Unit Outline

Social Work Practicum 1 is a cornerstone unit in the Master of Social Work (Qualifying). You are required to complete a minimum of 500 hours of placement in an agency setting that enables them to meet the learning outcomes of the unit. You are allocated a Placement Educator, and through regular supervision—provided by a qualified social worker with at least two years of full‑time post‑graduation experience—you learn to translate social work theory into professional practice. Prior to commencing placement, you must attend preparatory seminars, and throughout the placement they participate in integration workshops to support your learning and 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	Demonstrate adaptability, and model ethical, inclusive and culturally responsive social work practice skills in complex professional contexts. (Practice Standards 1, 2, 3 & 4).
2	Contrast, compare and critically analyse social work theories as they relate to practice in complex professional contexts (Practice Standard 5).
3	Demonstrate capability to construct, implement and appraise a range of tasks and social work interventions, methods, and techniques within a professional setting.
4	Demonstrate, model and adapt professional attitudes, workplace behaviours and communication skills (verbal, nonverbal or written) appropriate to the profession of social work particularly in complex and challenging situations (Practice Standards 1, 4, 7 & 9).
5	Demonstrate capability to critically assess your own practice within professional supervision. (Practice Standard 8).

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	HGW516, HGW527, HGW512 and HGW505

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 Placement 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 toward the learning outcomes for this unit is completed during your placement (minimum 500 hours) 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 progress against each learning outcome is documented collaboratively with your Social Work Placement Educator (s).

A formal progress report is then submitted in Week 7.
For part-time students, please see MyLO for due dates.

Task Length:

Progressive assessment during a (minimum) 500-hour placement. Mid-assessment report at the end of placement.

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrates adaptable, ethical, inclusive, and culturally responsive practice by applying the AASW Code of Ethics and Practice Standards when navigating complex or challenging professional contexts.	LO1
2	Critically contrasts, compares, and analyses multiple social work theories and clearly articulates how they inform assessment, decision‑making, and intervention in complex practice situations	LO2
3	Constructs, implements, and evaluates a range of social work tasks and interventions with competence, independence, and sound professional judgement appropriate to the complexity of the practice setting.	LO3
4	Models and adapts professional attitudes, behaviours, and communication skills, verbal, non‑verbal, and written, that meet social work professional standards and remain effective in complex or challenging situations.	LO4
5	Critically evaluates their own practice within professional supervision, demonstrating insight, self‑awareness, and the ability to apply reflective learning to improve future practice.	LO5

Assessment Task 2: Final Placement assessment

Task Description:

The final assessment of your progress toward the learning outcomes for this unit is completed during your placement (minimum 500 hours) 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 progress against each learning outcome is documented collaboratively with your Social Work Placement Educator (s). At the conclusion of your placement, a final report submitted.

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

Task Length:

Progressive assessment during a (minimum)500-hour placement. Final assessment report at the end of placement.

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

0 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrates adaptable, ethical, inclusive, and culturally responsive practice by applying the AASW Code of Ethics and Practice Standards when navigating complex or challenging professional contexts.	LO1
2	Critically contrasts, compares, and analyses multiple social work theories and clearly articulates how they inform assessment, decision‑making, and intervention in complex practice situations	LO2
3	Constructs, implements, and evaluates a range of social work tasks and interventions with competence, independence, and sound professional judgement appropriate to the complexity of the practice setting.	LO3
4	Models and adapts professional attitudes, behaviours, and communication skills, verbal, non‑verbal, and written, that meet social work professional standards and remain effective in complex or challenging situations.	LO4
5	Critically evaluates their own practice within professional supervision, demonstrating insight, self‑awareness, and the ability to apply reflective learning to improve future practice.	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.