Social Work (including foundation year)BSc (Hons)

Foundation Year Programme

This module currently runs:
all year (September start) - Monday morning
all year (September start) - Monday afternoon
all year (September start) - Tuesday morning
all year (September start) - Tuesday afternoon
all year (September start) - Wednesday morning
all year (September start) - Wednesday afternoon
all year (September start) - Thursday morning

(core, 120 credits)

In this module you will explore a broad range of social science and current affairs issues. You’ll reflect on the qualities needed to be a successful student in Higher Education and identify your own strengths and areas for development. You’ll be guided to investigate and conduct research on a topic of interest to you in greater depth.

1. You will learn to access sources, recognise and analyse arguments, and critically engage with source material.
2. You will explore some principles of research and develop research skills.
3. You will develop digital and academic communication skills, including integrating source materials with your own voice into written work.
4. You will develop oral, written and visual communication skills to produce work in a range of formats.
5. You will critically engage with current, social, and ethical issues, in the context of the Education for Social Justice Framework and your subject area
6. You will contribute to building a sense of belonging, and a respectful learning community, where students collaborate, share knowledge and ideas and work effectively as a team.
7. You will be encouraged to explore and build on prior knowledge and experiences to prepare you for further study in your subject area, professional behaviours and your chosen career
8. You will reflect on your learning journey, build your confidence, and take ownership of your motivation.

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Assessing, Planning and Professional Ethics

This module currently runs:
all year (September start) - Monday morning

(core, 30 credits)

This module provides opportunities for students to prepare for effective social work practice. By the end of this module:

• You will understand key concepts and to develop a foundational knowledge of need, risk, support and care for children and adults, and the role of the social worker and other related professional fields such as housing
• You will be able to recognise how legislation, policy and practice guidance relates to assessment and support/care planning.
• You will be able to understand and reflect on models and theories of assessment and support/care planning for children and adults and to develop practitioner skills in a context of social work ethics and values.
• You will recognise the importance of promoting the involvement of children and adults in social work processes and the development of skills in the empowerment of service users.

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Lifespan Development

This module currently runs:
all year (September start) - Monday afternoon

(core, 30 credits)

Social Workers are required to develop and apply relevant knowledge from social work practice and research, social sciences, law, other professional and relevant fields, and from the experience of people who use services (PCF Domain 5).

This module will support you to apply knowledge acquired from sociological and psychological theories of adult and child development, people with lived experience and through a child observation task

By the end of this module you will be able to

• Identify, analyse and evaluate psychological and sociological theories of child and adult development.
• Demonstrate an understanding of child developmental milestones within the parameters of diverse cultures and contexts.
• Explain and analyse theories of adult development, to understand the specific, day to day difficulties and disadvantages faced by different adult service user groups including people who need the help and support of social care services because of ill-health, impairment/disability.
• Identify housing challenges and solutions throughout the life course including: the impact of poor housing on children; intergenerational fairness in access to housing; and housing options and support for older people
• Explain theories of loss and grief and identify differing models of support within the context of anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory theory and practice.
• Apply psychological and sociological theories of development to a child observation and an adult narrative task.

People with Lived Experience colleagues have contributed to the development, design and delivery of this module in the following ways:

Facilitation of Task 2 narrative and facilitation of teaching sessions to support this task. Facilitation of lifespan development teaching session exploring disability.

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Readiness for Direct Practice

This module currently runs:
all year (September start) - Thursday afternoon

(core, 30 credits)

This year-long module prepares you for direct practice to progress into your first placement.

This module provides opportunities for you to:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the role of social workers, the regulations and key

documents that govern social workers.

• Develop practice skills in a supportive learning environment.

• Develop professional abilities, skills and understanding of the generic role of a social

worker to achieve readiness for practice across a range of different service user

groups.

• Develop basic communication skills in-line with the Readiness for Practice criteria.

• Engage with the 9 domains of the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF).

People with Lived Experience colleagues have contributed to the development, design and delivery of this module in the following ways:

- Developed the case studies used in the role play assignment

- Assess the role play assignment

- Co-facilitate a session

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Social Context for Social Work

This module currently runs:
all year (September start) - Thursday morning

(core, 30 credits)

This module introduces social theories, social constructs, and social policy whereby legislation, ethical issues, anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice and Law are embedded throughout the module.

Through the examination of the nine protected Characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, you will address structural issues that impact on the lives of People with Lived Experience.

You will explore and reflect on Global, National and Local issues and how these issues manifest into other social issues, such as homelessness, domestic violence, poverty, education, unemployment etc. (L01)

You will have direct input from People with Lived Experiences and social workers with regards to their lived personal and professional experiences of social issues.

You will scrutinise and analyse, ethical dilemmas and the tensions that exist between Law, legislation, policy and procedures and practice.

Aims

You will gain knowledge and understanding of housing Law and how it interconnects with social work practices.

You will be expected to undertake research in preparation for planning for a group presentation in order to develop your communication skills through collaboratively working within groups, which is a fundamental skill within social work. (LO4)

You will acquire knowledge from different sociological perspectives, social policy, human rights and Law. (LO1)

You will be encouraged to explore and question personal values and beliefs systems and investigate how this impacts and influences social work practice. (LO3)

You will have the opportunity

‘People with Lived Experience colleagues have contributed to the development, design and delivery of this module in the following ways

• Developed the case studies used
• Co-facilitated a session
• Marked the presentations’ etc

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Law for Social Work Practice

This module currently runs:
all year (September start) - Wednesday morning

(core, 30 credits)

You will understand, analyse and critically reflect on legal processes, legislation, statutory instruments, and guidance. You will explore social work and multi-agency practice interventions applicable to children and adults in need and at risk of harm. You will examine how these are informed by law, theory, research and the voices of children and adults. Knowledge of inquiries and serious case reviews will inform your learning and concepts of human rights and safeguarding are central to the module. You will understand thresholds for intervention and the application of professional judgement which underpin best-practice models.

The teaching methods are various and participatory. They take into account different learning needs and styles to ensure wide participation. You will be given tools to develop your confidence to interpret the and use law in social work practice in order to safeguard and protect People with Lived Experience. Your understanding of case law will be tested in this module.

The lectures and case studies in the seminars are guided by real life situations as reflected in practice in case law and as described in serious case reviews.

You will have the experience of observing live courts in action and take part in mock court activities (with the presentence of a judge and visiting lawyers). These activities serve to build on existing knowledge of the law and this will further expand your understanding of legislation and law in practice.

An ethical approach to applying the law runs through the whole course. You will learn about the legal system as a way of ensuring social justice, and you will learn how and why a rules-based order based on the European Convention of Human Rights informs all social work practice.

You will have the opportunity to make the connection with anti- discriminatory and anti-Oppressive practice and Equality of Opportunity. You will increase your understanding of the impact of past and present colonial approaches within the law and how a rights-based approach to law facilitates decolonisation in law and practice. The teaching group are experienced Practitioners and Academic staff representing diverse ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and cultures.

The aims of the module are that you will:

1. learn how the English Courts and legal system works, and how to find your way through legislation, statutory instruments, codes of practice and case law.
2. become familiar with key professional milestones, such as serious incident reports and professional guidance.
3. have the opportunity to examine and explore laws related to anti- discriminatory practice, human rights and social justice in relation to current legislation, policy and practice guidance.
4. have direct live experiences of courts in action, the use of real-life cases and the examination and explorations of serious case reviews.
5. critically analyse the role of multi-agency working together in protecting children and adults, this will include housing law, and opportunities to explore safeguarding in practice for children and adults.
6. critically reflect on the professional role with an emphasis on evaluating and managing risk, the importance of accountability, understanding thresholds and the application of professional judgement.
7. investigate how the law evolved from a colonial context and how a rights-based approach to law facilitates decolonisation in law and practice.

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Practice learning 1 - first placement

This module currently runs:
all year (September start)

(core, 60 credits)

Practice Learning 1 will provide you with 70 days of experiential learning opportunities, within a social work or social care setting, to integrate the theory you have been introduced to in university with practice. You will be supported to develop and submit key tasks required to progress to your 1st placement.

You will also be supported to demonstrate appropriate professional behaviour and relationships, develop professional values and gain working knowledge of organisational contexts. It also aims to provide you with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills required for practice with individuals, families, carers, groups and communities.

It provides the first opportunity for you to practise social work under supervised conditions and develop knowledge, skills and values to enable you to meet the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) at first placement level and Social Work England’s Professional Standards as they relate to this level of your studies.

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Theoretical Perspectives in Social Work

This module currently runs:
autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon

(core, 15 credits)

This module provides opportunities for students to understand and apply theoretical perspectives that support and structure social work intervention and direct work with children and adults. By the end of this module:

• You will be able to understand and analyse the contested nature of social work explanations of the circumstances of service users and the interventions implied by these explanations.
• You will be able to identify and analyse theoretical perspectives relevant to social work taking into account the practical and ethical impact these perspectives have upon different individuals, groups and communities.
• You will be able to evaluate different theoretical perspectives with regard to relations of power and anti-oppressive practice relevant to social work

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Creative, critical reflective approaches to practice

This module currently runs:
spring semester - Wednesday afternoon

(option, 15 credits)

This module will help you consider the ways that Social Workers, Youth and Community Workers can be creative in the use of ‘self’, reflection and in exploring imaginative new ways of working with people. You explore and learn about a range of creative approaches to enable the development of critical reflective dialogue and support individuals, groups and communities to analyse their circumstances and that issues affecting them, and to search for possible solutions that support growth and change.

Social Workers, Youth and Community Workers who work alongside marginalised individuals, families and communities are required to make difficult decisions and to intervene to support change and improve the circumstances of people’s lives. The social professions require professionals who have a high level of personal commitment, are open-minded and prepared to examine and even change their own attitudes and possible prejudices.

Each encounter with a vulnerable individual, family or community is unique and requires creative thinking about solutions that are specific to that individual, family or community. Ultimately a social professional’s creativity is motivated by and directed to understanding and improving the lives and conditions of marginalised people within society who are in need of support, advocacy and protection. Networking, supporting and championing new ways of meeting need are all creative endeavours, as is the ability to reflect both personally and with others.

Module aims:

• You will develop an understanding of concepts and underlying principles in fostering critical and reflective dialogue
• You will be able to use a range of creative approaches to support individuals, groups and communities to analyse their circumstances and explore potential solutions to issues affecting their lives.
• You will learn how to gather and use the feedback and insights of others to critically reflect on and further develop your own practice.
• You will develop a critical understanding of power and structural oppression and how this understanding can be used to challenge and disrupt inequality in practice

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Resistance, Creativity and Joy in the Capital

This module currently runs:
spring semester - Monday morning

(option, 15 credits)

This module will explore the relationship between London and the people of Africa and the Caribbean, unpacking the socio-economic and political factors that shaped the lives and subcultures often ‘hidden’ within London.
In doing so, it seeks to develop an understanding of the complexities in the lives of those in and around the capital from the African and Caribbean diaspora, whilst also embracing the joys of Blackness that are often undocumented and under narrated which include topics such as music, resistance, migration, and LGBTQIA+ lives.

Students will:
1. Explore how Black British history is woven into the cultural, economic, political and social life of the Capital City.

2. Examine how social, historical and political factors have shaped the experiences of African and Caribbean people in London.

3. Begin constructing their decolonial and critical thinking skills

4. Explore the contemporary cultural production, creativity, resistance, and joy in first, second and third generation African and Caribbean lives in and around London.

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Transnational communities

This module currently runs:
spring semester - Wednesday afternoon

(option, 15 credits)

The module enables the students to develop an understanding of global migration and economic, political structures and socio-cultural impact on diverse communities in Britain. It examines some of the rapidly changing migratory patterns and emergence of new refugee and migrant communities. The main focus of the module is an examination of transnational communities in the UK and their hybrid identity of belonging to at least to two nationalities, cultures, economies and politics (‘being here and there’). The module tackles topics of citizenship and diaspora and whether and how it is possible to develop a sense of belonging in a culturally diverse society. It enables the students to develop a critical understanding of the emerging cultures and communities in Britain and examine some of the changes which have taken place as a result of the global migration and technological innovation. This module will also enable the students to carry out secondary research on their chosen transnational community.

Module aims:

1. To provide students with the opportunity to explore and critically analyse the current migratory changes in contemporary Britain.
2. To familiarise students with debates on transnationalism, diasporic communities and citizenship
3. To enable students to identify a transnational community and explore their range of transnational links and activities regarding their settlement and origin country in the context of challenges posed by societal change and diversity for integration, social cohesion and community development in contemporary Britain.
4. To enable the learners to critically reflect on their learning and relate the wider socio-economic and cultural contexts to their everyday experience and community development work.

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Becoming Research Minded for Practice

This module currently runs:
all year (September start) - Thursday afternoon

(core, 30 credits)

To be research minded is to have the ability to use research to inform practice which counters unfair discrimination, racism, poverty, disadvantage and injustice - consistent with core social work values. This core module enables you to re-visit your teaching and learning on your course and will explore a range of different attributes to develop critical understandings of the application to social work research. This will include:

● An awareness of the value of research
● The ability to identify or generate appropriate sources of evidence
● An appreciation of different methods used to obtain and make sense of research knowledges

It requires you to complete a substantive student led piece of work. You will have scope to develop your critical analytical skills, engage with research processes and explore relevant subjects of personal and professional interest with a view to consolidating transferable skills for future employment.

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Practice learning 2 - second placement

This module currently runs:
all year (September start)

(core, 75 credits)

The Practice Learning 2 module provides you with the opportunity to prepare for your professional practice in social work under supervised conditions and

• Develop your knowledge, values and skills in relation to working with people with lived experience in more complex situations, taking responsibility for managing your time and workload effectively.

• Develop an understanding of, and an ability to apply ethical principles and relevant legislation whilst working alongside professionally qualified social workers in a setting and with a people with lived experience group that contrasts with the first placement.

• Consolidate and integrate the skills and knowledge developed in your first placement and university-based teaching modules.

• Demonstrate knowledge and effective application of the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) (BASW), Professional Standards (SWE) and the Knowledge and Skills Statement (KSS) (DfE and DoH)

By the end of your final placement, you are expected to be practising at the level that will be required of a newly qualified social worker.

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Counselling in groups

This module currently runs:
spring semester - Thursday morning

(option, 15 credits)

This module will embrace the notion of social justice, compassion, and inclusion. This is key to our Education for Social Justice Framework at London Metropolitan University

Rationale:

To introduce and familiarise students with key concepts of counselling in groups and their implications in different professional contexts. This module requires students to explore and develop the basic skills needed for counselling and group work and recognise the difference between listening to others as friends, parents, youth and community work practitioners or as counsellors. Due to the experiential nature of the course there is scope for personal development. Many of the exercises will focus on practising skills necessary for counselling in groups and there will be theoretical inputs on the main influences in this area. The aim of the module is for students’ to be introduced to key concepts of counselling and provide a world perspective on group work counselling. The module will involve the students in active group learning, sharing some of their own experiences with other group members. The course will be very practical with the learning being conducted in the large group, small groups, triads and pairs. Emphasis will be placed on learning basic listening skills, finding out what counselling is, how it relates to the student in youth and community work settings, and recognising the importance of developing self-awareness.

In total there are three counselling modules, one at each level. It is envisaged that they correspond to the L1, L2 & L3 of the training structure that prospective counsellors have to undertake with regards to the hours and assessment strategies prior to attending the L4 Diploma in Counselling.

The successful completion of one module is the equivalent of L1.

The successful completion of two modules is the equivalent of L2.

The successful completion of three modules is the equivalent of the L3 qualification.

The module at L6 is an optional module for all the students in the University programmes and will be very much focused on developing counselling skills in working with young people in a group setting in formal and informal groups.

The modules at L5 & L6 will be optional modules. As such there will be an opportunity for all students to cover some of the basic skills in particular settings and working in groups respectively. For those with more experience it will enable them to develop their personal journey at a much deeper level and this will be reflected in the quality of their journal submissions, the depth of the essay question and the enhanced quality of their practical counselling intervention skills.

The assessment processes will be the same to reflect the methods of assessments used on the pre Diploma courses.

It aims to:

• Critically examine what is counselling groups in a world perspective and its role in youth and community work settings and analyse key approaches, core conditions and models of counselling.
• Develop a critical awareness of their own self-development and how they are able to use counselling skills to help develop others within groups.
• Critically examine diversity issues while working with people from different gender, race and sexualities and power dynamics and the importance of anti-oppressive practice especially in group settings.

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Diverse London

(option, 15 credits)

This module celebrates the super-diversity of the capital city. Students will explore London’s diversity through their own lived experience, and the experience of their families and local communities. London is a ‘city without walls’, welcoming people from all backgrounds looking for a better future and to increased freedom to realise their hopes and ambitions. The module will place individual experience within the varied experiences of minoritized communities- for example in terms of ethnicity, faith and sexuality.

The aims of the module are to:

• celebrate the history of London in relation to diverse communities
• place the lived experience of diversity within the wider process of economic, cultural and socio-economic change
• identify the challenges faced by minoritized communities and celebrate their achievement
• develop research skills in relation to the diverse communities of London

Homelessness and Housing Policy

This module currently runs:
autumn semester - Thursday morning

(option, 15 credits)

In this module, you will look at one of the most pressing social issues in the UK today – that of the cost and shortage of housing and of the shortage of affordable housing in particular. Living in a safe, comfortable and secure home is a human right, essential to our wellbeing. However, it is widely agreed that we have a housing crisis in the UK. This crisis is perhaps especially acute in London but it is a crisis which affects much of the country. Over the past ten years, the cost of housing, including rents in the private rented sector have spiralled while the number of social rented homes has continued to fall and the numbers of people who are homeless or living in temporary accommodation has risen. In this module, you will look at the scale and at the underlying causes of the housing crisis in the UK. You will look at the shortage of affordable housing, the growth of the private rented sector and at the collapse of social rented housing. You will also look at how access to housing and the housing market reflects wider social divisions in terms of class, ethnicity and gender. The module places housing and housing policy at the core of our understanding of society, social divisions and social policy.

The module focuses on housing policy and on social housing, looking at the history of social housing in the UK and at changes in housing policy since the 1980s. The module also looks at the growth of homelessness and at the underlying causes of the growing level of homelessness. You will look at homelessness policy, at good practice models of how to tackle homelessness and at the link between housing and poverty and the importance of both housing and welfare policy as instruments of poverty reduction.

The aims of the module are to:

• understand what the housing market is and how it works
• develop an understanding of the problems in accessing decent housing in the UK, how widespread the problems are, which groups suffer most and why these problems appear to have worsened over recent years
• develop data handling and data analysis skills to collect and analyse relevant data on housing and the housing crisis in the UK
• develop and demonstrate an understanding of housing policy and housing policy changes in the UK
• develop policy analysis and policy evaluation skills
• understand how the housing market reflects the different economic and political ideologies which shape housing policy

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Housing Issues and Housing Solutions

This module currently runs:
spring semester - Thursday morning

(option, 15 credits)

Housing Issues and Housing Solutions outlines the key issues that face people working in housing, residents and community workers. It will focus on a practical approach to dealing with community-related & housing issues, their causes and solutions. It will examine the rights and obligations of residents and identify good practice in key management areas such as resident involvement, dealing with anti-social behaviour and disrepair. Combined with other modules in the faculty, such as ‘Housing and Homelessness’, this module provides a housing pathway for students wishing to develop or further their careers in this area.

The module aims to:

1. Place changes in housing management in the context of wider social, economic and organisational changes; (A01)
2. Introduce the key practical issues facing housing professionals, and good practice in addressing these issues; (A02)
3. Identify ways in which housing service users and community workers can challenge poor performance and get involved in service improvement; (A03)
4. Examine the benefits and challenges of partnership working in dealing with housing issues; (A04)
5. Explain current discussions on the balance of rights and responsibilities for social housing tenants and other local residents. (A05)

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International relationship-based practice for social change

This module currently runs:
autumn semester - Thursday morning

(option, 15 credits)

This module introduces a range of relationship-based approaches to social work practice that aim to affect societal change through working with the individual. These approaches share a common underlying philosophy of seeing people as inherently valuable and full of potential. Rather than taking a deficit-oriented view of the individual, they go beyond individual cases by attempting to understand the systemic factors that influence people’s lives. In this module you will develop an in-depth understanding of social pedagogy, critical pedagogy, radical social work, poverty aware social work, and Ubuntu philosophy. Their origins and implementation across different countries and over time will be explored, along with newer applications in Britain.

The approaches presented are contrary to the Anglo-American individual casework tradition that emphasises people’s deficits. Through engagement with key reading, discussion, and reflection you will develop an understanding of the social pedagogical concept of Haltung (inner attitude, ethos) as the foundation for meaningful, relationship-based practice. The concepts and tools taught in this module are a powerful antidote to managerialised, target driven practice, allowing practitioners to effectively use discretion to connect with service users and effect change even in practice settings governed by neoliberal policies.

You will practice a range of communication and engagement tools that can be used across practice settings to work with children, young people, adults, and groups. These include active and creative methods, and making use of, and sharing your interests and experiences.

This module provides opportunities for you to:

• Develop an in-depth and critical knowledge base on how relationship-based approaches can be used to effect social change and promote social justice.
• Gain a deeper understanding of your professional values and role and how these can be used for advocacy.
• Develop practical communication and engagement skills to apply this way of working in any setting.
• Explore how to use your skills, interests, and personality to make connections whilst respecting professional boundaries.

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