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The module introduces you to the core elements of social work practice which includes: an understanding of the historical and contemporary context of social work practice, social work roles and functions, the PCFs, professional standards, and the profession’s ethical principles and values underpinning social work practice. The module will also focus on developing your understanding of social justice and anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice. Through the use of associated skills development workshops, you will have opportunities to embed your learning in this module to develop core social work skills including communication, critical thinking and reflective practice and writing. The module is designed to prepare you for your first placement experience and will therefore explore the organisational context in which social workers practice and introduce you to the use of professional supervision.

This module aims to introduce you to key legal concepts, laws and policy relevant to social work including equality and human rights legislation. The module provides a history and overview of policy formulation and the principles and core knowledge around key social work legislation. It sets law in the context of developments in social policy thereby enabling you to understand the functions and purposes of law as it relates to social work practice.

This module will introduce key psychological and sociological perspectives on human growth and development throughout the life span. The module will focus on understanding behaviour using a multi-factorial approach, including developmental, social, cultural, spiritual and physical influences on development across the lifespan and also include some consideration of lifespan development expectations across different cultures. The module will cover all age groups, key transition points and the impact of developmental issues for individuals and the families and communities to which they belong. This will enable you to develop the knowledge and understanding needed for core observations skills and to apply theories of human growth and development to social work practice.

This module lays the foundation for understanding social work theories and how they inform practice. It will focus on theories that both enhance understanding of people’s lived experience and inform decisions about effective methods of intervention and support. The module will explore models and methods applicable to social work assessment and intervention. You will develop your understanding of personal and professional power, values and identity and their impact on social work practice. Together with the ‘Preparation for Social Work Practice’ module and the Skills Day 1 workshops, this module aims to prepare you for your first placement and will explore the theory underpinning the subject of communication and its central importance within social work practice.

Skills day workshops cover key social work skills and run alongside the four modules. Skills day workshops make up part of the 200 day practice experience on the course – you will undertake 20 skills days in year one and 10 in year two. You will attend skills days workshops in year one to develop essential skills prior to your first placement. The Skills Day programme also includes Inter Professional Education workshops shared with other courses and the on-site annual Social Work Conference.

This module focuses on developing your understanding of social work, social justice and anti-discriminatory practice, with an emphasis upon skills that you can use in their social work practice. Through the use of skills development workshops and reflection activities, you will have opportunities to develop core social work skills including: communication (with people with lived experience and other professionals), observation, critical thinking and reflective practice and professional writing. You will be encouraged to build upon their knowledge base during the module, linking the skills-based sessions to other module teaching, theory and legislation.

This module forms part of the preparation for your first assessed practice placement and will part evidence the Readiness for Practice Requirements.

You will undertake a 70-day placement in a social work setting, where you will work with people with lived experience and carers, as a member of an organisation. With support and supervision from a practice educator and possibly an on-site supervisor, you will be required to work in situations where there are no clear-cut solutions to people’s problems. You will have opportunities to observe the practice of others and work independently and jointly with members of the placement provider organisation and as part of multi professional provision. By the end of the module, you will be expected to have demonstrated effective use of the required knowledge, skills and behaviour, and to have shown commitment to core social work values commensurate with the Professional Capability Framework and Social Work England standards.

You are expected to work 70 full days in line with normal working practices at the host agency. This will also include the requirement to attend 3 set recall days and set supervision sessions with both your allocated academic practice tutor and your practice educator. Study days are integrated into the placement period.

This module builds on the Introduction to Law, Rights and Policy, module at level 4 and the knowledge of law and policy gained during the first placement. It concentrates on topic specific areas of practice and the key areas of law and policy relevant to the professional social work practitioner including:

• Law and Citizenship
• Care Act
• Mental Health and Mental Capacity
• Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards
• Fostering, Adoption & Permeance for Children and Young People
• Private and Public law and Court Skills
• Children Looked After, Care Leavers and Corporate Parenting
• Domestic Abuse
• Immigration and Asylum
• Modern Day Slavery

You will develop the ability to apply research-based knowledge and understanding to inform social work practice and interventions and promote the best outcomes with and for people with lived experience. By the end of the module, you will develop a critical understanding of the application of research to social work, the ability to identify appropriate sources of evidence, an appreciation of the methods used to obtain research evidence and the ability to make sense of complex findings. You will also gain the skills needed to develop a research-based project.

The goal of this module is to explore social work theories and their application to social work practice in further depth. The module will focus on theoretical approaches to working with individuals and families for example cognitive behavioural theory, groupwork, systemic and structural theory, solution focused and narrative ways of working. The module is linked to the skills development days, which will facilitate your learning in specific areas of social work practice, providing the theoretical knowledge for the topics explored. The module will also address key skills in social work practice including assessment skills, decision making, report writing and working with conflict and aggression.

In this module, you will develop skills to operate effectively within multi-agency and inter-professional settings. You will have an opportunity to explore the roles and responsibilities of other professionals who work with, and alongside social workers, and the skills needed to work with them – this includes Professional communication skills. You will develop a critical understanding of the significance of inter-professional relationships with other social services, health, education, and criminal justice organisations. You will examine the role of people with lived experience and carers as partners in working together.

You will undertake a Research Project on a topic or issue of interest that clearly relates to social work. Teaching on the module will focus specifically on enabling you to develop secondary, systematic research skills. You will be allocated a Tutor who will supervise the work in progress though individual tutorials and/or small group sessions.

You will develop skills in interpreting and applying research evidence and develop awareness and understanding of the purposes and value of research for social work, service improvement and evidenced based practice. By the end of the module, you will develop skills in critical reflection and appraisal, understand the principles of research design, apply analytical techniques, report findings accurately, make recommendations based on research findings and reflect on and apply their understanding of discrimination and oppression.

This module is designed to establish you as a lifelong learner, who is able to meet Social Work England Continuous Professional Development Standard (4). The module aims to facilitate a seamless transition from student to final placement to newly qualified social worker and enable newly qualified practitioners to embark confidently, upon the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment. This module will enable you to enhance your resilience and develop strategies to manage complexities, dilemmas and uncertainty. The module will equip you with the knowledge and skills to promote the learning and development of others and contribute to enhancing the quality of the social work profession and outcomes for people with lived experience. The module will build upon the strengths and development needs highlighted in placement 1 and enables the creation of a development plan for placement 2 and consider the development needs as a newly qualified social worker. Module content will include:

• Role, purpose and effective use of supervision
• Understanding and managing stress
• Working in challenging and changing organisational contexts
• Indicators and management of aggression and violence
• Managing tensions and conflicts in team and inter-professional working

This module builds on learning throughout the programme and is designed to enable you to apply best evidence in your social work practice, within the parameters stipulated by legal and policy frameworks. You will enhance your skills in critical reflection and appraisal of social work practice, understand the principles and illustrate the use of evidence-based practice in social work processes (assessment, planning, intervention and evaluation). The module will particularly focus on concepts of risk management and defensible decision-making. The module will explore ethics, conflicts, debates and dilemmas in social work practice such as care and control, rights and responsibilities, loss and change, and maintaining anti-oppressive practice with statutory and involuntary People with Lived Experience (PWLE).

You will undertake a 100-day placement in a social work setting, where you will work with people with lived experience and carers, as a member of an organisation. With support and supervision from a practice educator and possibly an on-site supervisor, you will work in situations where there are no clear-cut solutions to people’s problems. You will have opportunities to observe the practice of others and work independently and jointly with members of the placement provider organisation and as part of multi professional provision. By the end of the module, you will be expected to have demonstrated effective use of the required knowledge, skills and behaviour, and to have shown commitment to core social work values commensurate with the Professional Capability Framework and Social Work England standards.

You are expected to work 100 full days in line with normal working practices at the host agency. This will also include the requirement to attend 3 set recall days and set supervision sessions with both your allocated academic practice tutor and your practice educator. Study days are integrated into the placement period.