| Unit name | Knowledge and Skills for Social Work Practice 2 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOLM0083 |
| Credit points | 30 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Dr. Vicky Sharley |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
This unit builds on your experience in the first year placement and advances your understanding of different fields of practice across child and family settings, adult social care, mental health, and community-based practice. You will learn how to fulfil the statutory responsibilities of social workers, including, duties and powers in key areas of practice and how these are applied. It enables you to undertake the second, final year placement (100 days) which is fundamental to you qualifying as a social worker. The unit will enhance your specialised knowledge and skills for direct practice and facilitate the development of your skills in critical analysis, ethical reasoning and reflection.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is a core unit in the second year of the programme. It will be delivered across four taught components (detailed below) and a programme of practice development group sessions that will be both student-led and lecturer-led. The unit encompasses your 100-day practice placement learning and you will be expected to draw on their placement experiences in the classroom to inform their learning and skill development and the learning of peers. Throughout the unit your learning will be supported by your personal tutor, your placement learning team (which comprises your personal tutor, Placement supervisor and Practice Educator), and the practice development group Facilitators (Lecturers).
An overview of content
The unit will advance your understanding of specialist fields of practice across child and family settings, adult social care, mental health, and community-based practice through a series of taught sessions. You will critically consider the ethical dilemmas raised, and how you can address these in their assessment and decision making in practice. You will undertake a 100-day supervised placement in a statutory social work role and participate in student-led practice development groups. Through this, you will be provided with an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the statutory social work role, including the legal and policy context.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will have successfully completed 100 days in a practice placement in a statutory social work context. You will be able to demonstrate a range of social work skills and interventions. This will include applying critical analysis within your assessments and applying ethical reasoning to the range of problems that occur in practice. You will be able to work effectively with a range of other professional and occupational groups, with service users, carers, and family members and in peer-led groups. You will be able to carry out statutory tasks involving complex decision making. Through this you will have demonstrated capability at the end of final placement level of the Professional Capabilities Framework (BASW 2018). You will understand and apply standards of professional behaviour appropriate to the level of a qualified social worker in line with professional standards and codes of ethics and will be able to register to register with Social Work England as a qualified social worker (SWE, 2023).
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
This Unit consists of four components; Lectures, seminars, practice placement learning and workshops.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks:
Verbal formative feedback will be provided within the group exercises within every taught session/ seminar, through the office hour or through a discussion thread on Blackboard. Formative feedback is also provided on a daily basis within your placement agency.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark:
Placement portfolio (0%, must pass) that contains both practice learning and academic feedback.
This is a regulatory requirement.
This assignment meets all of the intended learning outcomes.
Practice Analysis (of a social work assessment or intervention led by the student in placement) (3000 words maximum, 100%).
This assignment meets all of the intended learning outcomes.
When assessment does not go to plan:
Subject to the university regulations for taught programmes, and the regulatory requirements of Social Work England, you may be offered an opportunity for reassessment in the failed element(s). If you are eligible to resubmit and where appropriate, you may submit a revised version of your previous assignment or complete an alternative assessment in the same format as the original assessment.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOLM0083).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
