MSc

Child Protection and Adult Safeguarding

Duration:: One Year full-time, two years part-time
Start Dates:: September
Attendance:: Two days per week full-time, one day per week part-time
Venue:: High Wycombe Campus
Cost:: available on request

Key Contact:: Jason Schaub
Tel:: 01494 603 171
Email:: ask@bucks.ac.uk

Is this course suitable for me?

This course is of interest to anyone currently practising (or aspiring to practise)
safeguarding (both children and/or adults) in local government, social services, police service, NHS, and voluntary and NGO organisations wishing to broaden their areas of expertise and those interested in developing a career in safeguarding practice. Particular job roles might include policy developer, researcher, team leader, programme manager, or unit manager. These roles will undoubtedly focus on working with cases of both extreme and/or entrenched (or multi-generational) abuse and neglect.

Overview

With some of the recent developments and changes in the field of safeguarding, from the introduction of the SOVA (Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults), and the impact of such high-profile cases as Victoria Climbié and Baby Peter, there is a need to enhance the practice of the professionals working with vulnerable service users.

This safeguarding and protection masters draws upon critical, liberal, feminist and human rights perspectives, while being firmly rooted in practice elements within the sector. Throughout the programme there will be an emphasis on work-based projects connected to students place of employment (or purported/desired place of employment). The students will be encouraged to develop an ecological understanding of social behaviour and experience, which focuses less on individual factors than other perspectives and, instead, draws attention to the social causes of abuse and identification of risk indicators.

The programme is informed by the areas of expertise of the lecturing staff in the social work, policing and community health teams and covers a range of optional areas of study including disability, victimisation, health etc. The dissertation element of the programme may take the form of a work-based project which will permit the students to actively combine a critical theoretical analysis with reflexive project work.

Structure

There will thee exit points from the programme:

Postgraduate certificate in Safeguarding Studies (60 credits)

Comparative Safeguarding Studies
Critical Practice in Child Protection and Adult Safeguarding

Postgraduate diploma in Safeguarding Studies (120 credits)

One 30 credit option module
Research Methods

MSc in Child Protection and Adult Safeguarding will be awarded on successful completion of the requirements for the postgraduate diploma above and a 60 credit dissertation.

Content

The course aims to develop reflexive practitioners in community settings with the knowledge and skills to facilitate positive change and best practice in safeguarding vulnerable people. The focus of the course for the students will be on furthering an identity as a thorough safeguarding practitioner and understanding of the principals, values and norms of being a socially responsible social scientist. All students will undertake core modules in comparative safeguarding studies, critical practice in safeguarding adults and child protection, research methods, as well as undertaking a dissertation. There will also be a choice of optional modules in areas that may include:

Challenges of childhood
Psychological processes of aging well
Behavioural Community Psychology
Health and Well-Being within Communities
Exploring Sexual Violence: Causes, consequences and interventions
Domestic Violence: Causes, Consequences and interventions.

This programme is designed to be flexible, with blended-learning methods being used on some of the modules.

Entry requirements

Applicants would normally have achieved 2nd class honours in a social science degree. Alternatively, candidates with professional qualifications and directly relevant work experience may be considered.

For non-native speakers of English: IELTS 6.0 overall, 6.0 in writing.

Funding assistance

*To celebrate the launch of this programme we are offering Bucks students graduating this year and last year the opportunity to enrol on this programme at a 20% discount of the total course fee. For further information please do not hesitate to contact us on the above number

How to make an application

We hope to have a fully on-line application system shortly, but in the meantime, to apply for a course, please download and print these forms, completing them fully and posting back to the address below.

Mike Thomson

Student Recruitment Officer

Bucks New University

106 Oxford Road

Uxbridge

UB8 1NA

If you are unable to view the forms, please click here to download a free version of adobe reader.

Alternatively, if you call us on 01494 603 171 or email ask@bucks.ac.uk we can post you a hard copy application pack.

Students funded by the NHS or other employer

If the cost of your course is being funded by your employer, please contact your education lead or manager for guidance as to how they would prefer you to make an application.