This task introduces you to foundational concepts shaping the social work profession. You will examine how historical events, key values, and professional ethics influence contemporary practice, particularly in relation to culturally safe and responsive communication.

Structure:

Introduction (approx. 100 words)
Part 1: Historical development of social work in Australia, including key theoretical and values-based foundations (400 words)
Part 2: Application of these foundations to culturally responsive communication practices, including one example involving First Nations or CALD clients (400 words)
Conclusion (approx. 100 words)

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Understanding of social work history, values, and ethics (30%)
Application to culturally responsive communication (30%)
Use of scholarly literature and APA referencing (20%)
Academic structure, writing clarity, and cohesion (20%)

This assessment enables you to demonstrate foundational social work communication skills through a simulated helping conversation with a peer. You will assume the role of the social worker, and your peer will play a client presenting with a common psychosocial concern (e.g., housing stress, loneliness, cultural displacement, grief, or study pressures).
You will record a mock helping conversation (role-play) demonstrating core interpersonal skills, including active listening, attending, following, and reflection. Then, you will write a short reflection exploring your communication style, cultural awareness, and use of self.

Instructions – Skills Demonstration:

• Choose or develop a client scenario reflecting a marginalised or culturally diverse context 
• Set up a semi-structured helping conversation using appropriate active listening, attending behaviours, and ethical engagement.
• Use open questions, paraphrasing, reflection of feeling/content, and summarising.
• Display professionalism, boundaries, and culturally responsive practice throughout.
• Record your session (Zoom or phone camera is acceptable), ensuring clear audio and video
• Students are required to record their skills demonstration using Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The recording must be uploaded to OneDrive, and a viewable shareable link must be embedded within the written submission.

Further details are available on Moodle.

Instructions – Critical Reflection:

Your written critical reflection should explore:

• Your use of verbal and non-verbal communication techniques
• The influence of your cultural identity and values on the interaction
• Your strengths and areas for growth in culturally safe practice
• How you responded to feedback from your peer or lecturer (if applicable)
• The ethical use of self in the interaction

Level of GenAI use allowed:

Level 1: You must not use AI at any point during the assessment. You must demonstrate your core skills and knowledge.

Part A: Active Listening Skills Demonstration (20%)

• Demonstrates active-listening micro-skills – Attending, following, reflecting, paraphrasing, summarising, and sustaining focus using open prompts (12 marks).
• Practice ethical communication and use of self – Demonstrates empathy, respects autonomy, maintains professional boundaries, and uses language aligned with AASW values (6 marks).
• Communicate with cultural responsiveness – Uses culturally safe and inclusive language, adapts communication style, and acknowledges/mitigates power imbalances (2 marks).
   

Part B: Critical Reflection (20%)

• Analyse strengths and self-awareness: Identify personal strengths with insight and examples, reflecting on their impact in practice (6 marks).
• Critically evaluate values, assumptions, and culture – Reflects on personal values, assumptions, and cultural positioning in relation to communication and professional ethics (6 marks).
• Integrate feedback and identify development plan – Demonstrates responsiveness to feedback and outlines specific goals and strategies for professional growth (4 marks).
• Communicate in scholarly, evidence-based style – Writes clearly and professionally with correct APA 7 referencing and relevant academic sources (4 marks).

This assessment requires you to submit a critically reflective essay that explores your emerging professional identity as a social worker. You will reflect on your personal values, use of self, and communication style in relation to social work’s ethical foundations, cultural responsiveness, and practice theories.

Drawing on your learning across the term, including your skills demonstration, class discussions, and the AASW Code of Ethics, you will examine how your motivations, experiences, and feedback have shaped your developing social work identity. The essay should demonstrate critical insight into your own cultural positioning, commitment to social justice, and plans for ethical and professional growth as you prepare for future practice. Further details about the assessment are provided in Moodle.

Assessment Criteria

• Motivation and Emerging Identity: Reflects on the original motivation for pursuing social work and the evolution of understanding. Discusses what "becoming a social worker" means with the integration of foundational theories and professional identity development. (7 marks)
• Values and Ethics in Practice: Identifies two core personal values and critically examines alignment with social work professional values. Draws on AASW Code of Ethics to analyse commitment to ethical practice and social justice. (7 marks)
• Communication, Culture, and Use of Self: Reflects on communication style, interpersonal strengths, and areas for development. Considers how cultural identity shapes interactions. Discusses culturally responsive communication from role-play assessment. (10 marks)
• Feedback Integration and Professional Growth: Integrates feedback from skills demonstration and classroom discussions. Articulates how feedback contributed to reflective practice and professional development. (6 marks)
• Future Practice Commitments: Identifies key goals and strategies for enhancing ethical, reflective, and culturally safe practice in future learning and placements. (6 marks)
• Academic Writing and Scholarly Engagement: Demonstrates synthesis and integration of 8–10 scholarly sources, originality, strength and logic of argument, correct spelling and punctuation, with appropriate citation and referencing (APA 7th) within the word limit. (4 marks)