Proposal for a Revised Master of Social Work (MSW)/ PG Diploma in SW (DipSW) Graduate School of Social & Political Studies University of Edinburgh

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1 Proposal for a Revised Master of Social Work (MSW)/ PG Diploma in SW (DipSW) Graduate School of Social & Political Studies University of Edinburgh Programme Convener: Joe Francis (provisional) Introduction The University of Edinburgh currently offers two routes to professional qualification in Social Work: an undergraduate BSc (Social Work) Hons degree and a postgraduate Master of Social Work (MSW)/PG Diploma in Social Work (DipSW). Both the BSc and MSW/DipSW are accredited by the awarding body, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). This proposal outlines plans for a major revision to the MSW/ DipSW programme to be in place for entry in September Rationale for revision The existing MSW/DipSW was introduced in 2004, and was one of the first new social work programmes to be accredited, building on a previous MSW/PG DipSW. Since 2004, incremental changes have been made to the MSW/DipSW. These have, in part, been in response to the regular cycle of monitoring and review. They have also, significantly, arisen out of the need to meet new requirements from the SSSC, including the introduction of Key Capabilities in Child Care and Protection. Throughout 2008, we used the opportunity provided by a Scottish Governmentinitiated Change Academy to conduct a whole-scale review of our programmes so that they might better meet both academic and practice requirements. The review sought views about our existing programmes and ideas for the future from academic staff, students, practitioners, managers and members of user and carer groups. The proposed revised degree programme consolidates the thinking which has gone on throughout this process. The need to reflect better the changing world of social work practice A core finding of the review was that the structure of the Honours years had the effect of producing artificial silos, since Children and Families social work, Community Care social work and Criminal Justice social work are taught as discrete courses. The review recommended that students should study a range of service user settings in every course, thus seeing individuals in the context of their lives (their families, groups and communities) and across the life-span. It was felt that through this, students would gain a much deeper understanding of the multi-agency context in which social work practice is now located and that this approach would assist them to become reflective, critical practitioners. 1

2 The wish to develop Enquiry & Action Learning The review also considered works well in the Honours years, and sought to build on this. Enquiry and Action Learning (EAL) has been a major plank of the educational experience of social work students since its introduction to the University of Edinburgh in In EAL, learning is based on study units case scenarios and problems encountered in practice. Students work together in small groups to find out as much as they can about their particular case : identifying useful resources, setting learning objectives, breaking down the work into manageable tasks and coming to a decision about an appropriate course of action for the case. Formal lectures are delivered in order to support the students learning, focusing on law, ethics, organisations, social work skills and models, loss and change, psychology and human development. Since EAL was first introduced 16 years ago, students have consistently rated their learning experience highly. However, a persistent criticism has been that EAL is not assessed, while all the lectures which support EAL (law, ethics, etc) are individually assessed. The review therefore proposed that EAL be given the prominence which it deserves, by making the work undertaken in the EAL groups become assessed, through individual assignments and group presentations. All formal teaching will, as before, contribute to the EAL learning, but no longer be assessed separately from it. The need for a clearer structure & assessment diet One of the main findings of our review was that the structure of the existing MSW is overly complex and difficult to explain to students and even to ourselves at times. There are currently seven courses, carrying 14 academic assignments, two practice reports and a Masters dissertation over the two years of the programme. The bunching of assessment means that on one particular day in 2 nd year before going on practice placement, students submit four assignments for one course. This places a strain on students, markers and on the administrative staff. The programme structure also impacts on audit, since it is not always clear whether a course or a sequence within a course is being evaluated. The review therefore recommended the programme structure be clarified, and along with this, the assessment of academic work. The need to revise individual courses Given that the programme was being revised, we also used the opportunity to revisit and amend all the learning components, including those which related to Practice Learning. Course outlines will provide detail of the recommended changes in each course. What we have tried to do across the board is to align courses more clearly with specific learning outcomes and assessments. Thus it is recommended that the existing 80-credit Learning for Practice course should be divided into two separate courses, Practice Learning and Practice Study (carrying 40 and 20 credits respectively). Other aspects of the Learning for Practice course, including skills groups, will be integrated into the EAL activities. Similarly, it is recommended that the existing research course, Research & Evaluation in Social Work (which was found in annual audit to be too disparate in its aims) should become more focused, and revised as a course called Doing Social Work Research. The one course which will remain unchanged in the revised MSW/DipSW is the 20 credit, level 10 course, Social Science for Social Work (P01665). This course provides an important bridging for those students who have no experience of social sciences before entering the programme, and a refresher for those who have studied social sciences in the past. It also, crucially, contexualises the social sciences for a 1 Cree & Davidson (2000) 2

3 social work audience, and meets major aspects of the knowledge expected within SiSWE learning requirement 2 (see below). Aims and objectives As a professional degree programme, the aims and objectives of the revised MSW/DipSW the remain the same: to produce a postgraduate social worker who reflects the knowledge, skills and values underpinning the learning requirements detailed in the government s Standards in Social Work Education (SiSWE). The SiSWE are outcome statements which incorporate key elements of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education's Benchmark Statement, taking account of academic and practice elements of the programmes. The SiSWE framework (please see Annexe) sets down six broad learning requirements, and within these, the detailed knowledge, skills and values which students must attain by the point of qualification. The broad learning requirements are as follows: 1. Prepare for, and work with, individuals, families, carers, groups and communities to assess their needs and circumstances 2. Plan, carry out, review and evaluate social work practice with individuals, families, carers, groups, communities and other professionals 3. Assess and manage risk to individuals, families, carers, groups, communities, self and colleagues 4. Demonstrate professional competence in social work practice 5. Manage and be accountable, with supervision and support, for their own social work practice within their organisation 6. Support individuals to represent and manage their needs, views and circumstances In the attached revised course outlines, the learning requirements which will be met will be identified. Over and above the general requirements for all social work students, our review spent considerable time exploring what we believe should be distinctive about a University of Edinburgh social work graduate and postgraduate. We are seeking to build an ethos that is concerned not merely with the transfer of information, but one which supports and trains students capacity to understand and seek meaning and to pursue practical actions. The educational aims of the revised programme reflect this discussion. We wish: 1. To co-create/co-produce a University of Edinburgh Social Work graduate/postgraduate who will be curious, concerned about social justice, research-minded, a critical thinker who is able to exercise practical judgment; someone with good people skills, who understands change, is reflexive and committed to advocacy. 2. To equip students to act in an increasingly complex world and complex work environments where frameworks for understanding and effecting change are contested and uncertain. 3. To provide a curriculum in which principles of learning, teaching and assessment are constructively aligned. 4. To provide a curriculum that builds upon students professional development needs from the stage of becoming a social work student to the point of entering the world of professional practice. 5. To further develop an Enquiry and Action Learning mode of delivery in order to provide students with authentic learning opportunities to prepare them for 3

4 professional practice. 6. To produce MSW graduates who will be well-placed to assume developmental and leadership roles in the social work profession. Entrance requirements No changes are recommended to the entrance requirements. The MSW/DipSW is currently offered to those who already have an undergraduate degree. Candidates must be graduates or show evidence of recent study at higher level. They must also demonstrate the SSSC requirements in terms of English language, Maths and IT skills. Some relevant experience in social work/social care is preferred. Delivery As in the existing programme, the revised MSW/DipSW programme will be studied on a full-time basis over a 22-month period and require that students spend 200 days in practice learning over the period of study, of which at least 160 must be spent in supervised direct practice in service delivery settings. Students must perform satisfactorily in both academic and practice components to achieve the degree. Those students who choose not to undertake the Masters dissertation, or who fail to meet the required standard in their academic courses, may exit with a postgraduate Diploma in Social Work. As already stated, academic learning will be delivered through Enquiry and Action Learning (EAL). Students will work independently and together on all aspects of the case scenarios with which they are presented, and their learning will include theorybased classes, visits to professionals, users and carers, skills sessions and independent study. Formal lectures in subjects including the law, ethics, organisations, loss and change, psychology and human development and social work practice will provide knowledge-input to the EAL. Structure and content The revised programme will be made up of 11 courses, amounting to 320 credits for the MSW (260 for the DipSW), spread over the 22 months of the programme. 2 In addition, in order to meet the SiSWE requirements, there will be additional nonassessed learning in subjects which will include Maths, ICT and professional writing. These will be organised at points throughout the programme to best support the students. Demonstrating the importance placed on practice learning in the programme, credits are distributed across academic and practice learning over the two years. 3 All credits in the final year will be set at level 11, as well as one course in the first year, thus allowing those students who exit with the PG Diploma to meet the required number of level 11 courses. The proposed credit levels for the new courses are detailed below: 2 Because the programme is 22 months, not 24 months, the total number of credits will be 320 (a conventional MSc is a 12-month, 180 credit programme). 3 Given that a conventional MSc programme is made up of 180 credits, the revised MSW is comparable in terms of the credits to be awarded. In addition, the total number of credits is equal to that of a comparator HEI, the University of Stirling, which runs as 330 credit Social Work MSc (each course within this is made up of units of 22 credits). 4

5 Year 1 Level Credits Becoming a Professional Social Worker (formative 10 0 assessment only for this induction course) Social Work in Communities Social Science for Social Work Working with Complexity Doing Social Work Research Practice Learning Practice Study Total credits 160 Year 2 Level Credits Working with Complexity Practice Learning Practice Study Transition to Qualified Practice Dissertation Total credits 160 The following table details the location of the proposed courses in relation to the current courses: Current courses (08/09) Level Credits Proposed courses (09/10) Year 1 Year 1 Social Work in Social Work in Context (3 essays Communities and 1 Law assignment) Level 10 Credits 40 Working with Complexity in SW Social Science for Social Work Research & Evaluation in Social Work Learning for Practice 1 (assignment and report) Social Science for Social Work (no change) Doing Social Work Research Practice Learning 1 Practice Study Year 2 Year 2 Evidence-Based Practice (4 assignments) Working with Complexity in SW

6 Learning for Practice 2 (assignment & report) Practice Learning 2 Practice Study Dissertation Dissertation Transition to Qualified Practice Total assignms, 2 reports, 1 dissertation; 7 assignms, 2 reports; 1 dissertation VEC, 12/01/09 6

7 THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH REVISED PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION FOR Master of Social Work (MSW)/PG Diploma in Social Work 1) Awarding Institution: The University of Edinburgh 2) Teaching Institution: The University of Edinburgh 3) Programme accredited by: Scottish Social Services Council 4) Final Award: MSW 5) Programme Title: Masters in Social Work/PG Diploma in Social Work 6) UCAS Code: Relevant QAA Subject Benchmarking Group(s): Social Policy and Social Work 7) Postholder with overall responsibility for QA: Mark Smith 8) Date of production/revision: 5 January ) Educational aims of programme: 1. To co-create/co-produce a University of Edinburgh Social Work graduate who will be curious, concerned about social justice, research-minded, a critical thinker who is able to exercise practical judgment; someone with good people skills, who understands change, is reflexive and committed to advocacy. 2. To enable students to act in an increasingly complex world and complex work environments where frameworks for understanding and effecting change are contested and uncertain. 3. To provide a curriculum in which principles of learning teaching and assessment are constructively aligned 4. To provide a curriculum that builds upon students professional development needs from the stage of becoming a social work student to the pint of entering the world of professional practice. 5. To further develop an Enquiry and Action Learning mode of delivery in order to provide students with authentic learning opportunities to prepare them for professional practice 10) Programme Outcomes: 7

8 (a) Knowledge and understanding of The contexts and domains within which social work is practised The social science knowledge base that informs social work practice Evidence and research as it applies to social work Legislation and policy in relation to social work Concepts of risk, trust and complexity as they apply to social work The ethical base underpinning social work practice Research and evaluation theories, methods and approaches Competence in assessed social work practice (b) Intellectual skills The application of analytical, conceptual, critical and empirical methods to the study of professional practice in social work Using, and later undertaking own, research into aspects of social work theory and practice Structuring and presenting critical analysis and argument (c) Professional/subject-specific/practical skills Articulating and maintaining a professional social work identity within multidisciplinary and interagency contexts Using theories to inform practice in a professional context Awareness of and adherence to appropriate ethical codes and frameworks Achieving competence in assessed social work practice Computing skills as required by professional body Numeracy skills as required by professional body Reflective practice Reflexivity (d) Transferable skills oral communication skills written communication skills oral and visual presentation skills independent learning teamwork interpersonal skills: engagement, empathy, tolerance and open-mindedness, negotiation problem formulation and solving information retrieval and research skills self evaluation international understanding time management working under pressure 8

9 11) Programme Structure and Features: Entrance requirements Entrants should hold a first degree in any discipline and be able to evidence experience of working in social care or other relevant settings in a paid or voluntary capacity. Delivery The MSW/DipSW is a full-time programme studied over 22 months. It consists of 320 credits: 160 credits are taken in the first year of study; 160 in the second year, with the addition of a 60-credit Masters dissertation. 140 credits of the DipSW programme are set at SCQF level 11; 200 of the MSW. Delivery of academic learning will be, principally, through an Enquiry and Action Learning (EAL) model, whereby students are required to construct their own learning based around authentic practice examples. Our current programme already includes EAL components and these are consistently well-evaluated by students, and appreciated by field practitioners and practice teachers. The practice examples drawn upon will be supported by lecture inputs to locate cases within relevant social science and policy, legal and ethical contexts. There will also be subject-specific lectures on key topics such as Law, Ethics, Human Growth and Development, Loss and Change, Organisations etc. to support the action learning Students will be expected to attend and contribute to tutorial groups and skills application groups They will take forward their learning through independent study. Online learning will be facilitated through Web CT. Structure and content The MSW/DipSW provides a professional qualification, suiting students to work in a range of social work contexts, statutory and voluntary, community or group care and across diverse service user groups. Considerable thought has gone into the structuring of the course, with a gradual progression from orientation to professional practice. The programme will begin with an induction course which is formatively assessed, Becoming a Professional Social Work Student, before moving to the first (summative) course which examines the context of social work practice and the social work role across the lifespan (Social Work in Communities). Students will move on to address issues of greater professional complexity in two courses, the first before and the second after a first period of practice learning (Working with Complexity 1 and 2). The second practice learning experience is located in the second year of the programme, and is followed by the final course (Transition to Qualified Practice), which is intended to prepare students for their first professional position in social work. Other courses (Doing Social Work Research and Social Science for Social Work) are intended to support EAL-based learning and to emphasise the place of social work as a rigorous social scientific discipline. Both practice learning placements are supervised by suitably qualified and accredited practice teachers and assessed by two components: a portfolio of their work and an academic assignment. (More details on individual courses are contained in the course descriptors.). All students will enrol for the Masters in Social Work and will gain this award on completion of a dissertation. Students who do not undertake or pass the Masters dissertation will be eligible for a PG Diploma in Social Work. This is also recognised by SSSC as a qualification to practise social work. Progression will normally depend on successful completion all elements in the various courses. Specifically, students need to pass all Year One courses before they can progress to Year 2 9

10 Normal year taken Course Masters in Social Work (MSW) Schedules Level Credit Total 1 Social Work in Communities J Social Science for Social Work J Working with Complexity 1 J Doing Social Work Research J Practice Learning 1 J Practice Study 1 J Working with Complexity 2 J Practice Learning 2 J Practice Study 2 J Transition to Qualified Practice J Dissertation J ) Other items: Staffing and resources This new programme is proposed at a time when social work is experiencing considerable staff changes. The impact of planned and early retirements, added to the end of fixed term appointments supported by the Fast Track Masters programme which ended in 2007 mean that we have had to look seriously about our existing and planned commitments. It seems likely that the proposed MSW may involve staff in more direct contact with students than in recent years, through the introduction of additional learning in small groups. We will make some time savings through a reduced assessment diet. However, it seems likely that we will need to continue to make use of sessional tutors, particularly in support of practice learning. University staff will retain overall responsibility for co-ordination and assessment on the programme and will undertake most direct teaching as lecturers and tutors. Teaching input from practitioners is standard practice in universities delivering professional courses, and professional colleagues will continue to contribute to according to their particular skills and areas of interest. Practitioners will also be centrally involved in providing consultation opportunities for students undertaking EAL activities. The bulk of the proposed new teaching should be able to be supported by existing library resources. We do not anticipate requiring any additional secretarial or administrative support for the programme. Support for students Students will be provided with a tutor for their academic learning and will be supported on practice placements by a suitably qualified practice teacher and by an allocated University tutor. External Assessor s Report This has been sought and agreed This will be submitted in due course. 10