AT2: A reflective paper

This assignment has two parts that require you to address the tasks below:

Part 1: You should discuss uncertainties involved in your social work practice in the future (1700 words).

• Part 2: What type of social worker do you want to be in the future? (300 words)
• Part 1: A case study about you after graduation

When graduating next year, you apply for a social work job, and the good news is that you get the job. You are appointed as a social worker in a large non-government agency. The agency is primarily funded by the state government and supplemented with monies from private donors and corporate sponsors. However, the agency is now worried about financial risk because of the threat of reduced government funding and increased service costs. The agency provides a wide range of family service and community development programs for disadvantaged communities in both metropolitan and regional areas. Each community group, such as young people, parents, older adults, and workers, faces multiple and diverse social problems and uncertainties.

Through this unit, you have learnt that some reasons for the cumulative uncertainty are due to increasing global issues, climate change, growing inequity, government policies, shrinking resources and funding, and technological advances. Therefore, during your hiring interview, you could provide strong evidence of your analytical thinking, abilities, expertise, and understanding of the complexities facing individuals and communities. You highlighted the need for further development and innovative actions.

In the first few months, a part of your role is to prepare a report for the board of directors to demonstrate complexities, uncertainties, and emerging problems facing individuals (young people, parents, older adults and …) in the community. The board is a male-dominated group, and 90% of them are from Anglo Australian backgrounds. From your initial research, it is evident to you that the board members are dominated by risk avoidance and may prioritise neoliberal discourses and policies.

To better inform the board, you are going to present your proposal with considerations of how to face uncertainties with diversity-embracing and inclusive social work practice. You hope that you introduce and highlight diverse, under-served and systematically marginalised communities and the uncertainties they are facing. You also aim to help the board members develop critical analysis and understand anti-oppressive social work practice and service delivery.

Instructions and assessment task

When you provide this report for the board; your report should include:

1- Introduction about the community groups, their issues and the organisation based on the given information (no more than 200 words)

2- Discuss complexities, uncertainties and emerging problems facing individuals (young people, parents, older adults and …) and the community that you will work with. You should choose three areas of uncertainty that you think are relevant to the organisation in your analysis. Choose three areas of uncertainty that we discussed in weeks 1-11. You must choose one from Group A and two from group B.

Topics

Group A Group B

Social work in an uncertain world Transforming social work across different sectors: a social justice lens

A critical profession in the neoliberal context Diversity and Inclusion in an uncertain world

Social work in the digital age Post-colonialism and new social movements

Climate justice and green social work Australian population change and successful ageing

Self-care in an uncertain world

Future of Social work and future-ready social workers

You should explain and articulate topics and then be specific in connecting the uncertain area to a specific community group(s). You should also describe how uncertain areas impacts social work practice within the community group. You also need to discuss how those areas can be seen as opportunities for change when practising social work.

3- You must provide relevant recommendations for social work practice to face each area of uncertainty. Your recommendation should be specific and relevant with the anti-oppressive and critical social work lens.

2- Part B

Part B should include your description of the kind of social worker you want to be in working with the communities. Please think about our discussion in this unit and how you would like to approach uncertainty in the future. Also, you need to discuss how you will develop your self-care plan for the future. Please provide a critical reflection, particularly on critical social work and anti-oppressive social work practice. (Approx. 300 words)

Tips: You can choose to write in the third or first person for part A. Remember that Part B is a reflection and should be written in the first person.

Presentation and Academic Writing Skills

You must use required readings and recommended readings, academic journals and social workbooks, not websites or wiki! As fourth-year students, your need to demonstrate strong academic skills and expertise in using relevant resources. You need to demonstrate your abilities in utilising academic resources, and a minimum of seven references are required.

This is an academic essay; please use academic skills and standards. Please use headings as a way to signpost shifts or guide the reader.

To write paragraphs, which flow, you should combine more than one or two sentences. Also, each paragraph needs a first topic sentence to introduce the paragraph’s main topic. Then in the following sentences, you will unpack the topic and further discuss the idea.

Clumsy sentences and grammatical errors need to be avoided. Clear sentence structure helps develop your argument. Put some time into editing, try to read your paper out loud; when you read it aloud, you may also hear your sentences’ errors. You can also print off your essay, look at it on paper with a pencil, and edit in that mode.

Please type the report in 12 font, Arial, and double space. Double spacing is very helpful for us in marking your essay.

Referencing

You need to use the APA7 referencing style (this is the first time we recommend SW students use this style). Please check Deakin University APA7 guidelines. To access the Deakin referencing/citation guide, click on this link: https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/studying/study-…

I know many of you have used Harvard before, and this is the first time that Deakin mandated APA7. So, it is okay to use Harvard referencing style as well. Please check Deakin University Harvard guidelines. Please access the Deakin referencing/citation guide at this link: https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/studying/study-…

Attention: Please be consistent in using either of the styles above.