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Graduate Diploma

Practice Development Social Work

(Specialist Social Work with Children, Young People, Carers and Families)

Duration:
Between 18months and 4 years for the Specialist Award
Start Dates:
September or February
Attendance:
Part-time attendance and e-learning
Venue:
High Wycombe Campus
Cost:
On application
Key Contact:
Stan Henshaw
Tel:
01494 522 141
Email:
stan.henshaw@bucks.ac.uk

Is this course suitable for me?

This programme has been developed in conjunction with service users and carers, employers and practitioners and will provide practising and registered social workers who have been professionally qualified as for a minimum of 6 months with the opportunity to consolidate deepen and extend their practice knowledge, skills and values and meet the requirements at the Specialist level in accordance with the General Social Care Councils new framework for post-qualifying training.

The social work specialist level awards form part of the BA (Hons) Practice Development.

Candidates with a professional social work qualification and Diploma of Higher Education (minimum 240 credits at levels 4 and 5) can use the course to make up the 120 credits necessary to be awarded the BA (Hons) in Practice Development.

Applicants who already have a relevant first degree can study for the Graduate Diploma. (Practice Development).

Modules are also available to those from other professions and to service-users and carers who can work at the appropriate academic level and have the work-based opportunities to integrate practice.

The Consolidation and Enabling Learners modules may be particularly attractive as stand-alone modules.

Overview

Both Adult and Children and Young Peoples Pathways will be offered on a modular basis offering maximum flexibility for part-time study. Most modules will require attendance on a weekly or fortnightly basis over a semester. University taught sessions will be supported by tutors, work-based and assessors and through the web-based interactive Blackboard site.

Academic and practice learning and assessment will be fully integrated within all modules and there will not be a separate ‘practice’ module or portfolio. All academic assignments will include practice-based evidence and students will be supported and assessed in practice by a PQ Practice Assessor. There will be three direct observations of practice based within the programme.

Service users and carers, employers and practitioners have been involved in the development of all the modules and will be supporting tutors throughout the learning and assessment process.

All modules can be deliviered ‘in-house’ by individual arrangement with employers.

All students will study:

Consolidation (30 Credits)

This module will make use of University-based workshops to introduce candidates to PQ study, support their academic learning and enable identification and evidence of development of knowledge, skills and values in a specialist area of practice since qualification. The module is linked closely with practice-based induction standards and post-registration training and learning. The module has been mapped to the CWC requirements for newly qualified social workers enabling students to undertake a combined programme. Tutors and practice-based assessors will support candidates in practice to identify their learning pathway and practice evidence.

Professionals in a Changing World (15 Credits)

This module will consider the development of the student’s own social work practice in relation to the impact of philosophical, political and social construction concepts of childhood and family, welfare ideologies including definition, identification and management of need, risk, safeguarding, the legal framework, government policy and guidelines and the structures, cultures, management and values of national and international social welfare agencies and organisations working with children and families

Theory and Values Changing Practice (15 Credits)

This module will provide candidates with the opportunity to deepen and extend existing post-qualifying learning and experience by critical examination of the values, theoretical and evidence-bases of social work practice with children and families and their effective application in relation to the student’s own practice.

Students will consider strategies for managing self, professional isseus, change and creative solutions for practice.

Research Project – Changing Practice (30 Credits)

This research project will enable students to carry out a primary research project within their own work-based settings. The project is aimed at enhancing or developing practice and should also be of direct benefit for social work agencies.

Social work programmes at the University have a commitment to enabling primary practitioner research.

Introduction to Enabling Learning and Mentoring (15 Credits)

This module will provide opportunities for practitioners to develop the basic knowledge and skills and values required in contributing to the teaching and assessment of learners and pre-qualifying students in the work-place.

Optional Module (Minimum of 15 Credits)

Those taking the ‘Introduction to Enabling Learning and Mentoring’ will have an option to choose another relevant module from across the range offered in the inter-professional BA or MA Practice Development. For example practitioners working within either Children Services or Adult Care may wish to study the module ‘Introduction to Mental Health and Ill Health’ in order to improve their own knowledge and skills. There is also an option to make use of the University APCL or APEL procedures to claim credit for previous relevant study.

Alternatively:

Enabling Learning and Mentoring (30 Credits)

This module is provided for those who rather than choosing a optional specialist module wish to develop more in-depth skills in working with learners and provides the basis for those who wish to go on to take the full Practice Educator Award. Practitioners will take on responsibility as an assessor for a pre-qualifying social work student.

Further opportunities

All pathways will offer the opportunity for inter-professional study and form part of the inter-professional B.A. Practice Development.

How to make an application

Please contact the Enquiries Team on 01494 603 171 or email ask@bucks.ac.uk

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.

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