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Inherent requirements - Master of Social Work

These inherent requirements apply to the Master of Social Work (course code M6012).

Inherent requirement domains

Your ability to recognise and moderate your behaviour and respond in ways that are appropriate in a diverse range of environments.
Subdomains: Self-reflection, Accountability and Adaptability.
How is behavioural insight important in this course?
You will be required to:
- Have the self-awareness, critical thinking and reflection skills required to acknowledge when your practice may be negatively affected by personal experience and/or reactions, and where practice issues are outside of your expertise.
- Monitor your own physical, emotional and mental health, recognise when you may need to seek help or support and proactively seek it when required.
- Participate actively in professional supervision to engage with feedback on your performance and respond constructively.
- Recognise and manage your emotional reactions and behaviour, in the context of demanding caseloads under stressful conditions.
Your ability to demonstrate professional capabilities, including a commitment to treat people with dignity and respect, and awareness of the limits of your own knowledge, skills and health. You will also be required to comply with applicable law, regulations and any other university codes or policies.
Subdomains: Treat others with dignity and respect; Act ethically; Comply with laws, policies and procedures; Legal compliance with registration bodies.
How is professionalism important in this course?
You will be required to:
- Engage respectfully with service users, peers, educators and practitioners from a wide range of orientations, backgrounds and cultures and treat each individual with dignity. For example, handle appropriately sensitive and confidential information in professional practice and classroom settings.
- Ensure you are responsible and accountable for your practice; this includes requirements for consent, privacy and confidentiality with client information in university and practice-settings, as well as relevant child protection and safety legislation.
- Think critically about professional challenges, including ethical dilemmas, conflicts of interest, duty of care etc., demonstrating your ability to balance acting with autonomy and seeking appropriate guidance.
Your ability to communicate effectively and sensitively with a range of audiences including verbal, non-verbal, written and numerical communication.
Subdomains: Verbal; Non-verbal; Written; Numeracy.
How is communication important in this course?
You will be required to:
- Understand and respond to verbal and non-verbal communication respectfully, accurately, appropriately, and in a timely manner.
- Sensitively communicate with service users and carers irrespective of ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, religious beliefs or physical or psychological disability. For example, establishing rapport with service users during the provision of support services.
- Responding appropriately to cues in the professional practice environment.
- Communicate effectively in two-way discussions with a range of different people in a range of different settings. For example, gathering information from service users and others, accurately recording and documenting information gathered and being able to provide explanations and information to others.
Your ability to work willingly and cohesively as part of a team, taking responsibility for your actions as well as recognising and respecting the skills of others.
Subdomain: Responsibility.
How is teamwork important in this course?
You will be required to:
- Work effectively with others.
- Establish and maintain professional working relationships – including fieldwork supervisors, peers, and multi-disciplinary colleagues.
- Use relational and interpersonal skills, with accountability for and self-awareness of your actions and the impact on others.
- Engage and relate appropriately in individual and group clinical supervision and experiential learning groups.
Your capacity to locate appropriate and relevant information and your ability to process information relevant to practice and the ability to integrate, reflect on and implement theoretical knowledge in a range of settings.
Subdomains: Ability and capacity to learn; Literacy; Numeracy.
How is cognition important in this course?
You will be required to:
Provide safe, effective and timely delivery of interventions, drawing on comprehensive knowledge that is sourced, critiqued, understood and applied appropriately. Knowledge includes research, theory, clinical practice, policies and procedures, and service user lived experience.
Your ability to acquire information, carry out a range of tasks and procedures suitable to the required level of capability, and understand and carry out your assigned role in adverse situations.
Subdomains: Fine or gross motor skills; Strength.
How are physical and observational skills important in this course?
You will be required to:
- Have sufficient endurance to manage multiple tasks in an assigned period, for example, working with a number of service users in a negotiated timeframe while on professional practice placements.
- Recognise and assess potential risks to self and others in the professional practice environment.

Study at Monash

Study at Monash

Inherent requirements - Master of Social Work

Inherent requirement domains