Macquarie University

Human Services in the 21st Century: Care, Gender and Institutions - SOC322

This unit is based on an exploration of the concept of care and its meaning in a range of different human service developments such as mental health, childcare, child protection, disability services and aged care. A starting point for these discussions is an examination of the ideas of care. We explore the links between informal supports, typically, although not exclusively, provided by women within families and households, and formal supports as provided by professional, trained and untrained staff, through organisations and other, often newly emergent, systems of support. Drawing together the fields of social theory and applied research, this unit provides an opportunity to examine responses to changing concepts of human need for interpersonal support. You will be able to learn from policy makers and practitioners working in this field, and enjoy opportunities to analyse state of the art studies of care and human services in Australia and other comparable countries.