MA Social Work

• Enable students to engage in critical debate and gain a wider understanding of the use of normative, interpretive and critical epistemological frameworks and models of social work practice
• Provide students with the capacity to understand and apply explicit social work skills such as interviewing, observation, assessment and group work, including within health and social care settings
• Facilitate a critical analysis of the different ways in which professional ethics and service user and carer participation can be used to guide and inform practice within health and social care

This course unit will include a mixture of direct teaching, seminars, e-learning activities and a case study

• Develop a critical understanding of different social work theories and the ways each can be applied in institutional and community-based practice settings
• Critically understand how theory links to and can influence and improve core social work skills such as interviewing, the assessment, observation and intervention
• Express a critical understanding of the importance of ‘reflection’ in social work practice.
• Appreciate and reflect how service users and carers can play a central and positive role in the development and planning of social work service provision

• Appraise relevant literature to develop a coherent and informed critical understanding of relevant theories, concepts and practice related skills
• Develop a better understanding of the context, use and application of practical social work skills such as interviewing, communication and group work
• Develop analytical skills including the capacity to interpret, understand and, if necessary, question practice based norms, policy and processes, including those that may not be in the best interest of service users and carers
• Theoretically and practically understand the important role played by ethics and participation within social work practice

• Demonstrate an ability to take responsibility for one’s own learning
• Develop an ability to work collegially in small group tasks either on-line or face-to-face
• Be able to critically appraise theories and concepts that link to social work practice and procedures
• Hone generic social work skills such as advocacy, communication and group work

• Ability to write coherently and cogently
• Ability to develop critical thinking and analysis
• Ability to participate in small group or seminar settings

Students will normally have the opportunity to receive feedback on formative work submitted prior to the summative assessment. Other feedback opportunities will also be available in class and online discussion boards. Online feedback is provided in Grademark. Provisional feedback based on internal marking will be made available prior to the Exam Board on the basis that these marks are yet to be ratified at the Exam Board and therefore may be subject to change. A standard feedback mechanism in Grademark is utilised across all postgraduate programmes within the School which provides detailed and constructive feedback on each component and aspect of assessment and identifies areas of strength and those aspects which could be enhanced.

Student feedback is obtained through open discussion forums on blackboard, in class discussions, via formal University unit evaluation forms and also qualitative, in house evaluations at the end of the unit. 

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