Social Work (Step Up to Social Work)

You will be engaged in a range of practical activities to support your preparation for work during your practice placement, in accordance with social work regulatory standards. You will learn specific essential knowledge about the social work role, communication and interpersonal skills, social work processes and procedures. You will rehearse those skills in carefully designed simulated contexts. Individuals and families do not live in isolation, and the communities that they live in present both strengths, vulnerabilities and risk to them. Thus, you will learn the importance of holistic assessment and the practical skills of community profiling. As you work through the module you will continue learning and applying assessment skills and processes through the use of the Observed Structured Practice Assessment (OSPA). This is an opportunity to consolidate your learning using simulation to give you realistic practice experience prior to starting the 70-day placement. You must pass this module before going on to placement.

This module will introduce you to concepts including the global definition of Social Work [International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), 2014] which states that principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to the profession. The Professional Standards set by the regulator Social Work England also stress the need for social workers to promote rights and social justice, and work within legal, policy and ethical frameworks to underpin professional authority and judgement.

This module will equip you with an understanding of a range of issues that primarily lie within the two professional capabilities for social work: values and ethics, and rights, justice and economic well-being. Specifically, the module content and teaching delivery will ensure that you are introduced to the importance of using case law and applying legal rights in practice and that you recognise the fundamental principles of human rights and equality, and the relationship the law has with rights, ethics and justice.

The overall aim of this module is to equip you with knowledge and understanding of social work with adults and families. Specific knowledge and information about the needs and lives of adults with lived experience and the issues that bring them to the attention of social workers will be addressed alongside exploration of key concepts such as 'safeguarding' and ‘personalisation’. The policy and legal context of social work with adults will be explored and awareness of the changing responsibilities of social workers in adult services highlighted. The module will also facilitate appreciation of the impact of health problems, injustice, social inequalities, marginalisation, and discrimination on the lives of people with lived experience. The Professional Capabilities Framework and the Knowledge and Skills Statement for Social Workers with Adults will be woven into the module.

You will attend placement for a period in line with the requirements of the professional regulator and carry out direct work with people with lived experience in a social work or social care environment. You will develop skills, knowledge and values through experiential learning. You will be supervised by either an on-site supervisor and an off-site practice educator. By the end of the last placement / the completion of qualifying programmes, as newly qualified social workers, you should have demonstrated the knowledge, skills and values to work within 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; you should be able to work more autonomously, whilst recognising that the final decision will still rest with the supervisor; you will seek appropriate support and supervision.

Transcend textbooks and dive headfirst into the heart of social work with child and families. Engage in assessments of children in need and their families, apply legal and policy frameworks that guide social work in children’s services, and consider the vital principles of working together with children, parents, carers, and multi-disciplinary colleagues. Learn to identify signs of child abuse and assess significant harm, navigating through risk assessment, thresholds, and child protection investigations. We'll also journey into the heart of working with children in care, uncovering issues related to fostering, adoption, and aftercare. Discover key insights from research, theories, inquiry reports, and government studies, highlighting the importance of multi-disciplinary and multi-agency collaboration. We'll discuss evolving practices, policy trends, and the different facets of neglect and abuse children might face. Develop your critical analysis and professional judgment as we explore procedural interventions in child protection and safeguarding work. Get ready to make a difference in the lives of children and families with newfound knowledge and skills.

You will attend placement for a period in line with the requirements of the professional regulator and carry out direct work with people with lived experience in a social work or social care environment. You will develop skills, knowledge and values through experiential learning. You will be supervised by either an on-site supervisor and an off-site practice educator. By the end of the last placement / the completion of qualifying programmes, as newly qualified social workers, you should have demonstrated the knowledge, skills and values to work within 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; you should be able to work more autonomously, whilst recognising that the final decision will still rest with the supervisor; you will seek appropriate support and supervision.

The module provides you with an introduction to a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods including different types of interviews (narrative, biographical, in-depth, semi-structured, structured) ethnography, focus groups, surveys and questionnaires, experimental and quasi-experimental research, randomised controlled trials, documentary and textual analysis, systematic reviews and meta-analysis, and approaches that involve mixing methods. You will be introduced to different epistemological and ideological foundations of contrasting research paradigms.

The module includes exposure to the techniques involved in analysing both qualitative and quantitative data, as well as considering ethical issues relating to research. The module will demonstrate the existence and value of repositories of both quantitative and qualitative data and how these may be accessed and utilised. Each week you will be provided with research articles that are compulsory reading for discussion in seminars/workshops. Each reading provides an example of methods as used in research, their potential in addressing specific kinds of research question, and their relevance for social work practice.

On successful completion of the Diploma, students may opt to undertake the Dissertation module to achieve the MA Social Work (Step Up to Social Work).  Students are required to have passed the Diploma in full before being allowed to register for the dissertation module.