SOWK13009 - Fieldwork Education 1

General Information

Unit Synopsis

Social Work Field Education 1 is the first of two fieldwork placements that you are required to complete. You will complete onsite, agency-based interactions and learning tasks in a practice context supervised by an approved agency worker. You will participate in the range of activities, tasks, and processes that the agency encompasses by negotiation with the supervisor and subject to agency rules and procedures. During the first placement you are invited to consolidate and apply your learning from the first two years of study within an agency placement context. You will observe other workers, participate in the operations of the agency and should be able to critically analyse and articulate your developing professional practice framework within the context of the field placement. A Field Education Manual will guide you through the placement process, providing a detailed framework and administrative arrangements, including attendance and assessment requirements, as well as roles and responsibilities of all parties. The manual outlines the inherent requirements and performance expectations based on the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Practice Standards and ASWEAS General and Profession-Specific Graduate Attributes. You are required to attend the compulsory residential school associated with the co-requisite unit, SOWK13010, and participate in designated call-back sessions.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 18
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.375
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisites: Students must have completed all first and second year units before attempting SOWK13009.

Corequisite: SOWK13010 Integrating Theory and Practice I.

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).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School Compulsory Residential School
View Unit Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2025

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Online
Term 1 - 2026 Profile
Online

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).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 18-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 37.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 450 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Professional Practice Plans (learning plans) 0%
2. Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books 0%
3. Presentation 0%

This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 100.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 26.32% response rate.

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.

Source: SUTE
Feedback
Again, way too many assignments when we are on full time placement. The learning plan and 500 hours of placement is enough. Keep the practice framework assessment and that's it.
Recommendation
The assessment structure has been reviewed in response to this feedback. From Term 1, 2025, expectations for placement-based assessment have been reduced to better support student workload and wellbeing during full-time placement.
Action Taken
Action taken to streamline assessment from T1 2025 has been effective. Student satisfaction scores in 2025 suggest this change supported workload balance without compromising learning outcomes.
Source: SUTE - Teacher Evaluations
Feedback
Lecturers are always available and answer questions in a timely manner.
Recommendation
We appreciate this feedback and remain committed to being responsive and approachable. Students are encouraged to contact staff with any questions, and gentle reminders are always welcome if a response is delayed.
Action Taken
Positive feedback on staff responsiveness and availability has been maintained. This remains a consistent strength of the unit and will continue to be prioritised.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Structure of learning agreement needs improvement - was difficult for myself and my FELO to easily understand what sections needed to be completed before mid placement review.
Recommendation
The Learning Agreement template and instructions have been reviewed and streamlined to improve clarity. Key sections are now clearly labelled for completion by the mid-placement review, and additional guidance is provided on Moodle.
Action Taken
The revised Learning Agreement template and guidance have addressed previous concerns. No further negative feedback has been received, suggesting improved clarity for both students and supervisors.
Source: SUTE - Teacher Evaluations
Feedback
Robyn went above and beyond to make sure I could do my placement in an environment that worked for me, advocating and supporting me throughout the entire application process. Because of this, I was able to have a placement that was extremely beneficial to my learning and my personal needs and commitments at the time.
Recommendation
We are grateful for this feedback. Supporting students to secure meaningful and appropriate placements remains a priority, with ongoing advocacy to match learning needs with suitable placement contexts.
Action Taken
The teaching team’s commitment to advocacy and securing appropriate placements continues to be recognised by students. This remains an important feature of the unit and contributes to overall student satisfaction and success.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
appreciated Robyns feedback/comments of my learning agreement and her responses felt encouraging and helped me feel like I was on the right track. Robyn also helped me feel prepared for placement by providing relevant information and explaining the different processes and requirements. Thank you!
Recommendation
We will continue to provide relational support and clear guidance in feedback, with a focus on ensuring students feel encouraged and well-prepared for field education.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

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

  1. Develop and demonstrate the integration of professional social work knowledge, skills, and values within the placement context, in alignment with the AASW Code of Ethics and AASW Practice Standards, and organisational context for practice, including adherence to legislative and policy frameworks.
  2. Reflect on your professional practice, incorporating self-care strategies, use of self in the organisational context along with problem-solving skills, and cross-cultural competency.
  3. Create opportunities to develop your skills in the assessment of clients' needs, evaluating appropriate intervention strategies using social work theoretical frameworks.
  4. Construct a professional practice framework relevant to your emerging social work practice and demonstrate its application in various contexts.

All of the learning outcomes are linked to the AASW Practice Standards.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Professional Practice Plans (learning plans) • • •
2 - Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books • • •
3 - Presentation • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • •
2 - Problem Solving • • •
3 - Critical Thinking •
5 - Team Work • • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence • • •
8 - Ethical practice • • • •
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10