An Assignment 2500 words - to write a critical and reflective organisational analysis of the agency/team in which the student is undertaking their honours level Practice Learning Opportunity (addressing all LO's)

Formative-
Feedback will be given through participation in plenary discussions and in small group activities

This module provides you with a 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.

It will also include provision of care and interventions trhough private enterprise and through entrepreneurialship of motivated individuals working in the care sector and the requirement needed to set up organisations.

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities: (24 hours)
24 hours - Whole group sessions
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. You will learn about the structure and working of organisations and the theories related to these and realte these to your own practice learning setting.
You will be provided with a critical exposition of key concepts, theories and dilemas drawing upon the experience of agency practitioners, research and tutors.

Guided Independent Study: (126 hours)
12 hours - E-tivities - Some activities will be accessed through Blackboard / VLE
114 hours - students will be required to retrieve key information about agency policies and practices in relation to health and safety, including risk assessment, accountability, staff care, relationships with external agencies, funding, legal mandates, organisational forms (especially private and voluntary sector/charitable agencies), teamwork and supervision

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

Coulshed, V. & Mullender, A. (2006) Management in Social Work, 3rd edition, Basingstoke, Palgrave MacMillan
Crawford K Walker J (2010) Social Work and Human Development . Learning matters
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

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

Social workers work in different kinds of organisations - from small voluntary organisations to large and complex agencies like the NHS or local government. This module aims to provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to understand how these organisations work, how they are funded and the strengths and weaknesses of different types of organisation. You will also learn about quality assurance and the role of regulation and accreditation in the social work profession. The module will give you an overview of management theory and practice in social work organisations. This knowledge is useful when it comes to social work practice – because as a social worker you will have to work in and with many different organisations. You will find an understanding of organisations and interpersonal practice will be useful for social work practice and when it comes to making career choices about the kind of organisation you might want to work in when you qualify as a social worker.