My name is Jeremy Ross, I’m a
Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Kingston University and
I want to talk to you about the BA Honours degree
in Social Work
This is a 3 year program that enables you to qualify as
Social worker, now Social workers are involved
in supporting people and providing services
to adults, as well as children and families
They work in Local authorities
NHS Trust, the private and voluntary sector
including Housing Associations
The first year of the three year degree, is called
the Foundation Year, in which you deal with those
foundation subjects that are absolutely necessary to your
substantive training as Social Worker, that includes
social Sciences which are Psychology
Sociology and Social Policy. you also study
Ethics and Human Growth and Development
The second year is the first of the two years when
you actually study social work in more detail
The theoretical input you get on the course, deals
with Social Workers use involved with adults, children and
young people and that includes the disabled
it also includes the older people, it includes families
with disabled children, the whole range
Now the most important aspect of this second year it’s
is your first opportunity to go on placement
Now placement is a 100 days, when you work in a
social work setting, which maybe either a
voluntary organisation or a local authority to learn
specific skills required of a social worker
You will have, what is termed a Practice Teacher
who will be involved in teaching you basic techniques
and ensuring that you have an active and effective placement
That Practice Teacher will verify that you have
achieved a set level of competents
The third year of the degree in Social Work
is the final year, in which you start to integrate
your theory and practice
Using an understanding of research, which includes
reviewing literature, looking at research methods and
being able to demonstrate the ability to link these
things with the task involved in the Social Work
Like in the second year, you also have to do a
100 days placement, the difference is between the second
and third year placement is in the third year
you will have to demonstrate a higher level of competence
across all the various key roles social Workers have to
There’s one examination across, in each of the 3 years
apart from that, you’d have to undertake assignments
on all the modules, and some of the modules will have
more than one assignment, you must pass both
the examinations and the assignments
Now for the placements, you have to produce a verified portfolio
Lastly, but not leastly, this is an interesting course that
prepares you for the role of being a social worker
It is something worthwhile considering and
I look forward to receiving your applications
