Unit Synopsis
In this unit, you will expand your knowledge of family and structural theories of violence, with a focus on family and gender-based violence against women. Gender-based and family violence is pervasive in Australia, with 1 in 3 women experiencing violence by a partner, known person or a stranger since the age of 15, and 1 in 5 women experiencing sexual violence since the age of 15. These statistics underscore the urgent need for targeted social work interventions. You will design social work assessments and interventions informed by evidence-based practice, social work values and ethics, and sound theoretical underpinnings, specifically addressing the needs, safety resources and strengths of victim-survivors and their children. You will employ critical thinking and reflection skills to analyse societal power imbalances that sustain family violence and navigate ethical dilemmas involving care and control, such as autonomy and protection, as well as confidentiality and safety. This analysis includes understanding how intersecting identities such as gender, ethnicity, age, culture, class, and religion shape nuanced experiences of oppression and injustice. You will develop strategies and skills to collaborate with others to address systemic power structures that sustain violence and advocate for more positive outcomes for those impacted by violence and inequality. The unit also covers self-care, safety, and supervision strategies, recognising the specific challenges that family and gender-based violence can introduce into social work. This unit aims to equip you with the skills and knowledge to address family violence, promoting a more equitable and just society.
Details
| Level | Postgraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 9 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 4 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Pre-requisites: SOWK29001 Ethical and Legal Issues in Practice SOWK28005 Social Work Field Education 1 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 | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 1 - 2026
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 Postgraduate 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.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Written Assessment | 30% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 30% |
| 3. Case Study | 40% |
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%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site .
No previous feedback available
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.
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Critically appraise the theoretical and empirical base for working with people experiencing family and structural violence
- Develop assessments and interventions grounded in evidence-informed practice and professional ethics to address the diverse needs of victim-survivors of violence and trauma.
- Apply collaborative and advocacy strategies, incorporating trauma-informed practices, to case studies to address systemic power structures and achieve better outcomes for people affected by violence and a more equitable society.
- Engage in critical reflection to Identify and challenge biases and assumptions, assess power imbalances, and cultivate ethical practice, cultural sensitivity, self-awareness, professional growth, supervision and self-care, which are essential for working in this field of practice.
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | |
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Case Study | • | • | • | |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | • | • | • | • |
| 2 - Communication | • | • | • | |
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | • | • | ||
| 4 - Research | • | |||
| 5 - Self-management | • | • | ||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | • | • | • | • |
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | • | |||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | |