Social Work with Foundation Year - BSc (Hons)

This module will introduce you to social work, its definitions and the role of social workers in contemporary UK society. It will explore the history of social work and its changes within historical, political and societal contexts, and will establish what it means to be a social worker today.

The module focuses on providing understanding of professional standards and capabilities that are required in social work, including key concepts such as professionalism and will explore their meaning and application in both social work studies and practice. It will also highlight the complexities of social work and some of the dilemmas social workers may face.

In line with the philosophy and aims of the Social Work programme, this module will focus on pursuing excellence in social work practice, and assisting you to become practice-led, employable and have a local, national, and global outlook.

The module contributes towards the programme philosophy, and your personal and professional development by ensuring you:

Central to the delivery of high quality professional social work is the ability to understand the link between identity, inequality, and injustice and to apply anti-discriminatory principles and approaches during practice.

This academic module is delivered as preparation prior to professional practice. You will learn fundamental theoretical perspectives, find factual data and evidence relating to the prevalence of discrimination and oppression in society, and consider the relevance of your own and other’s identity. You will learn that good practice must be anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive.

In line with the philosophy and aims of the Social Work programme, and in order to prepare students for the complex and constantly evolving nature of modern social work practice, this module enables students to develop their knowledge and understanding of law. Various court cases have emphasised the need for a sound knowledge of the relationship between social work practice and the law, with increased calls for legal literacy amongst social workers.

The module provides students with the introduction to legal frameworks and social policy for social work, and the application of these frameworks to diverse social work situations. Students will be able to gain an understanding of the importance of law in social work practice and how to apply this through use of case scenarios and working with Experts by Experience who will share experiences of statutory interventions in their lives. Students will understand how social workers apply legal and policy frameworks as well and appreciate the role of social workers in influencing policy developments. This will be linked to the social work Professional Capability Framework and Social Work Standards.

In line with the philosophy and aims of the Social Work programme and your personal and professional development, this module supports your academic learning as you develop your social work skills and knowledge. You will develop your understanding of the theoretical and evidence-based work which informs social work practice.

There will be a focus on the goal of “transforming lives” and moving towards positive outcomes, by providing a range of the key knowledge required to facilitate this. The module also contributes to the “Knowledge” requirements of the Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Workers.

This module will introduce you to social work skills with a particular focus on the role and responsibilities of the social worker and partnership working with service users, carers and other professionals in the context of assessment. A key part of the module considers theories, models and approaches to assessment and how these are used in social work practice.

This module aims to give students the skills and knowledge needed to work effectively as a person-centred and relationship based social worker. In turn, you will learn about the importance of the use of self, self-care and resilience. Underpinning this module is a focus on social work values and how these may be used to engage in anti-discriminatory practice and empower.

In line with the philosophy and aims of the Social Work programme, and central to the delivery of high-quality social work is the ability to understand and develop competence in using and applying a range of professional skills in direct practice with service users, carers and other professionals.

This module is a ‘professional requirement’ and must be passed before you are considered ready and eligible to safely undertake your First Placement working directly with vulnerable people. Service users, carers and qualified practitioners work alongside academic tutors as part of an interactive and practical approach to delivery and assessment.

This module links to the Level 4 module Foundation Law and Policy and develops your knowledge and skills in understanding the complex relationship between social workers exercising governmental authority and upholding the rights of individuals and families.

The module will provide you with the knowledge needed to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults in line with the professional requirements for social work. You will begin to reflect on social worker legal roles and responsibilities in preparing for professional practice and employment.

This module links to the Level 4 Foundation Law and Policy and develops your knowledge and skills in understanding the complex relationship between social workers exercising governmental authority and upholding the rights of children and families.

This module will provide you with the opportunity to engage with law and policy needed to safeguard and protect children and families in practice. You will begin to reflect on social work legal roles and responsibilities in preparing for professional practice and employment. You will be able to understand social work statutory powers and duties and the ability to make complex decisions in practice.

Social workers have an ethical and professional responsibility to know, understand and apply a range of established and researched theories within their practice which are consistent with, and grounded in the values and principles of social work. When working with individuals, families, groups and communities, social workers must hold different explanations in mind and be able to evidence sources of knowledge informing decision-making processes.

Social Work Theories in Practice supports and enables you to develop the required knowledge and understanding of a range of social work theories to prepare you for the complex and evolving nature of social work practice. The module will provide you with a grounding in both established and current theories, focusing upon their implication within and to social work practice with individuals, families, groups and communities.

Social Work Methods in Practice: Advanced Skills concentrates upon methods of intervention and enables and supports you to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills required of social work practitioners to promote the welfare of and safeguard individuals, families, groups and communities whilst empowering them to make and sustain positive changes.

This module links to Social Work Theories in Practice and further builds upon Social Work Skills for Practice in focusing upon you developing the skills, knowledge and confidence required when using and applying methods of intervention within your social work practice, preparing you for Practice Placement One.

This module has been designed to help social work students develop ‘research mindedness’ and to acquire and practice critical thinking skills to be able to appraise and use knowledge from social work practice and research, and from the experiences of people who use services.

The module is specifically designed to provide an introduction to research design and research methodology. Students will learn the relevance and purpose of ‘systematic enquiry’ in the context of social work practice and how to carry out good quality, ethically sound research that takes full account of different paradigms and methodological approaches including sampling, piloting, data collection, data analysis and data presentation to ensure impact.

The Practice Placement One module is a professional requirement that builds on the Social Work Skills for Practice module. The successful completion of the Practice Placement One module is a pre-requisite to commencing your Practice Placement Two in year three.

The Practice Placement One is a 20-credit module that commences with a five-day preparation period provided by the University. This preparation period includes teaching on professionalism, supervision, and reflective practice.

In line with the philosophy and aims of the programme, this module will provide you with an understanding of the legal system in England and Wales and the knowledge needed to safeguard and protect vulnerable service users as specified by the professional requirements for social work.

The module has been designed to provide you with the necessary knowledge of safeguarding practices and legal insight needed to become effective social work practitioners in the complex world of modern social work practice through safeguarding and protecting vulnerable service users.

It contributes to the programme’s aims of pursuing excellence in safeguarding practice, applying legal knowledge to practice, developing your ability to understand the roles, and to work in partnership with other agencies and professionals, enhancing your employability and preparing you for your practice placement.

In line with the philosophy and aims of the Social Work programme, this module will support you to understand, critically evaluate and be ready to work within the changing social, political and economic contexts in which social work operates.

Its focus upon local, national and global contemporary issues, themes and perspectives, recognises and reflects the ever evolving and dynamic nature of society which includes ongoing systemic, and structural changes driven by social, political and economic factors and events e.g. the Covid-19 Pandemic and rapid developments in information and communications technology (ICT) have led to significant societal impacts and changes.

How can and should social work practice respond to the opportunities and challenges presented by these factors which have meaningful impacts on the citizens we serve?

Welcome to the Research Enquiry for Evidence-Based Practice module. This module introduces you to a range of research literature and illustrates how research is an essential part of social work and has a pivotal role in informing practice. Social Work England and British Association of Social Workers (BASW), as guardians of the Professional Capabilities Standards, require social workers to be able to gather information from multiple sources and evaluate research used to underpin and inform their practice decisions, recommendations, and interventions (SWE 2020; BASW, 2021).

The Critical Practice module is the last module in Year 3 of the social work programme following a 100-day practice placement. This module is a core module of year 3 of the BSc (Hons) Social Work degree and this will prepare you for future employability by demonstrating your ability to consolidate your learning over the three-year period and apply this to practice.

This is an opportunity to critically reflect and analyse your own intervention by focusing on a case you have worked with. You will be encouraged to examine your approach, decisions values, judgements, and interventions to improve your practice. Numerous reviews of social work reinforce the need for practitioners to think critically, make informed decisions and formulate the best plans for the citizens they work with by developing their self- awareness and emotional intelligence. This will be done in context of ensuring that your practice is inclusive and anti-discriminatory.

This module builds upon the knowledge, skills, and values you applied during your Practice Placement One and integrates your ongoing learning from the academic modules undertaken in years one and two.

The Practice Placement Two module is a zero-credit module, it is practice-led and provides you with the opportunities to apply and embed your theoretical and legislative knowledge to the practice setting, and to develop and apply skills of critical reflection and critical analysis to your own practice and the complexities of social work issues. The Practice Placement Two module including the 100 days of practice learning will help prepare you for employability.