Masters Degrees (Domestic Violence)

Examine the impact of being abusive or being abused. You will look at theoretical perspectives considering abusiveness and its impact in different international, cultural and social contexts- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-understanding-domestic-violence-and-sexual-abuse/

This MA in Understanding Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse is unique and represents the first psychologically informed programme of its kind.

It is particularly suitable for people wanting to increase their grasp of the interplay between mental distress, domestic violence and sexual abuse. The programme will offer a blended learning approach with a mixture of online and face to face contact. The online components will be largely focused on the acquisition of theoretical knowledge through computer mediated activities via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

The classroom-based content of the programme will have an emphasis on experiential and reflective learning which will help you understand the process of identifying, assessing and managing both perpetrators and victims. This aspect of the programme will be delivered in blocks preferably over weekends to make the study more accessible to working adults.

Individual modules on the programme are likely to be valued as part of a continuing professional development plan for psychological therapists and other workers in the field.

You may take individual modules separately or exit with a Postgraduate Certificate or Diploma.

You can keep up to date with everything that's happening on the programme by following us on Twitter.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Suzanne Martin.

Modules & Structure

Your learning will be underpinned by a unique synthesising of psychodynamic, systemic, cognitive behavioural and social theories to examine the impact of being abusive or of being abused. The programme focuses on looking at practice and research from these theoretical perspectives and will consider abusiveness and its impact in different cultural and social contexts from childhood to older age.

The learning will be provided by a cross-disciplinary team that covers approaches from the social work, community and youth work, cross-sectoral arts, and therapeutic approaches including art and dance psychotherapy, psychodynamic, counselling and cognitive behavioural approaches.

You'll be assessed through a mix of coursework, presentations, and a final dissertation.

Skills

The MA will develop skills including:

a knowledge various theoretical perspectives
an understanding of cross-disciplinary work within the field
an understanding of the different international, cultural and social contexts from childhood to older age within the field

Careers

It is expected that a number of professionals will use either the course credit or the degree to supplement their CPD portfolios, which are a requirement for the majority of these professionals.

For workers with extensive experience this programme (or its constituent courses) will provide a sound basis in theoretical knowledge and current research which will help them develop their current work and increase their potential for further advancement in the field.

The UK has developed recognised forms of intervention in this field that have an international application and relevance. Issues regarding domestic violence and sexual abuse have an international public health and human rights dimension, which makes the programme internationally relevant.

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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Social work, both in the UK and internationally, has been defined as a profession that ‘promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance social justice.’ Accordingly, social work takes a variety of forms and engages with a broad range of individuals, groups and communities. The scope of social work research is equally broad and requires researchers to be aware of, and able to engage with a variety of disciplines in a range of settings, often working alongside those with different ideas of what social work and social work research are and what each is intended to achieve.

Social work research, in other words, does not simply concern the work of social workers. It may also be concerned, for example, with programmes of community development in the context of poverty or interventions to tackle domestic violence and programmes for young offenders. It may focus on the needs of a particular group, for example children with disabilities or people with severe and long term mental illness, whether or not they receive social work services. It may draw on theories and research methods from any of the social sciences, including economics, law and philosophy.

This programme is designed to build on the links between research and practice in a range of settings in developing the particular skills and capacities needed by practice-based professionals and postgraduate students interested in carrying out social work and social care research.

This programme does not include practical training in social work and does not lead to a professional qualification in social work. If you want to study for a qualification in social work practice, please see the MSc in Social Work: http://www.bris.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/ssl/msc-social-work/

Programme structure

The programme is delivered through a combination of intensive block teaching and weekly delivery so as to be most accessible to postgraduate students, busy policy professionals and practitioners. The delivery of units on the programme is designed to allow students to accumulate credits flexibly and organise the patterns of attendance to suit their own needs and circumstances.

The structure for the MSc and Postgraduate Diploma consists of four core and two optional units. A dissertation of 10-15,000 words is required for the MSc. The Postgraduate Certificate is awarded for the successful completion of three units (two of which must be core units).

Core units
-Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences
-Philosophy and Research Design in the Social Sciences
-Further Qualitative Methods

Optional units - You then choose two of the following units which allow you to develop specialist knowledge of the application of research methods to key areas of social work and social policy.
-Further Quantitative Methods
-Domestic Violence: Research, Policy and Activism*
-Researching Poverty, Inequality and Social Exclusion*
-Health and Social Care Research*
-Researching Child and Family Welfare*
-Economics of Public Policy
-Global Contexts of Rights and Disability
-Disabled Childhoods

*These units are offered in alternate years. To see the full programme and unit description, please check the programme catalogue: http://www.bris.ac.uk/unit-programme-catalogue/RouteStructure.jsa?byCohort=N&ayrCode=17%2F18&programmeCode=9SPOL001T

Careers

The programme stresses the development of social work and social research and analysis methods, as well as substantive knowledge. In addition to careers in academia, this programme prepares students for careers as social work and care researchers and analysts, research commissioners and managers in public or private agencies or organisations, both in the UK and internationally.

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About the course

The Social Work MA programme aims to educate and train individuals to be reflective, research-minded practitioners who are able to work critically and professionally and in accordance with the principle of anti-oppressive practice.
Graduates who successfully complete this programme are eligible to apply for Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registration.

The professional and academic elements are closely integrated throughout the programme. There are 170 placement days, with the working week divided between time in placement and time in the University.

Aims

This MA Social Work degree programme aims to provide high quality post graduate social work education and training to equip students with comprehensive pre-entry skills to work in any agency employing social workers in the United Kingdom.

Although the statutory sector is the major employer, increasingly social workers are being recruited into voluntary and private sectors in a variety of service provision roles including community-based, residential or day care services in the UK and abroad.

The programme seeks to encourage the personal responsibility of students to function as independent learners and to develop a critical and reflective appreciation of the role of social work in society.

The curriculum provides teaching in both academic and practice elements, which are fully integrated at Brunel University London. It is designed to ensure that learning occurs in an incremental way, with learning outcomes that develop across levels enabling students to demonstrate progression in professional knowledge, skills and values through two years of study.

Specifically, the programme aims to:

- Prepare students for critical and reflective professional practice according to the HCPC’s approval standards of education
- Equip students to practise ethical, innovative and effective social work practice that actively promotes social justice in a diverse society
- Integrate learning in academic and practice elements of the programme so that students have a holistic understanding of social work in variety of professional contexts
- Enable students to identify, understand and critically appraise evidence and research which can inform social work practice
- Enable graduates to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council and apply for membership with the British Association of Social Workers (BASW).

Course Content

Compulsory Modules (year 1)

The Foundations of Social Work Practice
Social Work Theories and Perspectives
Life-span Behaviour and Development
Legal Frameworks for Social Justice
Social Policy and Sociology
Professional Skills Development I
Practice Learning I
Approaches to Research

Compulsory Modules (year 2)

Assessment and the Management of Risk and Complexity
Effective Practice with Domestic Violence, Mental Health and Substance Misuse
What Works in Social Work
Professional Skills Development II
Practice Learning II (100 days)
Dissertation

Year 2 Pathways (choose one)

Social Work with Children and Families
Main topics: working with children in need and child protection; theory, research, law, policy and practice; inter-professional workshops on the impact of parental problems including parental substance misuse and domestic violence; critical review of inter-agency and inter-disciplinary practice through serious case reviews; children looked after and leaving care and service user voices; theory and research specific to social work practice with children and families; risk analysis and risk management; the centrality of relation based practice in direct work and communication with children and young people; the family court system and skills in analysing and presenting case material.

Social Work with Adults
Main topics: the development of community-based care and support and integrated adult health and social care including ideological underpinnings and contemporary issues in policy and adult social work practice; person-centred and care management approaches to community-based adult social work practice; and adult practice specialisms.

Note: As this programme may involve regular access to children and/or vulnerable adults, students will be required to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application, previously known as a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. The application will cost £51.86 (this amount may be subject to change) and the University will send further instructions as part of the admissions process. For further guidance please email [email protected]

Work Placements

Brunel University London has an excellent placement team that takes care to match students to appropriate children and families and adult social work placements within the London area. Placement providers have been consistently positive about their experience supervising post-graduate students and have frequently hired students back into permanent posts after they have completed their degree.

Teaching

A wide range of teaching methods are used in the MA Social Work programme including lectures, seminars, workshops, coupled with individual tutorials and group tutorials to ensure large group learning is translated in a more discursive way. Assessments include essays, exams and presentations and students are expected to complete a total of 180 credits of assessed academic work along with a 60 credit dissertation.

Special Features

The programme is transitionally approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.
Students enjoy first-rate facilities in the new Mary Seacole Building.

We are one of the leading providers of university-based social work and social policy research in London and have attracted funding from, amongst other sources, the ESRC, the AHRC, Nuffield Foundation, the Rowntree Trust, the European Union, the Department for Education and Skills and the NHS.

Students benefit from close links with social care providers in local government and in the voluntary sector.

Service users and carers are crucial to our work, and our BEEC (Brunel Experts by Experience Committee) enables them to be involved at all stages of the MA, from interview to assessment.

Recent groundbreaking research into personalisation, service user involvement, Family Drug and Alcohol Courts, young onset dementia and youth and religion, amongst other areas, feed into our taught programmes, making them highly relevant and up-to-date. Our academics include the authors of best selling books on citizenship, community care and child protection.

Anti-oppressive practice has been at the core of our education and training philosophy for some years and this emphasis is evident in the teaching of this programme.

Brunel University has a long history of securing a range of quality placements across London and surrounding areas. We have substantial experience in working across the statutory and independent sector and have strong partnership links.

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Prepare for the Bar with City’s Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) and study in London’s prime legal location.

Who is it for?

The BPTC is designed for aspiring barristers. It attracts students from around the world and from all parts of the UK. Students will have already completed a qualifying law degree or a non-law degree plus a Graduate Diploma in Law.

From recent graduates to doctors and front bench opposition MPs, the programme caters both for those who have always been dedicated to a professional legal career as well as people seeking a career change, and those who are able to make use of the training together with a professional legal qualification in business, management or administration.

In particular, the course is designed for students who want to develop their skills as advocates, and those who want to research and apply the law to help clients in presenting legal cases in court. Bar students often have a deep commitment to helping those who need assistance in protecting their legal rights.

Objectives

The Bar Professional Training Course is a rigorous programme designed to reflect the modern working Bar. We replicate life in chambers, so you learn how to represent a range of clients and to prepare for the demands of court.

Studying at Gray's Inn Place, in the heart of legal London, City Law School students achieve impressive academic success. In 2015, our students represented half of the national BPTC cohort achieving a grade of ‘outstanding’* – the most prominent indicator of success in securing future pupillage.

* Bar Standards Board BPTC Key Statistics report 2016

The programme is taught by a team of professionally-qualified experts who are the authors of the BPTC manuals in use across the country. Internationally renowned and highly skills focused, City’s BPTC provides a bridge between academic legal study and professional practice and covers three essential areas:
-Advocacy
-Written and oral advisory skills
-Drafting skills.

Underpinning all of these areas is a foundation of analysis and legal research, combined with the need to set priorities and organise your work in order to meet deadlines.

Placements

Placements are not a formal requirement of the programme, but we encourage you to spend time in chambers doing mini-pupillages.

Pro bono is an opportunity to use your time and knowledge to provide legal advice to those who may otherwise not have access to such services. It provides you with invaluable experience and a chance to develop your legal skills further. At The City Law School you will have the opportunity to work with one of our pro bono volunteering organisations that needs assistance.

Mooting is a great way to develop important legal skills such as research and analysis whilst also learning how to structure a legal argument. At The City Law School, we run an annual internal mooting competition where students act as a counsel to argue a point of law before a judge.

Academic facilities

The Bar Professional Training Course is taught at Gray’s Inn Place campus. Here you will find the Atkin Building which houses the student common room and the large lecture theatre and teaching accommodation. The library, computer study areas and additional teaching accommodation are located in two nearby buildings.

The City Law School has its own dedicated administration team and its own online legal resource portal - Lawbore. You also have access to two legal libraries, one on site at the Gray’s Inn campus and one based at our Northampton Square campus.

Within the Gray’s Inn library you will find areas for group study and a room to record advocacy performances. There is a large suite of recording rooms nearby. You will also receive copies of the textbooks used on the course. These include:
-Practitioner books in civil practice and criminal practice.
-The City Law School BPTC manuals (published by OUP as the "Bar series").
-Textbooks in civil procedure, evidence and alternative dispute resolution.

Teaching and learning

Most of the course is taught in small groups where you will be studying with 12 other students, and in classes of six students for advocacy. You will also learn through one-to-one tuition in the advocacy skills part of the course.

Debating, mooting and mock trials also prepare you for pupillage interviews.

We also train students on how to give peer feedback and conduct client conferences, where you give an oral performance which is recorded for feedback. You also have the opportunity to cross-examine mock witnesses and clients in real time as part of the programme’s final assessment.

You will be assessed under examination conditions in the written skills and the knowledge-based areas of ethics, civil procedure and criminal procedure. You will also be assessed through replicated scenarios, which we would expect you to encounter in practice.

Teaching is supported by a range of materials, including a series of skills and subject manuals written by senior members of staff and members of the practising Bar. These manuals are published by Oxford University Press, have been adopted by other providers, and are widely recognised as leading and innovative texts on teaching legal skills. The course is also supported by a wide range of written and electronic resources.

Modules

Modules in the first two terms are compulsory (and are based on the Bar Standards Board requirements), and you can choose two options from 11 topics in the third term.

The course has been developed to give you the relevant legal skills and knowledge that all newly qualified barristers need, along with the detailed knowledge you will need for your chosen specialist areas/subjects. While there is a strong focus on advocacy, advisory and drafting skills are also important as well as knowledge of court procedures and evidence and the principles governing ADR and professional ethics. Three of the option subjects (FRU, domestic violence and social security) are pro bono based, which gives you the opportunity to get real-life experience as part of the programme.

There is a strong focus on preparation, participation and practice. Students are encouraged to recognise that work on the programme is set in a realistic context and to approach the work in a professional, ethical, practical and problem-solving way.

Core subjects in the first and second term
-Advocacy Cross Examination (10 credits)
-Advocacy Examination in Chief (10 credits)
-Advocacy Addressing the Court (10 credits)
-Civil Litigation, Evidence & Remedies 12 credits)
-Conference Skills (six credits)
-Criminal Litigation, Evidence & Sentencing (12 credits)
-Resolution of Disputes out of Court (ADR) (six credits)
-Drafting Skills (12 credits)
-Professional Ethics (six credits)
-Opinion Writing Skills (12 credits)

Other important areas covered within the context of the main subjects:
-Costs
-Human rights
-Risk analysis

Option subjects in the third term - you will choose two of the below elective modules:
-Advanced Criminal Litigation (12 credits)
-Commercial Law (12 credits)
-Company Law (12 credits)
-Domestic Violence (12 credits)
-Employment Law (12 credits)
-Family Law (12 credits)
-Fraud & Financial Crime (12 credits)
-Free Representation Unit (12 credits)
-Landlord & Tenant (12 credits)
-Professional Negligence (12 credits)
-Social Security (12 credits)

The range of options offered in any one year is subject to availability and demand, but we usually run all 11 options. The same range of options is offered to part-time BPTC students as to full-time ones, but subject to demand, some may only be delivered during the day.

Career prospects

Training for the Bar is a serious proposition because of the responsible role played by barristers in the administration of justice. It is also one of the most sought after and respected careers available. On successful completion of the course you will receive the Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Legal Skills and be eligible to be Called to the Bar of England and Wales by your Inn. At that stage you are entitled to describe yourself as a barrister, but will not be entitled to represent clients in court until you have completed the first six months of pupillage.

Pupillage is usually for 12 months, and is usually taken in one set of chambers, although sometimes pupillage takes place in two or more sets.

Minimum pupillage awards for the first year are £12,000. Some pupillage awards exceed £60,000. Tenants earn more than pupils.

We have a strong success rate with BPTC students gaining pupillage year on year. As soon as you accept your place on the City BPTC you can get individual guidance from our dedicated Pupillage Advisory Service to give you the best possible chance of entering the Bar. The service offers tailored advice about:
-Building links with the profession
-Applying for mini-pupillages
-Completing pupillage applications
-Preparing for interviews (including offering mock interviews)
-Getting ready for pupillage

If you decide the Bar isn't for you, you can receive expert advice about your career options from your personal tutor and City's Careers, Student Development & Outreach service. The service offers support for interviews, mock interviews and job searching techniques.

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This course will appeal to practitioners and students interested in careers in a range of professions such as policing, probation, prison service work, social work and many new areas in third sector and private sector security and outsourced support for offenders, vulnerable adults and young people. A broad based masters programme in public protection would enable students to pursue their particular interest be it in domestic violence, terrorism, dangerous offenders or child protection.

More about this course

The course encourages you to look critically at public protection, a key practitioner concept for professionals working in socially responsible professions.

You'll explore applied and theoretical critical understanding of public protection and other aspects of risk, which will transform the professional practice of participants or enhance their future employability.

Modules draw on the research expertise of staff, and aim to create a virtuous circle, where contacts generated through students/staff on the course and via the London Practitioner Forum will enable and assist their further research.

Including critical approaches to the understanding of risk within hard to reach groups and incorporating issues of diversity, the programme draws upon the University's established Criminology MSc degree and utilises the existing module provision.

Two additional modules are offered, Public Protection and Risk Awareness, and Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism.

There is a special emphasis on a sound grasp of the relevant academic literature, including substantial use of key scholarly journals in the field of criminology and criminal justice. There is also a focus on how theory relates to and enhances good practice.

This is assessed through a variety of summative assessments including essays, examinations (seen), practical research methodology assignments, an extended thesis (12-15,000 words), and various formative presentations to class peers.

Modular structure

This course consists of five core modules: Understanding Public Protection and Risk, Crime Control and Community Safety, Criminological Research Methods, Crime and Offender Patterns and the Criminological Dissertation on a topic of students choice.

There are opportunities to specialise in areas of your interest when choosing the two optional designates: topics range from Terrorism/Counter Terrorism, Domestic Violence, Critical Issues in Criminal Justice, Psychology and Crime and other more specialist research modules.

The course also provides a unique opportunity to enhance professional practice and critical understanding.

After the course

The course will help prepare students for employment in the criminal justice sector (including the police, probation, prison, youth offending and community safety departments), as well as academic or government research posts. It is hoped that some students will progress to doctoral studies after successful completion of the MSc.

It is the intention that students already engaged in a related occupation will benefit markedly from the course, in that the latter will provide the academic contextualisation with which to understand and evaluate the complexity of, and reciprocity between, varied agencies, departments and policies related to crime, criminology and criminal justice.

Criminology itself is an increasingly strong and prevalent academic discipline. The analytic and research skills acquired on the MSc are, of course, transferable to other jobs and areas of expertise. Previous students from this course have joined the police service either as police officers or civil investigation officers, some have embarked upon training to equip them to join the probation service or become social workers working with young offenders.

Other students have joined the voluntary sector working in residential or drugs/alcohol units. Still others have entered research jobs within the public or private sector and finally a number have progressed on to PhD studies.

Moving to one campus

Between 2016 and 2020 we're investing £125 million in the London Metropolitan University campus, moving all of our activity to our current Holloway campus in Islington, north London. This will mean the teaching location of some courses will change over time.

Whether you will be affected will depend on the duration of your course, when you start and your mode of study. The earliest moves affecting new students will be in September 2017. This may mean you begin your course at one location, but over the duration of the course you are relocated to one of our other campuses. Our intention is that no full-time student will change campus more than once during a course of typical duration.

All students will benefit from our move to one campus, which will allow us to develop state-of-the-art facilities, flexible teaching areas and stunning social spaces.

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Drawing on current research across the social sciences, government guidance, and legislative frameworks, this degree focuses on the issues that are key in facilitating your professional and academic development as a social worker- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-social-work/

Why study MA Social Work at Goldsmiths?

-This Masters programme is ideal if you are a graduate, with relevant experience, interested in pursuing a professional career in social work

-It prepares you according to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Standards of Proficiency – Social Workers in England and the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF), the Quality Assurance Agency subject benchmark for social work, and the Department of Health's requirements for social work training

-Social work education at Goldsmiths has a long and distinguished record – we house one of the most respected social work units in the UK, and you will be taught by established social work academics and associate lecturers who have considerable research and/or practice experience in their fields

-Our social work programmes are highly regarded by potential employers within London and further afield, and our graduates have an excellent record of securing employment; they've gone on to work in local authority children's services departments, adult services departments, and independent sector and voluntary sector agencies such as the NSPCC, Family Action and Mind, and a recent graduate was named Newly Qualified Social Worker of the Year

-We'll equip you with the knowledge, values and skills you'll need to practise as a reflective and ethical social worker, equipped for the challenges of contemporary social work practice

-You will cover areas of human growth and development; community; needs and services; law and organisational contexts of social work; and research methods. Specific learning will include mental health and disability, and social work processes of assessment, planning, intervention and review

-The Masters includes practice placements in two settings and with different service user groups, so you'll be able to gain invaluable real world experience

-We'll encourage you to think deeply about human rights and social justice, and to embed these values in your practice

-You will develop your skills for reflective and evidence-based practice and will be able to further your research mindedness

This programme is approved by the Health & Care Professions Council.

Excellence in practice and teaching

Goldsmiths has a long tradition of social work education, and our programmes are internationally regarded as excellent in both practice learning and critical studies. They also have a strong focus on anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice.

We have a lively programme of research taking place in areas as diverse as:

-the links between child abuse and domestic violence
-multi-family group work with teenage parents
-service user perspectives and transnational adoption
-mental health social workers' use of mental health laws and coercion
-equality and diversity in social work education
-the effects of political conflict on social work practice and education
-reflective professional social work practice
-evaluative approaches to service provision

Our research informs and underpins our teaching and students are invited to share our interests as well as develop their own through undertaking a small scale research project and developing their research mindedness in a final year extended essay.

Find out more about service user and carer involvement in social work education at Goldsmiths.

South East London Teaching Partnership

The Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies at Goldsmiths has recently entered into a formal Teaching Partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Lewisham for the delivery of social work education at Goldsmiths.

We are one of only four sites across the country to have received government funding to develop and test new and innovative approaches to social work qualifying education, early career training and continuing professional development programmes. As a result, a significant number of social work practitioners, from all levels within these three local authorities, are involved in the MA Social Work programme, delivering or co-delivering lectures, workshops and seminars. This means that there is a very close relationship with practice to ensure that by the end of the programme students are equipped to deliver authoritative, compassionate, social work practice that makes a positive difference to people’s lives.

You will be encouraged to make links between anti-oppressive practice, social work values, the legal framework, theories, methods and skills of intervention and social work practice throughout the course.

Intake

The programme has an intake of around 35-40 students each year. Goldsmiths is committed in its policy and practice to equal treatment of applicants and students irrespective of their race, culture, religion, gender, disability, health, age or sexual orientation. We particularly welcome applications from members of minority groups.

The teaching includes lectures and workshops with the entire student group and small study groups, reflective practice discussion groups and seminars of between 10 and 14 students. A significant proportion of the course takes the form of small study groups and seminars.

The MA is a full-time course. It is not possible to study the course part-time. It is not possible for students to transfer from a social work course at another university onto the second year of the Goldsmiths MA in Social Work course.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact the Admissions Tutor.

Modules & Structure

Successful applicants on the MA in Social Work commit to studying on a full-time taught course over two years. On successful completion you will receive a MA in Social Work which is the professional entry qualification to be a social worker and it enables you to apply for registration as a social worker with the Health and Care Professions Council.

The curriculum aims to provide you with the value, knowledge and skill base for practice and is organised around study units, workshops, lectures/seminar modules, projects and private study. The teaching and learning opportunities centre on the key areas of the social sciences and their application to Social Work practice, as well developing your intellectual capacity, and the skills necessary to get you ready for practice. There is an expectation that you attend at least 85% of all aspects of the programme.

The structured learning includes specific learning in:

human growth and development, mental health and disability
social work theories and methods; assessment, planning, intervention and review
communication skills with children, adults and those with particular communication needs
law, and partnership working across professional disciplines and agencies
social science research methods, including ethical issues
Practice is central to the programme, and there will be practice placements in two settings and with different service user groups (eg child care and mental health). The learning on the programme builds over the two years and prepares you to apply your knowledge to practice situations. We work closely with a range of practice organisations in the Greater London Area. The placements are allocated by our placement tutor and matched with individual profiles. In some instances you may have to travel long distances to your placement organisation. You will need to cover the cost of travel to your placement. You will be expected to work the core hours.

At Goldsmiths we recognise:

the unique contribution that all students bring as individuals to the programme in terms of their personal qualities and life experiences
that professional training builds on the uniqueness of each individual by facilitating the student’s exploration of the values, knowledge base and skills of Social Work practice
that it is the student’s responsibility not only to develop a technical acquaintance with the framework of Social Work practice but also to demonstrate competence through its application in practice
that Social Workers are at the interface of society’s attempts to promote welfare
Social workers have a dual responsibility to act within the state’s welfare framework and also to recognise the pervasive influence of oppression and discrimination at an individual and a structural level in most of the situations in which they work. We will prepare you for this professional responsibility.

Year 1

In year 1 you are introduced to social work as a professional activity and an academic discipline. You consider key concepts such as the nature of need, community, social work services, and the significance of the service user perspective.

You are also provided with an introduction to: life-span development, assessment in social work and a range of social work intervention approaches. Your assessed practice consists of 70 days spent as a social worker; this gives you the chance to develop your communication and social work practice skills with service users, and to work in partnership across professional disciplines and agencies.

Year 2

Year 2 provides you with an overview of the legal and organisational context of social work, and extends your knowledge and skills in one of the two main specialist areas of social work practice: working with children and families, or working with adults in need. You will work in small groups to explore methods of intervention, research and theories which are relevant to a particular area of social work, while another assessed practice element enables you to meet the professional requirements for social work training via 100 days of practice under the guidance of a practice assessor.

You are expected to demonstrate competence across a range of standards and this is formally assessed. The learning on the MA Social Work programme builds over the two years and prepares you to apply that knowledge to practice situations.

Practice placements

You are required to spend 170 days in practice settings.

In Year 1 there is a practice placement lasting 70 days and in Year 2 the practice placement lasts 100 days. These placements are arranged through the allocation system devised by the College. The practice placements will be supported by 30 days for the development of practice skills.

You have an identified Practice Educator for each of the two practice placements. Most of our placements are located in South East London, so if you live elsewhere you will need to travel.

We have partnership agreements with the following organisations for placements in social work:

London Borough of Brent – Childrens Services
London Borough of Brent – Adults Services
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea – Adults Services
London Borough of Lambeth – Childrens Services
London Borough of Southwark – Childrens Services
London Borough of Southwark – Adults Services
London Borough of Lewisham – Childrens Services
London Borough of Lewisham – Adults Services
London Borough of Croydon – Adults Services
Royal Borough of Greenwich – Childrens Services
Royal Borough of Greenwich – Adults Services
London Borough of Bromley – Childrens Services
London Borough of Bromley – Adults Services
NSPCC (London Region)

We also work with about 20-30 voluntary/private social care agencies each year. Here are some that we've worked with recently:

Equinox Care Mental Health Services
Body and Soul HIV Service
Jamma Umoja Family Assessment Services
Advocacy in Greenwich Learning Disability Service
Lewisham Refugee Network
Turning Point Mental Health Services
Carers Lewisham

Assessment

The programme is assessed by a range of methods including essays, assessed role plays, take home papers, project work, a practice based case study, a final year dissertation, and the production of a practice portfolio for each placement.

Assessment of practice is by reports by your Practice Educator. This includes direct observation of your work with service users as well as your practice portfolio, and a narrative giving an evaluation of your work.

Professional standards

Social work is a regulated profession. From 1 August 2012, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) took on the regulation of social workers and the regulation of the performance of social work courses. This means that social work students will need to adhere to the standards set out in the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Guidance on conduct and ethics for students (HCPC 2009), and work towards meeting the HCPC Standards of Proficiency - Social workers in England (HCPC 2012). These are the standards social work students are expected to demonstrate at the end of their last placement/ qualifying level.

Skills

You'll develop the ability to practise social work in a wide variety of settings with different service user groups.

Careers

The programme will enable you to register and practise as a qualified social worker.

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

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Researchers, research managers and policy advisers, as well as service planners, are all faced with a growing need for top-quality research that is timely and relevant. This programme builds on the links between research and policy in developing the particular skills and capacities needed by policy-oriented researchers, professionals and postgraduate students interested in carrying out public policy, social policy and social welfare research. We believe this is vital if researchers are to maximise the impact of their work in addressing real issues of concern to policy-makers and decision-takers.

The programme provides core research training in philosophy and research design in the social sciences, along with introductions to and further approaches in quantitative and qualitative methods in the social sciences. It also offers elective courses in areas of the school's particular research expertise, namely child and family welfare, gender and violence, health and social care, poverty and social exclusion, and policy-oriented evaluation.

We recognise that students will be joining with relevant - albeit varied - experience. Therefore, there will be opportunities for you to draw on your own experiences as researchers, managers and policy advisers and to share these with other participants on the programme. Those who have recently embarked on a career in policy research, or who hope to do so, will find the programme offers a unique combination of academic rigour, up-to-date policy content and relevant skills development.

Programme structure

The programme is delivered through a combination of intensive block teaching and weekly delivery so as to be most accessible to postgraduate students, busy policy professionals and practitioners. The delivery of units on the programme is designed to allow students to accumulate credits flexibly and organise the patterns of attendance to suit their own needs and circumstances.

The MSc and PG Diploma consist of four core units and two optional units. A dissertation of 10-15,000 words is required for the MSc. The PG Certificate is awarded to students who successfully complete three units, two of which must be mandatory units.

Core units
-Philosophy and Research Design in the Social Sciences
-Introduction to Quantitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences
-Introduction to Qualitative Research methods in the Social Sciences
-Further Quantitative Methods

Optional units
-Further Qualitative Methods
-Domestic Violence: Research; Policy and Activism
-Researching Poverty, Inequality and Social Inclusion
-Economics of Public Policy
-Global Contexts of Rights and Disability
-Disabled Childhoods

Careers

The programme stresses the development of policy research and analysis methods, as well as substantive knowledge. In addition to careers in academia, this program prepares students for careers as policy researchers and analysts, research commissioners and managers in public or private agencies or organisations, both in the UK and overseas.

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This two-year programme is designed for people who want to qualify and practice as a professional social worker.

Social work is a demanding but highly rewarding profession, which is often in the public spotlight. As a qualified social worker you will be able to work with both children and adults, helping them to be safe so that they can cope and take control of their lives again. You will work with them to assess their needs, find what will help them, build their self-confidence and link them to other services. This requires an ability to appraise complex and difficult situations, drawing on social science research, social work theories and methods of intervention. You will need a thorough understanding of social policies and a firm grasp of the legal powers and duties that underpin your practice.

The MSc in Social Work combines university-based learning with two extended periods of supervised practice as a student social worker in a social work agency. Completion of the degree will make you eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council and practise as a qualified professional social worker in a range of areas including statutory, voluntary, private and independent sectors.

You will develop an understanding of the structural and personal factors that lead to disadvantage, oppression and discrimination and learn to apply this understanding to your practice. You will develop skills as a reflective practitioner, appraising relevant evidence, including research, to evaluate your own and others' work, and to contribute to the development of policy and practice.

Programme structure

First Year
Social Work Studies
-Social Work with Children and Young People
-Social Work with Adults
-Mental Health Social Work
-Housing and Homelessness
-Substance Misuse
-Domestic Violence

Applied Social Science and Law
-Human Growth and Development
-Law
-History and Contemporary Context of Social Work
-Organisations and the Professional Task

Foundations of Social Work: The Professional Role
-Critical Thinking Skills
-Professional Values and Ethics
-Social Work Theory and Methods
-Integrative Groups
-Skills based workshops

Practice Learning 1
-Preparation for Practice
-Communication and Interviewing Skills
-Practice Development Groups
-70-day Practice Placement

Second Year
-Social Work Studies 2
-Social Work with Children and Families OR Social Work with Adults
-Mental Health Social Work with Adults
-Child and Adolescent Mental Health
-Community Social Work Practice

Research in Social Work
-Research Methods in Social Work
-Dissertation

Practice Learning 2
-Preparation for Practice
-Practice Development Groups
-100-day practice placement
-ASYE Workshops

Careers

Completion of the degree will make you eligible to register with the Health and Care Professions Council and practise as a qualified professional social worker.

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This distance learning course was developed in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice, as the first postgraduate qualification designed to unravel the complexities of information rights.

Information Rights has developed as a profession in its own right in recent years, particularly since the introduction of landmark Data Protection, Freedom of Information and Environmental Information legislation. This course is designed to meet the distinct needs of those working in the area, where a detailed knowledge of the relevant legislation and an ability to apply it in practice is essential.

The linked structure of the course gives you maximum flexibility in your studies. The PG Cert is the first stage award; you can either exit at this stage or progress to the PG Dip and LLM.

Learn From The Best

You will learn from inspirational academics with a genuine passion for their subject and extensive professional experience, through modules shaped by world-leading and internationally excellent research. Staff interests include domestic violence, privacy, human rights (particularly the rights of children) and data protection; the unauthorised disclosure of official documents and whistleblowing; and Environmental Information.

Our academics balance teaching, research and working with external organisations. Team responsibilities include membership of the Gender Sexuality and Law Research Interest Group, membership of the steering group for the Legal Education and Professional Skills (LEAPS) Research Interest Group, and editorial responsibility for a number of leading law journals.

The course is delivered by Northumbria Law School, three times winners of the prestigious “Best Law School” accolade, awarded by the Attorney General’s Student Pro Bono Awards.

Teaching And Assessment

As a distance learning course, the key principle of your postgraduate provision is that of reflective practice, placing you at the centre of the learning process. You will be provided with detailed learning materials for each taught module via the eLearning portal site.

The course is taught from a practical viewpoint, enabling you to understand and apply the relevant law. Assessment, both formative and summative, forms an integral part of the learning experience. Formative assessment includes self-test questions, group discussion, informal peer assessment and non-assessed exercises. The main summative assessment method is individual assignment to encourage a deep learning and a critical approach to learning.

An online early “surgery” session with your course leader gives you the opportunity to discuss expectations, explore issues and provide guidance in terms of assignment submissions and extenuating circumstances.

Module Overview
LW7002 - Data Protection (Core, 20 Credits)
LW7003 - Legal Research (Core, 20 Credits)
LW7016 - Foundations of information Rights (Core, 20 Credits)

Learning Environment

Technology Enhanced Learning (‘TEL’) is an integral part of this innovative distance learning course. The eLearning portal provides access to detailed learning materials including lecture materials, study notes, discussion boards, virtual classrooms, self-evaluative tasks and opportunities to engage with your tutor and fellow students.

We offer optional study days in the Law School to help distance learning students get the best out of the course. Panopto software will be used to record teaching activity taking place on study days and the footage will be made available online.

Research-Rich Learning

Research is embedded throughout the course, and you will encounter all quadrants of research rich learning: research-tutored, research-led, research-based, and research-orientated. Starting with Legal Research, you will be exposed to a variety of research-informed experiences within subject modules.

Law School research focuses on the areas of Law and Society, Legal Education and Professional Skills, and the Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies. These internationally recognised groups act as a focus for research activity across the Law School, and their work feeds into taught courses to ensure the course content is informed by research developments in the sector.

Give Your Career An Edge

Information Rights Law and Practice has been designed for practitioners specifically charged with processing information and for other professionals working in environments where information is held, including central and local government, health, education and commerce. The PG Cert will enable you to understand and apply your knowledge within your career, and offers career development by improving your academic profile.

Having consulted with the Department for Constitutional Affairs (now the Ministry of Justice) and other relevant government departments on the design of this course, our curriculum provides a practical rather than an academic focus on information rights law and provides a professional qualification in the field of information rights. This gives you a competitive edge over graduates of other courses.

You also have access to specialist careers support within the Law School, including employer engagement sessions.

Your Future

Our graduates are equipped with expert knowledge and theory in their chosen field along with critical, analytical, research and wider transferable skills. The course aims to ensure your development of legal knowledge, legal application and critical analysis and to equip you with the professional and reflective skills necessary for practice, whatever your profession.

The curriculum will enable you to apply legal skills to common problems you are likely to experience in practice, provide you with skills necessary to reflect upon and develop policies relevant to you own workplace.

The nature of the course means that, on completion, the majority of graduates progress to the Postgraduate Diploma.

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Visit our website for more information on fees, scholarships, postgraduate loans and other funding options to study Developmental and Therapeutic Play at Swansea University - 'Welsh University of the Year 2017' (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017).

The Developmental and Therapeutic Play course aims to consider the developmental, educational and therapeutic potential of play at an advanced academic level through the combination of demanding intellectual work and sophisticated practical reflection.

Key Features of Developmental and Therapeutic Play

Teaching and Employability:

- taught by well published academics and specialist practitioners

- access to a multi-disciplinary team with strong links to similar university departments in Europe and around the world

- hands on practical workshops as well as lectures and seminars

- good record of graduate employment

- employability supported by the university-wide careers service as well as the teaching team

- numerous links with local businesses to increase prospects for work experience

- fieldwork experience included as part of the programme

- excellent teaching and learning experiences and cross-cultural insights developed through an international cohort

- opportunity to pursue a PhD supervised by a well-qualified member of the team

The Developmental and Therapeutic Play course is a modular postgraduate programme consisting of 180 credits at level M.

The course is offered on a part-time basis with completion typically within three years.

Developmental and Therapeutic Play examines how children’s play develops and how children develop as they play. It explores evidence based play practice across a range of professional contexts. Play is an important element of provision across all Children’s Services in the UK and beyond. Graduate employment prospects are wide ranging and past students have secured a range of interesting posts.

The Developmental and Therapeutic Play course offers the perfect opportunity to study children’s play at an advanced academic level, combining theoretical work with fieldwork experience and high-level reflection. It is taught by internationally recognised and well published academics in the field.

The Developmental and Therapeutic Play course aims to deepen students’ understanding of the developmental and therapeutic potential of play. This includes how the environment and social interactions support children’s growing repertoire of play skills, with a particular emphasis on the inherent value of children’s self-directed play experiences.

The developmental, educational and therapeutic potential of play across multiple contexts are also considered i.e. inclusive play practice, observation, assessment and being able to identify when further professional assistance may be required.

Modules

Modules on the Developmental and Therapeutic Play may include:

Play Theory and Practice

Researching Childhood

Perspectives on Play

Understanding and Observing Child Development

Therapeutic Work with Children

Careers and Employability

The Developmental and Therapeutic Play course is highly regarded resulting in specialist positions in education, international aid, counselling and pastoral care, social work, hospital/healthcare and playwork.

Graduates have secured posts in domestic violence teams, the prison service, hospitals and schools. Some have also set up their own businesses or have gone on to pursue further training in play therapy, counselling, psychotherapy or clinical psychology.

The College also offers supervision for Developmental and Therapeutic Play students who wish to continue their studies in this field at PhD level.

Voluntary work throughout the course is encouraged.

The College also provides career information and relevant job advertisements as well as career tutorials. Past Developmental and Therapeutic Play graduates are involved in future teaching and publication of student research is encouraged.

Work Experience and Volunteering

The College of Human and Health Sciences has links with a number of local children’s services who may be prepared to offer volunteering or work experience opportunities.

Gaining experience is vital to building a strong CV and increasing employability on graduation.

Staff Expertise

Team members are active researchers and their work is well published.

Many past Developmental and Therapeutic Play students have published their research or presented their findings at seminars and conferences. This is encouraged and supported by the academic team and demonstrates the high quality of work being produced.

Postgraduate Community

The College of Human and Health Sciences has a vibrant postgraduate community with students drawn from a variety of backgrounds and nationalities. The College is known for its friendly, welcoming and supportive environment, which combined with its extensive facilities, state-of-the-art technology and superb beachside location, helps to ensure that students benefit from an exceptional student experience.

In addition, students have access to a wide range of excellent facilities and equipment for realistic workplace experiences.

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The course has a highly applied focus, designed to develop the knowledge and skills which will be directly relevant to employment in careers with the police, public services or third sector organisations.

Alongside modules that examine specialist academic themes, students also undertake an individual or group project with a host organisation, exploring the application of research evidence to effective professional practice.

The course benefits from strong staff and student links with a wide range of bodies which offer opportunities for collaboration including: Gloucestershire Constabulary; the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire; Restorative Gloucestershire; charities providing support and training around domestic violence, homicide, stalking and sexual offences; and community organisations active in crime prevention and reduction initiatives.

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This course is designed for staff in local authorities, the NHS, voluntary and third sector who use group work, informal learning and activity, outreach and community work especially those working with young people and adults often labelled as hard to reach.

This very flexible distance learning course can be studied part-time or full-time. It attracts staff from across the UK from a variety
of settings such as parenting education, youth work, children’s centres, sexual health roles, drug abuse, housing and homelessness, youth offending, mental health, community development and domestic violence. It is also suitable for youth work and community development work practitioners seeking to explore health related topics prevalent in both generic work and
specialist health education and development projects.

Students must complete a dissertation in a health-related topic identified in discussion with academic staff. This course enables the development of innovative, progressive practitioners to reflectively engage with concepts and practices of social justice and equality.

•Suitable for qualified practitioners, with a flexible study course allowing study alongside work
•DMU holds an international reputation in the field of youth and community development
•Staff are engaged in professional practice, research, consultancy and teaching, providing you with teaching that is relevant, current and applicable to recent initiatives
•Provides an opportunity to study at an advanced academic and professional level
•High quality practice-related modules enabling practitioners and clients to achieve planned change through the process of education, development and practice-orientated research

Course modules:

The course comprises of three core modules:
•Issues of Health and Well-being (15 credits)
•Health and Social Research Methods (15 credits)
•Theory and Practice of Community Development (15 credits)

You will study up to five other modules depending on your chosen pathway. There are three pathways:
•The Generic pathway
•The Research pathway
•The Management pathway

There is plenty of opportunity to specialise on a chosen theme within modules and by using the Negotiated Module and the
Dissertation/Practice-Related Project to pursue themes in depth. A number of specialist modules are taken, these include:

First semester 15 credit modules:
•Negotiated Module
•Managing Services and People
•Anti-Oppressive Practice

Second semester modules:
•Health and Social Research Methods 2 (15 credits)
•Optional modules x 2 (select from a varied list of specialist modules)
•Dissertation (60 or 90 credits)

There are a several specialist optional modules available in each of the semesters, although some are only available biennially.

Teaching and Assessment :

The core module and most specialist modules are launched during one of two block teaching weeks held each year. These modules are supported by a wide variety of written material, individual and corporate tasks. You are required to engage in a number of online seminars in each module which is compulsory.

The course works to build a learning community, from the initial contact on selection day and in the induction periods onwards. Assessment is usually by written assignment of 4,000 words per15 credit module. Contributions to online seminars are compulsory and also an attendance requirement.

International students come to study in the UK because the quality of our teaching is among the best in the world, offering a varied selection of teaching methods to suit all learning requirements.

Expertise:

Staff in the department have more than 50 years’ experience and are one of the largest teams in the UK. They continue to work for a range of organisations that work with young people including charities, voluntary and statutory agencies at local,
national and international levels.

Thematic areas of interest include a specialist expertise and interest in global youth and community development work (resulting
in numerous conferences and publications by Dr Momodou Sallah, a leading expert in this area); work with black young
people (again, resulting in key conferences and texts by Carlton Howson and Momodou Sallah); youth participation and citizenship (including an evaluation of a Beacon Councils initiative and ongoing partnership work with the Centre for Social Action); anti-oppressive practice (Dr Jagdish Chouhan); hospital and other health-related youth work; (Dr Scott Yates) and the
context, management and operation of children and young people’s services; (Mary Tyler, and recent high profile work undertaken by visiting professors Bernard Davies and Bryan Merton). In the last five years seven books have been published by
authors in the division with a further two forthcoming titles.

Graduate Careers:

Many of our graduates go into a wide range of senior posts in community health, youth work and community development work in
both the statutory and voluntary sector, all over the world. An MA is a recommended qualification for workers who want
to hold senior positions. The MA is recognised internationally as a valid postgraduate level of study and its content is relevant for issues relating to a developing country’s health and community provision.

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This course is for experienced youth and community development work practitioners seeking to further develop their knowledge and understanding of their practice and the rapidly changing contexts in which they work. It is also suitable for staff in local authorities, the NHS, voluntary and third sector who use group work, informal learning and activity, outreach and community work, especially those working with young people and adults often labelled as hard to reach. This very flexible distance learning course can be studied part-time or full-time. It attracts staff from across the UK from a variety of settings such as parenting education, youth work, children’s centres, sexual health roles, drug abuse, housing and homelessness, youth offending, mental health, community development and domestic violence.

This course enables the development of innovative, progressive practitioners to reflectively engage with concepts and practices of social justice and equality.
•Suitable for qualified practitioners, with a flexible study course allowing study alongside work
•D MU holds an international reputation in the field of youth and community development
•Staff are engaged in professional practice, research, consultancy and teaching, providing you with teaching that is relevant, current and applicable to recent initiatives
•Provides an opportunity to study at an advanced academic and professional level
•High quality practice-related modules enabling practitioners and clients to achieve planned change through the process of education, development and practice-orientated research
The course consists of three core modules:
•Health and Social Research Methods;
•Theory and Practice of Community Development;
•Theory and Practice of Youth Work

You will study up to five other modules depending on your chosen pathway. There are three pathways:
•The generic pathway offers the greatest flexibility
•The research pathway includes taught modules in research methods and advanced research methods, plus a 90 credit dissertation. You will consider practice-based, evaluative and academic modes of research
•On the management pathway you are required to take three management modules and complete a management-focused dissertation

You will take a number of specialist modules, these include:
First semester modules:
•Negotiated Module (15 credits) allows you to formulate, present and implement an individual proposal in an area of professional relevance and interest
•Managing Services and People (15 credits) increases self-confidence and performance as a manager of people and projects within a youth work and community development environment
•Anti-Oppressive Practice (15 credits) analyses concepts of oppression, discrimination and inequality and develops effective anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice
•Health and Social Research Methods 2 (15 credits) is focused on critical deconstruction of approaches to research and evaluation.
Second semester modules:
•Health and Well-being (15 credits) introduces key concepts of health and well-being in the context of youth work and community development
•Optional modules x 2 (select from a varied list of specialist modules)
•Dissertation (60 or 90 credits)
•There are several specialist optional modules available in each of the semesters, although some are only available biennially.

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Studying on this course enables you to develop your knowledge and skills to work with children, young people, their families and carers to improve health and wellbeing.

You learn to develop a pragmatic public health philosophy for family healthcare and an evidence-based skill set applicable to the challenges of contemporary practice.

To meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards, your studies consists of 50% practice and 50% theory (alongside 100% attendance). We structure the postgraduate diploma to reflect the important balance of the practice elements, which are designated practice days or work-based learning. A 10 week consolidated practice block (in semester 3) enables you to work independently while remaining under the supervision of a practice teacher. The theoretical elements involve a mix of learning approaches including self-directed study days.

Another key aspect of your studies is to develop an understanding of the levels of accountability and responsibility you take on in these roles. You learn how to ensure public protection is developed to deliver safe and effective health improvements to individuals, groups and communities.

There are many opportunities on the course to share learning from your peers and other disciplines from across the primary /community care teams and services that work with children, young people and families.

When you start to put what you have learnt into practice, you benefit from strong partnerships with health, education and local authority organisations in the region.

The modern and diverse placements you go on are designed to meet the changing needs of children, young people and families, and may include placement with social services, education and a variety of organisations from the voluntary sector – foster collaborations with those that work alongside health visitors and school nurses.

You also complete a research-based module which provides a building block for further study from the exit award of PgDip to MSc qualification. The learning from the research module equips you to use policy and research to underpin and develop innovative practice and gives you the skills to frame a research question, take empirical research and write up an academic dissertation. If you successfully complete the PgDip, you can at a later date (pending additional funding and study) undertake a 60 credit dissertation module and gain an MSc qualification.

Experienced course teaching team

Experienced health visitor and school nurse lecturers deliver the course. As a student you learn from a highly motivated and proactive teaching team aiming to improve lives through excellence in professionalism. We ensure our students and the public benefit from a commitment to evidence-based education, application to practice and impact on quality of care.

Some lecturers are engaged in ongoing research and are publishing in peer reviewed journals with areas of expertise that include safeguarding, the child and families agenda, behaviour change and community development.

Four members of our teaching team are also Fellows of the Institute of Health Visiting (iHV), a professional body which strives for excellence in the health visiting profession.

Successfully completing the course

• gives you a deeper awareness of the need to maintain and develop your own competence and that of others in the changing context of health visiting and school nursing, with a specific focus on the leadership required to ensure high quality care and enhance service user experience.
• develops and enhances your leadership skills to foster excellence in public health practice and shape services to meet the identified needs of individuals, groups and communities.

Gaining an MSc qualification enhances your employability in advanced and specialist roles available to health visitors and school nurses. These may include working in public health positions in local authorities or in advisory and health education positions in acute health care.

Study individual modules

You have the option to study individual modules from this course and gain academic credit towards a qualification. Visit our continuing professional development website for more information.

Professional recognition

This course is approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Graduates are eligible to apply to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse - Health Visitor or School Nurse.

You must be registered with the NMC in order to practise as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse in the UK.

To access the full course and gain the NMC recognised qualifications, you need to be sponsored by an employing NHS organisation (hence have NHS contract for the length of the course). 

Course structure

Postgraduate diploma modules

• family centred public health
• developing therapeutic reationships
• perspectives on safeguarding for SCPHN
• evidence based public health practice
• developing specialist practice
• nurse prescribing (v100)
• research methods for practice

Masters

• dissertation (60 credits)

Assessment

• critiques/critical reflection
• reports
• essays
• objective structured clinical assessment and examination
• examinations
• portfolio including prescribing workbook, reflection and practice assessment document
• research
• dissertation (MSc only)

Employability

You will enhance your professional and academic development on this course. Completing the course enables you to be registered with the NMC as a registered specialist community public health nurse - as either a health visitor or school nurse (SCPHN-HV or SCPHN-SN). It also enables you to be annotated on the NMC register as a community practitioner nurse prescriber. This course will also provide you with advanced skills in research.

As a health visitor or school nurse you will develop specialist skills and attributes to work in different health, social and educational settings. You gain experience of public health at an individual, family and community level, working with children, young people, families.

You can develop your career

• in a specialist and/or consultant role - such as working with early interventions (parenting), homeless, asylum seekers, safeguarding, looked after children (LAC), domestic violence (DV), child sexual exploitation (CSE), public health.
• practice educators, such as community practice educators or mentors
• family nurse partnership nurse (FNP)
• counsellor
• sexual health advisor
• management opportunities, such as - children’s services manager, head of health and social services
• researcher in health, social care or education settings
• overseas with the voluntary overseas service

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This programme critically addresses a range of key issues and debates relating to crime and the criminal justice system. Students have the opportunity to develop in-depth understanding of crime, deviance and criminal justice from critical theoretical, policy, legal, political and practical perspectives. Addressing issues of historical and contemporary concern such as terrorism, prostitution, legal and illegal drugs, crime in the night time economy, forced migration, gender and crime, domestic violence, crime prevention, punishment, policing, youth crime and justice, law enforcement and the use of new technologies. Students study issues of theoretical and social importance with lecturers who are international experts in their fields.

Course Structure

Students take a range of taught modules primarily in the first two terms of the academic year. Students also undertake a module on research design which enables students to develop a research proposal for their dissertation.

Core Modules:
Theorising Crime and Criminal Justice (30 credits)
-Apply theories of crime and justice to topical issues
-Theory and practice of criminal justice
-Analysis of contemporary politics
-Governance of criminal justice

Perspectives on Social Research (15 credits)
-Introduction to social scientific research
-Establishing cause and interpreting meaning in social sciences
-Essentials of quantitative and qualitative research in social science research

Research Design and Progress (15 credits)
-Formulating research questions
-Ethical review procedures
-Research proposal design, evaluation, and development
-Conversational analysis in practice
-Qualitative interviewing.

Dissertation (60 credits)
-A dissertation of up to 15,000 words.

Optional Modules:
Typical modules outlined below are those that were available to students styuding this programme in previous years. Choose modules to the value of 60 credits, listed below (60 credits)
-Gender, Violence and Abuse (30 credits)
-Drugs, Crime and Society (30 credits)
-Crime, Justice and the Sex Industry (30 credits)
-Cybercrime and cybersecurity: (30 credits)
-Sociology of Forensic Science (30 credits)
-Statistical Exploration and Reasoning (15 credits)
-Qualitative Research Methods in Social Science (15 credits)
-Quantitative Research Methods in Social Science (15 credits)

You will also have the opportunity to take a range of modules from other programmes within the Faculty such as those associated with the MSc in Risk and Security.

Learning and Teaching

The MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice is a 1 year full-time programme which may also be taken part-time. The programme’s core consists of a 60 credit dissertation module, one 30 credit module on Criminological Theory, one 15 credit module on Theories of Social Research and one 15 credit module on Research Design. Students are also required to undertake 60 further credits of modules from within SASS or other related departments which may be taught in a variety of ways.

Core teaching on the programme falls primarily within the two 10 week terms, the second of which commences one week prior to the Undergraduate Term. Depending on module choice students may receive between 6 and 8 hours of tuition per week in either or both of these terms.

The programme is taught according to a variety of approaches. Modules such as ‘Theorising Crime and Criminal Justice’ operate a standard 2 hour session within which lecturing, seminar discussion, workshops or presentations may take place. Modules such as ‘Perspectives on Social Research’, ‘Quantitative Methods’ and ‘Qualitative Methods’ operate a weekly lecture series followed by seminar discussion. Other modules such as ‘Statistical Exploration and Reasoning’ operate computer-based practicals.

Following completion of teaching in terms 1 and 2, the ‘Research Design’ module allows for 4 day long workshops. Reflecting on the process of research design, the module supports the student in formulating the research question for their dissertation.

The MSc programme is research-led at its core. The compulsory module 'Theorising Crime and Criminal Justice' links explicitly with the research activities of the criminology staff; the module ‘Crime Violence and Abuse’ links with the current research activities of the School’s research group of the same name; and ‘Drugs, Crime and Society’ is taught by an internationally renowned expert in the field . Students subsequently undertake a 60 credit dissertation on a topic of their choice supervised by staff who are actively researching in a relevant area. While this module is intended to afford an opportunity for a significant piece of independent and original research, it includes up to four hours of regular supervision which takes place typically from the end of term 2. Students will also participate in two one-hour workshops convened by a supervisor and usually alongside others researching in similar areas.

While teaching is intensive, particularly in terms 1 and 2, it is intended that the programme presents options for part-time study. Consequently, teaching is undertaken where possible in timetable slots which take place late in the afternoon.

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