Paper Title
Codesigning Child Protection Curriculum in Social Work

Abstract
This paper summarizes participatory qualitative research conducted in Australia on co-designing child protection curriculum. Literature highlights the challenges related to graduate readiness for child protection practice. The research consisted of four stages. The 1st stage involved a scoping literature review on emerging trends in child protection higher education. This evidenced the importance of incorporating First Nations cultural knowledge and trauma-informed practice in curricula and the use of authentic and simulated-based learning. Key child protection industry partners including Aboriginal services participated in world cafés to review existing child protection curriculum and to identify the key knowledge, skills and attributes for child protection practice. The 2nd stage comprised a quality assurance survey with stakeholders supervising students undertaking field education in a child protection setting. Students also completed a survey on their field education experience. The 3rd stage piloted an immersive online simulation learning activity with students enrolled in a child welfare subject. Students expressed their preference for simulation-based learning because it gave them an opportunity to better understand the realities of child protection practice. The simulation and a linked assessment were subsequently embedded in a child protection subject involving 107 students. Students and industry partners recommended the development of an Australian-specific child protection simulation hub which incorporated core content related to child protection practice with First Nations communities. The final stage of the research engaged industry in further co-design and role-play workshops to develop avatar characters, locations, authentic scenarios and scripts for the simulation hub. Keywords - child protection curriculum, simulation, work integrated learning, child protection field education, social work education