Social Work

Entry requirements

You'll need:

• A minimum 2:1 honours degree (except in exceptional circumstances) or international equivalent
• GCSE grade C or above in English or certificated equivalences, regardless of previous educational qualifications
• Completion of a written test, regardless of previous qualification or educational background
• Non-UK applicants should achieve a minimum score of 7.0 overall in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) assessment (or an equivalent assessment) with a minimum of 6.5 in each skills area.

To be considered for interview your Personal Statement must evidence the following:

• An understanding of the roles and responsibilities of UK based social workers
• Relevant social care/work experience (paid or unpaid).* You need to state how this relates to social work. You may want to refer to Social Work England/BASW Professional Capabilities Framework domains to do this.
• The length of time you have spent gaining this experience and how it makes you suitable for undertaking the social work course at this time.

Applications that do not provide the above at the time of application may be rejected. Re-submission of applications will not be accepted if an unsuccessful application has already been submitted in the same academic year

To undergo a health check and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The health check determines your fitness for practice

Confirm prior to interview/offer decision making that you can use basic IT facilities, including word processing, internet browsing and use of email

Accreditation of prior learning will not be considered for this course

*Experience can take the form of voluntary or paid work in which you are able to demonstrate interaction with children and adults in a range of diverse settings. For example, this could be acting as a peer mentor, working within a nursery setting, having caring responsibilities for a sibling or parent, and understanding and applying safeguarding measures or working in a care home and supporting residents with welfare needs.

Months of entry

September

Course content

• Gain experience in work placements where you can put theory into practice
• Study a course approved by Social Work England
• Apply for a bursary from the Department of Health and you may be eligible for funding towards your tuition fees and work placement travel expenses.

Partnerships with people

Social workers form partnerships with people, helping them to assess and interpret the problems they face, and support them in finding solutions. This course will provide you with the skills and theories that will enable you to work as a qualified social worker in a range of settings. A career in social work is very challenging, but equally rewarding, as you get the opportunity to help make a difference in someone's life.

Engaging placements

During this course, you'll spend 170 days in work placements where you can apply the theory you learn into practice. You'll have 80 days in practice during stage one, and 90 days during stage two.

We have great links with our partners in the local and surrounding areas, so we can provide you with the effective and practical experience you'll need.

We’re proud to say that our courses are closely mapped against the health and social care sector. This ensures that our curriculum is up-to-date, providing you with the assurance that your learning is current and relevant. This does mean that we do have to respond to national changes, such as government policy. As a result, some of the information about our courses may change. Please check the website for the latest information.

Placement hours are subject to change.

Information for international students

International applicants can demonstrate their English language from any of the accepted qualifications or by taking the Derby English Language Test (any testing with evidence of attainment needs to be completed prior to the submission of an initial application). If applicants are using a WAEC qualification as certified evidence this must be at a minimum of C4 for English