Overview
In this unit, you will examine the relationship between human services and the legal context, and develop an understanding of the importance of integrating knowledge of legal systems and processes with human services practice and professional ethics. You will be introduced to the origins of the statutory contexts for human service work in Australia, and to the role which human service practitioners are required to play within these settings. Particular statutory areas are explored in some detail. This unit has a minimum grade requirement for assessments.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2025
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student evaluation
Two lectures were difficult to engage with.
Review lectures to identify ways to increase student engagement.
Feedback from Student evaluation
The unit Moodle site was easy to navigate, and there was a great range of resources. I was surprised at my enjoyment of this subject.
Retain the Moodle site format and the interactive elements of Assessments 1 and 2, and continually review and update unit resources.
- Explain the origins of the statutory frameworks within which human service workers practice
- Demonstrate the difference between criminal and civil statutory processes and law
- Differentiate between the discrete jurisdictions within statutory systems with reference to the roles which human service workers are required to undertake
- Explain how statutory systems impact on the work of human services workers, clients, organisations and the community
- Explain the interaction of statutory systems and processes with professional codes of ethics in human service practice.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 40% | |||||
| 2 - Group Discussion - 10% | |||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 50% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||||
| 5 - Team Work | |||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||
Textbooks
Integrating Human Service Law, Ethics and Practice
Edition: 4th edn (2016)
Authors: Kennedy, R., Richards, J., Leiman, T.
Oxford University Press
South Melbourne South Melbourne , Victoria , Australia
ISBN: 9780190302726
Students are not required to purchase the textbook as it is available to access freely online through the CQUniversity Library: SOWK11016 Textbook.
Binding: Paperback
Students are not required to purchase the textbook as it is available to access freely online through the CQUniversity Library: SOWK11016 Textbook.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
m.chesham@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
The law and human services
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 1 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The Australian legal system
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 2 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The place of law within practice frameworks
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 3 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Professionals and agencies as legal entities?
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 4 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 1 Quiz A - Due Week 4, Friday at 6 pm (AEST)
Module/Topic
Managing information
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 5 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2 Group Discussion A - Due Week 5, Wednesday at 6 pm (AEST)
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Evidence, witnesses and court reports
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 6 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Legal accountability
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 7 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Crimes and victims
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 8 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 1 Quiz B - Due Week 8, Friday at 6 pm (AEST)
Module/Topic
An introduction to child protection and domestic and family violence law
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 9 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment 2 Group Discussion B - Due Week 9, Wednesday at 6 pm (AEST).
Module/Topic
Housing and income support
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 10 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Discrimination and harassment
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 11 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Voluntary assisted dying
Chapter
Visit the study week schedule on Moodle for the Week 12 set readings and activities.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Quiz(zes)
Type: Two Online Quizzes
Quiz A
Quiz opens: 08:00 hours (AEST) Thursday, 7th August 2025 (Week 4)
Quiz closes: 18:00 hours (AEST) Friday, 8th August 2025 (Week 4)
Return to students: Results for Quiz A will be available on Friday, Week 7
Permitted attempts: One
Weighting: 20%
Length: Ten multiple-choice and three short-answer questions
Completion time: 90 minutes
Quiz B
Quiz opens: 08:00 hours (AEST) Thursday,11th September 2025 (Week 8)
Quiz closes: 18:00 hours (AEST) Friday, 12th September 2025 (Week 8)
Return to students: Results for Quiz B will be available on Friday, Week 10
Permitted attempts: One
Weighting: 20%
Length: Ten multiple-choice and three short-answer questions
Completion time: 90 minutes
Extensions: Not available for Quiz A and Quiz B as per policy. The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment.
Unit Coordinator: Madonna Chesham
Aim
This assessment aims to support your understanding and application of key legal concepts in social work. It is aligned with Assessment 2 – Group Discussion, encouraging both active learning and meaningful peer engagement. You will complete two online quizzes in Weeks 4 and 8, each assessing your understanding of core legal principles relevant to social work practice. These quizzes also form the basis for Assessment 2 group discussion in Weeks 5 and 9, where you will collaborate with peers to reflect on and analyse selected quiz questions. This structure is intended to deepen your learning through both self-assessment and group dialogue.
In each quiz, you will:
- Examine the legal frameworks that shape social work and human services.
- Demonstrate understanding of social workers’ legal and professional responsibilities.
- Apply key laws to real-world scenarios, demonstrating a practical understanding of how legislation influences social work practice and decision-making.
Instructions
Please refer to the assessment task instructions on the unit's Moodle site.
Academic Integrity
You must abide by the principles of academic integrity (see Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure). Completion of this assessment with another party or sharing of responses is not permitted at any time.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during this assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
This restriction is in place to support the development of essential critical thinking and reasoning skills, which are essential to navigating legal and ethical challenges in social work practice. In human services professions, AI-generated content cannot replace human judgment, especially when interpreting laws and assessing their relevance to social work practice. The intersection of the law and human services requires careful reasoning, contextual analysis, and an understanding of human impact and complexities that AI cannot authentically replicate.
2
Other
Quizzes are due Friday in Week 4 and Week 8. An open quiz will be automatically submitted at 18:00 hours (AEST).
Results will be available two weeks after the quiz closes.
Assessment criteria will be available on the Moodle site.
Minimum Pass Criteria
- You must achieve a minimum grade of 49.5% to pass this assessment.
- Assessment re-attempt is not available for this assessment.
- In the event you are eligible for a supplementary assessment, all assessment tasks must be reasonably attempted in this unit.
- Explain the origins of the statutory frameworks within which human service workers practice
- Demonstrate the difference between criminal and civil statutory processes and law
- Differentiate between the discrete jurisdictions within statutory systems with reference to the roles which human service workers are required to undertake
2 Group Discussion
Type: Two Online Group Discussions (Group Discussion A & B)
Group Discussion A
Forum opens: 08:00 hours (AEST) Saturday, 9th August 2025 (Week 4)
Forum closes: 18:00 hours (AEST) Wednesday, 13th August 2025 (Week 5)
Return to students: Results will be available on Friday, Week 7
Weighting: 5%
Length: 500 words +/- 10% (excluding references) - 300-word initial post and 200-word peer response
Group Discussion B
Forum opens: 08:00 hours (AEST) Saturday, 13th September 2025 (Week 8)
Forum closes: 18:00 hours (AEST) Wednesday, 17th September 2025 (Week 9)
Return to students: Results for will be available on Friday Week 11
Weighting: 5%
Length: 500 words +/- 10% (excluding references) - 300-word initial post and 200-word peer response
Extensions: Not available as per policy. The 72-grace period does not apply to this assessment.
Unit Coordinator: Madonna Chesham.
Aim
The discussion forums are designed to replicate a face-to-face tutorial. They encourage active learning, support deeper understanding of legal concepts in human services and social work, and provide opportunities to reflect on your quiz learning with peers. In Weeks 5 and 9, following each quiz, you will participate in two small group discussion forums.
Instructions
Instructions for this assessment can be accessed on the unit Moodle site.
Academic Integrity
You must abide by the principles of academic integrity (see Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure). Completion of this assessment with another party or sharing of responses is not permitted at any time.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during this assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
This restriction is in place to support the development of essential critical thinking and reasoning skills, which are essential to navigating legal and ethical challenges in social work practice. In human services professions, AI-generated content cannot replace human judgment, especially when interpreting laws and assessing their relevance to social work practice. The intersection of the law and human services requires careful reasoning, contextual analysis, and an understanding of human impact and complexities that AI cannot authentically replicate.
ONGOING - Group discussions will take place in Weeks 5 and 9 following each quiz. The group forum will automatically close at 18:00 hours.
Feedback and marks will be returned within two weeks of the completion of each Group Discussion.
Refer to the marking rubric on the Moodle site for more details on how marks will be assigned.
Minimum Pass Criteria
- You must achieve a minimum overall grade of 49.5% to pass this assessment.
- Assessment re-attempt is not available for this Assessment task.
- For a supplementary assessment to be considered, all assessment tasks must be reasonably attempted in this unit.
- Explain the origins of the statutory frameworks within which human service workers practice
- Demonstrate the difference between criminal and civil statutory processes and law
- Differentiate between the discrete jurisdictions within statutory systems with reference to the roles which human service workers are required to undertake
3 Written Assessment
Type: Written Assignment
Due date: Wednesday, 8th October 2025, 4 pm AEST (Week 12)
Extensions: Available as per policy. The 72-hour grace period applies to this assessment.
Return date: Results for this assessment will be made available on Friday, 10th October 2025.
Weighting: 50%
Length: 1600 words +/- 10% (excluding reference list)
Unit Coordinator: Madonna Chesham
Aim
Social workers and human service workers commonly work with people experiencing issues/problems that have legal elements. While social workers and human services workers cannot provide legal advice, they must have knowledge of various legal frameworks and how they impact service users' lives. Drawing on the unit material for weeks one to twelve and other sources you have located through independent research, identify, describe and discuss the knowledge of legal frameworks required by the human service/social worker to effectively support the service user in the case study. The case study will be uploaded to the Assessment tile on the unit Moodle page early in the term.
Instructions
Instructions for this assessment can be accessed on the unit Moodle site.
Academic Integrity
You must abide by the principles of academic integrity (see Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure). Completion of this assessment with another party or sharing of responses is not permitted at any time.
Level of GenAI use allowed:
Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during this assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.
This restriction is in place to support the development of essential critical thinking and reasoning skills, which are essential to navigating legal and ethical challenges in social work practice. In human services professions, AI-generated content cannot replace human judgment, especially when interpreting laws and assessing their relevance to social work practice. The intersection of the law and human services requires careful reasoning, contextual analysis, and an understanding of human impact and complexities that AI cannot authentically replicate.
Week 12 Wednesday (8 Oct 2025) 4:00 pm AEST
Upload submission via Moodle
Exam Week Friday (24 Oct 2025)
Refer to the marking rubric on the Moodle site for more details on how marks will be assigned.
Minimum Pass Criteria
- You must achieve a minimum grade of 49.5% to pass this assessment.
- To achieve a passing grade for this unit, you are required to pass this assessment item.
- Assessment re-attempt is not available for this Assessment task.
- Explain how statutory systems impact on the work of human services workers, clients, organisations and the community
- Explain the interaction of statutory systems and processes with professional codes of ethics in human service practice.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
