Module Descriptors
SOCIAL WELFARE LAW AND PRACTICE
LAWS61610
Key Facts
Health, Education, Policing and Sciences
Level 6
15 credits
Contact
Leader: Keith Puttick
Email: K.A.Puttick@staffs.ac.uk
Hours of Study
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities:
Independent Study Hours:
Total Learning Hours: 150
Assessment
- Coursework - 3000 word assignment weighted at 100%
Module Details
Indicative Content
In this module we consider citizens' welfare, and rights and duties within the Social Welfare Law system, including legal interventions in the family, employment, and other areas of the "private" domain to achieve welfare objectives. In addition, the focus is on State provision such as Community Care benefits and services.
More specifically, the focus is on:
• citizens' ‘welfare’
• the family and family welfare: typically on separation and divorce, after relationship breakdown, domestic violence, and having regard to `living together' rules, financial provision, and court intervention
• children's rights, including support for children in need, 'looked after' children, and children and young people with special needs
• welfare-at-work: vulnerable workers, low pay, discrimination
• housing and welfare, including homelessness
• older citizens’ welfare
• community care law and services
• migration and welfare
• recovery of overpayments, including civil recovery and criminal law
• Public Law aspects: appeal, review, community care 'complaints'
• EU and ECHR/human rights aspects
More specifically, the focus is on:
• citizens' ‘welfare’
• the family and family welfare: typically on separation and divorce, after relationship breakdown, domestic violence, and having regard to `living together' rules, financial provision, and court intervention
• children's rights, including support for children in need, 'looked after' children, and children and young people with special needs
• welfare-at-work: vulnerable workers, low pay, discrimination
• housing and welfare, including homelessness
• older citizens’ welfare
• community care law and services
• migration and welfare
• recovery of overpayments, including civil recovery and criminal law
• Public Law aspects: appeal, review, community care 'complaints'
• EU and ECHR/human rights aspects
Learning Strategies
MODULE LEARNING STRATEGY - this is based around students committing to a total of 150 hours of activities towards achieving the learning outcomes. These are split between 36 hours of direct contact with a tutor and 114 hours of directed, guided and self-study, together with preparation for and completion of the assessment tasks. A blend of teaching methods will be used, facilitating different styles of learning. These will also provide a platform for the development of essential skills including intellectual skills, communication, problem-solving, research, teamwork, negotiation, presentation, and the effective use of IT. Activities will be supported by guided learning and independent learning/enquiry.
WHOLE GROUP SESSIONS – these will be used to introduce new programme topics and to provide shared learning experiences for all participants. The sessions will establish an overview framework within which key module themes and topics can be developed, and will help participants verify and consolidate knowledge and understanding.
They will be assisted by buzz sessions, and in-session problem and practice-based tasks and exercises. Topics and themes introduced in these sessions will be developed further in the small-group/workshop sessions. A range of activities will be undertaken, including problem and practice based tasks. All students participate in a whole-group, end-of-programme 1st Tier tribunal appeal, participating in the Claimant, Respondent, Tribunal, or Observer Group teams.
SMALL GROUP SESSIONS– these comprise learning activities organised around Social Welfare Law and Practice topics and themes which will have been introduced in the whole-group/lecture sessions. Participants undertake preparatory directed study and research, assisted by on-line systems like Lexis Library, Practical Law, and Westlaw. Workshops include exercises in which participants engage in ‘client’ and adviser role plays, prepare applications, and engage in other problem-based exercises. An emphasis in these sessions is on student interaction, team-working, and demonstration of knowledge and the application of knowledge. Post-workshop reflective work is a further feature (with opportunities to undertake follow-up study or collaborative learning activities). NB Participants are expected to prepare for workshops effectively, and to maintain a journal recording their work, including their preparation for, and contribution to, the workshops
GUIDED LEARNING & INDEPENDENT STUDY/ENQUIRY - guided learning work will comprise a mix of activities, some of which will require group work, completion of pre-sessional tasks, and use of on-line systems and resources. Learning will be facilitated by use of the VLE platform and interactions between students and tutors. Besides guided learning tasks, other study will take the form of pre-sessional enquiry linked to specific tasks, post-sessional reflective work, and preparatory work linked to assessment tasks. Independent, self-managed enquiry is an important feature of the programme, including enquiry in pursuit of particular interests. It is expected that around 50 hours will be devoted to the completion of assessment tasks. Students are expected to be familiar with current issues, and to be actively engaged in debates on them. This is assisted by the facility of student contributions to the ‘Topical Issues & New Developments’ section of the module’s Blackboard site
Total Learning - 150 Hours
WHOLE GROUP SESSIONS – these will be used to introduce new programme topics and to provide shared learning experiences for all participants. The sessions will establish an overview framework within which key module themes and topics can be developed, and will help participants verify and consolidate knowledge and understanding.
They will be assisted by buzz sessions, and in-session problem and practice-based tasks and exercises. Topics and themes introduced in these sessions will be developed further in the small-group/workshop sessions. A range of activities will be undertaken, including problem and practice based tasks. All students participate in a whole-group, end-of-programme 1st Tier tribunal appeal, participating in the Claimant, Respondent, Tribunal, or Observer Group teams.
SMALL GROUP SESSIONS– these comprise learning activities organised around Social Welfare Law and Practice topics and themes which will have been introduced in the whole-group/lecture sessions. Participants undertake preparatory directed study and research, assisted by on-line systems like Lexis Library, Practical Law, and Westlaw. Workshops include exercises in which participants engage in ‘client’ and adviser role plays, prepare applications, and engage in other problem-based exercises. An emphasis in these sessions is on student interaction, team-working, and demonstration of knowledge and the application of knowledge. Post-workshop reflective work is a further feature (with opportunities to undertake follow-up study or collaborative learning activities). NB Participants are expected to prepare for workshops effectively, and to maintain a journal recording their work, including their preparation for, and contribution to, the workshops
GUIDED LEARNING & INDEPENDENT STUDY/ENQUIRY - guided learning work will comprise a mix of activities, some of which will require group work, completion of pre-sessional tasks, and use of on-line systems and resources. Learning will be facilitated by use of the VLE platform and interactions between students and tutors. Besides guided learning tasks, other study will take the form of pre-sessional enquiry linked to specific tasks, post-sessional reflective work, and preparatory work linked to assessment tasks. Independent, self-managed enquiry is an important feature of the programme, including enquiry in pursuit of particular interests. It is expected that around 50 hours will be devoted to the completion of assessment tasks. Students are expected to be familiar with current issues, and to be actively engaged in debates on them. This is assisted by the facility of student contributions to the ‘Topical Issues & New Developments’ section of the module’s Blackboard site
Total Learning - 150 Hours
Assessment Details
End of Semester 3000 word coursework assignment (weighted at 100%)
To pass this module, students must obtain a mark of at least 40%.
Formative Assessment. Students will be required to complete two activities during the module’s workshop programme (a presentation based on a contribution to the module’s ‘Topical Issues & New Developments’ section of the module’s Blackboard site, and a research task). These will be the subject of formative feedback.
To pass this module, students must obtain a mark of at least 40%.
Formative Assessment. Students will be required to complete two activities during the module’s workshop programme (a presentation based on a contribution to the module’s ‘Topical Issues & New Developments’ section of the module’s Blackboard site, and a research task). These will be the subject of formative feedback.
Resources
Access to Law Library facilities, including hard copy materials: legislation, cases, monographs, relevant journals (Social Welfare and Family Law Journal, Legal Action Group Bulletin, Equal Opportunities Review, etc), and PC network.
Module study guide and materials on the module’s Blackboard site.
Computing facilities will be needed to access material available on the web and on-line systems including Lexis Library, PLC Practical Law, Westlaw, and Westlaw/Insight.
Module study guide and materials on the module’s Blackboard site.
Computing facilities will be needed to access material available on the web and on-line systems including Lexis Library, PLC Practical Law, Westlaw, and Westlaw/Insight.
Texts
L. Clements and P. Thompson Community Care & the Law (5th ed Legal Action Group Publishers.)
Child Poverty Action Group Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook 2015-16 (17th ed CPAG 2015) or later edition when available
K. Puttick ‘Social Security & Community Care Law’ in Sir M. Burton (ed) Foreword by Lord Woolf, Civil Appeals (2nd ed Sweet & Maxwell, 2013) or later edition when available.
K. Puttick Child Support Law: Parents, the CSA & the Courts (XPL-EMIS) (supported by Seneca)
Other publications, journals, etc, as advised in the Study Guide.
Child Poverty Action Group Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook 2015-16 (17th ed CPAG 2015) or later edition when available
K. Puttick ‘Social Security & Community Care Law’ in Sir M. Burton (ed) Foreword by Lord Woolf, Civil Appeals (2nd ed Sweet & Maxwell, 2013) or later edition when available.
K. Puttick Child Support Law: Parents, the CSA & the Courts (XPL-EMIS) (supported by Seneca)
Other publications, journals, etc, as advised in the Study Guide.
Learning Outcomes
1. DEMONSTRATE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOCIAL WELFARE LAW SYSTEM AND THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK WITHIN WHICH WELFARE RIGHTS AND DUTIES OPERATE
Knowledge and Understanding
Learning
2. APPLY KNOWLEDGE OF KEY PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS IN SOCIAL WELFARE LAW IN PARTICULAR WELFARE RIGHTS CONTEXTS, FOR EXAMPLE AFTER SEPARATION AND DIVORCE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, OR IN RELATION TO CHILDREN'S, OLDER CITIZENS' OR DISABLED PEOPLES’ RIGHTS
Application
Knowledge and Understanding
Analysis
3. DEMONSTRATE ABILITY TO CONDUCT EFFECTIVE RESEARCH, AND COMMUNICATE THE RESULTS OF THAT WORK EFFECTIVELY, FOR EXAMPLE WHEN PROPOSING SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL WELFARE LAW TASKS AND 'ADVICE' PROBLEMS
Enquiry
Communication
Problem-solving
Reflection
4. DESCRIBE AND COMMENT ON PUBLISHED TEXTS, ARTICLES, AND SCHOLARSHIP, CRITICALLY EVALUATE ARGUMENTS AND CONCEPTS, AND MAKE JUDGMENTS ON CURRENT EMPLOYMENT ISSUES AND DEBATES
Analysis
Communication
Enquiry
Knowledge and Understanding
Learning
2. APPLY KNOWLEDGE OF KEY PRINCIPLES AND CONCEPTS IN SOCIAL WELFARE LAW IN PARTICULAR WELFARE RIGHTS CONTEXTS, FOR EXAMPLE AFTER SEPARATION AND DIVORCE, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, OR IN RELATION TO CHILDREN'S, OLDER CITIZENS' OR DISABLED PEOPLES’ RIGHTS
Application
Knowledge and Understanding
Analysis
3. DEMONSTRATE ABILITY TO CONDUCT EFFECTIVE RESEARCH, AND COMMUNICATE THE RESULTS OF THAT WORK EFFECTIVELY, FOR EXAMPLE WHEN PROPOSING SOLUTIONS TO SOCIAL WELFARE LAW TASKS AND 'ADVICE' PROBLEMS
Enquiry
Communication
Problem-solving
Reflection
4. DESCRIBE AND COMMENT ON PUBLISHED TEXTS, ARTICLES, AND SCHOLARSHIP, CRITICALLY EVALUATE ARGUMENTS AND CONCEPTS, AND MAKE JUDGMENTS ON CURRENT EMPLOYMENT ISSUES AND DEBATES
Analysis
Communication
Enquiry