SOS2120 Professional interaction with children, youths and families in local communities Course description

In this course, the students will participate in skills training in groups to further develop their competence relating to the performance of social work, focusing on children, youth, families and local communities. Students will practise working with people in difficult life situations, and they will gain insight into and knowledge of how different power relations can affect relationships and professional collaboration with others. To acquire the professional competence required to work as a social worker, students must acquire self-awareness and knowledge and practise realistic situations.

By filming their training, the students are able to watch themselves and analyse their own conduct as future professionals. 

The course is taught in parallel with SOS2110 Social work with children, youth, families and groups. The courses develop the students’ understanding of how the practice of social work is rooted in the discipline’s theoretical and knowledge basis.

Students must have completed and passed the first year of the Bachelor’s Programme in Social Work.

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• has broad knowledge of communication and interaction skills when conversing with children and families
• has knowledge of how to cooperate with different agencies in a local community 
• is familiar with how to establish, coordinate, organise and lead cooperation meetings 
• has broad knowledge of group work as a method in social work and key elements of the organisation and management of groups

Skills

The student:

• can carry out conversations, and assess and prioritise relevant measures targeting users in different arenas 
• can recognize and assess undesirable incidents and risks in encounters with users in different arenas
• can apply their knowledge of interprofessional collaboration, organisation and management of cooperation meetings 

• can use an interpreter in interactions with users 
• can use digital platforms for communication
• can establish, organise and lead groups in different arenas and with different social problems
• can reflect on innovative solutions for inhabitants in a local community, based on the population’s participation

General competence

The student:

• can critically reflect on what affects professional interaction with individuals and families
• can reflect on their own values and attitudes and how they affect their professional practice
• can exercise professional judgement 

• can reflect on the importance of digital communication in professional practice and interaction

Teaching methods vary between lectures/seminars (e-lectures) and skills training with and without the use of filming.

The following compulsory activities must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam:

1. Compulsory attendance and active participation in skills training and seminar days. 

The minimum attendance requirement is 80% and is based on overall attendance. If a student’s absence exceeds 20% but is lower than 40%, a compensatory coursework requirement will be set. The coursework requirement must be completed and approved by the given deadline in order for the student to take the exam. If a student’s absence exceeds 40%, they lose the right to take the exam. 

The reason why attendance is compulsory is that the student will in this way acquire competence necessary to meet the objectives of the course that they would be unable to acquire from solely reading the syllabus and/or taking the exam.

The course concludes with an oral exam in small groups, with a time frame of approx. 40 minutes, where the students will demonstrate their knowledge and skills relating to professional interaction. The group will be given a case to prepare 48 hours before the first day of the exam. During the exam, the students will meet people (actors) with different challenges in a fictitious situation. 

Candidates who fail or who were absent from the ordinary exam for a valid reason can take a resit/rescheduled exam.

No aids are permitted.

Pass/fail.

Oral exam is assessed by one internal and one external examiner.

Stine Harstad