HUSE3008Human Services from the user perspective

Course handbook

Description

This course centres on the knowledge, views and experiences of people who use human services. Students will consider the diversity, complexity and strengths of individuals’ lives and what this means in relation to human services practices, policies and politics. In this course service users provide opportunities for students to think deeply about the role and methods of human services when working with Indigenous and non-indigenous people from various equity groups, as well as providing tools that can facilitate ongoing critically reflective practice. Students learn how professionals may need to be good recipients of challenging communication. Interwoven with lived experience knowledge, the course provides historical context, including the consumer movement and the change from providing services to as opposed to providing services with. The course draws together many threads of critical Human Services teaching including theoretical debates about terminology (client/consumers); rights-based access to services; the marketisation of services; peer work and user-lead services. Central to the course is the theme of equity, inclusion and diversity (EID).

Availability2024 Course Timetables

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course students will be able to:

1. Identify the tensions and alignments in practitioner and service user perspectives on human services

2. Integrate service user perspectives with theoretical perspectives and practice approaches to answer 'how can this understanding inform my approach to human services?'

3. Demonstrate a capacity to listen to, engage with and be informed by the perspectives of service users.

Content

The course will include the following topics:

• History of the consumer movement and the move from working for to working with
• Experiencing human services from a user perspective
• Listening to, hearing and learning from the service user
• Critical debates such as dignity of risk; power, choice and control; service access as a right; marketisation of services
• Strategies for safe, effective and ongoing critically reflective practice.
• Practice domains with room for improvement on hearing from service user experiences.
• The contrast between formal and informal human services from the user perspective.

Assumed knowledge

40 units at 1000 level, HUSE1001, HUSE2001, HUSE3001

Assessment items

Written Assignment: Short answer questions -

Journal: Learning Journal -

Written Assignment: Final Report -

Contact hours

Semester 2 - 2024 - Callaghan

Semester 2 - 2024 - Ourimbah

Course outline

Course outline not yet available.