Approaches to academic study will vary from country to country. On this basis, we thought it might be useful to outline some of how it works in Scotland:
Your course will involve a combination of taught modules or units as well as periods of practice-based learning. During these you will be undertaking the role of student social worker within a Local Authority (statutory) or a Third Sector (non governmental) organisation. These experiences are also known as placements and you will find more detailed information about placements by following the link to that page.
Your course will involve attending university for classes, where you will experience lectures, seminars, workshops and small group work. Becoming a social worker involves academic study alongside skill development. Sometimes you will be attending one or two hour long lectures and in some Universities your study will involve being in class for full days several days each week. This will enable you to get to know fellow students and feel part of a community of social work students.
We often think about social work education and practice in terms of: Knowledge, Skills and Values as all three components are fundamental to effective social work.
Framework for Social Work Education in Scotland (2003)
Reflective and Analytical Writing
Whilst your course will use a range of assessment methods such as exams, video recorded skills practice, and oral examinations, the most usual form of assessment involves essay (assignment) writing. Your University will offer advice and guidance on academic writing skills, if this is something that you wish to develop. As social work is a professional course, you will be writing about your practice in the social work role. This will involve reflection, analysis and integration of relevant knowledge to inform your understanding of people’s circumstances and the approach you would take in working with them. On placement, you will also be developing your skills in professional writing as this is an integral part of the social work role in Scotland.
Pause for thought
Has your previous study given you experience of reflective and analytical writing?
If this is an area for development for you do get in touch with your University to find out what help is available to support student development of reflective and analytical writing skills.
Here are some links to resources to help you to prepare for study:
Essay and report writing skills – OpenLearn – Open University
An introduction to social work – OpenLearn – Open University
Social Work Qualifications
A qualification which enables graduates to practice as social workers in Scotland can be achieved through either undergraduate or postgraduate study. The Framework for Social Work Education in Scotland (2003) is a Scottish Government publication which sets out the expectations for providers of social work education which each university must adhere to. Programmes are monitored and accredited by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). All students qualifying in social work in Scotland are assessed against the Standards in Social Work Education (SiSWE). Social work programmes embed the standards throughout the taught courses and students demonstrate their knowledge and skills through academic and practice based learning.
Registration with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)
Student social workers must be registered on the student part of the SSSC register. Registrants are required to uphold the Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers which set out the behaviours and values of professional conduct and practice social service workers must meet in their everyday work. You can find out more about registration here: SSSC Registration Your University will advise you further regarding the process of registering as a student social worker.
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework has 12 levels. The different levels indicate the level of difficulty of a particular qualification. The Level Descriptors outline the general outcomes of learning at SCQF levels under five broad headings:
– knowledge and understanding;
– practice (applied knowledge and understanding);
– generic cognitive skills (e.g. evaluation, critical analysis);
– communication, numeracy and IT skills; and
– autonomy, accountability and working with others.
The final year of an Honours degree is at level 10 whilst postgraduate qualifications are at level 11.
Academic Integrity
It is an important rule of academic life that all the work submitted must be the student’s own.
Work and ideas that are taken from others without acknowledgement is plagiarism and may
result in failure of the assignment and other penalties.
It is generally understood why cheating in examinations is wrong: it is an attempt to gain
undeserved credit by presenting the work of another as one’s own. For universities not to
treat cheating as an extremely serious offence would be unfair to its students and would
jeopardise the standard of its awards. Exactly the same is true of assignments submitted for
assessment.
Your University will have a policy on plagiarism and academic misconduct and will use software which detects similarity to academic texts and other sources including student assignments when your work is submitted. You should, therefore, ensure that you are putting ideas and arguments into your own words, following the university’s chosen academic referencing conventions to ensure that you are attributing work to the original authors. You should, of course, not copy or share work with colleagues.
Recommended Reading
Collingwood, P. (2005) Integrating theory and practice: The three-stage theory framework, Journal of Practice Teaching in Health and Social Work, 6 (12), 6-23
Healy, K & Mulholland, J (2019) Writing Skills for Social Workers, 3rd Edition, London, Sage