Social Work MA

Year 1

The Foundations of Social Work Practice

Main topics: social work values, codes of ethics and anti-oppressive practice in social workthe use of critical reflection and reflexivity in practicepower and authority and their effects on workers, service users and othersskills in relationship building: engaging and sustaining relationships with service userssocial work processes i.e. assessment, intervention, and evaluationskills in recording interviews and report writingskills for working within organisationsinter-professional practice, professional responsibilities, and boundaries.

Social Work Theories and Perspectives

Main topics: an overview of modern social work theorypsychodynamic perspectivecognitive perspectivebehavioural perspectivesystems and ecological perspectiveshumanistic perspectivefeminist perspectivesocial constructionist perspectivesocial change and social worktheory of groupsorganisational theories.

Life-span Behaviour and Development

Main topics: key concepts and theories of human growth and developmenta critical analysis of attachment theoryphysical and cognitive development in infancy and childhoodneeds and special needs of children and young peopleidentity development and change across the life-cycleadolescence and riskantisocial behaviour and delinquency during the adolescent yearsphysical and mental health in adulthoodthe challenges of an ageing populationdeath and dyingdeprivation and disadvantage across the life-cyclethe impact of culture and ethnicity in childhood and adulthooddeveloping observational skills, and monitoring and recording observations.

Legal Frameworks for Social Justice

Main topics: English legal system and framework for social workRights law including human rights, equality and mental capacity lawlaw relating to children and families, adult service users and carers and mental healthconfidentiality and information sharingyouth justice system and court reporting skillswelfare benefits and oral presentation skillsremedies including litigation, alternative dispute resolution, advocacy, mediation, complaints systems and the role of ombudsmenrole of advocacy including independent advocacy and self advocacyaccountability and ethical dilemmas in social work practice.

Social Policy and Sociology

Main topics: key ideas, concepts and theories in social policy, social welfare and sociologytheoretical and ideological perspectives of social welfare and citizenship including contemporary debates such as welfare reforms and austerity, globalisation and neoliberal welfare modelsand personalisation and social carecritical race theory and anti-oppressive practicegender and social policythe process of policy-making, and the framework and methods of policy analysistranslating policy agendas into an analysis of national and local needssocial welfare and services for particular groups.

Professional Skills Development I

Main topics: three-day shadowing exercisecommunication and interviewing skills trainingskills of empowermentprofessional skills training such as emotional resilience training, prevention of harm, neglect and abuseleadership and management skills training.

Practice Learning I

All practice settings provide a defined student workload reflecting the nature of normal practice in the agencyopportunities for direct interventions with service users and carersopportunities for learning about organisational processesopportunities for learning about the legal duties and powers, and their application or implementation within the context of the agency.

Approaches to Research

Research methods appropriate to both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, including surveys and longitudinal studiesquestionnaire designexperimental and quasi-experimental designsstatistical analysis and using SPSSin-depth interviewsfocus groupsobservationand qualitative analysis.

Year 2

Assessment and the Management of Risk and Complexity

Main topics: nature and role of assessment in social workmodels of assessmentinvolvement of service users, carers and other professionals in assessmentassessment toolstheoretical perspectives on risk and complexityand leadership and the management of risk and complexity.

Effective Practice with Domestic Violence, Mental Health and Substance Misuse

Main topics: research, legislative and practice perspectives on domestic violence, mental health and substance misuseassessment and the management of riskindividual and family interventionsand leadership and multi-agency working.

What Works in Social Work

Main topics: developing a critical understanding of the contribution of evidence to social work practicedeveloping a critical understanding of the contribution of theories of change and their application to practiceevaluating the effectiveness of a range of evidence-informed interventionsdecision-making, professional judgement and different organisational contexts.

Professional Skills Development II

Main topics: supporting and counselling techniques and interventions with young children, people with disabilities, loss and bereavement, and for safeguarding vulnerable personsprofessional skills training such as working with conflict and resolution, working with resistance/challenging behaviour, care planning, complex assessment and working with other professionals, court reporting.

Practice Learning II (100 days)

All practice settings provide a defined student workload reflecting the nature of normal practice in the agencyopportunities for direct interventions with service users and carersopportunities for learning about organisational processesopportunities for learning about the legal duties and powers, and their application or implementation within the context of the agency.

Dissertation

This constitutes a 15,000 word document presenting research undertaken by students within a social work context. Students are allocated a dissertation supervisor whom they meet on a regular basis to discuss all stages of the research from developing the initial idea into a full proposal which achieves ethical approval, to drafting the final dissertation. Recent examples of dissertations by students undertaking this programme include:

• 'Supporting carers with children with learning disabilities'
• 'Social workers’ knowledge of domestic violence'
• 'Adolescent substance misuse and family conflict'
• 'Changes in statutory care for older people as a result of the personalisation agenda'
• 'Reasoning mental distress: service user perspective'
• 'Attitudes toward religion and spirituality in social work.'

Social Work with Children and Families

Main topics: working with children in need and child protectiontheory, research, law, policy and practiceinter-professional workshops on the impact of parental problems including parental substance misuse and domestic violencecritical review of inter-agency and inter-disciplinary practice through serious case reviewschildren looked after and leaving care and service user voicestheory and research specific to social work practice with children and familiesrisk analysis and risk managementthe centrality of relation based practice in direct work and communication with children and young peoplethe family court system and skills in analysing and presenting case material.

Social Work with Adults

Main topics: the development of community-based care and support and integrated adult health and social care including ideological underpinnings and contemporary issues in policy and adult social work practiceperson-centred and care management approaches to community-based adult social work practiceand adult practice specialisms.

Note: As this programme may involve regular access to children and/or vulnerable adults, students will be required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application, previously known as a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. The application will cost £51.86 (this amount may be subject to change) and the University will send further instructions as part of the admissions process. For further guidance please email .