This module is open only to students enrolled on the BA (Hons) Social Work.

Computer facilities to access materials on the web and specialist online databases.
Access to appropriate texts and journals.

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities: (48 hours)
40 hours - Whole group sessions - consisting of participatory lectures and presentations by visiting speakers in order to disseminate core knowledge and theoretical perspectives, including those arising from the experience of service users
8 hours Facilitated small group sessions/tutorials - following a Problem Based Learning exercise on a given topic related to social work with children and adults

Skills based teaching, involving problem based learning and role play (As part of the Readiness for Practice module)

Guided Independent Study: (252 hours)
50 hours - Reading preparation in readiness for each lecture as directed on BlackBoard (VLE)
40 hours - Reading of theories and key social work texts and work on activities as directed in Blackboard VLE
120 hours - Independent reading and learning of key legislation as directed by tutors, a good knowledge of the legal framework will be required in order to address the viva voce examination; this will reflect practice where knowledge of the legislative framework is an essential component of practice. This will lead to assessment preparation too
42 hours - Peer learning through discussions within small groups and collaborative learning and problems solving approaches, reviewing serious case reviews in small groups

There will be an introduction to the historical, policy and legal context of social work practice with adults and children. You will learn how welfare policies and the legislative framework form the basis for social work interventions and about the connections between politics and social work practice.

You will learn about the evidence base for social work including:
- The impact of social and psychosocial factors on patterns of safeguarding, including exploring the needs, vulnerability, resilience, risk, mental health, ageing and substance use.
- The impact of a range of professional social work interventions
- The concerns and perspectives of service users and informal carers
- The impact of care conditions and social work response to these
- The impact of problematic substance use.
- Social work role and functions, including assessment, support planning and therapeutic interventions/direct work with service users and carers.

An introduction to the abuse of children and adults at risk will be given and how the use of social work includes preventative work in recognition and identification of abuse, risk assessment and management, investigation, decision-making (inc best interest's decision- making.

You will learn about strategies for involving and empowering service users and their families/carers, including:
- Advocacy
- Joint inter-professional and service user training
- Facilitating service users to access, manage and make use of resources,
- Individual budgets and direct payments
- Facilitated decision making

Multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working in the context of social work with adults will be examined, including exploration of the role and relationship with key partners.

You will be introduced to the legal framework supporting decision making in a range of situations and including all groups of service users, and you will compare and contrast laws relating to children and adults. These issues will be explored in greater depth in the second year of the award, in two safeguarding modules which will look more closely at the legislative framework for safeguarding adults and children. The complex issues surrounding sharing of information and the maintenance of confidentiality will be analysed in relation to safeguarding children and adults and, in addition this will explore the issues of poor care and practice and the need to safeguard service users from poor practitioners/ service providers.

This module provides you with the base knowledge of law for social work with children and adults as well as law around capacity and human rights. You will study key parts of the law that underpin social work practice and also look at how the British legal system works. The module also looks at social justice and equality laws, and you will consider how key changes in politics, specifically social policy, impact upon the lives of vulnerable people.

https://staffs.keylinks.org/#/list/1817

Brammer, A (2017) Critical Issues in Social Work Law. London: Palgrave

Carr, H (2019) Law for Social Workers. Oxford: OUP

Academic Poster assessing Learning Outcome 1 weighted at 30%

Online exams x 2 (one based on children and family law and one based on Adult law) assessing Learning Outcomes 2 and 3 weighted at 35% each.

Formative Assessment
Through participation in class discussions and in small group activities

1. On completion of this module, you will be able to identify and define the legislative framework for Social Work practice

Professional Standards 1.2, 1.6, 1.7, 2.6, 4.4,

PCF 2, 4, 5, 7, 8

2. On completion of this module, you will be able to demonstrate awareness of the relationship between law, social policy and social work practice in both the UK and the wider global context, including the way in which this is applied to uphold individual rights and dignity.

Professional Standards 1.5, 1.6, 4.4,

PCF 2 4, 5

3. On completion of this module, you will demonstrate practical application of the legislative framework in a range of contexts for practice

Professional Standards 1.7, 2.2, 3.1, 3.3, 4.4,

PCF 2, 3, 4, 5

4. On completion of this module, you will be able to define the signs of harm, abuse and neglect and know how to respond to these.

Professional Standards 1.3, 1.7, 2.2, 2.4, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4,

PCF 2, 4, 5

5. On completion of this module, you will be able to recognise the impact of poverty and social exclusion on service users

1.5, 1.5, 1.6, 2.2, 3.5, 3.14,

PCF 2, 3, 4, 5