UNISA Short Course in Victim Empowerment and Support
Students who complete this short course will be able to disseminate correct and relevant information on victim empowerment and support within their own work environment and the community. They will be able to facilitate the breakdown of negative attitudes, stereotypes and misconceptions about victims of crime and violence. They will be able to empower and support victims in their work environment and their community by being able to apply basic counselling skills and conduct individual and group trauma debriefing sessions. The qualifying student will be able to develop or facilitate the development of victim support centre or services or other empowerment programmes. The student will be able to identify and use local, national and international resources and referral systems and coordinate the functions of different stakeholders as well as evaluate the effectiveness of victim empowerment and support services.
Criminal justice officials, mental health workers, lay counsellors, human resource practitioners and mental health professionals (e.g. psychologists/social workers). In short, this course is for people who desire the knowledge, skills and attitude to contribute to crime- and violence prevention.
Students must demonstrate proficiencies at a NQF level 4 in the following: communicative competence in the medium of instruction at NQF level 4 or equivalent; the ability to learn from predominantly written material in English; the ability to present and communicate information and opinions in English in well structured arguments with limited support from lecturers; and mathematical literacy at NQF level 4 or equivalent
Module 1: Three months’ distance learning
Module 2: Four-day workshop
English
Semester dates
UNISA open distance learning combined with a compulsory, experiential workshop of four days in the middle of the three-month period. Learning material consists of a study guide, tutorial letters, assignments and resource file.
Note:
Formative assessment and examination admission will comply with UNISA’s formative assessment rules and policies
Formative assessment:
Two assignments
Summative assessment:
Students must achieve a minimum overall of 50% for the two assignments combined
- Concepts and perspectives of crime and violence including epidemiology and demography, prevalence, treatment and prevention
- Principles of the Criminal Justice System
- The basic theoretical principles of the models of victim empowerment
- The nature of negative attitudes, stereotypes and misconceptions about victims in the criminal justice system
- Planning of intervention strategies to assist victims of crime and violence
- Skills of counselling and debriefing techniques
- Facilitating the development of victim support centres, services and other empowerment programmes
- Methods of networking and coordinating the functions of different service providers
- Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of victim empowerment and support services
Prof J A Nel
UNISA Centre for Applied Psychology
Office 5-154, Theo van Wijk Building, UNISA
Ms T Mapokgole
UNISA Centre for Applied Psychology
Office 5-152, Theo van Wijk Building, UNISA
Tel: 012 429 8544 / 3951
Fax: 012 429 5368 / 086 554 5909
E-mail: ucap@unisa.ac.za
