Overview

This unit introduces students to the range of specific risk assessment tools that are available for different types of risk assessment (e.g., sexual offending, violent offending, and other offending). The unit will enable students to critically appraise the strengths and weaknesses of risk assessment tools, to generate violence risk formulations and to effectively communicate the results of risk assessments.

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Analyse research evidence to determine the most appropriate risk assessment instrument in a particular case
  • Appraise advanced knowledge to communicate a risk judgment in a best-practice manner
  • Construct a violence risk formulation that is informed by theoretical models of violence risk formulation and research evidence of risk factors

Teaching methods

Hawthorn Online

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Workshop		12.00 1 week 12
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		11.50 12 weeks 138
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Case VignetteIndividual 25% 2,3 
Case VignetteIndividual 40% 2 
Research and Short Answer QuestionsIndividual 35% 1,2 

Content

  • Risk assessment considerations and communication
  • Violence risk assessment
  • Sexual offending risk assessment
  • Other common problem behaviours and risk assessment
  • Violence risk formulation
  • Ethical issues in risk assessment
  • Legal issues and risk assessment

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.