| Module |
Credits |
Compulsory/optional |
|
Skills for Practice 1
|
0 Credits |
Compulsory |
| The module content will support students to develop their understanding of key social work principles and techniques that they can draw upon to establish professional relationships with people across a range of diverse user groups. Formative tasks such as community project, presentations, different communication styles, interviews, interaction with individual service users and groups will allow opportunity for students to practice and develop essential people skills.
With support, students will learn to evaluate their practice through feedback from social workers, tutors and via self-reflection. They will apply observational and theoretical knowledge to role play, problem-based scenarios, group and case work situations to demonstrate their understanding of interventions that empower and promote partnership approaches to working with vulnerable people.
Students will have opportunity to demonstrate their professional and reflective written skills and improve their organisational and administration aptitude.
Professionals from practice, service users and carers will be involved in the design, provision and delivery of this module. |
|
Skills for Practice 2
|
0 Credits |
Compulsory |
| The module builds on the first skills for practice module and support students to develop their understanding of social work practice across a range of user groups within the private, voluntary and statutory sectors.
Formative tasks such as community work, shadowing social workers, presentations and liaising with social workers at various levels, allow opportunity for students to build on their understanding of interventions.
With support, from social workers students will develop their ability to present material that draws upon relevant research. They will network and engage with organisations that work with vulnerable individuals and groups.
Students will draw from the expertise of social workers and other allied professions, as well as service users and carers to develop a broad understanding of the role of the helping professions. Student will build upon the strengths which exist in individuals, families, groups and communities.
Social workers, Experts by experience are involved in the design, provision and delivery of this module. |
|
Ethics, Values & Anti-Discriminatory Practice
|
30 Credits |
Compulsory |
| The module will provide students with opportunities to develop and explore understanding and knowledge of the diversities within British society, whilst identifying with their own experiences. ethical dilemmas, conflicting information or differing professional positions.
It uses theoretical considerations and knowledge to develop models for analysing forms of disadvantage, exclusion, discrimination and oppression while also recognising the complex relationship between professional ethics, the application of the law and the impact of social policy on these issues.
This module will offer students the opportunity to create strategies for developing anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive social work practice. It will acknowledge ethical dilemmas arising from conflicting information or differing professional positions.
It does this in the context of exploring personal values, moral concepts of rights whilst making links to social work practice. It explores the ethical dilemmas arising from differing professional positions and perspectives.
Aspects of philosophical thinking will be deployed in order to develop wider thinking about context and issues of worth whilst identifying the considerable dilemmas for professionals within the field of social work, within a developing critical understanding and application of the HCPC Standards of Proficiency and Codes of Conduct (and when relevant the Social Work England equivalents).
In addition, sociological considerations will be analysed in order for students to begin identifying wider sociological considerations and problems. |
|
Law and Policy for Practice
|
30 Credits |
Compulsory |
| The practice of social work occupies contested ground. This module offers students the opportunity to critically assess the context in which social work practitioners operate. Research tutoring will enable students to engage with and critically evaluate the research relevant to the fields of social policy, social theory, law (including case law) and social work. Students will therefore develop a systematic understanding of legislation and social policy as well as fundamental concepts of social theory which inform practice. A research informed and research tutored approach, will enable students to develop a research-based approach to the assessment for this module and crucially, a research-based approach to social work practice. Students will be empowered to appraise the research evidence base on which sound interventions depend.
Understanding the implications of relating policy to practice is fundamental to all social work.
The importance of obtaining and using sound legal practice is instilled within the Law teaching together with an understanding of the centrality of legality to decision-making. |
|
Human Growth and Development
|
15 Credits |
Compulsory |
| 1 Development: What is development, what causes us to develop and how does development occur throughout the life cycle.
2 Historical perspectives in Human growth and development, concepts of childhood in pre-modern and contemporary society.
3. Research methods in developmental psychology. Methods of gathering data, basic search strategies (relevant for human development assignment).
4. Theories of human development, the nature of scientific development and its relationship to social work practice. The nature/nurture issue, active/passive issue. The continuity/discontinuity issue. Developmental theoretical perspectives including psychoanalytic theories, cognitivism, ethological (evolutionary, language development and information processing)
5. Emotional and relationship development including Attachment theory and its application throughout the life cycle.
6. Impact of structural factors on Human Growth and development.
7. Relationship between personal structural and cultural issues and the ways in which these affect development across the lifespan.
8. The relevance of social work research, theories and practice with humans throughout the life course. |
|
Practice Learning 1
|
15 Credits |
Compulsory |
| The module will support students to identify the theories and interventions that support social work practice in a range of statutory, private, voluntary, and independent settings. This includes task centred work, crisis intervention, person centred, behavioural, solution focused, and systemic approaches, assessment, group-work and community work.
Current policy and evidence-based practice in relation to a range of social work settings will be explored, including safeguarding adults and children, mental health, domestic violence, substance misuse and working with older adults.
During the first placement students will have the opportunity to put into practice the theories they have learnt in year one and from the various taught modules. They will gain experience of supervision with qualified social workers and have the opportunity to demonstrate understanding of the social work role, knowledge, values and skills.
Professional practitioners, service users and carers are expected to be involved in the design, provision and delivery of the module. |
|
Practice Contexts
|
15 Credits |
Compulsory |
| Social workers help people to live more successfully within their local communities. This module looks in detail at the range of social work practice settings to enable students to develop as flexible, creative practitioners who synthesise specialist knowledge into their practice. The module will explore the ways in which social workers manage complex and conflicting needs. Issues will be examined in terms of personal and structural factors.
Students will consider the ethical dilemmas which are experienced in practice as social workers respond to complexity in their work. The support and limitations of policy as it relates to a variety of practice settings will be articulated, analysing research, and comparisons will be drawn with Social Work in Europe. Students will integrate new theoretical knowledge in order to identify best practice and respond creatively to need and risk, in preparation for their final practice placement and future employment. |
|
Practice Learning 2
|
15 Credits |
Compulsory |
| This module will build on Practice Learning 1 and academic modules to enable students to work effectively with people with complex needs. Students will undertake a 100-day practice placement; settings include working with older adults, child safeguarding, CAMHS, mental health services and learning disability services.
Students are expected to demonstrate their ability to meet the requirements of the Professional Regulator and Professional Capability Framework, and to work in partnership with service users and carers. This module will prepare students to enter the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment with the required level of skills and knowledge.
It is expected that professional practitioners, service users and cares are actively involved in the design, provision and delivery of the module. |
|
Dissertation
|
45 Credits |
Compulsory |
| 1. Development of intellectual curiosity and effective research skills for social work
2. Knowledge and skills for critical analysis, application, synthesis, and evaluation
3. Application of intellectual rigorousness and innovative thinking to evaluate complex and evolving world issues related to social work and social welfare
4. Formulating a scientific research proposal to effectively enhance the wellbeing of service users and carers
5. Reviewing literature systematically
6. Searching the literature - quantitative and qualitative research findings
7. Assessing study quality, and extracting data, and interpreting findings
8. Writing up dissertation |
|
Skills for Practice 3
|
0 Credits |
Compulsory |
| This module is constituted of 10 mandatory skills days, delivered in Semester A of the second year. It consolidates students’ theoretical learning and develop their skills for practice. A range of practitioners, lecturers and experts by experience will facilitate these sessions and students will receive developmental feedback throughout. Teaching and learning activities are designed to promote active, experiential learning in an environment that is risk-free, through the use of role play, case studies, simulations and group work.
This module will develop skills in line with the requirements of the professional regulator, the PCF and the KSS, and is designed to complement the curricula of the modules Practice Contexts and Practice Learning 2. |
