BSc (Hons)
Social Work
Invaluable practical experience for the social work profession
Course Overview
Why take this course?
Social workers are key professionals and provide an important focus on peoples’ needs, while also developing new and interesting means of delivering services. Do you feel you have the strength and capability to work within one of the many facets of social service? If so, this course will prepare you to understand the fast-changing world of social work.
What will I experience?
On this course you will:
- Be taught by experts at the forefront of research and who are fully informed on developments within social work
- Put your learning into action during your work placement, which can be taken in a social care setting in the UK or Europe
- Experience inter-professional learning by shadowing and receiving mentoring from experienced practitioners while they assist real patients
What opportunities might it lead to?
This degree is the professional qualification for social work, approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). It will provide you with the knowledge, theory, values and skills to work with the most vulnerable individuals and groups in society.
Here are some routes our graduates have pursued:
- advocacy agencies
- community healthcare practice
- rehabilitation centres
- voluntary organisations
The curricula draws on UK and international social work traditions, while also integrating creativity and traditions such as drama, film, music, poetry and other creative activities to produce an exciting and vibrant experience for you.
Dr Kieron Hatton, BSc (Hons) Social Work lecturer
Key Facts
- UCAS Course Code:
- L500
- Duration
- 3 years full time
- Entry
280 points to include a minimum of 200 points from 2 A levels or equivalent one of which must be in a relevant subject (Critical Thinking, English, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Sociology, Theology, Health & Social Care). Access courses in Health and Social Care are also acceptable. All applicants are subject to interview. All offers are subject to Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance and Occupational Health clearance.
English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 7.0 with no component score below 6.5.
Other qualifications- Fees
UK/EU/Channel Islands and Isle of Man full-time students: £8,750 p/a*
International full-time students: £11,000 p/a*
*Please note that all fees are subject to annual increase.- Contact
- sci.admissions@port.ac.uk
+44 (0)23 9284 5550 - Department
- School of Health Sciences and Social Work
Subject:
Health Sciences and Social Work
Find out what our students say about studying at Portsmouth, including:
- The clinical and real-life learning approach that will equip you for your chosen career
- Our simulated environments that mean you’ll gain and practise the skills you’ll need before entering the workplace
- Approachable lecturers, many of whom are teacher practitioners
Visit us at our open day
Wed 10 Jul
Structure & Teaching
Year one
Your first year will ensure you gain the foundation knowledge, values and skills that you’ll be continuing to develop throughout the course. This will also be your initial training for your work placements in actual practice settings.
Core units in this year include:
- Social Work in Context
- Becoming a Fit Practitioner
- Social Work Theory, Methods and Introduction to Research
- Life Course and Social Work Skills
- Values, Ethics and Diversity
- Introduction to the Legal and Policy Framework for Social Work
Year two
In this year you’ll build on what you have already learnt and explore how the service can be adapted to other users.
Core units in this year include:
- Children’s Services – National and International Perspectives
- Mental Health and Vulnerable Adults – National and International Perspectives
- Law, Practice and Research
- Creativity and Empowerment
- Practice Learning One and Inter-Professional Practice
Year three
Your final year will focus on the inter-professional and international models of practice. You’ll also complete a piece of independent study on a topic of particular interest to you.
Core units in this year include:
- Professional Social Work in an Inter-Professional Context
- Social Work Futures in a Global Context
- Practice Learning Two
Teaching and Assessment
Face-to-face learning via lectures, seminars and practical work including teaching methods such as creative art and performance will make up the majority of your campus-based learning. You will also be expected to apply the theoretical and practical components of the course to your social care placements.
How are you assessed?
On this course there is a varied blend of assessment methods as well as a dissertation, which can be subject-specific to follow the direction of your career. Here’s how we assess you:
- tests (academic or practical/skills based)
- compilation of DVDs
- online assessment
- academic written work/portfolios
- presentations
- dissertation/project
Visit us open day
Facilities & Features
UoP Social Work Inclusion Group
SWIG members aim to help you understand service user's experiences
Centre for Simulation in Healthcare
Our aim is to enhance your learning and experiences
University Library
Our library offers a wealth of information
UoP Social Work Inclusion Group
On this course you’ll work closely with the University of Portsmouth Social Work Inclusion Group (SWIG) – a service user group with experience of working, directly or indirectly, with social workers. SWIG members aim to help you understand service user experiences and enables you to hear their narratives. A great way to gain insight into service user needs and best social work practice.
Centre for Simulation in Healthcare
Our aim is to enhance your learning and experiences through the use of innovative technologies. You’ll practise profession-specific skills in a safe and supportive environment as well as experience the types of clinical and informal healthcare situations that you’ll encounter in the workplace. The Centre is used to simulate real-life scenarios – a great way to prepare you for the real thing during placement.
University Library
Modern, comfortable and a great learning environment, our library offers a wealth of information including 400,000 books, DVDs, maps and thousands of online ejournals and newspapers. Many electronic resources are available anywhere, 24/7 and our friendly staff are always on hand to help.
Careers & Opportunities
Career prospects
On successful completion of the course you will be eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), enabling you to work as a professional social worker in a wide variety of statutory, voluntary and independent sector agencies.
This is an exciting time for social work. A report from the Social Work Reform Board and the recent developments at the National College of Social Work mean that social work as a profession is experiencing a high public profile. Potential careers are in child protection, social work, working as mental health practitioners, in youth offending teams and in a wide range of voluntary organisations.
Roles our graduates have taken on include:
- care manager
- persistent offender coordinator
- housing adviser
- social worker
- family support worker
Work experience
A key component of this degree is practice learning. You’ll also have the opportunity to undertake two practice placements – one in your second year and one in the third. There’s also the chance for you to take your final- year placement in another country with options for placements in several European countries.
Your placements provide you with practice experience in different sectors of the social care workforce and involve working with two different groups of service users. You’ll therefore have the option to work in different social care settings including:
- care for children and families
- residential care for people with disabilities
- community mental health teams
- hospital social work departments
- youth offending teams
- advocacy agencies
- drug and alcohol treatment centres
- homelessness projects
Career planning
6.04 minutes
Finding a job is a competitive business, but the statistics show that 89 per cent of our 2011graduates went into employment, further study or training within six months of finishing their degrees.
To make sure you take the right steps on your career path, we’re here to give you help, support and advice throughout your study. Even after you’ve graduated, we continue to give you support for up to five years.
Employers tell us that they want graduates to be able to demonstrate certain skills when they come out of university. Our courses take account of this. We make sure we prepare you for employment through work-related learning, projects, placements and working in simulated environments that are designed to prepare you for the working world.
Open Day
Our next open day is Wed 10 July
VISIT US! Have a look around and get a feel for what it’s like to live and study here. We’ll be on hand to talk to you about your course interests and show you all of our amazing facilities. You’ll also get to meet tutors and other students…
Application, Fees and Funding — find out more