You will need access to one of the following texts:

Coulshed, V. & Mullender, A. (2006) Management in Social Work, 3rd edition, Basingstoke, Palgrave MacMillan.
Hawkins, P. & Shohet, R. (2007) Supervision in the Helping Professions, 3rd edition, Buckingham, Open University Press.
Martin, V. & Henderson, E. (2001) Managing in Health and Social Care, London, Routledge

An assignment length 2500 words weighted at 100%.

Assignment - a critical and reflective organisational analysis of the agency/team in which the student is undertaking their honours level Practice Learning Opportunity.

Word Length 2500, assesses learning outcomes 1, 2 & 3.

This module provides subject knowledge and understanding in the following key areas :-

The organisational location of social work and social care services including geographical, functional, (fieldwork services, residential services, day care services) organisational and political forms.
Relationships with other health and care sector agencies in statutory, private and voluntary sectors (including mechanisms for dealing with multi-disciplinary and multi-agency services - pooled budgets, joint finance, lead bodies, commissioning).
The roles of professional practitioners and managerial staff within organisational and agency contexts.
Organisational and team structures and processes within organisations.
Health and safety issues including stress management
Mechanisms for organisational accountability for service delivery (Care Standards and Inspection, SSI and Audit Commission, supervision, workload and caseload management). Forms of accountability - to professional codes, personal conviction, accountability to service users and to agency)
Communication and information technologies in organisations.
The knowledge, skills and values needed to promote organisational and inter agency effectiveness.

This module will run in preparation for the final practice learning and will draw substantially from agency policies and practices as experienced by students, practice learning supervisors and research.

24 hours of teaching over a 4 week period at the beginning of TB1.
Comprising of:

Whole group sessions - to provide a critical exposition of key concepts, theories and dilemnas drawing upon the experience of agency practitioners, research and tutors.

There will also be some opportunity to critically explore this material in the light of student experience drawn from placement agencies, utilising student contributions.

Some materials will be accessed through Blackboard / VLE.

Directed study and independent learning - students will be required to retrieve key information about agency policies and practices in relation to health and safety, accountability, staff care, relationships with external agencies, funding, legal mandates, organisational forms (especially private and voluntary sector/charitable agencies), teamwork and supervision. (126 hours)

Total 150 hrs

Policy and practice guidelines from practice learning agency (internal and public)
Computing facilities will be needed to access materials on the web and specialist online databases.
Access to appropriate texts and journals.

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