Lecture: 4 hours/week
Lecture
Group exercises
Student presentations
Course content will be guided by research, empirical knowledge, and best practices. The following values and principles, consistent with professional standards, inform course content.
- Recognizing the impacts of colonization and respecting diversity are fundamental in delivering culturally appropriate and inclusive assessments.
- Effective risk assessment and decision-making are grounded in legislation, theory, and empirical practice knowledge.
- Social workers must continually evaluate their own values and beliefs, understanding how these influence risk assessment and case planning.
- Social workers should be clear about their roles and responsibilities, applying appropriate risk assessment tools and approaches informed by relevant theories (e.g., complexity, systems, human development).
- Building strong professional networks and engaging in clear, collaborative communication is key to effective risk management and case planning.
Upon successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate competency in risk assessment and mitigation through the application of evidence-based practices.
- Critically analyze western approaches to risk assessment, particularly their limitations when working with marginalized populations.
- Demonstrate a relational approach to assessing risk, emphasizing client-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive strategies.
- Appy an intersectional lens to risk assessment.
- Explain the historical and contemporary harms of risk assessment practices to Indigenous communities and explore anti-racist and anti-colonial approaches that reduce harm and promote social justice.
- Assess relevant legal frameworks and government/agency procedures to contextualize risk assessment.
- Demonstrate self-awareness when completing risk assessment and case planning and how personal and professional values and beliefs can affect and prejudice assessment and decision-making processes.
- Discuss the differences in role and responsibilities of other professionals and agencies and the contribution they make when managing and planning for risk.
This course will conform to ÌÇÐÄvlog´«Ã½Evaluation Policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations. Other means of evaluation may include a combination of:
- Papers
- Case study analysis
- Role-play demonstrations
- Exams
Evaluations will be carried out in accordance with ÌÇÐÄvlog´«Ã½Evaluation Policy and will include both formative and summative components. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
Texts such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:
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