Social Work - MA

In this module, students will be introduced to concepts of professionalism and 'relationship' in social work and the role of self-monitoring and reflection. They will learn about, critically discuss and practise a range of communication and interpersonal skills. These will include: the commencement of effective contacts with service users and colleagues; active listening and attending skills; the role of non-verbal communication; empathy; effective use of questions; paraphrasing and summarising; challenging constructively and managing conflict; the use of electronic and telephone communication; and working with people with special communication needs. Students will also explore the use of feedback in the classroom and in professional practice and supervision.

In addition the module will introduce students to the theoretical underpinnings of models of personal and professional communication. They will also be encouraged to critically explore and reflect on the application of social work values and will analyse the impact of inequality, power and diversity in relation to engaging with the experiences of others. Understanding and working with reluctance and resistance will also be addressed along with models and skills in ending relationships and evaluating practice.

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The module will cover the nature, history and development of social work values, their links with codes of practice and the regulation of professional conduct. It will also address sociological perspectives around social difference, diversity and inequality and the conceptual and philosophical context of human rights, responsibility, justice, care, authority and power in social work. Challenges inherent in balancing these dimensions, including potential conflicts between personal, organisational and professional values of the social work role in practice – incorporating statutory duties - will also be addressed. The role of legislation and policy in supporting ethical decision making in social work will be explored as will utilising models promoting ethical decision making and the impact of social work practice on, and in, the lives of service users and carers. The importance of recognising key dimensions of social difference and sources of inequality – class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age, disability and sexuality – in delivering ethical social work will be an underpinning theme.

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The module will serve to provide students with an overview of the scope and expectations of a social work dissertation at MA-level. We discuss the ethical challenges of doing empirical and other research on topics relevant to social work, and prepare students for carrying out an independent piece of research within a given timeframe. If the dissertation requires ethical research approval, an application will need to be submitted to the School research ethics committee.

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The curriculum will address the need for social workers to have in depth knowledge and understanding of the law and its applications to social work practice. The history, context, and nature of English law and law making will be covered including natural law and positivist law and their intersection with ethics and philosophy. The 'legal framework' of English social work including legislation, quasi-legislation and social policy will be outlined as will the process - and political context - of policy-making and implementation. Primary, and secondary legislation, policy and guidance and the cases that together constitute ‘the law & policy’ relating to key service user groups will be outlined alongside understanding of the application of legislation and policy as it relates to social work activities, duties and decisions. Judicial interpretation relevant to social work, the role and nature of Courts and the legal profession, legal procedure and the nature of evidence will also be covered. Human Rights and equality law with a particular focus on justice and the promotion of equality in the areas of "race", gender and sexual orientation, disability and age will be addressed as will legal systems and frameworks relating to safeguarding, mental capacity & confidentiality.

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Students will participate in up to 30 days undertaking a 'Developing Skills for Practice' programme consisting of university based experiential learning, self-directed study, shadowing experienced social workers and other observational visits. The majority of these days will take place during term 1 (Autumn term) of the first year to prepare students for their first placement through practising key generic skills and increasing their understanding of the social work role, without the immediate pressure of assessment.

Students will attend placement for a period in line with regulator standards and carry out direct work with service-users in a social work or social care organisation. They will develop skills, knowledge and values through experiential learning supervised by a qualified practice educator. Involvement in practice activities will enable students to demonstrate effective use of knowledge, skills and commitment to core values in social work in a given setting in predominantly less complex situations, with supervision and support. They will be expected to show capacity to work with people in situations where there may not be simple clear-cut solutions

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This module will explore and critically reflect on the role of theory in social work and its intersection with the development of interventions and social work skills. Threaded throughout the module will be a focus on the importance of developing a critical understanding of social work processes, including models and methods of assessment, the application of theory in complex social work cases and recognition of social work intervention as a theoretically informed activity. Specific approaches and perspectives will be explored e.g. systemic and therapeutic approaches, and critically reviewed in assessment and intervention with individuals, families, groups and communities. The role and nature of social work models and interventions will be explored, e.g. social constructionist approaches, task centred practice, and students will be encouraged to develop a critical understanding of the importance of groups - including families - in social work practice. The module will facilitate the students' capacity to critically evaluate theories and methods including an appreciation of practice paradigms and practice related theories within wider social sciences perspectives.

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Taking an ecological approach to social work, the module will highlight the need for a systematic analysis of influences on individuals, families, groups and communities at micro, meso and macro levels. This will include the role of social processes on individuals and families and theoretical approaches to human growth and development. The module will explore bio-psycho-social influences on behaviour, individual identity and the life course, and contrasting approaches, such as 'critical material', discursive and intra-psychic, to understanding the individual in society. Broader social influences on individuals and families will also be examined, such as diversity and difference throughout the life span, acknowledging cross-cultural differences in attachment, development and separation.

Applying the module content to social work practice, students will be encouraged to understand the significance of life stages and the need to adopt a life course perspective in social work with specific service user groups. The module will highlight the significance for social workers of the intersection between psychological models and understanding the concept of 'need'. At the macro level of understanding, the module will explore the interaction between disadvantage in society, marginalisation, isolation and social exclusion with psychological and social factors that bring service users to the attention of social workers.

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This module will enable students to develop and demonstrate their readiness for direct practice with service users, through undertaking a range of guided practical activities both within and outside the university. This module incorporates a number of skills development days, and the 'readiness for direct practice' assessment, which are both requirements of the Social Work Reform Board. Students are required to pass this module before progressing to their first practice placement.

Class-based activities will encourage the development of skills used in communication, observation and reflection, and relating theory and practice, enabling students to practise and further develop the skills and knowledge they are learning in other modules, in particular SOCI8960 Communication and Interpersonal Skills and SOCI9230 Social Work Theories, Interventions and Skills.

Learning activities will also address the importance of professional behaviour and boundaries, awareness of values and diversity in social work, an initial awareness of risk and safeguarding, the role of professional supervision, and the importance of emotional resilience in social work.

Students will also develop their awareness of the perspectives of service users and carers, and will gain understanding of the context of social work and how social work is organised and practised in a range of settings. Students will have contact with practitioners and service users and carers within class sessions and through visiting social care settings. Each student will also undertake a two-day shadowing placement with a final year student and practice educator in a social work setting. During this they will observe and discuss examples of social work practice and meet service users and/or carers.

Students will develop their self-awareness and skills of reflection on their learning and experiences through individual activities and class discussions. They will be guided to identify their individual learning needs and monitor and reflect on their own progress.

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This module is an integral part of practice learning and is designed to sit alongside the Practice Placement 1 module [SOCI9210 (SO921)]. It offers an opportunity for students to demonstrate their learning in academic form. The two assignments incorporated in the module are based on work the student undertakes during their practice placement and enable students to demonstrate their competence in practice over the course of the placement. Student will have the opportunity to apply relevant theoretical learning to their own practice and demonstrate reflection and critical thinking.

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The overall aim of this module is to equip students with the advanced knowledge and understanding required for them to function effectively as social workers in mental health and adult social care settings. This might include working in a multidisciplinary mental health team, with older people, people with a physical or learning disability, or with people from all of these groups. The module considers models of understanding mental health/distress, disability and old age, in particular the contrasting perspectives of the individual/medical model and social models. The module will ensure that all students are able to recognise and understand key definitions and diagnostic categories applied in contemporary service settings, at the same time as critically questioning the nature and validity of such definitions.

The module will enable students to acquire critical understanding of the impact of injustice, social inequalities and oppressive social relations on the lives of adult service users and carers, including: a) the role of these factors in contributing to the development of mental health and other problems and, b) their impact on the lives of people who already have mental health needs and/or disabilities and their families. The module will enable them to critically analyse and evaluate key concepts such as 'care', 'need' and 'risk' in adult services, and demonstrate the knowledge necessary for them to assess and make decisions in conjunction with service users, including when conflict and disagreements arise. It will highlight the evidence relating to the abuse of adult service users and the safeguarding strategies used to prevent it.

The module will provide specialist input on the legal and professional frameworks that shape or prescribe social work practice in mental health services and in adult social care, including the use of online learning materials during private study time where appropriate.

The module enables students to critically analyse the ideas that underpin personalisation and person-centred practice and how these relate in a practical sense to processes of self-directed support and individual budgets as ways of delivering services.

Through group work and seminar discussions, students will demonstrate their capacity for effective and appropriate communication with others. They will have the opportunity to critically reflect on their personal attitudes towards disability, difference, and old age.

The assessed work for this module will encourage students to gather and evaluate library and web-based resources appropriate for intermediate level degree study, and integrate a range of theoretical perspectives and evidence from research in order to construct a coherent argument in writing.

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The outcomes of the dissertation are threefold:

Firstly, to allow students to express themselves as practitioners, and 'critical consumers' of research, having previously been provided with the knowledge and understanding necessary to evaluate research appropriately. Secondly, an opportunity to independently carry out an in-depth inquiry to investigate a research question(s) of their choice, and produce a coherent review of the relevant literature, a logical discussion, and clearly communicated set of conclusions. Thirdly, students apply themselves as 'research-minded' practitioners with an ongoing capacity to undertake research in practice settings and/or take a lead role in supervising others in such work.

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The module will offer a specialist focus on social work with children and families. It will address the core principles underpinning the assessment of children in need (including children with disabilities) and their families and offer specialist knowledge and understanding about the legal framework within which social work in children's services is undertaken. The importance and nature of engaging and working in partnership with parents will be explored as will the nature and role of research and theory in informing interventions and outcomes sought. How social workers work with Looked After Children, including fostering and adoption issues and aftercare will also be addressed. Key messages from Inquiry reports, serious case reviews and government commissioned reports will be woven into the teaching as appropriate and the role of other professionals in child protection outlined. Effective models of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working will be identified as will the relationships between child protection and family support; and outcomes, best practice and early intervention. The identification of child abuse and assessment of significant harm, including the assessment of risk, thresholds, child protection investigations, changing practice and policy trends, and the different ways in which children might be subject to neglect and abuse will be critically explored. Procedural intervention in child protection and safeguarding work will be outlined and the importance of developing critical analysis skills and effective professional judgement will be addressed in depth.

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The curriculum will address the nature, dimensions and aims of critical, reflective and ethical practice in social work. It will incorporate the organisational, political, demographic and ideological context of contemporary social work practice and the impact of critical perspectives on the nature and delivery of social work in a diverse society. Service user perspectives and roles, models of partnership and participation, and the significance of power, language, knowledge, social justice, and relationship based practice will be explored. The role of effective inter-professional working and team working, and perspectives on risk and risk management will also be explored as will professional judgement and decision making in social work, including the role of emotion and sources of 'error' in decision-making and evaluating multiple hypotheses. The management of dilemmas and challenges involved in balancing competing needs, rights, risks and accountabilities will be addressed alongside dealing with working with anxiety and uncertainty in complex, unpredictable and emotionally demanding situations. The possibilities for creative and transformative practice in social work will be explored and the importance of leadership, professional authority, and continuing personal and professional development will also be discussed.

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Students will attend placement for a period in line with regulator standards and carry out direct work with service-users in a social work or social care organisation. They will develop skills, knowledge and values through experiential learning supervised by a qualified practice educator.

Involvement in practice activities will enable students by the end of last placement to have demonstrated the knowledge, skills and values to work with a range of user groups, and the ability to undertake a range of tasks at a foundation level, the capacity to work with more complex situations; they should be able to work more autonomously, whilst recognising that the final decision will still rest with their supervisor; they will seek appropriate support and supervision.

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This module is an integral part of the practice learning and is designed to sit alongside the Practice Placement 2 module [SOCI9220 (SO922)]. It offers an opportunity for students to demonstrate their learning in academic form. The assignment incorporated in the module enables students to critically reflect on their practice and their own development over the course of their learning. Students will have the opportunity to apply relevant theoretical learning to their own practice and demonstrate reflection and critical thinking.

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