Social Work

This module is an introduction to the Social Work profession and the professional capabilities needed to begin practice. It covers the Professional Capabilities Framework ensuring that students can meet the standard of Readiness to Practice prior to commencing their first placement. There is an emphasis on values and ethics, along with critical reflection and analysis.

Students will be encouraged to consider how they will build resilience and confidence when in an unpredictable and demanding professional context. The module also considers issues of diversity and inequality alongside anti-oppressive practice.

The module culminates in a self-audit of the Readiness to Practice capabilities through an eportfolio. Students should demonstrate basis communication skills, ability to engage with service users, capacity to work as a member of an organisation, willingness to learn from feedback and supervision, and demonstrate basic social work values and skills to make effective use of first practice.

This is a non-credit bearing module however will require students to demonstrate capability against the Professional Capability Framework.

This module introduces students to the social work context. Students will develop an initial understanding of organisations and inter-agency working along with the nature of contemporary partnership working, within and across disciplines and agencies. Content covered during the module places emphasis on understanding the different needs and experiences of service users and carers, and with professional and non-professional colleagues in the agency setting.  Students will be encouraged to explore contemporary societal issues from a range of perspectives and their impact on social work and vice versa. Personal and professional values will be explored.

Social workers engage with a diverse range of people across the life course, therefore a thorough understanding of human growth and development from a psychological perspective is a central element of social work practice. A person’s life course is not always a straightforward, linear progression, and the impact of social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental factors must be recognised, so that inequalities identified in practice can be challenged. This module will explore physical, cognitive, moral and personality development, the transitions and changes that occur throughout the life course and examine the factors that influence attachment, resilience and the development of an individuals and family’s emotional resources. The module will emphasise the development of human personality, behaviour and the positive outcomes that are being achieved by practitioners working in a variety of different settings using different techniques and interventions. It will also provide students with the opportunity to challenge and critique normative views of development across the life course, emphasising the value and experience of diversity.

This module will introduce students to a range of relevant tools, models, methods, and theories in order to develop skills in promoting equality in direct work with individuals, families, groups and communities, in preparation for and to run alongside the first placement. Students will be expected to critically analyse and evaluate the usefulness of applying the theories and methods to social work practice with individuals, families, groups or communities, particularly regarding empowerment and anti-discriminatory practice.

Social work is an international discipline with its own body of specialised knowledge.  It also relies heavily on other knowledge disciplines such as sociology, psychology and anthropology and professional knowledge from law, health and education. This module will give students the basic and comprehensive knowledge underpinning legal and safe practice.  It will also cover key skills in research and the critical appraisal of theory and knowledge. It will support students applying law in practice and knowing key legislation to support children and adults.

This module the first practice placement aims to support students to develop their capability and professional confidence in essential social work skills, including core communication skills, engaging and forming relationships, application of theoretical concepts, working with professional colleagues and critical reflection. Students will have the opportunity to put into practice core teaching from level 4 and further develop key and fundamental aspects of social work.

This module will address the challenges of assessing risk with regards to need and protecting service users from abuse and neglect. In doing so, it will support students to understand the complexities of assessment; going beyond simply identifying need, but to critically analyse information presented in order to effectively safeguard those we work with and manage risks. Assessment and risk represent deceptively simple concepts, however good assessment is the cornerstone of social work practice and therefore will be explored in-depth. Assessments can have a significant impact on the lives of all service users, therefore assessment frameworks and the ways in which ways assessments are conducted and how information is used and analysed will be explored with students.  Effective assessment is a transparent area of practice where the social worker is clearly accountable for their actions. Stringent recording and communication are essential cornerstones of good practice. Student’s will continue to learn about the importance of research and by encouraging research literacy they will develop skills required to be critically informed and their work be supported through evidence-based practice, practitioner input and case studies.

Building on from the learning and teaching, practice placement(s) across the programme, this module will provide students with the opportunity to develop their skill & knowledge in working directly with individuals, families, and communities, safely and effectively.
Using the platform of established areas of practice, such as mental health, direct work with children and addictions, students will look at both direct practice in more depth and be introduced to relevant tools, methods and theories underpinning practice in these fields, including systemic and solution focused ideas as ways to intervene and affect change.  Students will be encouraged to think critically about interventions, linked to research findings and also the contemporary context in which social work takes place, with a focus on sociological and political structures.

This module gives students opportunity to advance their skills and knowledge in a social work in a social work setting and enhance their capability in preparation for their assessed and supported year in employment   It will cover the core tasks of social work, risk assessment, assessment of needs, care planning, working with other professionals and developing and sustaining relationships with individuals, families, and groups.  The will student will need to demonstrate their skills in working autonomously, critical, and analytical reflective thinking when confronted with problems and dilemmas, and working using best evidence, e.g., identifying what is best evidence and how it informs better outcomes for individuals’ families and groups.

1. The first part of this 60-credit module will introduce students to relevant research methodologies. Students will consider a range of approaches to both primary and secondary research and conversant with tools for supporting this. Students will enhance their skills in critically examining research methods and will develop their learning to promote research mindedness. Students will be encouraged to work with a range of research material and to develop their knowledge of the role of evidence informed research in current social work practice. Students will gain knowledge about how to apply ethical principles in evaluating research.
2. The second part of this module will focus on students writing for publication. Students will be introduced to methods of developing their academic writing skills, evidencing their ability to use a coherent and effective approach that demonstrates scholarly and professional development. To produce final work (suitable for publication) that reflects a sound methodological and ethical basis and is suitable for the target audience.