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Social Work

Becoming a Social Worker

Entry onto our Social Work courses will depend on your level of expertise and experience and you will be required to register with the Social Work England. Any experience gained in Social Care, whether voluntarily or paid will be beneficial in commencing a career in Social Work.

If you don't have a degree then you should consider the BA (Hons) Social Work. Those with a relevant degree and experience may consider studying the MA Social Work. We also offer a variety of CPD courses. 

The following courses can be studied to become a qualified Social Worker:

BA (Hons) Social Work - The course is designed for students who want to enter professional social work, a profession which engages with people who experience levels of social disadvantage and/or discrimination. Typically you will want ‘to make a difference’ to help enhance people’s lives at a personal and structural level; to counter discrimination and oppression. The course will equip you with the appropriate knowledge and skills, as well as encouraging and enabling you to explore the value base necessary for qualified social workers. It will also prepare you for 170 days of practice over two placements.

This course will prepare you for social work practice and make you eligible to apply for registration with Social Work England as a Social Worker which is mandatory for practice within the UK.

Please click here for our BA (Hons) Social Work course page.    

MA Social Work - This graduate entry level course is designed to equip social work students with the knowledge, skills and values necessary for qualification. Upon successful completion of the course students will have met the required levels of the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF). They will then be able to register with the  Social Work England and ready to begin their first year in employment as a registered and qualified social worker.

The MA (Social Work) is an academic award dependent upon successful completion of a Masters level dissertation as well as demonstrating capable practice. There is an ‘exit award’ of PGDip, which allows successful students to register with the Social Work England as a qualified and registered social worker. Students, who take this route, will be eligible to complete a Masters dissertation in Social Work Studies.

Please click here for our MA Social Work course page. 

Please click here to view all our CPD/Stand Alone Modules.

The Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) courses offered at the University of Wolverhampton will enable you to develop your knowledge, skills and values in mental health practices in order to enhance your capabilities within your own area of expertise. The course is designed to enable mental health professionals to develop and demonstrate practice in accordance with the published requirements of the Social Work England in order to act as Approved Mental Health Professionals. 

The course co-ordinator is Ian Lloyd and he can be contacted at via e-mail.

We also have an additonal word document with further information including a module breakdown. Information for AMHP courses (Word doc 38k)

 

Important Information about our Professional Courses - Previous Study

If you have previously commenced a professional course (e.g Nursing, Midwifery, Physiotherapy, Social Work, Radiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Paramedic Science) it is important that you make us aware of this.  You will need to provide the name of the Institution at which you studied, provide a reference from them and also supply a record (transcripts) of your progression within the previous course(s) that you studied.  Please e-mail us directly communityandsociety-enquiries@wlv.ac.uk. 

Please note we will not accept applicants onto our professional courses who have been unsuccessful at other institutions of higher education.

Social workers are professionally qualified staff who assess the needs of service users and provide care and support to those in need.

They work with individuals, families and organisations to provide a suitable package of care. Your education, training, and practical experience will help you to interpret the problems individuals face and support them in finding solutions.

You will need to have a high level of commitment, be quick thinking and provide a good level of judgement to succeed in this role as well as take on a lot of responsibility for the decisions you make.

"I look at situations in a different way and the course has made me want to become a social worker more than ever." - Charlotte Chambers, BA (Hons) Social Work student

Undergraduate

The requirements for practice learning are set by the College of Social Work.  You will have a total of two placements; the first placement will be 70 days and the second placement will be 100 days.  You will have a further 30 days skills simulation distributed throughout the programme. For further information please visit our frequently asked questions FAQs for Social Work

AMHP

The requirements for Practice Learning (the placement for AMHP) are set by Social Work England. There is one formal placement, arranged by the employer of 43 days, with four additional experiential days to be completed also. Please contact Ian Lloyd the Award Leader for any further information. i.lloyd@wlv.ac.uk

If offered a place on the course, you will be provided with more information about the placements and will be sent a form to complete for consideration for placement allocation.

The Service User and Carer Participation in Social Work group consists of Service Users, Carers, associated representatives and organisations and aims to contribute to improving the quality of life of Service Users and Carers. It does this by being engaged in developing and monitoring the processes by which Service Users and Carers are included at all levels of the University of Wolverhampton’s social work programmes.

There are many different specialism options within social work which you can choose to enter after appropriate induction and training. Career development may involve a change of role within a specialism, for example from child protection to fostering and adoption. It is also possible to transfer from one specialism to another, for example from working with children to working with the elderly.

Being a Social Worker does not stop on registration. Opportunities exist for current and practising Social Workers to develop their knowledge and skills further. Please contact us to find out more.