Along with its academic component, this Social Work course includes 200 practice-based learning days, preparing you to practice safely and effectively in social work settings, and gain a comprehensive understanding of the complexities inherent to social work practice in England. Before starting your first practice placement you’ll complete the Standards and Skills for Social Work Practice 1. By the end you’ll demonstrate: basic communication skills, ability to engage with people/families/communities, capacity to work as a member of a team/organisation, willingness to learn from feedback and supervision and evidence a basic understanding of core social work values, knowledge, skills, ready to be applied in your first practice placement. We’ll provide you with opportunities to practice your acquired social work skills, knowledge and values in a safe learning environment, continuously guided by academic tutors, practitioners and SUCI representatives (Service Users and Carers Involvement ARU group).
Professional social work practice is underpinned by knowledge obtained through: research evidence, theory, legislation and policy, information from people with lived experiences – ‘experts-by experience’, organisational processes, and practice wisdom. You’ll learn to evaluate and critique the theoretical knowledge that underpin professional social work practice. It provides an opportunity for you to understand how social work practice interfaces with the wider social and political context, statutory, voluntary and private contributions to the social care field, and the perspectives of service users and carers. You’ll be invited to consider your own values and those required by the professional bodies and regulator. You’ll have opportunities to share previous social care experiences and consider how these influence your current understanding of the social work role. Working in groups you’ll apply knowledge, including theories and research, personal and professional values, and skills to a variety of case studies. You’ll also begin to research at postgraduate level, starting with learning how to assess the values that influence choice of methodologies used in social work research. You’ll develop the knowledge and skills for evaluating the quality of knowledge and evidence relevant to social work. We’ll help you build a vocabulary for and interest in future postgraduate research.
Safeguarding of children and families is a complex area of practice that requires a high level of skills to promote ‘good enough parenting’ and positive lived experiences. Social Workers must develop knowledge and an understanding of contextual safeguarding, the principles of contextual safeguarding, the relationship between environment and individual behaviour. You’ll be introduced to Pierre Bourdieu's social theory which underpins Contextual Safeguarding and to the contextual safeguarding audit toolkit. You’ll learn to collaborate in complex multidimensional systems that exist to protect and safeguard children and support families. In addition to Contextual Safeguarding, you’ll be introduced to current practice models, including family focused safeguarding models, FMGs, strengths perspective/signs of safety, systems theory, Family Safeguarding Model and use of evidence from research and Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (previously called Serious Case reviews). You’ll be taught how to recognise signs, symptoms and consequences of child abuse, in areas such as domestic violence, child to parent violence, peer on peer abuse, child sexual exploitation and child criminal exploitation. We’ll explore at the complexities of balancing the rights and responsibilities of parents within the dynamics of respectful partnership working, wellbeing and social justice whilst upholding the safety and protection of children. We’ll explore permanence planning for children and young people looked after outside of their immediate family - kinship care, foster care and adoptions including routes linked to personal values and experiences.
We’ll critique the legislative frameworks (Capacity Act, 2005; Care Act, 2014; Human Rights Act, 1998; Mental Health Act, 1983) with professional standards (Social Work England, 2019) in preparing for statutory social work roles with mental health, disability, addiction, and older persons, specifically promoting knowledge of legislative expectations for safeguarding, alongside promoting awareness of the legislative principles for mental capacity. Key features include demonstrating a socio-political understanding of the legislative framework, a theoretical rationale for working with both groups and individuals; and a case study approach to interprofessional working, safeguarding, mental capacity and inclusion. This is underpinned with Critical theory to promote engagement and accountability with anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practices; in the promotion of freedom from social work services, through the application of language and actions that focus on inclusion. Designed to encourage creativity and innovative practice whilst exploring the underpinnings and implications of theory, research, and practice, on this module you’ll hear from people’s lived experience of mental health services, addiction and rehabilitation services, physical disabilities, as well as being older and being carers.
You’ll undertake 70 practice-based learning days in a social work placement and attend 10 skills and reflection-based days delivered on campus. You’ll have many opportunities to practice your acquired social work skills, knowledge and values in a safe learning environment, continuously guided by practice assessors (practice educators and onsite supervisors), the module tutor and SUCI representatives (Service Users and Carers Involvement ARU group).
Entering third level education is exciting; but it can also be a daunting experience. At ARU, we want all students to make the most of the opportunities Higher Education provides, so they reach their potential, become lifelong learners and find fulfilling careers. However, we appreciate that the shift from secondary education, or a return to formal education is, in itself, quite a journey. This module is designed to ease that transition. You will be enrolled on it as soon as you receive an offer from ARU so you can begin to learn about university life before your course starts. Through Into ARU, you will explore a virtual land modelled around ARU values: Courage, Innovation, Community, Integrity, Responsibility, and Ambition. This innovative module is designed as a game, where students collect knowledge and various complete mini tasks. You will proceed at your own pace, though we expect all students to have completed their Into ARU exploration by week 6. Students who, for whatever reason, are unable to complete by that date, will be signposted to existing services so that we can be confident that they are supported.
View the full module definitionContemporary society is confronted with new local and transnational phenomena and grand challenges, from the local impact of neoliberalism and austerity on poverty, dignity and wellbeing, to climate change, rampant social inequality and oppression, forced migration or global pandemics. Social work needs to respond to effectively and according to its value base. In particular, climate change and environmental degradation is a progressively developing existential threat which frames and exacerbates all other phenomena and is anticipated to affect especially those who are already in vulnerable and oppressed situations. You’ll build on theoretical insights from previous modules to critically analyse these contemporary contexts and challenges, and the position social work can take at micro, mezzo and macro levels. We’ll use experiential and active learning, critical thinking, teamwork and co-production, and social action. In particular, we’ll draw on community social work, an approach that sat at the origins of the profession. Community social work is a change-oriented approach which can focus both on facilitating community bonds for mutual aid, and on strengthening community voice for social change. You’ll use participatory methodologies to learn to network with the community and to facilitate interdisciplinary and cross-cultural community participation in problem solving.
Develop your critical understanding needed to undertake effective assessments and interventions, whilst balancing rights and risks, and how knowledge of decision-making and evidence informed practice underpins effective professional social work practice. Explore the concepts of assessment and intervention from the perspectives of different stakeholders with an emphasis on participation from service user and carer perspectives. You’ll develop an evidence-informed approach to practice, underpinned by skills, knowledge and understanding in relation to research and evaluation. You’ll learn how to use evidence from research and other sources to inform and systematically evaluate your practice. You’ll be encouraged to develop analytical skills and research appreciation that is relevant to the profession. We’ll critically evaluate the notions of judgement and decision-making in professional social work practice. We’ll explain the importance of using an evidence-informed approach to make impartial decisions and how this is an integral part of social work practice. You'll develop an understanding of the notion of risk in professional practice. Social Workers have a responsibility to stay alert to and investigate suspected harm, neglect or abuse and, where risk has been identified, agree plans to address it urgently. You’ll recognise the risk indicators of different forms of abuse and neglect and their impact on people, their families and their support networks.
The ability to apply research skills, knowledge, and evidence is a central requirement across all levels of social work practice. Social Workers are expected to use critical thinking to rigorously question and evaluate the information at the basis of their decision-making; formulate, test and review hypotheses; take account of service users’ knowledge and expertise; and use skills such as interviewing, ethical judgement, and logical reasoning. The Dissertation, which is central to the Social Work Masters award, enables you to apply and consolidate all these skills and knowledge. Building on your learning from previous modules which explored basic research and evaluation skills, the Dissertation will further progress your understanding of the research process and of the impact of research in social work practice. You’ll learn experientially and through independent study to explore a topic in-depth and to design and write up a research proposal. We’ll focus on research theory, techniques and skills, and on study designs that enhance social work practice and the wellbeing of individuals, communities and organisations. A mix of intensive experiential learning workshops, community involvement, and supervision from research-experienced lecturers will enable you to explore a topic of interest, experience the research process, and understand the applied relevance of research to your practice with service users, carers and communities.
In your second placement, you’ll undertake 100 practice-based learning days in a social work placement and attend 10 skills and reflection-based days, delivered on campus. You’ll have many opportunities to practice your acquired social work skills, knowledge and values in a safe learning environment, continuously guided by practice assessors (practice educators and onsite supervisors), module tutor and SUCI representatives (Service Users and Carers Involvement ARU group). By the end of the placement you’ll demonstrate readiness to practice autonomously as a Social Worker, professional and as a social scientist, taking full responsibility for your own professional development. You’ll critically apply social work knowledge, skills and values pertinent to contemporary practice requirements, effectively work in a statutory setting and skilfully apply a critically reflective stance to all work undertaken in practice.