The Youth Law Clinical Program is an elective course. Students who have completed 48 units of LAWS courses are eligible to enrol and places are allocated by quality of application.

This is a clinical program based in a community legal practice environment. Students participate in the Youth Law Centre, a non-profit legal service for ACT youth aged 12-25 years. While analysing the various roles that lawyers can play, students will focus on extending legal assistance, social justice and reform - particularly in relation to youth legal needs in the ACT.

The course objectives are to:

• contextualise the study of law and student learning in a wide range of other law courses;
• guide and support students in identifying, developing and applying ethical legal practice skills;
• develop students' critical understanding of legal practice approaches, the roles of lawyers in relation to individual clients and social justice issues; and
• encourage, promote and validate student aspirations to promote access to justice and equality before the law.

The course also explores issues such as:

• the concept of ‘reflective practice';
• the links between the legal framework of legal practice and operating routines that apply to provision of all legal services (duties to client, confidentiality, conflict of interest);
• legal and non-legal problems - implications for practice/service provision of an appreciation of the relevant services and the meshing of non-legal issues;
• interviewing routine - difference between legal information and legal advice;
• legal practice approaches - ‘reactive', ‘proactive', ‘preventative', ‘activist'; and
• tailoring service models to client needs.

Students must apply to undertake this course. Please go to Law Professional Experience for application information.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Synthesise and apply legal skills and knowledge of the functions and jurisdiction of the ACT Children’s Court to assist individual clients in a legal practice setting.
2. Reflect on learning experiences to develop professional and ethical skills and capabilities relevant to representing children and young people.
3. Develop insight into the professional and cultural competencies required to work with children in the criminal justice system, including First Nations, neurodiverse and children from diverse backgrounds.
4. In a range of oral and written formats, critique a range of legal practice approaches and identify a range of strategies to improve justice/social justice outcomes.
5. Critically analyse a variety of justice issues in youth law and identify appropriate strategies for early intervention.
6. Plan, execute and present on a research project.

Field Trips

All clinic activities (including orientation and seminars) will be onsite at Legal Aid. There may be visits to courts and tribunals in the vicinity of Legal Aid ACT and ANU.

Required Resources

There is no prescribed textbook for this course. Readings will be made available on Wattle two weeks prior to the course commencement date.

Recommended Resources

A reading guide containing references and resources will be available on WATTLE.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Task submission times refer to Canberra time (AEST/AEDT).

Extensions, late submission and penalties: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/extensions-late-submission-and-penalties

Extenuating circumstances: https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/extenuating-circumstances-application

Deferred examination: http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/deferred-examinations

Penalties for excess word length: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/word-length-and-excess-word-penalties

Distribution of grades policy: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/policies-procedures/grading

Assessment Reviews and Appeals: https://law.anu.edu.au/assessment-review-and-appeals

Further information about the course: is available from the course Wattle page. Students are required to access the Wattle site regularly throughout the course for any announcements relating to the course.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): The ANU Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as providing clear guidance on the responsible and ethical use of AI technologies. The following resources may also be useful:

• The ANU Library's Libguide is a valuable resource for gaining a comprehensive understanding of AI's role in academia.
• The ANU Academic Skills site provides useful information to ensure that you leverage AI responsibly and effectively.
• The ANU College of Law Academic Integrity and Misconduct site provides content related to legal implications, ethical guidelines, and considerations when dealing with AI in the context of law.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Mandatory Orientation9:00am - 11:00am, Monday 20 January 2025	Onsite at Legal Aid , 2 Allsop Street Canberra City ACT 2601As the seminars in this course are discussion based and may include confidential client information, they will NOT be recorded. Attendance is compulsory.
2	Seminars11:00am - 5:00pm, Monday 20 January 20254:30pm - 6:00pm, Monday 3 February 20254:30pm - 6:00pm, Monday 10 February 2025	Onsite at Legal Aid , 2 Allsop Street Canberra City ACT 2601
3	Clinic Requirements (36 on-site placement hours)Week 1: January 20-24, 2025Week 2: February 3-7, 2025 Week 3: February 10-14, 2025	The clinic hours are 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (including breaks), Monday through Friday. Each student must complete 6 days, attending 2 days per week for three weeks. Onsite at Legal Aid , 2 Allsop Street Canberra City ACT 2601Please note that NO on-site clinic dates will be held on 27 January -31 January 2025.

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Onsite Attendance and Participation	30 %	14/02/2025	09/03/2025	1,2,3,4,5,6
Reflection Piece	20 %	14/02/2025	09/03/2025	1,2,3,4,5,6
Essay	50 %	14/02/2025	09/03/2025	1,2,3,4,5,6

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

Attendance and participation is compulsory. Student must abide by the Student Expectations and Clinic Requirements: https://law.anu.edu.au/current-students/professional-experience/clinical-courses .

Examination(s)

There is no final examination for this course.

Assessment Task 1

Onsite Attendance and Participation

Details of Task: Students must complete 2 onsite sessions per week between Clinical Week 2 and Week 4 in accordance with the schedule published on Wattle which reflects student choice regarding the day a student will be involved. Each onsite session runs from 9:00am-4:00pm on a weekday. Interviews will be held between each student, the ANU convener, and possibly the onsite convener, before 50% of the course is completed. These interviews will provide students with an opportunity to receive interim feedback on their performance against this assessment task and have early discussion about their possible final research paper topic.

Attendance and participation is compulsory. Students will be expected to attend all seminars (please refer to details under Class Structure and Content).

Nature of Task: Compulsory and non-redeemable. Failure to complete this task will result in a mark of zero for this task.

Weighting: 30%.

Due Date: 5pm, Friday 14 February 2025. Due to the nature of the task, late submission or extension is not permitted.

Estimated return date: 9 March 2025

Assessment Criteria: Onsite participation will be assessed using the Onsite Checklist. The mark will be based on the overall assessment by the onsite convener and coordinator, in consultation with the Course Convener. The indicators of good practice are not weighted and will not be marked individually. Where a student has not had an opportunity to demonstrate a skill, that skill will not be part of the evaluation.

Assessment Task 2

Reflection Piece

Details of Task: Reflective Diary Assignment based on Clinic Placement to date. Further details will be provided on WATTLE.

Nature of Task: Compulsory and non-redeemable. Failure to complete this task will result in a mark of zero for this task.

Weighting: 20%.

Word Limit: 1,000 words. The ANU College of Law's Word Length and Excess Word penalties policy can be found here.

Submission Requirement: Footnotes should be used for the referencing of all sources. All references should be compliant with the current edition of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation. Your submission must be made in a word processing file format (.doc, .docx). PDF files will not be accepted.

Due Date: 5pm, Friday 14 February 2025. Late submission (without an extension) is permitted, although late penalties will apply.

Estimated return date: 9 March 2025

Assessment Criteria: Assessment will be based on the following criteria:

• Demonstration of reflection upon content/material/clinic work.
• Understanding and application of relevant law, policy and concepts.
• Effectiveness of written communication and presentation of written work.
• Questioning and critical approach to class content/material.
• Effectiveness of structure and clarity of written presentation.

Assessment Task 3

Essay

Details of Task: The research paper will require students to develop a research topic in consultation with the onsite convener and the ANU convener and to conduct independent research.

Nature of Task: Compulsory and non-redeemable. Failure to complete this task will result in a mark of zero for this task.

Weighting: 50%.

Word Limit: 2,500 words. The ANU College of Law's Word Length and Excess Word penalties policy can be found here.

Submission Requirement: Essays must include footnotes and a bibliography that are excluded from the word count. Footnotes should be used for the referencing of all sources. All references should be compliant with the current edition of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation. Your submission must be made in a word processing file format (.doc, .docx). PDF files will not be accepted.

Due Date: 5pm, Friday 14 February 2025. Late submission (without an extension) is permitted, although late penalties will apply.

Estimated return date: 9 March 2025

Assessment Criteria: This item is assessed using the following criteria:

• Quality of research topic, both in substance and topic description
• Research of primary legal and scholarly secondary sources
• Understanding and discussion of relevant law
• Critical evaluation of material (including recognition of alternative perspectives)
• Creative and original approach
• Appropriate use of interdisciplinary source material that adds depth of understanding to the legal discussion or any empirical data referred to
• Quality of practical recommendations or resources recommended
• Relevance of the work to Legal Aid
• Effective use of words and word limit to address key issues
• Expression and written communication including use of legal terminology, spelling etc
• Structure including logical development of content/material
• Effective use of headings
• Referencing (eg bibliography) and compliance with AGLC

Not all of these elements will necessarily appear in every paper submitted. Depending on the approved topic and the background of a student, the Course Convener or Clinical Convener may agree that concentration on certain of these areas can usefully be expanded, reduced or omitted.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. You must ensure that you upload the correct document on the specified submission due date and time. Any document modified after the due date and time will either incur a late penalty or will NOT be accepted. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education), submission must be through Turnitin in a word processing file format (.doc, .docx). Electronic copies in .pdf file format are not acceptable.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

• Late submission is not accepted for tests or examinations.

• Late submission with an extension. To ensure equity for all students, the 5% penalty per working day for late submission of work does not apply if you have been granted an extension. Where an extension is granted, the revised due date and submission time will be provided in writing. Importantly, any revised due date is inclusive of weekends and public holidays. Regardless of which day of the week the revised due date falls on, students who submit after that date will be penalised by 5% of the possible marks available for the task per 24-hour period.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Returning Assignments

All marks and feedback will be provided by the return date listed in the class summary.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

Resubmission is not guaranteed. Please ensure that you have reviewed your submission carefully before you submit.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students