Aim
The aim of this assessment is to provide you with an opportunity to develop an understanding and critically analyse  the structural issues that impact on young people who offend and increase the risk of involvement in the youth justice system. 

Instructions

You will watch and critically analyse the ABC episode of,  “You Can’t Ask That “ which is in the Assessment Block on Moodle.

Your written assessment will address the following:

How does the ABC episode ‘You Can’t Ask That – Juvenile Detention’ challenge dominant discourses about young offenders, and what are the implications for ethical and socially just social work practice?

Critical Reflection on Representations of Young People 

• Analyse how the episode presents the voices of young people who have experienced detention.
• Critique dominant societal narratives about young offenders (e.g. criminalisation, young people being out of control without limits or neglectful or poor parenting).
• Discuss how these narratives reinforce or challenge assumptions about race, class, gender, and or ability.  Select two of these issues to examine comprehensively.

Structural and Systemic Analysis 

• Examine how systems such as child protection, housing, mental health, and or policing intersects with youth justice. Select two of these issues to examine comprehensively.
• Discuss how systemic racism (particularly against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and culturally diverse youth), and select one of the following issues - poverty, and intergenerational trauma influence outcomes.  
• Discuss relevant policy or legislation (e.g. youth detention, bail laws) in your discussion.
   

Implication for Social Work Practice 

Apply two of the following critical theories, to explore how social workers can respond ethically and effectively and reconstruct dominant narratives about youth offenders:

• Social work critical theory
• Structural theory
• Critical criminology
• Intersectional theory
• Feminist theory/Gendered violence
• Critical race theory
• Postcolonial and decolonising theories.
• Labelling theory.
• Structural theory
• Carceral theory (incarceration theory)
   

Critical Reflection 

Using Fook's model of critical reflection, reflect on the ABC episode.  Critically reflect on how your personal values, assumptions, and experiences shape your positioning in youth justice.

Deconstruction:

• Reflect on your own positionality (e.g., gender, race, class, cultural background, life experiences). How has this shaped your assumptions or understandings about youth justice?
• What feelings, reactions, or emotions did you have while watching the episode?
• What specific aspects did you find challenging, confronting, or surprising, and why?
• What personal biases, stereotypes, or dominant discourses might have influenced your reactions?

Reconstruction:

• How do these beliefs and assumptions shape how power is exercised towards or against disadvantaged young people?
• What new insights or alternative understandings have you developed through this critical reflection?

Social Work Practice:

• How will this reflection influence your future social work practice in youth justice contexts?
• How will you ensure your practice is ethical, self-aware, and guided by social justice principles?

Academic Integrity

1.    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 2: You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.

Minimum Pass Criteria

• You must achieve a cumulative grade of at least 49.5% across all assessments to pass this unit.
• In order for a supplementary assessment to be considered, all assessment tasks must be reasonably attempted in this unit. 

Refer to the marking rubric on the Moodle site for more detail on how marks will be assigned. Assessment re-attempt is not available for this Assessment task.

You are a social worker employed in a child protection team.  Your task is to undertake a context-responsive and comprehensive assessment of the family needs.  You will  construct a written assessment   informed by critical theory and an ecological model of assessment, including an analysis of appropriate interventions and supports to engage the family. Your report should consider the strengths, vulnerabilities, protective factors, and risk factors associated with the identified concerns.  You are expected to apply your knowledge and skills in accordance with the AASW Code of Ethics (2020), and relevant organisational context and legislation.  

Instructions 

Please follow the steps below to complete your assessment task: 

1. Familiarise yourself with the case study scenario provided on Moodle in the Assessment Block. The case study will provide you with information about your social work purpose and context of practice, the family, their background, and the specific concerns.   
2. Conduct a thorough assessment of the case study, considering the following aspects: 
3. Identify the social worker role within the organisation.
4. Identify the organisational context legislation that shape the practitioner's role and how this shapes the social works with clients.
5. Provide a definition of ‘child maltreatment’ and ‘risk and harm’ based on the literature. critical theory (that were explored in Assessment 1) to evaluate structural factors contributing to child maltreatment.
6.  Apply an ecological systems model to analyse risk and protective factors across micro, meso, exo and macro levels, including child development and family wellbeing issues.
7. Describe the principles of person-centred, relationship-based practice and discuss research findings that contribute to helpful and unhelpful working relationships specifically in statutory child protection settings.  Apply these principles to the family and child/ren in the case study as to how you would achieve this. 
8. Consider how you would balance parental growth goals while protecting children in a statutory role in relation to the case study.    

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 2: You may use Al for planning, idea development, and research. Your final submission should show how you have developed and refined these ideas.

Minimum Pass Criteria

• You must achieve a cumulative grade of at least 49.5% across all assessments to pass this unit. 
• In order for a supplementary assessment to be considered, all assessment tasks must be reasonably attempted in this unit. 

Refer to the marking rubric on the Moodle site for more detail on how marks will be assigned. Assessment re-attempt is not available for this Assessment task.