Program Overview

PUBH222 - Public Health Community Engagement

Year

2023

Credit Points

10

Campus Offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

• PUBH100 Foundations of Public Health
• OR PUBH102 Foundations of Health Promotion

Teaching Organisation

150 hours of focused learning

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

Community engagement is an essential component of effective public health practice. This unit provides an opportunity for students to explore the practical aspects of community engagement through placement with organisations that enhance the dignity and wellbeing of people and communities, especially those who are the most marginalised and disadvantaged.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, students should be able to:

1. Explain the principles and focus of community engagement
2. Demonstrate a knowledge of the mission, aims, objectives, and functions of various public sector and non-profit organisations that support and enhance the health of disadvantaged individuals and families in the community
3. Identify and address factors that can impact on the roles and functions of public health professionals within the selected public sector or non-profit organisation
4. Reflect critically upon the personal transformation that has occurred through the placement experiences
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance, policies, and strategies for building safe and supportive environments for working with specific vulnerable populations

Graduate Attributes

• GA1: Demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity
• GA2: Recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment, and society
• GA3: Apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making
• GA4: Think critically and reflectively
• GA5: Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills, and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession

Content

Topics will include:

• Principles of community engagement
  • Respect for human dignity
  • Mutuality and reciprocity
  • Forging partnerships for transformation
• Focus of community engagement
  • Local/State
  • National
  • International
• Organisation mission, aims, objectives, functions
  • Relevance
  • Connections between concepts
• Health care professionals in public sector and non-profit organisations
  • Roles and functions
  • Factors impacting on roles and functions
• Volunteerism
  • Legal issues
  • Ethical issues
  • Risk management
  • Preparation of student
  • Development of learning contract
• Values underpinning volunteerism experience related to
  • Relationships between staff, clients, and families
  • Roles and functions of staff and clients
• Transformation engendered in student through community engagement experience
• Socially-determined health issues
  • Possible causes
  • Effect on clients of organisation
• Building safe and supportive environments working with specific vulnerable populations

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

This unit is delivered primarily through a work-integrated learning framework, supplemented by face-to-face workshop sessions on campus. The unit uses an active learning approach where activities support students to acquire essential theoretical knowledge in public health community engagement relevant to the specific workplace of their placement.

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

Achievement of learning outcomes will be determined by a variety of assessment methods, which will primarily measure the student's understanding of the discipline-specific knowledge inherent in this unit and its application within a professional context.

Overview of Assessments

• Learning Contract: To enable students to focus their learning goals during placement (Hurdle)
• Timesheet: To enable confirmation that student has undertaken required hours on placement (Hurdle)
• 'ACU Child-safe Organisations' online module: To enable students to meet statutory requirements (Hurdle)
• Assessment Task 1: Job activity - To enable students to demonstrate basic job search and analysis skills relevant to their sector (10%)
• Assessment Task 2: Report - To enable students to demonstrate their achievements and analysis of the placement experience (40%)
• Assessment Task 3: Journal - To enable students to critically reflect on their goals and apply reflection frameworks within community engagement (50%)

Representative Texts and References

• Carson, B., Dunbar, T., Chenhall, R., & Bailie, R. (Eds) (2007) Social determinants of Indigenous Health
• Danalis, J. (2009) Riding the Black Cockatoo
• Eckermann, A-K., Dowd, T., Chong, E., Nixon, L., Gray, R., & Johnson, S. (2010). Binan goonj: Bridging cultures in Aboriginal health
• Egan, L., Butcher, J., Ralph, K. (2008). Hope as a basis for understanding the benefits and possibilities of community engagement
• Mackay, H. (2013) Good life: what makes a life worth living?
• Singer, P. (2010) The life you can save: acting now to end world poverty
• Australian Children's Commissioners and Guardians (2013). Submission to Royal Commission into Institutional responses to Child Sexual Abuse Issues Paper 3 – Child Safe Institutions Principles for Child Safety in Organisations
• Wortley, R & Smallbone, S (2006) Applying situational Principles to Sexual Offenses against Children
• Wortley R & Smallbone, S (Eds) Situational prevention of child sexual abuse