The University of Sussex's Department of Social Work & Social Care was ranked fourth in the UK according to The Times Good University Guide published 27 May 2010 and sixth in the UK according to The Independent's Complete University Guide: League Table 2010-2011 published 20 May 2010.
Social work is a rapidly changing profession and here at Sussex we are at the forefront of innovation and development. We offer attractive opportunities in a department noted for its strength in professional education and its contribution to professional knowledge and practice.
We are among the leading institutions in the UK for the quality of our research. We also have a proud tradition of providing rewarding opportunities for study, whether at initial qualifying, post-qualifying or doctoral levels.
We constantly build on our strong track record of interdisciplinarity to develop new approaches to inter-professional learning and research which recognise both the distinctiveness and the interconnected nature of social work as a discipline and a profession.
Career prospects
The demand for social workers is large and growing and employment prospects are, therefore, excellent locally and nationally.
There are many opportunities for social workers with local authorities, for example with children in need, in family centres, or on a youth offenders team. You can work with older people or people with disabilities on adult services teams, or on inter-professional teams with people with mental health difficulties. Alternatively, there are increasingly diverse opportunities in the voluntary sector, for example working with organisations for service users with substance or alcohol misuse problems, or people who are homeless or marginalised in other ways.
Beyond direct practice, there are opportunities in management, specialist consultancy, training, planning and strategic roles as well as possibilities for further academic study and research. The government's personalisation agenda is changing the pattern of service provision in relation to social work, health and education and inter-professional practice is fast developing, bringing new, challenging and exciting prospects.
For more information about careers in social work visit the Department of Health website.
*** The Department of Social Work and Social Care is currently offering one or two ESRC-funded studentships for those starting the PhD in Social Work and Social Care (+3 or 1+3 routes) in October 2012, full or part-time. Click here for details ***
Head of Department: Professor Imogen Taylor
For admissions queries please contact the Social Work Admissions team:
E: ap403@sussex.ac.uk / l.m.williams@sussex.ac.uk
or the Admissions Tutor, Dr Russell Whiting:
E: R.Whiting@sussex.ac.uk
