module specification

N.B. from 2012-13 this module will be taught at Holloway road Building.

During this module students will learn about the complexities involved in assessment within a range of forensic settings. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon the theoretical issues raised in PY7002, alongside the legal, practical and ethical complications arising during the application and interpretation of "real-world assessments".

PYP002C Introduction to assessment and intervention

The main aim of this module is to develop students’ understanding of the ethical, practical and scientific complexities of applying assessments to specific individuals or groups of individuals. As such this module aims to further the understanding of this area that the students acquired in module PYP002C (Introduction to Assessment and Intervention).
More specifically, the aims are to:
1. Introduce students to the ethical, practical and scientific requirements of defensible assessment and intervention practice within applied forensic settings;
2. Develop students’ ability to critically evaluate and synthesise information from a variety of sources with reference to both the underlying assessment and intervention principles and the context within which this information was gathered.

The syllabus will include coverage of each of the following bulleted areas:
• Self-assessment and reflective thinking applied to assessment
• Selecting assessment and interventions strategies; tools, measures, procedures and defensiveness
• Interpreting assessments and integrating findings
• Conducting assessments; ethical, scientific and procedural requirements
• Assessment and Intervention with specific offenders
• Assessment and Intervention in applied contexts (e.g. throughcare)
• Assessment and Intervention within Civil Contexts (e.g. mediation, child protection procedures)

This module will mainly consist of practical workshops and seminars. For some sessions students will be asked to work actively in class to apply their theoretical knowledge about assessment and intervention that was acquired during PYP002C. Students will be asked to work on small group or individual tasks (such as case studies) before sharing the result s in plenary discussions. Therefore, students will be expected to be pro-active learners, and to have confidence in discussing results, highlighting ethical concerns and presenting material tailored to the needs of a specific audience. Students will be expected to reflect on their experience of undertaking a self-assessment exercise so that they can raise their awareness of what it is entailed in an assessment process. Across the module students will be expected to further develop academic and professional skills to prepare them for future employment.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
1. Identify and discuss the principles required to support best practice in assessment and intervention within applied settings with specific reference to contextual, legal and scientific requirements;
2. Critically evaluate information gathered by a range of assessment methods; synthesising this to produce clear recommendations.
3. Select, evaluate, and appropriately apply different assessment tools across different forensic settings

The module is made of two assessment points: a reflective account (10%) and a forensic report (90%). 
Students will be required to produce a reflective account about the experience of being self-assessed (learning outcome 1) against specific psychological theories that could sustain scientifically their thoughts. The underlying strategy for this assignment is to encourage students to embed their experiences into significant theories and to become more self-aware of different aspects of assessment. Furthermore, this assignment should help students to understand better the experience of clients when going through a forensic assessment.

Students will also be required to write a forensic report and they will be assessed across learning outcomes 1, 2, and 3. Students will have to produce a written report using an appropriate language for their intended audience and a professional layout as required in the professional practice. Furthermore, students will have to demonstrate their ability to critically evaluate the effectiveness of two assessment tools to respond appropriately to the referral question and to apply their knowledge about forensic assessment.

Overall, students will have the possibility of merge theoretical and practical knowledge together and to apply both to the area of forensic assessment as it is intended in professional contexts.
 

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