should be supported, with reference to relevant priorities, data and trends. You will also provide clear details about how the project resources will be used and managed, and how your proposal is situated within the broader Health and Community Services system and context.

Further guidelines will be provided at the ZAC105 workshop and via a dedicated assessment task information page in MyLO.

Task Length:

1000 words or equivalent

Due Date:

Week 9

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Use information and data to inform project plans and resource decisions	LO3
2	Explain and justify proposal in relation to health priorities and funding requirements	LO1, LO2
3	Use reflection and critical thinking to explain the broader Health and Community context of your proposal	LO1, LO2

Assessment Task 3: Future Trends and Technology Analysis

Task Description:

This assessment task requires you to research an existing or emerging trend or issue in Health and Community Services in Australia and propose a potential solution or technology that could be used to address this issue.

You may choose to focus your exploration on a specific topic, organisation or area of practice.

This will culminate in a report or presentation, in which you will explain and justify your proposed solution or technology in relation to contemporary health and community service practices and priorities.

Further guidelines will be provided via a dedicated MyLO page and task template.

Task Length:

750 words

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Research an emerging issue or trend in health and community services in Australia	LO1, LO4
2	Evaluate and propose a potential solution or technology that could be used to address this issue	LO3, LO4
3	Explain and justify the solution or technology in relation to contemporary health and community service practices and priorities	LO1, LO2

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.