Health Across the Lifespan: Child and Family Health (10196.2)

Please note these are the 2026 details for this unit
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Health Across the Lifespan: Child and Family Health
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
Online real-time
 Bruce, Canberra
UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Health
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Discipline Of Nursing Level 2 - Undergraduate Intermediate Unit Band 1 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 1 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
This unit focuses on seizing the opportunities for nurses to partner with families to address inequality and support family flourishing. It takes an empathetic, skilled and attuned nursing professional to identify and act on opportunities to partner with families during times of health and illness, and to advocate for the safety of all children.
Family identity, structures, roles, cultural perspectives and histories shape family functioning and interactions with the healthcare system. From both primary and tertiary healthcare perspectives, this unit develops knowledge and skills in the health and development assessment of infants, children, young people and families to inform clinical reasoning and child/family focused therapeutic care.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Apply socially just and culturally aware family and child centred nursing principles to support family flourishing;
2. Analyse child health and development principles and holistic health data to inform therapeutic nursing care, including pharmacotherapy and quality use of medicines, in primary and tertiary contexts for children and families;
3. Explore family role adaption, maternal health and foetal development in preparation for childbirth;
4. Examine and reflect on the impact of identity, family, culture and environment on child health outcomes;
5. Discuss the role of primary health care in supporting the health and wellbeing of children and families; and
6. Critically reflect upon the responsibilities of the nurse in delivering practice that is ethically informed and legally sound.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives
2. UC graduates are global citizens - communicate effectively in diverse cultural and social settings
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - apply their knowledge to working with Indigenous Australians in socially just ways
4. UC graduates are able to demonstrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing - communicate and engage with Indigenous Australians in ethical and culturally respectful ways


Prerequisites

11835 Person-Centred Practice in Nursing OR 10194 Therapeutic Use of Self 1

Corequisites

This unit is only available to students enrolled in 364JA Bachelor of Nursing

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 03 February 2025 On-campus Dr Kerry Hampton
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 03 February 2025 Online real-time Dr Kerry Hampton
2025 UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW Semester 1 03 February 2025 On-campus Dr Kerry Hampton
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 Online real-time Dr Kerry Hampton
2026 UC Sydney Hills, Castle Hill, NSW Semester 1 16 February 2026 On-campus Dr Kerry Hampton
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 1 16 February 2026 On-campus Dr Kerry Hampton
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

Recommended texts:

McCormack, B., McCance, T., Bulley, C., Brown, D., McMillan, A., & Martin, S. (Eds.). (2021). Fundamentals of person-centred healthcare Practice. John Wiley & Sons. 

Silbert-Flagg, J. (2023). Maternal & child health nursing : care of the childbearing & childrearing family (9th ed.). Wolters Kluwer Health. 

Recommended resources:

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). American Psychological Association
• All UC nursing courses use APA 7th Edition for referencing and writing style.
• Students may choose to either purchase this text or access a copy from the library to support their learning throughout the semester.
• Use of a referencing text is beneficial and can be used throughout your program of study.
• The UC Library also has a referencing guide which can be found here: https://canberra.libguides.com/c.php?g=599301&p=4148716
 
Harris, P,. Nagy, S., & Vardaxis, N. (2024). Mosby's medical dictionary of medicine, nursing and health professions. (4th ANZ Ed). Elsevier

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

All assessment items will be submitted online via the Canvas teaching site, unless specifically instructed by the unit convenor. 
 
The first page of each assessment item should include the following information:
• Student ID number
• Assessment Name
• Word Count
Student's names are not to be included on any assessment tasks/submissions. Only Student ID numbers should be included (as per the Assessment Policy and Assessment Procedures).
 
Assessment items must be submitted to the assignment area in the unit's UCLearn site, relating to that piece of assessment. It is the student's responsibility to upload the correct and corresponding draft or assessment item, to the right submission section.
 
Students are strongly encouraged to submit their assessment during business hours to ensure access to Student Support Services including IT Service Desk and the Library. It is important to note that personal network/computer/technical problems are generally not considered acceptable grounds or reasons for an extension to the due date. Students who are experiencing difficulty uploading a submission are strongly encouraged to take a screenshot of any error messages, including the date and time, and contact Service Desk for technical support.
 
Students must submit their own original work that has not been previously submitted for assessment at the University of Canberra. Self-plagiarism is grounds for referral for academic misconduct. In this context the student is being assessed as an individual.
 
Students must ensure that when applying for an extension to the due date their application meets the requirements as per the University of Canberra Assessment Procedures. This means that students must ensure that when applying for an extension all required components are submitted to the assessment extension application prior to the assessment due date. It is the student's individual responsibility to ensure that applications are completed in full and in a timely manner.

In the event that a student experiences significant extenuating circumstances the unit convenor may seek guidance from the BN Convenor to support the student's progression and participation across enrolled units of study within the same teaching period. Please see the extension section of this unit outline and the dedicated page on the BN Canvas site for more information

(NB: If students obtain a medical certificate as they are unfit for work or study this will include PEP and they won't be able to attend PEP whilst the medical certificate is current).

Special assessment requirements

To pass this unit, students must:

  • Submit all assessment items as instructed, and
  • Attend 80% of scheduled workshops/tutorials, and
  • Achieve 50% overall.

Information on extensions and special considerations for assessments can be found in the Assessment Policy and Assessment Procedures.

Moderation

Moderation will be undertaken for assessment items to ensure that marking is fair and consistent. Moderation processes are in line with the Faculty of Health guidelines and the University Assessment Procedures

Illness

It is strongly advised that students do not submit an assessment or sit an exam if they are ill or hold a current medical certificate. No consideration will be given for illness when the assessment or examination is marked.

In the event students are ill they are strongly advised to apply for an extension to the due date of an assessment, as outlined on the unit Canvas site and/or contact their unit convenor to arrange a deferred exam, prior to the due date of the assessment/exam.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

All Bachelor of Nursing students are expected to undertake a minimum of five (5) hours per week per unit of directed/self-directed learning (SDL), related to content engagement, assessment preparation, clinical learning, or revision, in addition to their timetabled unit contact (i.e., lectures, workshops, tutorials).

In nursing where PEP is a requirement for professional registration, hours expected for engagement and to meet the unit requirements are necessarily adjusted and may fluctuate during the teaching period.

Academic Integrity & Generative AI use

Across the School of Nursing and Midwifery programs, the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) should be approached with transparency and clear acknowledgment to uphold academic integrity and maintain trust within the academic community. Students are encouraged to engage with AI tools responsibly, using them as aids in research, learning, and clinical problem-solving rather than as replacements for critical thinking or professional judgment. It is critically important that student knowledge is assessed to verify their achievement of unit and course level outcomes for the integrity of the profession and the safety of the public. It is essential that any contributions or insights generated by AI, including but not limited to summaries, text generation, image generation, or data analysis, be transparently referenced in accordance with academic standards to ensure clarity regarding the sources of information and to avoid any misrepresentation of authorship. This practice not only promotes ethical standards but also aligns with recent guidelines emphasising transparency in AI use in educational and clinical contexts (e.g., International Council of Nurses, position statement 2023 and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency).

https://www.icn.ch/sites/default/files/2023-08/ICN%20Position%20Statement%20Digital%20Health%20FINAL%2030.06_EN.pdf

https://www.teqsa.gov.au/guides-resources/higher-education-good-practice-hub/artificial-intelligence

Inclusion and engagement

Any student with a reasonable adjustment plan (RAP) is asked to contact inclusion@canberra.edu.au to discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be required. A RAP cannot be automatically applied to PEP and students must seek a Placement Support Letter from the inclusion team in addition to their RAP.

Students within 364JA Bachelor of Nursing must ensure that they meet the Inherent Requirements relevant to the profession of nursing – it is each students responsibility to read and understand these UC Nursing Inherent Requirements statements. For support in meeting the inherent requirements, please make a time with InclusionUC and your Course Convenor

Participation requirements

Attendance

It is expected that students will participate in all learning opportunities in this unit. This is inclusive of all timetabled activities. Assessment items are linked to the unit learning outcomes, the NMBA Registered Nurse standards for practice and professional codes. Therefore, all students are required to attend and actively participate in all learning activities scheduled for this unit. Student can self-select their preferred classes via the Allocate+ system. All students are reminded that it is an ANMAC requirement that students complete their studies onshore, in Australia. This applies to both domestic and international students. If you are scheduled to undertake a unit of study in the upcoming teaching period and are experiencing extenuating circumstances preventing you from remaining on shore, please contact the International Nursing Student Convenor or the Bachelor of Nursing Course Convenor to discuss your ongoing course progression.

Students are expected to attend their allocated weekly workshop/tutorial (and seminar in INC units). It is the student's own responsibility to ensure they have read and understood the attendance requirements for this unit of study. Failure to meet the attendance requirements of this unit will result in a NN grade. In the event that a student experiences extenuating circumstances impacting on their ability to attend their allocated workshop the student must notify the unit convenor via the unit email and provide documentary evidence to support their absence.

Approved absences, opportunity to clarify learning and make up requirements – All units

Approved absences, supported by documentary evidence, will be determined at the discretion of the unit convenor, in line with the information available on the individual unit Canvas site.

It is the responsibility of the individual student to seek clarification if they have questions related to the content missed. In the first instance students are expected to post their question on the available discussion boards and await a response from the teaching/convening team or their peers.

Ongoing points requiring clarification are to be addressed in the available drop-in and/or make-up sessions. Students are also afforded the opportunity to contact the convening team via 10196convenor@canberra.edu.au as required.

Approved absences are not considered grounds for appeal.

Non-clinical units

As stipulated in this unit outline students are required to attend 80% of the scheduled timetable activities for this unit.

Where an approved absence is granted, the student will be expected to:

  • revise any content missed, inclusive of:
    • workshop/tutorial/seminar activities  
    • required readings
    • Canvas activities

AND

  • attend available drop-in session/s scheduled in weeks 8 and/or week 12 or 13 in the semester.
    • Students will be advised of the available session/s via the unit Canvas site.

If students identify further clarification is required, it is expected that they will attend a drop-in session/s available within the individual unit.

The theoretical underpinning of caring science is fundamental to ensure safe nursing practice. Completion of all learning modules, including directed and self-directed study, and active participation in workshops is expected. Participating in workshop discussions to clarify concepts and to develop confidence with professional communication and verbally expressing ideas can be helpful for students and also supports the learning of student peers (see NMBA RN standards for practice 2016 Standard 2 and related criterion https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professional-standards/registered-nurse-standards-for-practice.aspx)

Required IT skills

Please note the materials required for this unit section. You will require computer skills to access the internet upload to the Canvas university site submissions in various formats. This unit may involve online meetings in real time using a virtual room. To participate verbally, rather than just typing, you will need a microphone. For best audio quality we recommend a microphone and speaker headset. For more information and to test your computer, please visit the UCLearn Student Help.

Students undertaking units where there are assessment items conducted online are strongly encouraged to test their setup during the semester. Where support for troubleshooting technical issues is identified by students, students are encouraged to seek support from Service Desk.

In-unit costs

The following costs are expected with this unit:

  • Textbooks
  • Self printing of any electronic material provided
  • Potential costs associated with remote learning activities and/or assessments (e.g. reliable computer and internet connection).

Work placement, internships or practicums

None.

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