Professional Social Work Practice

Entry requirements

Take a look at the latest entry requirement information on our website: https://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/guide-to-applying-to-uob/before-you-apply/entry-requirements/

Months of entry

October

Course content

This innovative Postgraduate Diploma blends practical experience with academic study, leading to a nationally recognised professional qualification in social work. Commissioned by two regional employer partnerships, it provides high-quality, work-based education and training for aspiring social workers, with placements in a local authority. The course is funded by the Department for Education; students receive a bursary and are fully supported by a local authority children’s services department. To apply, you need at least six months’ experience (work or volunteering) with children, young people or families.

Course accreditation

Our Social Work courses are accredited by Social Work England. Once you have completed this course, you will be a qualified social worker and can apply to Social Work England for your professional registration.

Facilities and specialist equipment

• Gain access to the Faculty’s range of simulation units and the Moot Court for practising real-world scenarios you may encounter
• Laptops and mobile phones (where applicable) are provided by your local authority for use while on placement

Industry links

Two Step Up regional partnerships: South East (Oxfordshire, Milton Keynes, Central Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire) and the Central Eastern (Hertfordshire, Luton and Bedford).

What will you study?

Studying our Professional Social Work Practice PgDip course will equip you with the knowledge and expertise in areas of sociology, social policy, and social work practice for social work with children and families. As a core part of your practice, Developing Professional Social Work Practice will allow you to explore key issues, theories and advanced skills in working directly with people and in doing so, assess your readiness to go into your 70-day placement. With a critical approach, you will develop advanced communication skills to work in complex and unpredictable social work environments. In relation to theory, you will develop a deep understanding of current discourse around human development, consider ethical practice and learn the methods of intervention to work with people.

You will then refine your approach to practice in our Reflective Social Work Practice unit to develop your skills as a critically reflective practitioner as you engage in a 100-day placement working alongside professionally qualified practitioners in a statutory childcare setting. One element that feeds into your social work practice is ethics, and this is where our Ethical Perspectives on Law and Society will allow you to explore legal, ethical, social policy and sociological themes in social work practice. You will consider ethical and professional principles such as equality, empowerment, partnership and anti-discriminatory practice. To add to this, you will develop knowledge around the models, policies and practice in Research Informed Child Care Practice. As the unit suggests, the first part of this unit will introduce you to research skills for social workers and how to use this to inform practice.

Following this, you will develop a crucial ability to work in partnership and communicate with different agencies and disciplines based on legal requirements and policy. This may extend into areas such as disability, addiction, mental illness, domestic violence and more. You will also be critical of policy and practice in social work provision in the childcare sector and subsequently make recommendations to improve the delivery of these services. Once you have completed your PgDip and have begun working as a newly qualified social worker, there is an option to complete an additional unit in our Dissertation for Social Workers. This will allow you to undertake a practice-based research project into a topic of your interest as you develop a critical understanding of a specific area in the field and apply advanced research skills to develop informed solutions to improved practice.

Careers

Graduates achieving the Postgraduate Diploma will be eligible to register and practice as a social worker; if your local authority has vacancies you will be guaranteed an interview for a social worker role in children and families’ statutory social work. The starting salary for a social worker in most authorities in this region is around £30k per annum.

The qualification also opens up career paths within a wide range of statutory private voluntary and independent organisations providing services to vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals children families groups and communities.

Information for international students

Please see our website for the latest fee information.

Fees and funding

Please see our website for the latest fee information.