Social Work BA Honours

If you’re starting university in 2020, we’ll be teaching you in different ways to make sure you get the best learning experience possible. You’ll learn through live sessions with teaching staff and have the chance to study independently too, with access to all the online resources you need through our globally available student portal.

We’re planning different scenarios for teaching so that we can be flexible. While we’re social distancing, we’re aiming to teach you through some practically focussed sessions on campus, with the majority of your theoretical teaching and larger lectures delivered online. If you’re unable to make it to campus at first, or we need to limit access to campus in the future, your course can be delivered fully online.

The table below shows current plans for your learning across a typical week, including scheduled live online teaching and an indication of what we hope to teach face to face, where you can make it to campus. While some weeks might look different to this, due to how we schedule classes and make arrangements for any face to face sessions (for example, in some cases these could take place every two weeks with an increased number of hours), the table gives you an idea of what to expect based on the overall number of teaching hours on your course.

Please note that attending classes on campus and placements are compulsory parts of the course, so if you are unable to attend due personal circumstances, please get in touch with us so we can work with you to resolve your situation.

You’ll receive final arrangements for your teaching and a full course timetable before you start.

Read more about our scenarios for returning to campus and what they might mean for your teaching and learning experience, and how you’ll be able to access student support.

Future plans for teaching

We’re developing our timetable for face to face teaching  with current government advice on social distancing to keep you safe. If social distancing requirements are lifted, we’ll start to safely move back towards our usual teaching arrangements with more opportunities for face to face learning. Some learning and support might stay online in this scenario. If more restrictions are put in place, or there is another lockdown, we’ll be prepared to deliver your learning and support fully online, with alternative arrangements made for any required placements. We’ll always give you notice of any changes that we make.

Definitions of terms

• Live learning – Live learning will cover everything you’ll do with teaching staff like lectures, seminars, workshops and other classes, and we’ll schedule all of this for you. This might include some study outside your regular timetable, like taking part in discussion forums or online blogs where you’re supported by academic staff.
• Independent learning – Independent learning is all the studying you’ll do outside your live learning sessions with teaching staff. This self-paced study will give you the chance to learn, prepare, revise and reflect in your own time as you need to, and you’ll have access to on-demand resources and materials to help you do your best.
  • Self-paced study – Self-paced study will give you the chance to learn wherever and whenever you want to and at your own pace, outside your live learning sessions. This independent learning could include reading and reflection, preparation for classes, revision or homework along with access to other online activities such as quizzes.
  • On-demand resources – You'll have access to on-demand resources like pre-recorded video lectures and workshops as part of your independent study. You’ll be able to review and revisit whenever you need to at your own pace.
• Face to face sessions – Wherever it’s possible to do so, and we can make the necessary arrangements to ensure your safety, you’ll be able to attend scheduled sessions, workshops or appointments on campus as part of your live learning. The number of hours given in this scenario provides an indication of the number of hours of face to face learning you could expect, and a full timetable will be provided to you before the start of your course.

Support

You’ll have a strong support network available to you to make sure you develop all the necessary academic skills you need to do well on your course.

Our support services will mainly be delivered online and you’ll have access to a range of different resources so you can get the help you need, whether you’re studying at home or have the opportunity to come to campus.

You’ll have access to one to one and group sessions for personal learning and academic support from our library and IT teams, and our network of learning experts. Our teams will also be here to offer financial advice, and personal wellbeing, mental health and disability support.

More on teaching for your subject in 2020/21

Read our guide to what’s been happening in your subject area recently and more about what to expect this autumn.

Teaching

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, skills teaching, readiness for direct practice plus practice based learning.  You will have a shadow day with a qualified Social Worker in the first year. The first practice placement which takes place in the second year is a 70 day placement and the final placement, which takes place in the third year, is a 100 day placement. You will be placed in one of our partner social work agencies.  Lecturer-led sessions will allow you to gain and develop knowledge in your subject area and this will be supported by a range of practice- based activities, at University and in a practice environment. You will have the opportunity to take part in small seminar groups and small group tutorials that will help you to develop and engage your understanding of topics covered in taught sessions. Small group tutorials include approximately 12 students and seminars are up to 25 students. In addition, you will be supported by our personal tutor and be able to seek module leader guidance by appointment. You will also have access to and use resources to support your learning including; a learning platform for each module with information including the lecture slides used to scaffold each week’s topic, additional resources, practice tasks and an electronic reading list. You will be invited to take part in on line discussion groups, share materials and expertise. You will also have the chance to develop your professional skills by giving peer feedback on line as well as in the class. You will have very good library support with a dedicated Social Work Librarian, an on line reading list for each module which will often include material that is digitised for you, for ease of access. Each module has a “kortext” This is the primary supporting text which you can download and keep. You are also supported by resources such as free printing and laptop loans.

During your first year (level 4), your weekly timetable will typically consist of 11 hours of formal teaching, which will include 4 hours of lectures and 7 hours of seminars/ tutorials. You will meet with you tutor group every week.

Independent Learning

When not attending your teaching sessions mentioned above, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. Typically, this will involve reading journal articles and books, working on projects, on line quizzes and tasks, preparing for assessments including coursework, personal development logs and individual and group presentations. You will be expected to carry out an 8 week observation of a child as part of one of the modules and also to attend a shadow day with a qualified social worker. Your independent learning is supported by the facilities available including the library and Study Hub, Laptop hire, and with online materials in MyUniHub (see student support section below

Overall Workload

Your overall workload will include the activities listed above, and with each credit being completed equating to 10 hours of study time (You will complete 120 credits per level of study, which are broken down into modules of typically 30 credits. The following information will give you an indication of how much time is allocated to teaching and independent study on your course:

Level 4

27% of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity:

• Teaching, learning and assessment: 328 hours
• Learning based in practice: 60 hours
• Independent Learning: 812 hours

Level 5

13% of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity:

• Teaching, learning and assessment: 183 hours
• Learning based in practice: 490 hours
• Independent Learning: 850 hours

Level 6

12% of your time is spent in timetabled teaching and learning activity:

• Teaching, learning and assessment: 170 hours
• Learning based in practice: 700 hours
• Independent Learning: 863 hours

Academic Support

You will have access to academic support services that will assist you in the following areas:

• Study Skills, including academic writing, reading and numeracy skills
• Employability, with workshops and tutorials on CV writing, interview and presentation skills
• Library Support, including sessions on finding, and choosing the right resources and software and tutorials on referencing and plagiarism
• Progression and Support Advisors to assist you with if you experience difficulties with your studies.

These services can be accessed through the UniHelp Desk in the Library building.

Teaching Staff

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team who have expertise, knowledge and experience that is closely aligned to the content of the modules on offer. The team includes academics, professional practitioners, and technical staff. Trained postgraduate research students may also have input into your teaching under the supervision of the module leader. Further details of the teaching staff can be found in the staff profiles:

• Lucille Allain
• Dr Trish Hafford-Letchfield
• Linda Bell

Assessment

The course will provide you with opportunities to test your knowledge and understanding informally through ‘formative’ assessment. Formative assessment for this course is provided through the submission of assignment plans, written assignments, class presentations and on line submissions that are peer and teacher reviewed. These opportunities provide feedback to support you towards the formal ‘summative’ assessment. (Formative assessments are developmental and any grade you receive from formative assessment does not count towards your final marks). In the first year you are asked to submit a written assignment within the first 6 weeks of the programme start. The topic content builds towards one of your summative assignments. However, it is also an opportunity to learn about the expectations of the university in writing at this level and to be given clear, specific feedback on how to improve your grade In future.

The formal ‘summative’ assessment usually occurs towards the end of the module, although there may be periodic assessments that contribute to your final mark for that module. Assessment methods could include a range of coursework including essays, reports, portfolios, your main final year project, practice based assessment tools, and practical sessions including performance, presentations and a filmed assessment of your communication skills and professional demeanour. The grades from the summative assessments count towards your module mark. Assessments are reviewed annually and may be updated based on student feedback, to suit content or based on feedback from an external examiner.

Percentage of course assessed by coursework

The balance of assessment will depend on the modules that you complete throughout your course. The approximate percentage of the course which is assessed by coursework is outlined below:

Level 4

100% coursework

Level 5

100% coursework

Level 6

100% coursework

Feedback

You will receive feedback from formative assessments, and written summative assessments.. Feedback is intended to help you learn and progress, and you are encouraged to review and discuss your feedback with your module or through the personal tutor arrangements.

We will aim to provide you with feedback within 15 working days of submission.

Details of progression and pass marks for assessment can be found in the university regulations.

Our entry requirements provide a guide to the qualifications that you’ll need to study our courses. We understand that recent changes to exams and assessments mean you might be worried about your qualifications, so we’re taking a flexible approach to admissions this year. We’ll do our best to consider your application on an individual basis and look at more than your grades when we’re making a decision. You’ll still need to meet our English language requirements to be considered for your course.

Qualifications

This course is now available in Clearing. Follow this link or call 020 8411 6565 for more info.

• All candidates must have Mathematics and English GCSEs grade C or above or recognised and certificated equivalences
• Please note that we can only accept your application for consideration if you have already obtained your GCSE (or equivalent) Maths and English at the appropriate level prior to applying
• We also accept functional skills or key skills and equivalency tests by Equivalency Testing, A Star Teachers or any other appropriately accredited provider
• In addition, applicants for whom English is not their first language, and where they have not studied in English throughout their education, will need to obtain IELTS score of 7 or above (overall score) with no one element or component being less than 6.5.
• You are also required to provide evidence of study within the last 5 years

Middlesex University has a flexible and personalised approach to admissions and we accept applications from students with a wide range of qualifications and a combination of qualifications.

Please check our general entry requirements page to see how these points can be achieved from our acceptable level 3 qualifications and the combinations which are welcomed by Middlesex University, including GCSE requirements

Eligibility

UK/EU and international students are eligible to apply for this course.

Please note, due to restrictions placed on students with a Tier 4 visa undertaking part-time study by the UKVI, courses requiring a placement cannot be studied by International students.

To find out more about the qualifications we accept from your country please visit the relevant support in your country page. If you are unsure about the suitability of your qualifications or would like help with your application, please contact your nearest regional office for support.

Visas and immigration

You will not need a visa to study in the UK if you are a citizen of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. If you are a national of any other country you may need a visa to study in the UK. Please see our visas and immigration page for further information.

English language requirements for international students

You must have competence in English language to study with us. The most commonly accepted evidence of English language ability is IELTS 6.0 (with minimum 5.5 in all components). Visit our English language requirements page for a full list of accepted tests and qualifications. If you don't meet our minimum English language requirements, we offer an intensive pre-sessional English course.

Interviews, entrance tests, portfolios and auditions

Please view the Admissions and interviews tab for more information

Please apply via UCAS using this course’s UCAS code L501.

For help with your application, please view our undergraduate application page.

Social work education is nationally currently a very popular choice and at Middlesex University we have attracted more than 1700 applicants in recent years. Our process aims to select those who are most likely to become confident, effective and safe practitioners, eligible to apply for registration with HCPC as a social worker and who are able to uphold a positive image of the social work profession. This includes recognising the importance of building a diverse group of professionals who are reflective of the communities and localities they will be serving.

The process takes a holistic approach in which we examine your intellectual capability and readiness for studying an academic and professional qualification and your personal attributes, attitudes, values and abilities needed to demonstrate readiness to enter qualifying social work courses.

Our criteria for selection is assessed against agreed national criteria, based on the first level of BASW's Professional Capabilities' Framework and is designed to also meet the HCPC Standards of Education and Training. We use a range of methods to enable candidates to demonstrate their capability in different contexts and to provide the University and the applicant with as much information as is needed for informed decisions to be made.

Selection methods usually include the following:

• An initial screening of your UCAS application against the academic entry requirements. Your personal statement and first reference also provide important indicators of your potential and your motivation and commitment to enter professional training (in line with PCF expectations)
• For short-listed candidates, a written test to evidence an acceptable level of literacy and an ability to express appropriate attitudes and values for social work. This will test will include writing an essay in relation to a social problem or issue in society
• An individual interview to assess your motivation, strengths, areas for further development, relevant experience and background, aptitude for study and practice at this level
• Participation in a group exercise designed to assess your collaborative working skills and verbal communication, as well as your intellectual curiosity
• Scrutiny of any 'suitability' or 'fitness to practise' issues and gathering of any further information required
• A further practice reference (and academic reference if the reference supplied with UCAS form was an employment reference)

We recognise that our selection process involves multiple stages and assessment activities. This allows us to consider evidence from a range of sources and to make clear and confident decisions. This is especially important given the professional nature of this course. All offers are conditional upon a satisfactory enhanced DBS check no matter how well you have done during the process. The team involved in recruitment and selection also includes service users, carers and social work practitioners. Offers may also be conditional upon the completion of certain qualifications in order to meet the entry requirements. Any such conditions must be met within the same application cycle.

Individual interviews

All applicants must perform well in an individual interview (and a group exercise) to test their communication skills, motivation and commitment, understanding of social work and evaluation of their life and work experience. In exceptional circumstances were able to offer interviews of international applicants using equivalent interviewing methods, such as web cams or other video link facilities. The interview takes approximately 30 minutes. The group exercise takes approximately 40 minutes in total and there are opportunities on interview days to look around the campus and usually to meet a current social work student.

If you are successful at interview, the final stage involves obtaining from you:

• Any further information in relation to your suitability (health checks, DBS, employer checks)
• Provision of your original educational qualification certificates
• Proof of identity (birth certificate, passport)
• A satisfactory enhanced DBS consistent with the information provided on your suitability form.

Please note that we do not normally accommodate transfers from another social work programme, nor can we usually transfer credit from other studies into this programme, as completion of all modules on our degree is progression requirement.

Preparing for the interview

You can do some research on the roles of social work and some background reading about current issues faced by the social work and the social care workforce. You will be asked to reflect on the relevance of your own professional or personal experiences and their relevance to becoming a social work professional. You can find out more about social work and social care issues from the websites of the British Association of Social Workers, the College of Social Work and Social Care Institute for Excellence.

We strongly advise applicants to be familiar with the different contexts in which social work can occur as it is a very versatile and fluid profession responding to changing needs and priorities. You can also reflect upon any relevant work, educational or personal experiences and your learning from these.

We receive several enquiries from applicants about this route to the social work degree. Please note that this is not an alternative part time route as social work cannot be studied part time. This route has been agreed with our partner agencies in London who sponsor their employees to undertake the social work qualification, studying alongside other students on the BA.

If you are working in a Local Authority or Trust and are interested in training as a social worker then your first point of call should be your workforce development manager or learning and development manager to establish the opportunities available through them, and the process of application. Similarly, some employers recruit graduates into their own local schemes, so you should look out for the advertisements in the press such as Community Care or The Guardian, and apply directly.

If you are working in the voluntary sector and your employer has indicated their willingness to support your training then they should make contact with us in the first instance so that we can establish that they are able to meet the partnership requirements for employment based students. These are very stringent and include, for example:

• The willingness to pay your course fees in full for the duration of the course
• The ability to release you for a minimum of two days per week to attend the university teaching during term time
• The ability to release you from your normal place of employment to complete the two practice learning placements (70 days and 100 days)
• The ability to find you a placement and a practice assessor and to fund this
• The agreement of a formal contract as part of your overall employment which includes the provision of the above, study leave and support and maintenance of your normal salary, leave and working conditions
• In addition we would welcome partners attendance at our regular partnership forums and to provide a liaison persons in the organisation for students on the programme.