Applied Social Work Practice: Leadership and Management

Entry requirements

Qualification

As a successful applicant, you will normally have an honours degree (2:2 or above), and must have a professional qualification in Social Work and have proven ability to work at post-graduate level.

Experience

As an applicant you should be practising social work manager in a social work setting, or should be an aspiring manager who is expected to progress to a management role at some stage during the programme.

Usually you will have a minimum of three years of post-qualifying experience for direct entry into the course. Should you have three years' experience, but do not hold an honours degree, with a classification of 2:2 or above, you will be required either to complete a written assessment of your academic ability to write at postgraduate level or provide evidence of your ability to study at this level.

One way of evidencing this is the successful completion of the unit Embedding Professional Capabilities ASS037-6.

Registration

As an applicant you must be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. RPL Should you seek accreditation for recognition of prior certificated learning you will be referred to the University of Bedfordshire's regulations for admission with advanced standing. Each case will be assessed on its merit and in line with the University's maximum permissible credit transfer for the level of award sought.

Months of entry

September

Course content

About the course

This part-time course prepares you for the challenges of management in organisations where policy and structure are subject to constant change.

You will cover key issues in social work leadership and management – honing your ability to critically examine daily management practice.

Intermediate qualifications available:

• Postgraduate certificate – 60 credits at Masters level
• Postgraduate diploma – 120 credits at Masters level

Key features

The course will provide budding social work managers with a deep and systematic understanding of current knowledge about effective practice in leadership, management and supervision in the context of current social work practice and how this can enhance best outcomes for service users.

It will increase your expertise in critical reflection bringing analytical and research-led perspectives to your practice as leaders and managers to influence change where necessary by using creative thinking.

The course will encourage you to reach your full potential as a leader and manager in social work by enhancing your knowledge, skills, sense of enterprise and self-awareness so that you can evaluate and plan for your own future direction and learning needs. It will equip you with the skills, confidence and mental agility to lead and make decisions for best outcomes in provision for service users working collaboratively in complex, ever changing environments and with competing demands.

We have a proven track record for delivering innovative social work programmes and world leading, pioneering research. There is a strong commitment to ensuring that teaching is informed by up to date knowledge that is evidence based.

Whether you undertake the full masters programme or opt for individual units you will benefit from the expertise of a team of experienced social work academics committed to holistic practice that is firmly embedded in research, in partnership with practitioners and service users

Career opportunities

The course has been mapped against the Professional Capability Framework for Social Work and as a result, on completion, you will have evidence that you have met capability at advanced level.

Many career opportunities will be available to you in social work as a consequence, specifically your employability skills will be enhanced by:

• being observed in your managerial and supervisory practice and expected to critically review, analyse and propose specific actionable areas for improvement;
• creating a personal development strategy outlining your strengths, areas for improvements, opportunities for development and how any barriers to these can be overcome;
• developing employability skills such as professional leadership, high level oral and written communication skills, analytical problem solving and decision making;
• learning from other leaders and managers both informally and formally about what works and what does not work in social work leadership and management and sharing this knowledge to improve social work practice.

Areas of study include:

• Leading and Managing in Social Work
• Supervising for Quality and Performance in Social Work Core
• Strategic Leadership
• Systemic Leadership for Social Workers
• Practice Education (Stage 2)
• Applying Knowledge to Work Based Learning
• Applied Research Skills in Social Work
• Dissertation for Social Work Leaders and Managers

Fees and funding

For details on the financial support on offer at the University of Bedfordshire please visit our website: Postgraduate Fees and Funding

Qualification and course duration

MA

Course contact details