Social Work with Children, Young People and Families (BASW) (L5094)

30 credits, Level 5

Autumn teaching

This module takes place immediately prior to placement and is clearly focused on preparing students for placement in children and family settings. The module uses a vignette for the assessment and follows the principles of problem-based learning in order: (a) to help prepare BASW students for the placement; and (b) to help BAWCYP students reflect on critical connections between material covered in the module and their observations and experiences in the observational placement.

The assessment is focused on assessment and decision-making in practice, and allows you to draw on knowledge that you have gathered not only in this module but to build on what you did in the first year of the course.

This module is designed to enable you to consolidate and develop understanding of the social work role and task in relation to practice in the field of children's services. Through detailed and critical scrutiny of role and task in a range of policy and practice contexts and settings, you will gain a level of knowledge and understanding sufficient to provide you with a foundation for safe practice, under appropriate supervision, in subsequent agency placements.

You will be required to pay particular attention to the nature of the emotional and political dynamics in those contexts of ambiguity and conflict that characterise this field of work, and to the impact these have on decision-making and intervention.

Module content will include:

  • the history and current context of children's services
  • overview of developments in policy in relation to children's services
  • early and preventive intervention with vulnerable children in community settings
  • needs and risk assessment and protective intervention where specific questions of harm arise
  • care planning for children and young people in public care
  • work with young offenders.

The syllabus is constructed in a rapidly changing policy and practice environment and therefore is indicative, designed to respond to local and national changes.

Teaching

100%: Seminar

Assessment

100%: Coursework (Report)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 47 hours of contact time and about 253 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2020/21. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum. We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.