You will need access to the following texts:

Adams, R, Dominelli, L. & Payne, M. (2002), 2nd Ed Social Work Themes, Issues and Critical Debates, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan,
Moss, B. (2008) Communication Skills for Health and Social Work, London, Sage
Parker, J (2004) Effective Practice Learning in Social Work, Exeter, Learning Matters,
Trevithick, P (2005) Social Work Skills (2nd ed), A Practice Handbook Open University Press,

This module is open only to students enrolled on the BA (Hons) Social Work who have passed all L1 and L2 modules

A practice learning setting agreed by the university as able to provide the required learning experiences. Practice learning settings are arranged by the placement co-ordinator, students do not make their own arrangements.
A practice learning assessor agreed by the university and/or the partners involved in delivery of the award
Computing facilities will be needed to access materials on the web and specialist online databases.
Access to appropriate texts and journals

Supervision with a Practice Learning Assessor for one and a half hours each week (usually). This will involve:
- learning practice skills to Honours level;;
- developing knowledge, critical understanding, and analysis of theory, skills, and methods for social work;
- preparing for supervision sessions and maintaining supervision notes;
- monitoring and working within the learning agreement.

Working directly with service users and their support networks.
Supervision with another delegated person on occasions
Directed reading.
Working with team members.
Reading and working with agency policies and procedures.
Reflecting on own practice, by means of the Assignment
Linking the learning from the university modules to practice.
Developing knowledge and understanding of a key issue for the placement setting and identifying applications for practice through working on the Practice Assignment
Observation and feedback on own practice.
Completing agency documentation.
Managing workloads.

Some materials will be accessed through Blackboard / VLE

Practice learning for social work in a social work, social care, health, offenders and/or education agency in the statutory, voluntary or private sectors of social work provision.

This period of practice learning will enable students to demonstrate a systematic understanding of key aspects of social work knowledge and practice. This will include acquisition of coherent and detailed knowledge, at least some of which is at or informed by, the forefront of practice interventions and research in social work practice.

Practice learning and assessment will focus on the National Occupational Standards for Social Work (2002) key roles for social work:

A portfolio of materials from the student's practice learning setting, which taken together, demonstrate a student's achievement of competence at honours level both in academic and professional requirements. The academic standard will be assessed by the academic tutor and practice assessor jointly. Professional practice will be assessed by the practice assessor.

The portfolio will consist of:
1. Professional Practice weighted at 0%.

Students will be assessed on a competent / not yet competent basis by the practice assessor on the following elements:

a) A competence report based on the achievement of NOS Key Roles 1 to 6, 'signed off' by the practice assessor - learning outcome 1.
b) Three direct observations of practice 'signed off' as competent by the practice assessor - learning outcome 1.

Students must also submit for information purposes only a description of the practice setting, an account of the work undertaken, the learning agreement, the mid-point report, and the formal evaluation of the practice learning opportunity.

2. A Practice Assignment weighted at 100% - learning outcomes 2 and 3
This will be a discussion of a particular issue within the agency in which the student is placed and relate to learning from previous modules.

Word lengths:
Practice Assignment 5,000 words
Other documentation 4,000 words maximum

Students must achieve a pass / competent assessment in all professional practice components.
Students must pass both the Professional Practice and Practice Assignment components, and must achieve a minimum of grade point 4 in order to pass the module. No compensation or condonation is allowed.