MA in Social Work

What you'll study Overview Successful applicants on the MA in Social Work commit to studying on a full-time taught course over two years. On successful completion you will receive a MA in Social Work which is the professional entry qualification to be a social worker and it enables you to apply for registration as a social worker with the Health and Care Professions Council. The curriculum aims to provide you with the value, knowledge and skill base for practice and is organised around study units, workshops, lectures/seminar modules, projects and private study. The teaching and learning opportunities centre on the key areas of the social sciences and their application to Social Work practice, as well developing your intellectual capacity, and the skills necessary to get you ready for practice. There is an expectation that you attend at least 85% of all aspects of the programme. The structured learning includes specific learning in: human growth and development, mental health and disability. social work theories and methods; assessment, planning, intervention and review. communication skills with children, adults and those with particular communication needs. law, and partnership working across professional disciplines and agencies. social science research methods, including ethical issues. Practice is central to the programme, and there will be practice placements in two settings and with different service user groups (eg child care and mental health). The learning on the programme builds over the two years and prepares you to apply your knowledge to practice situations. We work closely with a range of practice organisations in the Greater London Area. The placements are allocated by our placement tutor and matched with individual profiles. In some instances you may have to travel long distances to your placement organisation. You will need to cover the cost of travel to your placement. You will be expected to work the core hours. At Goldsmiths we recognise: the unique contribution that all students bring as individuals to the programme in terms of their personal qualities and life experiences. that professional training builds on the uniqueness of each individual by facilitating the student’s exploration of the values, knowledge base and skills of Social Work practice. that it is the student’s responsibility not only to develop a technical acquaintance with the framework of Social Work practice but also to demonstrate competence through its application in practice. that Social Workers are at the interface of society’s attempts to promote welfare. Social workers have a dual responsibility to act within the state’s welfare framework and also to recognise the pervasive influence of oppression and discrimination at an individual and a structural level in most of the situations in which they work. We will prepare you for this professional responsibility. Year 1 In year 1 you are introduced to social work as a professional activity and an academic discipline. You consider key concepts such as the nature of need, community, social work services, and the significance of the service user perspective. You are also provided with an introduction to: life-span development, assessment in social work and a range of social work intervention approaches. Your assessed practice consists of 70 days spent as a social worker; this gives you the chance to develop your communication and social work practice skills with service users, and to work in partnership across professional disciplines and agencies. Module title Credits. Human Growth and Development Human Growth and Development 30 credits This module-unit addresses issues of life-span development focusing on child development, adolescence and work with older people. It includes the study of key theories and approaches to human growth and development as well as considering discrimination and oppression. You observe a child under the age of five in a home or group care setting for one hour a week for six weeks. The observations are accompanied by a weekly seminar in which you and your fellow students take it in turns to present a detailed written narrative of an observation and discuss the issues generated. 30 credits. Community Needs and Services Community Needs and Services 30 credits This module-unit considers a range of key concepts such as the nature of need, community, Social Work services and the significance of the service user perspective. You are expected to develop a basic understanding of the contested nature of the concepts and the difficulties associated with their application in policy and practice through a combination of formal teaching and a small-scale research project. This module-unit also introduces key methods and debates in research within the social sciences in general and Social Work in particular. 30 credits. Social Work Methods and Skills Social Work Methods and Skills 30 credits The Social Work Methods and Skills module-unit addresses the skills and methods of intervention that Social Workers use in practice, and incorporates a general introduction to Social Work Skills and Methods with a focus on assessment. It comprises of a series of workshops on particular theoretical approaches to practice and study units focusing on assessment. 30 credits. Social Work Practice Learning Year 1 Social Work Practice Learning Year 1 30 credits This module-unit aims to enable you to practice as a Social Worker at an intermediate level within a multi-professional context and to meet the professional requirements for Social Work training. It consists of 8 days practice under the guidance of a practice educator. All practice learning opportunities offer the possibility for you to develop your communication and Social Work practice skills with service users and to work in partnership across professional disciplines and agencies. The placement offers opportunities to apply learning, including reading, from all the module-units in this year. 30 credits. Year 2 Year 2 provides you with an overview of the legal and organisational context of social work, and extends your knowledge and skills in one of the two main specialist areas of social work practice: working with children and families, or working with adults in need. You will work in small groups to explore methods of intervention, research and theories which are relevant to a particular area of social work, while another assessed practice element enables you to meet the professional requirements for social work training via 100 days of practice under the guidance of a practice assessor. You are expected to demonstrate competence across a range of standards and this is formally assessed. The learning on the MA Social Work programme builds over the two years and prepares you to apply that knowledge to practice situations. Module title Credits. Law and the Organisational Context of Social Work Law and the Organisational Context of Social Work 30 credits This module-unit aims to provide you with a critical understanding of the welfare and legal context of Social Work and its nature and scope within your own chosen area of practice, whilst exploring the impact of the law and policy frameworks in Social Work on service users. You explore the tensions between statute policy and practice in Social Work and investigate the complex relationship between organisational, legal and professional perspectives. The module-unit also provides you with an understanding of the law in relation to discrimination, and the application of the law within the context of anti-discriminatory practice. 30 credits. Research Methods Research Methods 30 credits This core module addresses the issue of research within the therapeutic context. It mainly focuses on practical aspects of conducting a research project in the field, such as planning a project and gathering and analysing data, but also touches upon issues such as epistemology, ethics in research, and critical evaluation. Teaching relates to both quantitive and qualitative methodologies and includes quantitive and qualitative data analysis tools and methods. 30 credits. Social Work Practice Learning 2 Social Work Practice Learning 2 90 credits This module-unit aims to enable you to practice as a Social Worker at newly qualified Social Worker level within a multi-professional context, and to meet the professional requirements for Social Work training. It consists of 100 days practice under the guidance of a practice educator. All practice learning opportunities offer the possibility for you to develop your communication and Social Work practice skills with service users and to work in partnership across professional disciplines and agencies. The Year 2 practice learning offers opportunities for you to work in a different setting and with a different service user group to the practice learning undertaken in Year 1 . You undertake statutory Social Work tasks involving legal interventions. The placement offers opportunities to apply learning, including reading, from all the module-units in Year 1 , 2 and 3 . 90 credits. Practice placements You are required to spend 170 days in practice settings. In Year 1 there is a practice placement lasting 70 days and in Year 2 the practice placement lasts 100 days. These placements are arranged through the allocation system devised by the College. The practice placements will be supported by 30 days for the development of practice skills. You have an identified Practice Educator for each of the two practice placements. Most of our placements are located in South East London, so if you live elsewhere you will need to travel. We have partnership agreements with the following organisations for placements in social work: London Borough of Brent – Childrens Services. London Borough of Brent – Adults Services. Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea – Adults Services. London Borough of Lambeth – Childrens Services. London Borough of Southwark – Childrens Services. London Borough of Southwark – Adults Services. London Borough of Lewisham – Childrens Services. London Borough of Lewisham – Adults Services. London Borough of Croydon – Adults Services. Royal Borough of Greenwich – Childrens Services. Royal Borough of Greenwich – Adults Services. London Borough of Bromley – Childrens Services. London Borough of Bromley – Adults Services. NSPCC (London Region). We also work with about 20-30 voluntary/private social care agencies each year. Here are some that we've worked with recently: Equinox Care Mental Health Services. Body and Soul HIV Service. Jamma Umoja Family Assessment Services. Advocacy in Greenwich Learning Disability Service. Lewisham Refugee Network. Turning Point Mental Health Services. Carers Lewisham. Find out more about our placements. Assessment Assessment by a range of methods including assignment, essay, critical reflection, presentation, dissertation, placement portfolio, role play, seen exam, report and case study. Professional standards Social work is a regulated profession. From 1 August 2012, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) took on the regulation of social workers and the regulation of the performance of social work courses. This means that social work students will need to adhere to the standards set out in the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Guidance on conduct and ethics for students (HCPC 2009), and work towards meeting the HCPC Standards of Proficiency - Social workers in England (HCPC 2012). These are the standards social work students are expected to demonstrate at the end of their last placement/ qualifying level. Download the programme specification for the 2018-19 intake. If you would like an earlier version of the programme specification, please contact the Quality Office. Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.