| Unit name | Practice Learning 2 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOLM5107 |
| Credit points | 60 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52) |
| Unit director | Ms. Tamlyn |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
Practice Learning 1, SPOLM5103; Applied Social Science and Law, SPOLM0034; Foundation of Social Work: the Professional Role (SPOLM0032); Social Work Studies 1, SPOLM5102. |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit provides students with a practice placement of 100 days, in an agency setting, supervised and assessed by a suitably qualified and experienced practice educator. Placements in the region are managed on a cooperative basis involving key HEIs and placement agencies. Students’ practice is assessed according to the Standards of Proficiency, which are minimum standards set by the Health and Care Professions Council. This is taken together with the Professional Capabilities Framework established by the national College for Social Work which is designed to enable an holistic assessment of student capabilities beyond basic minimum standards. Placements are monitored and evaluated via established arrangements for quality assurance.
Skills groups and workshops will provide the opportunity to develop skills in a range of therapeutic methods, to the level required of an inexperienced qualified social worker. There will also be a transitional workshop preparing students for the move to employment as a registered social worker, via the formal Assessed and Supported Year in Employment.
The unit aims to:
1) provide students with a placement in a social work context, managed and assessed according to the Standards of Proficiency for social work, the Professional Capabilities Framework and the Department of Health (2002) Requirements for Social Work Training.
2) enable students to demonstrate that they have met fully, and at a level suitable for admission to the Health and Care Professions Council register of social workers, the Standards of Proficiency for social work and the relevant components of the Professional Capabilities Framework.
3) support students practice learning through workshops in social work skills workshops .
Students who successfully complete this unit will:
i) understand and evaluate the complexities of the helping process and the skills required;
ii) be able critically to use law, policy, theory and research to inform practice at the level of a qualified but inexperienced social worker;
iii) demonstrate a sound foundation in the range of social work skills required of a qualified but inexperienced practitioner;
iv) practise, in a social work setting, the Standards of Proficiency and the Social Work Capabilities, to the level required for admission to the Health and Care Professions Council register of social workers;
v) have a detailed and critical appreciation of core social work values, recognising diversity and human rights, being able to address ethical dilemmas that arise in practice, and making consistently appropriate responses, both personally and professionally;
vi) understand and apply standards of professional behaviour appropriate to the level of a qualified social worker;
vii) apply critical reflection and analysis in the practice context
Lectures, skills workshops, practice based learning. Each placement will provide 100 days practice-based learning, supervised and assessed by a suitably qualified practice assessor, with support from a University tutor.There may be remote practice based learninig arrangmenents , these will be agreed in the Practice learninig agreement meeting prior to the placement starting
A Case Study assignment (4000 words) marked by the University tutor provides the recorded mark for the unit. A portfolio of work from the practice placement will be assessed on a pass / fail basis. All elements of assessment must be passed for the award of unit credits.Students’ practice on placement will be assessed by the practice educator in consultation with a University tutor and other relevant people who may be involved with the placement. Extensive guidance on assessment of the placement, based on the Professional Capabilities Framework and the Standards of Proficiency for social work, will be provided via a Practice Learning Handbook, which will be updated annually in the light of issues arising from monitoring and quality assurance procedures. The unit learning outcomes (above) are consistent with the national standards referred to above.
Sheldon B. and Macdonald G. (2009), A Textbook of Social Work. Abingdon: Routledge.
Teater, B 2014 An Introduction to Applying Social Work Theories and Methods (2nd Edn) Maidenhead OPen University Press
Teater, B 2014 Contemporary Social Work Practice: A Handbook for Students Maidenhead Open University Press
Thompson S. and Thompson N. (2008), The Critically Reflective Practitioner. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Trevithick, P. (2012) Social Work Skills and Knowledge: A Practice Handbook. Maidenhead: Open University Press, 3rd ed.
Walker S. & Beckett C. (2011), Social Work Assessment and Intervention. Lyme Regis: Russell House Publishing, 2nd ed.
Wilson K., Ruch G., Lymbery M. & Cooper A. (2011), Social Work: An introduction to contemporary practice. Harlow: Pearson Education, 2nd ed.
Woodcock Ross, J. (2011), Specialist Communication Skills for Social Workers: Focusing on service users’ needs. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
