If you thrive on the unexpected and want to make a difference in people’s lives, social work could be the career for you. Our degree course is nationally recognised and will enable you to register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as a social worker.
Social work is about empowering people and supporting them towards being independent. Social workers help people to function, participate and develop in society.
Our course provides the knowledge, values and skills you will need to qualify as a social worker. But social work isn’t just about what you learn: it’s also about who you are. You will need qualities such as patience, honesty, sensitivity, tolerance, persistence and sound judgement.
As a student, you will train to assess people’s circumstances and needs. Working alongside other professionals, you will plan, provide, review and evaluate services. You will become skilled in problem-solving, and understand how to set up supportive activities with individuals, families, groups and communities. Learning to assess the risks facing vulnerable children or adults, and how to set up and measure protection plans for them will be key. You will also gain a thorough understanding of your legal powers and duties.
Our course is full-time, and features presentations and role play as well as more traditional lectures and seminars. We work closely with our SUCI (Service User and Carers Involvement) group. This gives you a chance to discuss with people who have experience and opinions about social care and use their feedback to improve your practice.
All of our students do two practice placements – 70 days in Year 2, and 100 days in Year 3. One of these placement will involve statutory tasks, including legal interventions. Both placements are an invaluable opportunity to learn in the workplace and you will cover a range of topics such as engagement, assessment, interpersonal skills, interventions, safeguarding and the appropriate use of authority.
If you study in Chelmsford, your placements will be anywhere in Essex, including Thurrock and Southend authorities. If you are a Cambridge student, your placements could be anywhere in Cambridgeshire and possibly in Peterborough. We have limited access to statutory placements outside these areas. You cannot choose your placement but rather it is assigned by the university. We will make sure that you get a range of settings to best support your training. It’s likely that you’ll have to travel as part of your placement, so you’ll need your own transport to visit service users in the community, where public transport may not be available.
Course Details - Modules
Year one, core modules
Assessed Readiness for Direct Practice
Ethics, Values and the Legal Context of Social Work
Knowledge, Evidence and Practice
Communication Skills and Key Theories Applied to Social Work Practice
Social Work in Society
Year two, core modules
Social Work with Adults
Social Work with Children and Families
Powers, Duties and Accountability in Social Work
Practice 1: Communications Skills and Partnership Working
70-day placement
Year three, core modules
Wellbeing Across the Life Course
Transition into Professional Practice
Practice 2: Analytical Thinking and Decision-Making
100 - Day Placement
Undergraduate Major Project
Course Details – Assessment Method
Assessments are your opportunity to show the skills and knowledge that you are gaining in your journey to become a social worker. We use a variety of assessment methods which include assignments, presentations, learning journals, portfolios, patchwork texts (short pieces of writing, or ‘patches’, built up week-by-week), poster design and placements.
Course Details – Professional Bodies
Professional Bodies are not listed for this Course.
How to Apply
26 January This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application Codes
Course code:
L501
Institution code:
A60
Campus Name:
Cambridge Campus
Campus code:
Points of Entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
Year 1
Entry Requirements for Advanced Entry (Year 2 and Beyond)
Entry Requirements for Advanced Entry are not listed for this Course.
International applicants
Standard Qualification Requirements
112 UCAS Tariff points from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent).
UCAS Tariff points from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent).
112 UCAS Tariff points from Scottish Advanced Highers are accepted.
112 UCAS Tariff points from Scottish Highers are accepted
112 points from Access to HE Diploma
112 UCAS Tariff points acquired from BTEC Level 3 Diplomas are accepted.
If English is not your first language you will be expected to demonstrate a certificated level of proficiency of at least IELTS 7.0 ( Academic level with a minimum of 7 in each component) or equivalent English Language qualification, as recognised by Anglia Ruskin University. Please note that the English Language Proficiency Test (ELPT) is not accepted for this course due to Professional Body Restrictions.
2020 Entry requirements are under review for the next cycle and have been published using the current cycle information. Please check back when apply opens for the exact requirements.
Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course
