Undergraduate and Postgraduate Studies in Criminology and Social Work
E-mail: socialwork@lancaster.ac.uk | criminology@lancaster.ac.uk
MA & PgD Social Work
Introduction
The
MA Social Work and PgD Social Work are professional qualifications. Graduates
will be eligible to register as social workers with the General Social
Care Council (GSCC). The professional aims of the schemes are to develop
students' ability to become social work practitioners, who are prepared
to practise critically in order to help individuals, families and groups
in need, by giving them insight into the following aspects of social work
practice:
- The need for social workers to practice in a disciplined way.
- Social work as a resource and case management.
- Social work in a team context, both within the agency and across agency boundaries.
- The use of research in changing practice and organisational policy.
- The ambiguities of welfare and the need for honesty and clarity - e.g. about social work as surveillance and control.
- The need for social workers to be aware of social divisions and inequalities, and to incorporate this awareness into their practice.
The schemes involve students and staff in an active debate about the nature of social work based on research evidence and professional experience, in order to illuminate its various purposes - support, maintenance, protection, control and bringing about change.
Read I want to work as ... A social worker a short interview in the Lancashire Evening Post with Bob Sapey, the Admissions tutor for Social Work.
LATEST NEWS - Social Work Bursaries have now been confirmed for students starting in 2012. Places still available for next year.
MA Social Work and PgD Social Work Curriculum
The MA Social Work is a full-time 24 month course and the PgD Social Work is a full-time 21 month course. Full-time postgraduate students are normally expected to study for 45 weeks a year.
Students undertake a mix of taught courses within the University and two practice placements within local social work agencies. The structure of these years is as follows:
- Michaelmas and Lent terms year 1 - Full-time study in University
- Easter to July/August - 16 week placement
August to January - Dissertation study - Michaelmas term year 2 - Taught courses and independent study
January to August - 26 week placement
September year 2 - Exam board
(PgD students do not undertake the dissertation and so will start their second placement in October and their work will be considered by the June Exam Board).
Year 1 Taught Courses
- Preparation for Practice
- The Legal and Policy Contexts of Social Work
- Social Divisions and Social Diversity
- Disability and the Life Course
- Social Work and Mental Health
- Social Work and Drug Use
- Practising Equality in Social Work
- Social Work with Children and Families
- Social Work with Young People
- Social Work and Information Technology
Year 2 Taught Courses
- The Reflexive Practitioner
Placements
Placements
will provide the opportunity for students to integrate knowledge, skills
and values within social work practice settings. Placements are provided
by agencies in the statutory and voluntary sectors, predominantly within
Lancashire and Cumbria. The availability of placements is beyond the control
of the University and therefore choice is limited. However, we do ensure
that all students have the opportunity to meet the National Occupational
Standards for social work.
As placements are increasingly difficult to locate, many students will have to be prepared to travel long distances or find accommodation close to their practice agency.
MA Social Work and PgD Social Work Assessment
The MA and PgD Social Work are assessed by coursework, exam and practice. The assessment of practice will be undertaken by accredited practice assessors who will make recommendations to the Examinations Board. Students taking the MA must also complete a dissertation (15,000 words) on social work practice.
MA Social Work and PgD Social Work Admission Requirements
MA Social Work and PgD Social Work Admission Requirements
Applicants should have at least an upper second class (2:i) honours degree,
and experience of social welfare and/or paid or voluntary work experience
in a helping capacity. We aim to recruit up to 40 students each year.
Social work entrants are also expected to hold at least Key Skills 2 in
both Communication and Application of Number. This is equivalent to English
and Maths GCSE or O-Level grade C, or CSE grade 1. For students whose
first language is not English we require an IELTS score of 7.
Criminal Convictions
All members of social work courses are required to apply for enhanced
Disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau, which will reveal details
of any cautions or convictions. Whilst a caution or conviction may not
be a barrier to accessing the programme, some agencies may refuse to provide
placements to students with convictions. If they do this we will be unable
to offer a place on the course.
Failure to declare cautions and convictions, including driving offences,
is viewed very seriously and will normally result in students being asked
to withdraw from the course.
Finance
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA)administers the social work bursary for students ordinarily resident in England on behalf of the Department of Health (DH). Information about the bursary including the eligibility criteria can be found on the NHSBSA website.
The Department of Applied Social Science
The Department of Applied Social Science provides a lively and active research environment with much on-going research work in the field of social work and applied social science. The Department has been judged as excellent for its social work teaching and research. You can find out more about our staff, their publications and research interests by following the research or people links on this website.
All staff in the Department have research interests within the areas of social work, social policy, health and welfare, criminology and applied sociology. Considerable emphasis is placed on linking theory, research, professional practice and service development in the Department's research and teaching activities. In addition to offering social work programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, the Department also offers an undergraduate degree in Criminology.
Other Stakeholders
The University has a number of other stakeholders who advise on the content of the course and who also provide practice placements. Partnership between the University and social work agencies in the north west is nothing new. The degree partnership is founded on a history of co-operation going back to 1975, which has covered student selection, assessment and placements, shared teaching, in-service training, post-qualifying courses, higher degrees and collaborative research. We are confident that the MA Programme has strengthened, and will continue to strengthen existing ties and allow the established tradition of high quality social work education at Lancaster to be maintained and developed.
All stakeholders in the degree have Equal Opportunities Policies and share a commitment to develop and to implement anti-racist and anti-discriminatory policy and practice. The course team will ensure that such policy and practice are central features of the degree. All students will be expected to demonstrate both their understanding of racism and discrimination and their capacity to apply this understanding to their social work practice.
Applications
Applications for the postgraduate route should now be made through UCAS (no longer through SWAS). Application forms are read independently by university staff. If you are invited for interview, you will be given further information about the course and have an opportunity to ask questions. Interviews are conducted by a member of university staff and a partnership representative.
Application forms must be obtained from and submitted through:
UCAS
Rosehill
New Barn Lane
Cheltenham
GL52 3LZ
Applications should be made between 1st September and 15th January. Later applications will be considered at the University's discretion.
If you have any questions about the scheme please contact the Social Work Courses Admissions Office in the first instance
Tel: 01524 594098
E-mail: socialwork@lancaster.ac.uk
Masters and PgD
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