This course provides a fundamental understanding of the study and practice of health and social service and care delivery. It will introduce students to the historical, theoretical, policy, institutional and regulatory aspects of social services and social care with the view of giving a broader perspective on the subject. The course will discuss issues of health-related inequalities, the nature of the social services, diversity and categories of populations in need of social services. These issues and others will be discussed with practical cases drawn from Hong Kong and globally.
Studies show that successful health and social services delivery is generally predicated on effective management and leadership. This course discusses theoretical and practical issues relating to management and leadership in health and social service institutions from local and global perspectives. It offers students analytical skills to understand and evaluate the role of management in leading diverse teams and in providing ethically sound and quality services despite resource limitations and erratic social and political environment. The module will be delivered through lectures, tutorials and workshops led by practitioners from both the public and private sectors who will offer real-life examples. One of the workshops will focus extensively on communication skills with service users and providers. The tutorial section is dedicated to discussions on various forms of empirical research cases on management and leadership matters in the area of social services, particularly social care.
Raising funds for supporting services is a one of the key tasks of many non-governmental organisations and charities. Programme evaluation is essential to assess the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of a funded project. This course will give students an overview of the principles, ethics and practices of professional fundraising and a systemic examination of the thinking and preparation that is required for a successful fundraising. Students will be equipped with knowledge and skills in developing fundraising strategies and campaigns, writing grant proposals and pitching them. They will also learn to design and conduct precise and appropriate programme evaluation for health and social services projects, and communicate and use the findings of the evaluation effectively.
(Note: From 2020-21, students under Health and Social Services Management Stream of BSocSc programme have to take this course in their year 3.)
This course introduces students to the logic behind qualitative and quantitative methods used in sociological research. Students will be equipped with the essential tools to conduct sociological research as well as to comprehend and evaluate different types of research output.
(Restriction(s): Students are not allowed to take both this course and SOC4333 Health, Illness and Behaviour)
This course explores changes in health globally and considers how these may have emerged over time and how they are likely to develop as well as how these are seen locally and in the region. It asks many questions. What is global health (GH)? How is GH changing and what is likely to happen in different areas? What factors or risks affect health? Are health status and health risks becoming more or less similar in different places? How is health affected by human activities such as urbanization, conflicts, politics and environment? We see and hear of examples locally and globally every day. The course alerts participants to the existing, emerging and potential risk factors and behaviour influencing GH patterns. It will consider how health policies, health services and technology have, with varying success, attempted to address health needs of people in different locations around the globe. Examples are seen in all regions including the Asia-Pacific and especially Hong Kong, which is situated at the centre of travel and other networks.
