Social Work

Social workers change lives by protecting people in crisis. On our masters you’ll learn how to advise, advocate and assist those who need you most.

At Worcester, you’ll tackle real-world situations, learn from industry professionals and service users, and gain the placement experience you need to be eligible to apply to join the Social Work Register, a requirement to become a practicing social worker in England.

By completing this course, you’ll be eligible to apply to join the Social Work England register which is a requirement to practice as a social worker in England.

Overview

Created for those who want to make a meaningful difference to communities, families and individuals, our masters combines classroom-based problem-solving with firsthand, placement learning. We’ll develop the valuable skills you need to be a compassionate and solution focussed social worker.

You'll experience simulation workshops where you will practice real-world situations, whilst attending various lectures and seminars. These will be under the guidance of social workers, who have experience in children and families, mental health, youth justice, substance misuse and older adults. Through working with our IMPACT members, you'll have opportunities to learn directly from people with lived experience of health and social care services. You’ll also grapple with important debates and research in social work, such as how social media affects your role and how you can build a positive online identity.

On placement, you’ll put what you’ve learnt into practice and choose the specialist area you want to work in. You might decide to support those with mental illness, people leaving care or those experiencing homelessness. Our expert lecturers and practice educators will support you in delivering effective interventions to those you work with.

Our assessment methods are created to complement your placement choice. You’ll complete essays, case studies, quizzes, presentations and reflective evaluations of your experiences. You’ll also be asked to maintain a professional development journal, a reflective and supportive portfolio for your future career.

By becoming a Worcester Social Work MA student, you’ll choose a masters which works around you. The timetabling of our teaching sessions can be flexible if you have family and work commitments, with our 1-1 lecturer tutorials also bookable at times which suit you. You may become eligible (UK students only) for an NHS bursary which contributes to your tuition and living costs.

Placement

Placement experiences create career ready social workers. At Worcester, you’ll complete 170 days of placement, so you are eligible to apply to join the Social Work England register. We work closely with local authorities (Worcestershire County Council and Herefordshire County Council) alongside private and voluntary sectors, so we can provide opportunities suited to your specific interests.

Our students have had placements at:

• Independent foster agencies
• Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS)
• Substance misuse services
• Homeless services

During placement, you’ll be supported by expert lecturers, a Practice Educator and where needed, an onsite supervisor. They’ll help you complete a reflective log during 1-1 conversations and classroom sessions, so you can constantly refer to your experiences, with solutions, when you move into the workplace.

At Worcester, you’ll complete 170 days of placement, starting with 70 days in your first year and progressing to 100 days in your second year.

Careers

Our practice-based degree means you’ll encounter a range of real-world experiences in the classroom and on placement, ensuring you are well prepared for life after graduation.

We’ll support you to develop the values, skills and knowledge you need for a wide range of sectors, so you can specialise and make a difference in:

• Children and family services
• Learning disability services
• Adult services
• Mental Health services

You may also decide to become a Practice Educator, so you can teach and supervise our next social work students. You can be trained do this by Worcester and these modules can contribute to qualifications such as the Postgraduate Award in Professional Development: Social Work Practice Education.

Students have progressed to complete additional research, which you can do with Worcester’s Social Work & Social Policy MPhil/PhD.