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Queen's University Belfast

Social Work with Children Young People & Families

The modules that make up the Social Work with Children, Young People and Families programme are designed to meet the continuing professional development needs of social work staff working across the Child Care sector.

The programme presents opportunities to study a range of areas relevant to practice with children, young people and families, with three modules focusing broadly on

• Advanced Knowledge, Theory and Methods
• Promoting and Safeguarding the Welfare of Children and Families
• Enhancing Outcomes for Children in State Care

Teaching is informed by current research and evidence, and students are encouraged to apply the learning to their particular professional contexts. Working with practitioners from a range of settings affords a creative and challenging opportunity for learning and the sharing of ideas and approaches for best practice with children, young people and families.

Students can access modules individually and accumulate academic credit points towards an award, affording the flexibility to work within your own time schedules.

While modules can be taken on a 'stand alone' basis, the full PG Diploma programme aims to maintain educational coherence whilst offering learning opportunities across a wide range of topics and issues.

Please note that this course is not eligible for a Tier 4 visa.

Social Work with Children, Young People and Families highlights

The PG Diploma meets all nine of the professional requirements in the 'specialist' category.

Professional Accreditations
•The programme has been accredited by the Northern Ireland Post-Qualifying Education and Training Partnership and offers a professional award and requirements at the specialist level.

Industry Links
•For social workers, the programme reflects the Department of Health policy in relation to social work and social care training and development (The Personal Social Services Development and Training Strategy, 2006-16), including links with the Northern Ireland Post-Qualifying Education and Training Partnership's professional requirements and awards.

Career Development
•Professional Development The programme offers relevant CPD opportunities for social workers as well as recognised qualifications accredited by the University which will augment their professional development and enhance the development of further opportunities in their chosen field of practice.

Student Experience
•The programme leader and lecturers have developed and nurtured their subject proficiency via their own practice, teaching and research in relation to their specialist area and they impart this trilateral expertise to the students via teaching on the PG Diploma programme.

Entry requirements

Entrance requirements

Graduate
Normally a 2.2 Honours degree or above or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University. Equivalent qualifications include the Pre-2007 Post-Qualifying Award in Social Work. Where this is not met, applicants must demonstrate that their experience and qualifications enable them to undertake study at postgraduate level through the uptake of references and through completing a written assignment.

Please note that this programme is only open to applicants who are working as Social Care Professionals within NI/UK.

Applicants must also possess a social work qualification recognised by the Northern Ireland Social Care Council, be registered with the Council and should normally have two years post-qualification experience practising with service users or carers in a social work setting (including the Assessed Year in Employment where appropriate). All applicants must be currently engaged for at least 12 hours per week in a capacity in which core social work values underpin their practice with service users or carers.

It is important that Social Work applicants include their NISCC Social Care Registration Number in the Additional Information section of the application form.

International Students

For information on international qualification equivalents, please check the specific information for your country.

English Language Requirements

Evidence of an IELTS* score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University is required (*taken within the last 2 years).

International students wishing to apply to Queen's University Belfast (and for whom English is not their first language), must be able to demonstrate their proficiency in English in order to benefit fully from their course of study or research. Non-EEA nationals must also satisfy UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) immigration requirements for English language for visa purposes.

For more information on English Language requirements for EEA and non-EEA nationals see: www.qub.ac.uk/EnglishLanguageReqs.

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this degree programme, INTO Queen's University Belfast offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for admission to this degree.

•Academic English: an intensive English language and study skills course for successful university study at degree level

•Pre-sessional English: a short intensive academic English course for students starting a degree programme at Queen's University Belfast and who need to improve their English.

Duration

1 year part-time

Careers or further progression

Career Prospects

Introduction
Continuing professional registration in social work is predicated on continuing professional development, which this programme and its pathways offer. The Dept. of Health has directed that social workers demonstrate their competence covered in the curricula of this programme and its pathways.

The three modules can be taken as standalone modules (each earning 40 academic credits) but can be combined to achieve either a Postgraduate Certificate in Social Work with Children, Young People and Families – which requires successful completion of two of the modules; or a Postgraduate Diploma in ASocial Work with Children, Young People and Families – which requires successful completion of all three modules. Candidates can then go on to complete the MSc in Social Work with Children, Young People and Families by completing a further Dissertation module which earns an additional 60 academic credits.

The three modules on the PGDip have all been accredited as meeting requirements for the NI Specialist Award in Social Work under the PiP framework as follows:

SWK8055 – requirements 1, 5 and 8
SWK8056 – requirements 2, 4 and 7
SWK8057 – requirements 3, 6 and 9

A candidate who completes all three modules, therefore, will be awarded a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work with Children, Young People and Families and the NI Specialist Award in Social Work.

A candidate who completes two modules will be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Social Work with Children, Young People and Families but will also have achieved six of the requirements for the NI Specialist Award.

A candidate who completes all three modules and then goes on to do the Dissertation module will achieve an MSc in Social Work with Children, Young People and Families – they will also have met all of the requirements for the Specialist Award and, in addition, three of the requirements for the Leadership and Strategic Award (requirements 4, 7 and 9) which the Dissertation module delivers.

Subjects taught

Course Structure

The MSc in Social Work with Children, Young People and Families is a modular Master's programme where students can opt to follow a defined route by taking all of the modules attached to a specific pathway, or choose a mix of modules, subject to entry requirements, across four pathways. Students enrol on a part-time basis; they must also be currently engaged for at least 12 hours per week in a capacity in which core social work values underpin their practice with service users or carers.

The Postgraduate Diploma is awarded to students who successfully complete the three taught modules (which amount to 120 CATS points).

Course Details
Core Modules (40 CATS points each)

There are three core modules which can also be taken as standalone modules:

SWK8055 Advanced Knowledge, Theory and Methods
SWK8056 Promoting and Safeguarding the Welfare of Children and their Families
SWK8057 Enhancing Outcomes for Children in State Care

Assessment method

Assessment

Assessments associated with this course are outlined below:

A variety of assessment methods for the Diploma will be used including written assignments, incorporating reflective analysis of how the student applied relevant theory to their practice in different cases, an assignment critically reflecting on how the student has enhanced the practice of colleagues drawing on the knowledge in the relevant module; and in SWK8056 and SWK8057, through direct observations of the student's practice.