Short Courses, Academy for Advanced Social Work, Lancaster University

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1 Short Courses, Academy for Advanced Social Work, Lancaster University The Advanced Social Work scheme provides Continuing Professional Development courses for social workers and other experienced practitioners working in social welfare and protection services. Social workers who take these courses must be qualified for at least a year and be working at the social worker or experienced social worker levels of the Professional Capabilities Framework. These are practitioners who are working with complexity, managing greater levels of risk and uncertainty and holding increased levels of responsibility. The scheme consists of a range of modules which participants can take as stand-alone courses or combine with other modules, over a period of up to five years, to work towards a Post-graduate Certificate, Diploma or MA. Students can choose which modules to study and in which order to take them. Each module enables students to engage with current research and contemporary debates in the profession. We will be running the following short courses in Advances in child protection Child neglect: Assessment and decision-making Child welfare and social pedagogy Social approaches to voice hearing: a lived experience perspective Course Structure These courses are delivered through two intensive, day-long workshops and a series of learning activities, virtual seminars and online discussion forums over the course of 7-10 weeks. Course participants are facilitated to work as a small group of experienced practitioners, engaging in exercises which enable them to share detailed, anonymised accounts of their practice for critical analysis in a supportive environment. There is an emphasis on engaging with and employing current knowledge in order to develop practice throughout the course. Study takes place in small groups and is designed to be accessible for students who are travelling to Lancaster from other parts of the UK. Assessment and Qualifications Each course carries 20 Higher Education credits at level 7. Successful completion leads to a Lancaster University Postgraduate Certificate of Achievement. Academic credits can also be used towards a Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma or MA in Advanced Social Work. 1

2 The courses are assessed via a written assignment of 4000 words, where students use current knowledge to critically analyse practice. Students have access to face to face and e- tutorials in relation to their assessed work. There are no exams. Assignments are usually due to be submitted around 4 weeks after the end of the course. Entry requirements Applicants should have at least a lower second class honours degree in social work or a social science subject, or a degree level qualification in a related profession, or a Masters degree in Social Work. Social workers taking these courses should have practised for at least one year following qualification. Fees The fees for were 750, the fees for will be confirmed shortly. How to Apply New Students If you haven t studied a short course at the Advanced Academy for Social Work before you will need to submit an online application for Institutional Credit - Advanced Social Work. This is done via As part of your application you will need to - upload your degree transcript(s) and certificate(s) - provide a name and address of two referees - submit a personal statement. Please indicate within this statement which course(s) you wish to register for. This application process registers you as a postgraduate student at Lancaster University, allowing you to complete the courses and gain Institutional credit. As well as submitting a formal application please Rachel Verrall to register a place on the specific course (this registration will be subject to the formal acceptance of your online application by the University Admissions Team) Please submit the application at least 4 weeks before the start of the course How to Apply Continuing Students If you have completed a short course before, and already submitted a formal application as explained above, you should Rachel Verrall at least 4 weeks before the start of the course to register your place. 2

3 Contact Details If you have any queries about these short courses please contact us Programme Administrator Rachel Verrall Director of Studies Dharman Jeyasingham Further details of each module can be found below. 3

4 Advances in Child Protection When will it run? This course is offered in Michaelmas term (October December 2015). 2 compulsory day-long workshops: dates tbc. Who is it for? This course is designed for social workers and other professionals who are involved in child protection practice as part of their work. Course details Advances in Child Protection enables practitioners to engage with the latest knowledge about child maltreatment and child protection. For example, the course explores: Recent evidence about the impact of child abuse and neglect, including developments in attachment theory Assessment and management of risk in areas of complexity such as perinatal mental health, 'street grooming' and commercial sexual exploitation of young people Current discussion in social work and elsewhere about protection of children and young people in emerging contexts, for example 'cyborg' childhoods Evaluation of effectiveness in child protection intervention for example, systemic and strengths based approaches to child protection, arrangements for managing complex, multi-disciplinary work Course participants are facilitated to work as a small group of experienced practitioners, engaging in exercises which enable them to share detailed, anonymised accounts of their practice for critical analysis in a supportive environment. There is an emphasis on engaging with and employing current knowledge in order to develop practice throughout the course. Participants will also be able to access a number of master classes by leaders in child protection research and practice. 4

5 Child neglect: assessment and decision-making When will it run? This course is offered in Lent term (January March 2016). 2 compulsory day-long workshops: dates tbc. Who is it for? Assessment and Decision Making in the Context of Child Neglect is designed for social workers and other professionals who work in children's safeguarding, child protection, looked after children's or adoption services. Course details Whilst neglect is one of the most common forms of maltreatment that child protection practitioners encounter, it is also likely to present particular challenges in terms of assessing impact, establishing working relationships and enabling positive and sustained changes. Practitioners working with older children and in looked after children's and adoption services also encounter children who have needs as a result of past experiences of neglect. Research about neglect, its impact and how practitioners respond to it has increased substantially in recent years and this course enables practitioners to engage with this knowledge and consider its relevance for their practice. This course explores the following topics: Developments in knowledge about the prevalence of neglect, its causes and its immediate and longer term impacts for children during different phases of development Understanding and skills required in identifying and assessing neglect in practice Intervening to enable improvements in parenting where children are experiencing neglect Interventions with children and young people who have difficulties resulting from past experiences of neglect 5

6 Child Welfare and Social Pedagogy When will it run? This course is offered in Summer term (April- June 2016). 2 compulsory day-long workshops: dates tbc. Who is it for? This course is designed for social workers and other professionals who are interested in the use of social pedagogic approaches in all child welfare contexts. It is relevant for people who have existing experience of using this model of practice, as well as practitioners who are seeking an introduction to the topic. Course details Social pedagogy has a long tradition in children's social care in European and North American contexts and there has been increasing interest in this model of practice in UK in recent years. This course explores how social pedagogy can occur in a range of child welfare contexts including children's safeguarding, work with children and young people 'on the edge of care' and work with looked after children and young people. The course examines The knowledge, skills and value base of social pedagogy Evidence about how social pedagogical approaches are currently being implemented in practice in the UK and opportunities for further developments Knowledge and skills for engaging with social pedagogy in students' own practice Students are supported to further develop their practice skills in relation to direct work with young people or through developing the use of social pedagogy more generally in their agency. 6

7 The Maastricht Interview: Social approaches to voice hearing a lived experience perspective When will it run? This course is available twice a year as a two-day CPD workshop*, but can also be taken as a short course for academic credit. Workshop dates: 8 th and 9 th January 2016 July dates tbc Practitioners taking this as an academic short course, instead of a CPD workshop, are expected to attend the two day workshop at Lancaster University and also to apply the approach in their own practice, during which time they can access online tutorials. Participants then attend a final one day workshop (dates will be agreed at the initial workshop), to share anonymised aspects of their experiences, and explore and troubleshoot the practicalities of the model s use in practice and also prepare and submit an assignment. *For details of the CPD workshop and how to register for the workshop only see our website: 20Voices%20July15.pdf Who is it for? This course is designed for professionals who are working in mental health and psychiatric services such as social workers, support workers, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists and psychotherapists. Course facilitators The course is facilitated by Peter Bullimore and Kate Crawford. Peter Bullimore is a voice hearer who spent ten years as a psychiatric patient enduring many bouts of severe paranoia. Through learning holistic approaches and with support of the Hearing Voices Network he was able to reclaim his life from the system. He facilitates a hearing voices and paranoia support group in Sheffield. He also runs his own training and consultancy agency, Asylum Associates, and is the founder member of the Paranoia Network. Kate Crawford is a voice hearer who facilitates four hearing voices groups and teaches internationally on the 7

8 topic of hearing voices and its relation to childhood trauma. She now delivers training with Peter Bullimore on how to use the Maastricht Interview for hearing voices. Course Details This course encourages practitioners to explore the experience of voice hearing and build trust, openness and understanding in their work with people who hear voices. It will enable practitioners to: Assist people to overcome the shame of talking about voices Acknowledge and validate the experience of voice hearing Support people to overcome feelings of shame related to talking about voices Offer space and support to systematically map all aspects of a person s voices and build insight Empower the individual by promoting acceptance and the opportunity to take charge of their experience Support the person to gain a better understanding of why they hear voices During the two day workshop, participants are introduced to the Maastricht Interview, and supported to explore the key features of the approach through group work. All participants interview a voice hearer using the Maastricht Interview, then distil and organise the information, in order to write a report of the voice hearer s experience. Following this, feedback is provided, and participants are given a second opportunity to apply their learning from the first interview, with a different voice hearer. Finally, participants are supported to develop a construct, or detailed account of the voice hearers' experiences. Developing a construct is the final stage in analysing the relationship between an individual s voices and their life history. This is done by gaining the answer to two main questions: 1) what do the individual s voices represent in their lives, and 2) who does the individual s voices represent? This information will be shared and discussed, then compared with Escher and Romme s best practice examples. 8