BSWUG3005 Social Policy: Development and impact
In a society marked by increasingly inequitable distribution of resources, social workers require skills and knowledge to interpret, critique, and shape social policy. This course provides students with foundational knowledge about how social policy influences the lives of individuals, families, communities, and how social workers and the social work profession are influenced by, and can influence, social policy. Specifically, the course focuses on competing definitions of social policy, social welfare, the role of political ideologies and values in shaping policy development, implementation and evaluation. This course introduces students to the `social construction of problems¿ that influence the development, implementation of social policy using Carol Bacchi¿s critical social policy framework. The course will introduce students to social policy in action and apply theoretical frameworks of social policy to an area of social work practice, such as disability policy, housing and homelessness, family violence and poverty and welfare policy. Students will be required to develop skills to analyse discourses that underpin social policies, identify the political and ethical implications and advocate in macro settings.
Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) unit fee
A Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) is one that is subsidised by the Australian Government, which means students only pay the student contribution amount of the tuition fee. CSPs are only available to eligible domestic students.
The student contribution amount depends on the unit and how much funding the Government provides. Each unit is classified into a band based on its discipline (which may be different to your overall course discipline).
2025 student contribution amount: $2,124
2025 grandfathered student contribution amount (for students who commenced before 1 Jan 2021*): $997
* If you are a continuing student (who commenced your course before 1 January 2021) you will continue paying the same amount as you would have, had legislative reforms not been implemented for any units that would otherwise have an increased student contribution amount.