SWSP6303, Ageing and Aged Services Essay Writing Assessment

Assessment 1 Details and Instructions
In this assessment, you will be required to interview an older person in your community and identify one key issue/problem expressed as problematic to this older person. OR report on a recent social media video about an older people expressing a specific aged-related problem.

In reporting the issue/problem, you are also required to

• Do a literature review on the issue identified, situating it in the broader historical, social, political, cultural, economic and contents
• Discuss key stakeholders who may be involved in the issue
• Assess existing key policies and resources/ referrals necessary to manage the issue at the national and community level
• Provide implications and recommendations for social work practices to resolve the issue.

Critically reflect on the identified issue/problem, develop an argument that is succinct logically consistent, make use of at least 15 academic references (i.e., refereed journal articles and policy papers), feature research evidence that is balanced (e.g., with the view of service users, expert opinions, ethical considerations, etc.), be edited correcting spelling and grammar mistakes, and make use of appropriate referencing (i.e., APA 7th).

You will be assessed on:
1. Relevance of essay to the presenting issue/problem

2. Clearly demonstrates extent of research and provides thorough analysis
3. Contextualises the topic from historical, social, political, cultural and economic contexts, where necessary
4. Critical reflection about implications for social work practice
5. Clarity of expression, with attention structure and development of argument is clear and logical. Correct use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling
6. Effective use of multiple references for points raised, a minimum of 10 references, including referencing using APA (7th edition) conventions, and within word count +/- 10%

Assessment 2 Details and Instructions
In this assessment, students are to form groups of up to 3 students and prepare a 20-minute group presentation to be delivered in class. Students will present a case study of a particular issue social workers are likely to encounter in an aged care context.

Students should choose one of the following topics:

• End of Life Care
• Euthanasia
• Advance Care Planning
• Chronic Illness
• Social Isolation
• Rights
• Intellectual Disability
• Vicarious trauma

A possible format for group presentations/final report is:

• a vignette that outlines a case or a group of cases the students will be discussing,
• literature review,
• a critical discussion of the theory, evidence, and approaches that are important in the case in point, and
• implications for social work

The focus is on the following:

• Exploration of a problem social workers are likely to encounter in practice
• Identifying empirical and theoretical frameworks for understanding the problems
• Exploring the problems from a critical social work perspective

Assessment Criteria - Task 2
The presentation will be marked according to the following criteria:

• Demonstration of in-depth understanding of the selected issue
• Analysis and critical evaluation of social issue with substantial use of literature
• Clearly demonstrate the implications for social work practice
• Ability to clearly present your argument/ ideas in a manner which engages the audience

Assessment 3 Details
In the assessment, using the Gibbs reflective cycle framework, you are requested to critically reflect on the topic chosen for your group presentation. Critically reflect on your initial experiences, perceptions, biases regarding the topic and people in this category. In doing so, also

• Reflect on how the research or the process of preparing the presentation has changed some of the perceptions and biases you held on the topic and older people in this category.
• Gibbs reflective cycle framework will be discussed in class.
• Demonstrate how this new learning will shape your practice with older people in the future.