BA Social Work

Key details

BA SOCIAL WORK

Start Year

2021

Attendance

Full Time

Award

Degree of Bachelor of Arts

UCAS course code

L501

Entry Requirements

BBB

Duration (years)

Social work is ideally suited to intelligent, compassionate, hard-working and caring students.

At UEA we have an international reputation for the excellence of our social work teaching and research. We are fully accredited by Social Work England, and your Social Work degree will support you to develop the academic knowledge and professional skills you’ll need to register as a qualified social worker.

We are part of a government-funded Social Work Teaching Partnership with Suffolk and Norfolk County Councils and the University of Suffolk, ensuring that you’ll benefit from close links between teaching, research and practice now and in your future career.

Our graduates are highly regarded by local employers and many of our students begin their careers with UEA partners thanks to links established while on student placements.

When applying for this course, remember that your interpersonal skills are as important as your educational background. Your application should reflect your potential in both areas. That means we want to hear about your experience of working with people. You might have done voluntary or paid work in a school, residential home or in home care. Or you may have done other work with children, families or vulnerable adults who need extra care or support. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, including people who’ve just left school or college, and mature students.

Due to the nature of the course, you will need to complete an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service screening. You will also need to provide two references: one regarding your academic achievements, and the second telling us about your experience in work or helping people. You must also inform us about any major health concerns that could affect your studies.

About

Train to become a first rate social work practitioner at UEA.

Social work is about working with people, usually to help them achieve their goals, sometimes to protect them or others.

You could work with children, young people, parents, people with mental health problems, people with physical disabilities or learning disabilities, older people, and with relatives and friends who care for them. At UEA, we see social work as a practical and ethical profession that helps people and makes a difference to their lives.

Our social work training is among the most highly regarded in the country. You’ll graduate ready to start your social work career. In time, you could become a leader in the field as an innovator, practice leader, senior manager, policy maker, researcher or lecturer.

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Course Reference Number: 1545605

Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.

Assessment for Year 1

You’ll experience a range of assessment methods throughout the course, including essays, an exam, class tests, recorded role-plays and portfolio reviews.

In each module you’ll undertake a formative assessment, on which you’ll receive feedback. This will help prepare for your summative assessment which contributes to your overall mark. This helps you achieve the best possible result.

All summative assessments must be passed before a student can progress to the next year of study.

Structure

Your social work degree will combine lectures, seminars, group discussions, tutorials and workshops, simulated practice, and role-plays, which are videoed to help you learn from them. Our teaching foregrounds current practice and the experiences of those involved. You will benefit from professionals, services users and carers being at the heart of our teaching.

We combine teaching that emphasises reflective and relationship-based practice with excellent placement opportunities in a wide range of settings provided by our local partner agencies.

Our course will teach you about the theoretical foundations of social work, which are rooted in psychology and sociology. You will explore social policy and the laws surrounding working with children and families, people with mental health issues, and vulnerable adults. And you’ll focus on what it means to work with individuals, families, groups, fellow social workers and other professionals.

Placements and practice-based learning are central to social work education at UEA. Your first exposure to social work practice will be through shadowing and observation. Then across your second and third years, you will spend 170 days on placement, with an additional 30 skills-related days. These are undertaken in partnership with social work employers and organisations and will offer you experiences in at least two contrasting settings. Your learning on placement is supported by a qualified ‘practice educator’, who will guide and assess your practice. During your placement, you will gain experiences that you will draw on in the classroom, and have regular ‘call back’ days, where you return to the University develop the links between theory and practice.

Teaching and Learning

Expert research based teaching

Many of our lecturers are actively involved in research and nearly all are experienced practitioners. Current practitioners, service users and carers are involved in teaching activities across the course. This means our teaching is based on leading research, while providing you with a direct insight into the latest social work issues and evidence-based practice.

Academic advising

At UEA, we pride ourselves on the support we provide our students. As part of this, you will have an academic adviser, who will take an active interest in your professional development when at University and while on placement.

Placement learning

Placement learning is central to social work education. You’re training at UEA will feature a significant amount of practice-based learning: 170 days on placement and 30 days of practice skills development. While on placement, you will work closely with a qualified practice educator, who will guide and assess your practice.

Independent study

As a degree student, you’ll also study independently, with the support and guidance of your module organisers. This helps you prepare for a career where you will never stop learning.

In your final year you’ll complete an individual dissertation, which will involve a significant amount of library-based research. Once again, you’ll be supported and guided in this process, to help you achieve the best possible final mark.

Feedback

We are totally committed to the continued development of our teaching quality. We provide you with access to a number of quality-control channels, including student feedback, debriefing meetings, and the Staff-Student Liaison Committee, to help us monitor, evaluate and develop our current practice.

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Life at UEA

Assessment for Year 2

You’ll experience a range of assessment methods throughout the course, including essays, an exam, class tests, recorded role-plays and portfolio reviews.

All summative assessments must be passed before a student can progress to the next year of study.

Structure

We combine teaching that emphasises reflective and relationship-based practice with excellent placement opportunities in a wide range of settings provided by our local partner agencies.

Teaching and Learning

Expert research based teaching

Academic advising

Placement learning

Independent study

As a degree student, you’ll also study independently, with the support and guidance of your module organisers. This helps you prepare for a career where you will never stop learning.

Feedback

Apply

Life at UEA

Assessment for Year 3

You’ll experience a range of assessment methods throughout the course, including essays, an exam, class tests, recorded role-plays and portfolio reviews.

All summative assessments must be passed before a student can progress to the next year of study.

Structure

We combine teaching that emphasises reflective and relationship-based practice with excellent placement opportunities in a wide range of settings provided by our local partner agencies.

Teaching and Learning

Expert research based teaching

Academic advising

Placement learning

Independent study

As a degree student, you’ll also study independently, with the support and guidance of your module organisers. This helps you prepare for a career where you will never stop learning.

Feedback

Apply

Life at UEA

Assessment for Year 1

You’ll experience a range of assessment methods throughout the course, including essays, an exam, class tests, recorded role-plays and portfolio reviews.

All summative assessments must be passed before a student can progress to the next year of study.

Compulsory Modules

PREPARATION FOR PRACTICE

Code SWK-4004Y

Credits 30

This module prepares you for applying for your academic learning to practice learning opportunities on placement. You will gain an understanding of the HCPC requirements for social workers and the former College of Social Work Professional Capabilities Framework.

SOCIAL WORK IN CONTEXT

Code SWK-4005Y

Credits 30

Social work takes place in a constantly changing social and political context and many of its theories and concepts are contested. This module will introduce you to aspects of the historical, political and social contexts within which social workers practise. It will help form the foundation for the social work modules that follow in years 2 and 3 of your course.

EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND CHILD OBSERVATION

Code SWK-4008Y

Credits 30

Receive an introduction to developmental theory and research and have the opportunity to develop observational skills, as well as apply theories, through a young child observation in the spring semester. You will cover a range of issues that are relevant for social work, including the contributions of nature and nurture; the development of secure and insecure attachment relationships; how children's thinking develops in the early years; how children develop language; how children develop a sense of self; and how developmental theory can help to explain typical and atypical development. Throughout, development is placed in a broad social context and you will be encouraged to think critically about the relative merits of different approaches to developmental psychology and their value in social work settings. The child observation exercise and project enable you to think about the person-environment fit as children interact with adults and other children in their different day care settings.

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Life at UEA

Important Information

Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring, review and update of modules. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes and their constituent modules, the University will endeavour to consult with students and others. It is also possible that the University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. In some cases optional modules can have limited places available and so you may be asked to make additional module choices in the event you do not gain a place on your first choice. Where this is the case, the University will inform students.

Assessment for Year 2

You’ll experience a range of assessment methods throughout the course, including essays, an exam, class tests, recorded role-plays and portfolio reviews.

All summative assessments must be passed before a student can progress to the next year of study.

Compulsory Modules

WORKING WITH SERVICE USERS I

Code SWK-5004Y

Credits 40

This module is about further development of the practice skills needed by a professional social worker, as laid out in the Professional Capabilities Framework and the Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC) standards of Proficiency and Standards of Conduct performance and Ethics. It includes the Level 1 Placement and Skills Development days, as well as teaching at the University.

PROFESSIONAL THEORY AND PRACTICE

Code SWK-5006Y

Credits 40

THIS MODULE IS RESERVED FOR BA SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS ONLY. This module contains a number of different elements which are designed to help students understand and engage with service users they will work with as professional social workers. The formative and summative work will help students identify where they need to develop, both academically and in practice in order to meet the requirements of the social work degree. Students will be introduced to psychological models for understanding human growth and behaviour across the lifespan and will learn how to use these models to understand case situations. The module will encourage students to think about and review a range of factors, including biological, social and psychological that can impact human development at a range of levels within the individual and their environment. Issues of diversity, difference and disadvantage are key themes in this module and the module aims to stimulate critical reflection on the nature and experience of difference, especially in terms of people’s differing personal and social circumstances and the ways in which professional social workers may respond to these differences. Students will be encouraged to think about how issues of personal and political power arise in social work practice and to reflect on the implications of these in order to be able to incorporate and develop these ideas in their practice. The module incorporates teaching and learning on using reading and research for students in order to support them in their professional and academic development within all the areas of this module and beyond, including the preparation for the demands of the dissertation in their final year.

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Life at UEA

Important Information

Assessment for Year 3

You’ll experience a range of assessment methods throughout the course, including essays, an exam, class tests, recorded role-plays and portfolio reviews.

All summative assessments must be passed before a student can progress to the next year of study.

Compulsory Modules

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Code SWK-6002Y

Credits 40

This year long module includes the Level 2 placement and university-based teaching on the days back. The module enables students to develop skills in applying theory law and practice and to complete the practice requirements set out in the Social Work England's Professional Standards Level 2 Placement and Case Study - During the final level placement students' work under the supervision of a practice educator/assessor, who is a qualified social worker, to develop key practice skills set out in Social Work England's Professional Standards. The placement may be undertaken in a range of settings - fieldwork, residential, day services or community settings.

THE DISSERTATION

Code SWK-6003Y

Credits 40

The dissertation is an extended piece of writing which enables students to explore in depth an issue of concern to social workers. There is a free choice of topic, subject to the approval of the Module Leader and Co-Tutor. The dissertation is a review of the literature, not an empirical piece of work; however, students are encouraged to illustrate their material with case examples and practitioner/service user views.

WORKING WITH SERVICE USERS II

Code SWK-6004B

Credits 40

The final teaching block is 4 weeks and contains teaching on particular service user groups. It is an opportunity for you to advance your specialist knowledge and skills in particular fields that interest you. Accordingly, you are able to choose which courses to attend. The options in this module include: Social Work with Children and Families, Social Work with Older People, Social Work and Mental Health and Social Work with Adults and Children with Disability.

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Important Information

Entry Requirements

A Levels

BBB

BTEC

DDM in a related subject (e.g. Health & Social Care). Excludes BTEC Public Services, BTEC Uniformed Services and BTEC Business Administration

Scottish highers

AABBB

Scottish highers advanced

CCC

Irish leaving certificate

2 subjects at H2, 4 subjects at H3

Access course

Pass the Access to HE Diploma with Merit in 45 credits at Level 3

European Baccalaureate

70%

International Baccalaureate

31 points

GCSE offer

You are required to have Mathematics and English Language at a minimum of Grade C or Grade 4 or above at GCSE.

Additional entry requirements

Shortlisted applicants will be asked to provide an essay, instructions will be provided.

Experience

All applicants are required to have gained at least 6 months paid or voluntary work experience of helping people and working with others in a Social Work/Social Care environment. Further information about work experience can be found in our Work Experience Leaflet.

If shortlisted and invited to interview, applicants will be required to provide an additional reference. This should be a professional reference providing details of your ability in a caring/helping capacity, to complement your academic reference provided on the UCAS application.

Health

Applicants are asked to declare that they are of satisfactory physical and mental health.

Disclosure and Barring Service

The course you are applying for is ‘exempt’ from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore, you are required to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings that are not ‘protected’ (i.e. filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013) on your UCAS application.

The amendments to the Exceptions Order provide that certain ‘spent’ convictions and cautions are 'protected' and are not subject to disclosure, and cannot be taken into account. Guidance and criteria on the filtering of these cautions and convictions can be found on the Disclosure and Barring Service Website. Further information can also be found on the Nacro website https://www.nacro.org.uk

Successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Alternative Qualifications

UEA recognises that some students take a mixture of International Baccalaureate IB or International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme IBCP study rather than the full diploma, taking Higher levels in addition to A levels and/or BTEC qualifications. At UEA we do consider a combination of qualifications for entry, provided a minimum of three qualifications are taken at a higher Level. In addition some degree programmes require specific subjects at a higher level.

Students for whom english is a foreign language

Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading):

IELTS: 7.0 overall (minimum 6.5 in all components)

We also accept a number of other English language tests. Please click here to see our full list.

Social Work is not available for International students.

Interviews

Currently interviews are online this is expected to continue until Spring 2021. There will be an activity exploring group participation in addition to an individual interview.

Short listed applicants will be invited to interview prior to being offered for a place on the course. The interview will last around 45 minutes and the interview panel will consist of an academic and a service user/carer.

Gap year

We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.

Intakes

This course is open to UK and EU applicants only. The annual intake for this course is in September each year.

Apply

Adoptions

Contact with birth relatives after adoption is an important decision which should be made on a case by case basis.

Ask an Academic

Find out what life at our university is really like by chatting to our academics.

JUST ASK >

Course Reference Number: 1545605

BA SOCIAL WORK

BA SOCIAL WORK

About

Adoptions

Ask an Academic

Important Information

Accreditation

Adoptions

Ask an Academic

After the Course

Career destinations

Adoptions

Ask an Academic

Assessment for Year 1

Structure

Teaching and Learning

Assessment for Year 2

Structure

Teaching and Learning

Assessment for Year 3

Structure

Teaching and Learning

Assessment for Year 1

Compulsory Modules

Important Information

Assessment for Year 2

Compulsory Modules

Important Information

Assessment for Year 3

Compulsory Modules

Important Information

Entry Requirements

A Levels

BTEC

Scottish highers

Scottish highers advanced

Irish leaving certificate

Access course

European Baccalaureate

International Baccalaureate

GCSE offer

Additional entry requirements

Alternative Qualifications

Students for whom english is a foreign language

Interviews

Gap year

Intakes

Adoptions

Ask an Academic

Fees and Funding

Course related costs

Adoptions

Ask an Academic

How to apply

FURTHER INFORMATION

Adoptions

Ask an Academic

Adoptions

Ask an Academic

Social Work