Unit Outline

This unit is the final placement in the social work degree and serves as a key capstone experience. You will complete a minimum of 500 hours of supervised practice in an agency relevant to social work. Placements are normally undertaken on a full‑time basis, although part‑time arrangements may be negotiated where available.

During the practicum, you will apply and extend advanced social work knowledge and skills, including assessment, intervention planning, ethical decision‑making, critical analysis, and professional communication. You will design and implement social work methods, interventions, and strategies, and document their development, application, and evaluation. As emerging practitioners, you are expected to demonstrate increasing autonomy, professional judgement, and readiness for entry‑level social work practice.

By the end of the placement, you are required to demonstrate that you meet the standards of professional social work practice and are prepared to transition into the workforce as a newly qualified social worker.

You are required to attend preparatory seminars in Semester 1 prior to commencing placement, as well as integration workshops during the placement period to support reflective learning and professional development.

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	Analyse and apply ethical, inclusive, and culturally responsive social work practice skills, demonstrating sound judgement and accountability in diverse professional settings. (Practice Standards 1, 2, 3, & 4)
2	Analyse and apply relevant social work theories to inform assessment, intervention, and decision‑making within professional practice contexts. (Practice Standard 5)
3	Demonstrate increasing autonomy in selecting, implementing, and evaluating a range of social work tasks, interventions, methods, and techniques appropriate to the professional setting. (Practice Standards 3, 6, & 9)
4	Demonstrate and adapt professional attitudes, behaviours, and communication skills—verbal, non‑verbal, and written—appropriate to social work practice, particularly in complex or challenging situations. (Practice Standards 1, 4, & 7)
5	Critically reflect on your practice within professional supervision, demonstrating insight, self‑awareness, and the ability to use feedback to enhance professional capability. (Practice Standard 8)

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	HGW302, HGW303, HGW327, HGW308
Concurrent Pre-requisite	HGW423 and HGW431

Alterations as a result of student feedback

As always, the teaching team will greatly appreciate your feedback both informally during the delivery of the unit in 2026, and formally through the University of Tasmania’s Unit Survey following your completion of the unit.

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:	Mid-placement assessment	Week 7	0 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5
Assessment Task 2:	Final assessment	Week 13	0 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4, LO5

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Mid-placement assessment

Task Description:

The Mid-placement assessment of your progress in meeting the learning outcomes of this unit is assessed during a (minimum) 500-hour placement using The Learning Plan and Reporting Document (LePARD). Your LePARD has been designed based on the current Australian Association of Social Workers Practice Standards and the current Australian Association of Social Work Code of Ethics. Documented progress against each learning outcome is completed by/with your Social Work Field Educator/s and your External Social Work Field Educator (social work), if applicable.
A progress report is then submitted.

For part-time students, please see MyLO for due dates.

Task Length:

Progressive assessment during a (minimum) 500 hour placement, and formally via the mid-placement report.

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrates the ability to analyse ethical issues and apply ethical, inclusive, and culturally responsive practice with sound judgement and accountability in diverse professional contexts.	LO1
2	Analyses and applies relevant social work theories to guide assessment, intervention, and decision‑making, showing clear links between theoretical frameworks and practice.	LO2
3	Selects, implements, and evaluates social work tasks and interventions with increasing autonomy, demonstrating competence, evidence‑informed reasoning, and awareness of risk and duty of care.	LO3
4	Demonstrates and adapts professional attitudes, behaviours, and communication skills—verbal, non‑verbal, and written—that meet social work standards and remain effective in complex or challenging situations.	LO4
5	Engages in critical reflection within supervision, demonstrating insight, self‑awareness, and the ability to use feedback to strengthen professional capability and practice decisions.	LO5

Assessment Task 2: Final assessment

Task Description:

TThe final placement assessment evaluates your overall achievement of the learning outcomes for this unit and your readiness to enter the profession as a newly qualified social worker. This assessment is completed during your minimum 500‑hour placement using the Learning Plan and Reporting Document (LePARD). The LePARD is aligned with the current Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Practice Standards and the AASW Code of Ethics. Your performance against each learning outcome is documented collaboratively with your Social Work Placement Educator(s), and a final assessment report is submitted at the conclusion of placement.

A UP standard on all learning outcomes must be achieved by the end of placement in order to receive an overall pass on this unit.

Part‑time students should refer to MyLO for specific due dates.

Task Length:

Progressive assessment during a (minimum) 500-hour placement, and formally via the final placement report.

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrates the ability to analyse ethical issues and apply ethical, inclusive, and culturally responsive practice with sound judgement and accountability in diverse professional contexts.	LO1
2	Analyses and applies relevant social work theories to guide assessment, intervention, and decision‑making, showing clear links between theoretical frameworks and practice.	LO2
3	Selects, implements, and evaluates social work tasks and interventions with increasing autonomy, demonstrating competence, evidence‑informed reasoning, and awareness of risk and duty of care.	LO3
4	Demonstrates and adapts professional attitudes, behaviours, and communication skills—verbal, non‑verbal, and written—that meet social work standards and remain effective in complex or challenging situations.	LO4
5	Engages in critical reflection within supervision, demonstrating insight, self‑awareness, and the ability to use feedback to strengthen professional capability and practice decisions.	LO5

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes.
Your grade will be determined in the following way:
All assessments within the Social Work Field Education Program at the University of Tasmania adhere to an ungraded pass profile. Similarly, your academic transcript will use this same grading system.

This means all assessable work will be graded as either UP (ungraded pass) or NN (fail grade); A grade of NN on an assessment task indicates you need to continue towards achieving that competency. You are required to achieve a UP on your end of placement assessment in order to successfully pass this unit of study. Please note that to achieve a UP grade on an assessment piece you must pass all the learning outcomes by the end of the placement period.

At the end of semester, you may receive a grade of AO (assessment ongoing). An AO grade is used when some assessment tasks for the unit have not been completed at the end of placement, or you are a part-time student who has not yet completed the requisite hours, or when resubmissions are needed before a mark can be finalised. Marks are reviewed by the Unit Coordinator and the Academic Results Review Committee before results are finalised.

Note: In order to obtain a full passing grade in this unit, you must submit and achieve a UP grade on all assessable work.

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.