Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor Tobia Fattore tobia.fattore@mq.edu.au Contact via By email: tobia.fattore@mq.edu.au W B
Credit points	Credit points 3
Prerequisites	Prerequisites 39cp
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description This unit is based on an exploration of the concept of care and its meaning in a range of different human service developments such as mental health, childcare, child protection, disability services and aged care. A starting point for these discussions is an examination of the ideas of care. We explore the links between informal supports, typically, although not exclusively, provided by women within families and households, and formal supports as provided by professional, trained and untrained staff, through organisations and other, often newly emergent, systems of support. Drawing together the fields of social theory and applied research, this unit provides an opportunity to examine responses to changing concepts of human need for interpersonal support. You will be able to learn from policy makers and practitioners working in this field, and enjoy opportunities to analyse state of the art studies of care and human services in Australia and other comparable countries.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

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

A critical understanding of the different meanings attached to the concept of care and of changing patterns in the need for care across the life course.
A capacity to analyse the characteristics of care in intimate interpersonal relationships, as well as in contexts in which professional relationships require the provision of care to strangers.
Recognition of the contribution of a range of sociological, economic, demographic and other perspectives to developments in care and human services.
An ability to work with a range of policy documents concerned with the planning, provision, regulation, and funding of human services.
Experience in considering the application of a number of research perspectives to the study of human services.
Capability in working as part of a social research or policy development team in the human services field.
A demonstrated understanding of the key issues involved in undertaking social analyses of policies and programs for the development of human services.

General Assessment Information

Assignment Submission

All written assignments will be submitted using the turnitin link for each assignment. These can be accessed via the iLearn page for the assignment.

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty is an integral part of the core values and principles contained in the Macquarie University Ethics Statement (http://www.mq.edu.au/ethics/ethic-statement-final.html). Its fundamental principle is that all staff and students act with integrity in the creation, development, application and use of ideas and information. This means that:

All academic work claimed as original is the work of the author making the claim.
All academic collaborations are acknowledged.
Academic work is not falsified in any way
When the ideas of others are used, these ideas are acknowledged appropriately.

The link below has more details about the policy, procedure and schedule of penalties that will apply to breaches of the Academic Honesty policy.

http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Special consideration

If, due to illness or unavoidable disruption, you miss a number of seminars or are unable to complete all assessment requirements satisfactorily; if you miss the final assessment item or your assessment performance is seriously prejudiced in some way, you must report the circumstances in writing to the Registrar through the Student Centre for your case to receive special consideration. Include a medical certificate, a letter from the University Counselling Service, or other documentary evidence. The Registrar's Office will advise the unit convenor you are enrolled in. You do not need to advise the unit convener directly, although it is a good idea to let us know if you are having problems. The link for application for Special consideration can be found at http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Due
Human Services Briefing Paper	30%	September 5 (End Week 5)
Policy Analysis	40%	October 24 (End Week 10)
Participation	20%	Weekly
Short Answer Test	10%	November 14 (End Week 13)

Human Services Briefing Paper

Due: September 5 (End Week 5)
Weighting: 30%

Prepare a short briefing paper on the services (or programs), facilities, budget and numbers of clients in one human service sector in Australia. Focus on one of the following areas of service provision: aged care; disability support services; child care; child protection services; mental health care; or supported accommodation services. In your briefing paper, provide a critical overview of services across Australia and include as far as possible, a comparison of interstate variations. Use tables to present comparative data where applicable.

On successful completion you will be able to:

A critical understanding of the different meanings attached to the concept of care and of changing patterns in the need for care across the life course.
A capacity to analyse the characteristics of care in intimate interpersonal relationships, as well as in contexts in which professional relationships require the provision of care to strangers.
An ability to work with a range of policy documents concerned with the planning, provision, regulation, and funding of human services.
Experience in considering the application of a number of research perspectives to the study of human services.

Policy Analysis

Due: October 24 (End Week 10)
Weighting: 40%

Students will undertake one of the following tasks:

Identify one recent innovation in human service delivery in Australia or one overseas country and critically examine its characteristics, the logic for its introduction, and its current or potential contribution to policy. The review should also discuss links between the service development and broader processes of social, demographic and political change. The review should be with reference to one (and only one) of the following fields of human services: aged care; disability services; mental health; child protection; child care; health care; or supported accommodation. Some of the innovations that could be considered include case management; consumer-directed care; service contracting arrangements; improvements in the coordination of services; or the development of innovative servicing arrangements for a particular client group.

Undertake a critical review of one of the policy inquiries and evaluations listed below. Pay particular attention to the politics that lay behind the commissioning of the review; the methods of inquiry used; the nature of the evidence used; the conclusions or recommendations arising from the inquiry; and the impact of the review on current policy or practice.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Interim Report (2014)
The Productivity Commission’s review Caring for Older Australians, (2011)
The Productivity Commission’s review Disability Care and Support, (2011)
The Australian Senate’s Inquiry Forgotten Australians: A report on Australians who experienced institutional or out-of-home care as children, (2004)

On successful completion you will be able to:

Recognition of the contribution of a range of sociological, economic, demographic and other perspectives to developments in care and human services.
An ability to work with a range of policy documents concerned with the planning, provision, regulation, and funding of human services.
Experience in considering the application of a number of research perspectives to the study of human services.
A demonstrated understanding of the key issues involved in undertaking social analyses of policies and programs for the development of human services.

Participation

Due: Weekly
Weighting: 20%

For internal students, attendance at workshops and active participation is the basis for half the assessment. Additionally, students will be required to lead the discussion for one of the weeks. Students will be required to submit discussion notes in the week they lead the discussion.

External students will be assessed by their active engagement in external student discussions each week. Each week students will be required to provide a brief comment on at least one of the readings. Additionally, students will be assessed on their active engagement with other student postings.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Recognition of the contribution of a range of sociological, economic, demographic and other perspectives to developments in care and human services.
Experience in considering the application of a number of research perspectives to the study of human services.
Capability in working as part of a social research or policy development team in the human services field.

Short Answer Test

Due: November 14 (End Week 13)
Weighting: 10%

Students will undertake a short, ten question multiple choice test undertaken at the end of Week 13. The examination will be undertaken on-line and cover topics in the lectures.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Recognition of the contribution of a range of sociological, economic, demographic and other perspectives to developments in care and human services.
A demonstrated understanding of the key issues involved in undertaking social analyses of policies and programs for the development of human services.

Delivery and Resources

Unit Requirements and Expectations

The teaching program consists of:

A two hour lecture/workshop each week. For external students, these will take the form of recorded lectures made available to you through the Echo lecture system, with accompanying lecture notes available online. The lecture slides and recorded lectures are available the SOC322 iLearn site.
Site visit to one human services organisation, organised as part of the teaching program. Attendance is required for all internal students and is optional for external students;
Weekly readings;
Tutorial participation. Internal students are required to contribute each week to discussion in the tutorial program. Additionally they will be required to lead at least one workshop as part of their Participation Assessment. External students are required to make a comparable contribution to the online discussion of the research articles available through e-reserve; and
Related reading and research development tasks over the course of the unit.

As this is an advanced course in the uses and development of sociological analysis, it is vital for students to participate in all components of the unit. The lectures provide the conceptual basis of the course, examining the theory and much of the relevant evidence for each topic. The online discussions are designed to complement this by providing the opportunity to exchange and brainstorm ideas, discuss research, and develop a critical and collaborative approach.

Readings for each week’s topics are listed later in the course outline and you are expected to have read them before contributing to the online discussion. Active participation is a requirement of the course. If you are unable to contribute to the discussion board, please notify the course convenor.

Course Texts

The required text for this course is:

Students are required to use the following resources:

Fine, M.D. (2007) A Caring Society? Care and the Dilemmas of Human Service in the 21st Century, Palgrave MacMillan, Houndmills and New York.
Australia’s Welfare, 2013, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra

(This can be downloaded free from: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129543825)

Other recommended texts for this unit include:

Palmer, G and S. Short (2010) Health Care and Public Policy. An Australian Analysis (4th Ed), Palgrave MacMillan, South Yarra

A number of other recommended readings and texts are listed in the weekly overview. You are also encouraged to seek out others through the electronic databases available through the library and from other sources.

The required text for this course is:

Students are required to use the following resources:

Fine, M.D. (2007) A Caring Society? Care and the Dilemmas of Human Service in the 21st Century, Palgrave MacMillan, Houndmills and New York.
Australia’s Welfare, 2013, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra

(This can be downloaded free from: http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129543825)

Other recommended texts for this unit include:

Palmer, G and S. Short (2010) Health Care and Public Policy. An Australian Analysis (4th Ed), Palgrave MacMillan, South Yarra

Unit Schedule

Week	Date	Lecture
Week 1	August 4	Introduction: Care and Human Services
Week 2	August 11	Understanding care: Contested definitions and perspectives
Week 3	August 18	Families or organisations: Paid and unpaid care
Week 4	August 25	Services as organisations
Week 5	September 1	Institutional models of care / Child protection and systems abuse
Human Services Research assignment due September 5
Week 6	September 8	Reinventing Human Services: Innovation, Effectiveness, Efficiency and Review
Week 7	September 15	Ethics of care: Feminist interpretations of care / The Volunteer workforce
Mid-Session Break
Week 8	October 6	Public holiday - No classes this week
Week 9	October 13	Human services site visit
Week 10	October 20	New Organisational Logics and the Political Economy of Globalised Service Provision
Policy Analysis assignment due October 24
Week 11	October 27	New perspectives on human services: Individualisation, the body and risk
Week 12	November 3	New directions in service provision: Privatisation, Contracting, Integration
Week 13	November 10	Course wrap-up – Short answer test

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative

We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

A capacity to analyse the characteristics of care in intimate interpersonal relationships, as well as in contexts in which professional relationships require the provision of care to strangers.
Experience in considering the application of a number of research perspectives to the study of human services.
Capability in working as part of a social research or policy development team in the human services field.
A demonstrated understanding of the key issues involved in undertaking social analyses of policies and programs for the development of human services.

Assessment tasks

Policy Analysis
Participation
Short Answer Test

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Recognition of the contribution of a range of sociological, economic, demographic and other perspectives to developments in care and human services.
An ability to work with a range of policy documents concerned with the planning, provision, regulation, and funding of human services.

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

A capacity to analyse the characteristics of care in intimate interpersonal relationships, as well as in contexts in which professional relationships require the provision of care to strangers.
Recognition of the contribution of a range of sociological, economic, demographic and other perspectives to developments in care and human services.
Experience in considering the application of a number of research perspectives to the study of human services.
A demonstrated understanding of the key issues involved in undertaking social analyses of policies and programs for the development of human services.

Assessment tasks

Human Services Briefing Paper
Policy Analysis
Short Answer Test

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

A critical understanding of the different meanings attached to the concept of care and of changing patterns in the need for care across the life course.
A capacity to analyse the characteristics of care in intimate interpersonal relationships, as well as in contexts in which professional relationships require the provision of care to strangers.

Assessment tasks

Human Services Briefing Paper
Policy Analysis

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

Experience in considering the application of a number of research perspectives to the study of human services.
A demonstrated understanding of the key issues involved in undertaking social analyses of policies and programs for the development of human services.

Assessment tasks

Human Services Briefing Paper
Policy Analysis

Creative and Innovative

Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Assessment tasks

Policy Analysis
Participation

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Assessment tasks

Policy Analysis
Participation

Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens

As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

A critical understanding of the different meanings attached to the concept of care and of changing patterns in the need for care across the life course.
An ability to work with a range of policy documents concerned with the planning, provision, regulation, and funding of human services.
Capability in working as part of a social research or policy development team in the human services field.

Assessment tasks

Policy Analysis
Participation

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

An ability to work with a range of policy documents concerned with the planning, provision, regulation, and funding of human services.

Assessment task

Policy Analysis