SW4000 - Introduction to the Social Work Profession

You will learn through lectures and seminars facilitated by academic staff, many of whom are qualified and registered social workers and who have experience in practice from a range of settings. In addition to taught sessions, you will also undertake a 20 day skills in practice opportunity where you will be encouraged reflect on your academic learning and apply this learning to develop your skills in practice.

Directed learning will centre on detailed learning materials which will be made available via the Blackboard Ultra eLearning portal module site and will include guided reading using electronic reading lists, self-evaluative tasks as well as opportunities to engage with your tutor and fellow students.

Support will include feedback from module tutors during small group seminars and guidance tutorials with your Personal Tutor. Additionally, you will receive in-depth support from academic staff through detailed feedback following your formative assignment in preparation for your summative assessed work, including the development of your placement profiles before you move to Level 5 and your 70-day assessed practice learning opportunity. This support is to enable you to reflect and develop your learning style whilst encouraging best practice in academic reading and writing.

There are opportunities for small group work sessions with peers so that peer-to-peer support is fostered throughout the module. Good group work is a key component for your development as a social work professional and you will have the opportunity to contribute to group discussions and present to small seminar groups too. You will be supported in your 20 days skills in practice opportunity by your Personal Tutor and a named person in the organisation.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

At the end of the module you will be able to:

Knowledge & Understanding (KU):
1.Describe the role and tasks of the social worker in a range of settings.
2.Understand the connections between self-awareness, collaboration, and effective action.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities (IPSA):
3.Reflect on yourself personally, professionally and as a learner.
4.Understand the purpose of professional supervision and construct a professional development plan for becoming a social worker.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5.Understand professional behaviour, professional boundaries, professional resilience, emotional intelligence and well-being.

Formative Assessment
You will complete a reflective diary using a model of reflection of your choice to illustrate your skills in practice learning. Submission is electronic via Turnitin. Oral feedback will be provided by the module team in seminar-based discussions.
(MLO1,3)

Summative Assessment.
This module has two elements to the summative assessment, and both must be passed to complete the module successfully:

1. Your Level 5 Placement Profile which will require you to reflect on your overall Level 4 learning and to identify learning objectives (knowledge, skills, and values) in preparation for Level 5. The assignment will be submitted via the Student Placement Portal, and you will receive written feedback from the module team. The Placement Profile is graded a Grade Pass or a Grade Fail.
(MLO 2,3,4)

2. A 1,000 written assignment which will require you to consider your developing professional identify and demonstrate knowledge of social work roles and tasks based on your skills in practice opportunity. Submission is electronic via Turnitin. The assignment is marked as a percentage of 100%.

You will be provided with written feedback on your assignment through Turnitin.
(MLO 1,2,3,5)

N/A

SW4001, SW4002, SW4003, SW4004 and SW4005

This module aims to support learners to move from entry level to a beginning understanding of what social workers do and where this is situated, and an understanding of themselves in relation to social work practice. The module provides the foundation for developing a professional identity that will translate into good practice and heightened employability potential.

This module aims to explain and emphasise the importance of personal, professional and educational development in the process of becoming a social worker and to start you off on that developmental journey. You will develop reflective skills and the confidence to discuss your development – both highly authentic abilities for effective scholars and social workers. These provide a context for student preparation for, and learning from, practice.