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BA (Hons) Social Work

BA (Hons) Social Work

Award

BA (Hons)

Start Date

To be confirmed

Duration

3 years

Mode

Full-time

Location

University of Bolton

UCAS Points

120

UCAS Code

L550

If you're keen to make a difference, the University of Bolton's Social Work England-approved BA (Hons) Social Work offers you the skills and knowledge you'll need for a successful career supporting people in complex and challenging situations. Combining university learning, work-based practice placements and ongoing professional skills development, our expert team will help you learn to bring about positive changes for individuals, families and communities.

Apply Now Download Prospectus Programme Specification

Course Overview

Social work is a varied and rewarding profession centred on people. It offers careers working with children, young people, families and care experienced people. Also, social workers work with adults with care and support needs, such as learning and physical disabilities and mental ill health. As a social worker, you'll work in multidisciplinary environments alongside professionals from other agencies, such as housing services, the police and health and social care teams, to empower individuals, families and communities within society.

Our Social Work England-approved BA (Hons) Social Work focuses on helping you learn to use your professional judgement and build relationships, both with the individuals and communities you serve as well as with colleagues from other professions and services. Our passionate and knowledgeable staff will support you to develop a sound knowledge of social work theory, models, legislation, policy, ethics and interventions that will underpin your professional decision-making. We'll cover areas such as the impact of injustice, demography, and social inequality, as well as safeguarding and the signs of harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation. We'll guide you as you gain key skills, values and behaviours, including professional curiosity, interpersonal and communication skills, initiative, leadership, research and critical reflection, partnership working, self-care and resilience, record keeping, and workload management.

We focus on preparing you to become a confident, highly competent, compassionate and professional social worker. When you successfully complete this qualification, you'll be able to use your professional expertise to work, assess, plan, implement, evaluate and intervene, putting the needs of people first and ensuring their voice is central to decision-making. You'll be ready to maintain professional and ethical standards while supporting positive change in people's lives to improve their wellbeing and independence.

Highlights

Key Features

Entry Requirements

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

Career Opportunities

The field of social work spans multiple career options, and many graduates choose their career path based on the types of people they want to help. Social workers provide help and support directly to individuals, couples, families and groups, often supporting people who face a range of challenges, such as poverty, mental health issues, addiction and family breakdown. As a social worker, you may provide one-to-one support or connect people and their families with resources in their community to help them overcome their problems.

As a graduate of this degree, you'll be able to demonstrate a wide range of transferable skills such as resilience, advanced communication and negotiation skills. You'll also possess the ability to manage conflict and exercise authority in complex situations, manage risk to self, service users and colleagues, and enable others to achieve their goals.

What can I do with this qualification?

Most social workers are employed by local authority children's or adult services. As a registered social worker, you may also find work in NHS mental health trusts and community-based settings or prisons. Jobs are available in the private sector, such as with private fostering agencies, and you might also seek supply work with social work staffing agencies. Increasingly, opportunities are also available with voluntary organisations and charities.

If you're considering further study, postgraduate qualifications are available in areas such as community justice, social policy and counselling. You can also take advantage of the numerous continuing professional development opportunities that aid your progression in the social work field.

Alternative career options

Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Potential careers include:

  • Advocacy
  • Community development
  • Counselling
  • Probation
  • Youth work
  • Mental health
  • Teaching
  • Journalism
  • Volunteer management
  • Substance misuse
  • Social housing
  • Learning support
  • Academic research
  • Public health
Professional Recognition

This programme is approved by Social Work England.

On successful completion of this course, you will have been assessed as meeting the professional standards required by Social Work England and the professional capabilities for qualifying social workers. As a result, you will be eligible to apply for registration with Social Work England as a Social Worker.

Fees & Funding

Home/EU Fees

Year of study Total
Entry Year 2024/25 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28
2024-25 £9,250 £9,250 £9,250 - £27,750
2025-26 -

International Fees

Year of study Total
Entry Year 2024/25 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28
2024-25 £15,950 £15,950 £15,950 - £47,850
2025-26 -

Bursaries

Click here for more information about the scholarships and bursaries available to University of Bolton students.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) offers a limited number of social work bursaries each year for students undertaking qualifying social work courses. Undergraduate students can only apply from their second year of study. The number of bursaries available may be less than the number of places available. The University of Bolton will provide the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) with a shortlist of those applicants who should be considered for a bursary. Please visit https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/social-work-students/ for more information.

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2024-25 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.

The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

How to apply

Home Applicants

If you wish to apply for multiple institutions or multiple courses at Bolton for September entry, then apply through UCAS

You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £27. Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's fee of £22.50 is applicable.

The online application form and guidance notes are available on the UCAS website.

You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:

  • Institution Code Name: BOLTN

  • Institution Code Number: B44

UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service

Tel: 0870 1122211
Web: www.ucas.com

If you wish to apply for a single course offered by the University of Bolton for any intake, you can apply directly

If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply directly to the University using our online application form shown below.

A direct application to Bolton provides the following features:

  • Free of charge to apply

  • Secure, simple and streamlined

  • Contact us directly for any admissions queries

  • Regular updates on your application directly from the University

  • Invites to offer holder events and taster sessions where you can meet your future tutors and get a flavour of university life

NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.

For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.

If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.

Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.

If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.

Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:

  • Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates

  • Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies

  • Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role

  • Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately

  • Details including e-mail addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk

International Applicants

The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.

This course is not currently accepting international online applications.

Please contact Admissions by telephone on 01204 903903 or email enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom

Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk

Partner Organisation Applicants

University of Bolton Group Partners

Bolton College
University Collegiate School
Alliance Learning
University of Bolton

For valued members of the University of Bolton Group and progressing students, we try to make our application process as simple and as fast as possible.

If you have carefully considered your course and institution choices and decided that this course is the best option for you, you may apply free of charge to the University. By selecting the appropriate link from the list shown below, you will be taken directly to our online application form. Please read the user guidance before completing this, and ensure you upload all supporting documents such as certificates and your personal statement when you apply.

When you are asked to add a contact email address, please ensure you add your college/university email account address as well as your personal address. If you do not add your college address as your contact address, we will be unable to identify you as a partner and offer you the benefits of being part of our group.

NOTE: You cannot apply both through UCAS and directly to Bolton. Submitting an application to any university through UCAS during the same academic year will void any direct application you make to Bolton.

For courses starting in September, please be aware that we are required to share your information with UCAS if we accept you on this course. We will create a simplified UCAS acceptance record on your behalf and return this to UCAS. By submitting your application directly to the University of Bolton, you agree to these terms.

If you are ready to apply directly, please select your chosen start date from the list below.

Before applying, please read the entry requirements section of this page.

If your course runs at multiple locations or has various start dates, please be sure to select the correct application link from the list below.

Before beginning your application, you should have the following information to hand:

  • Details of the educational establishments you attended and dates

  • Your certificates for the qualifications you are using to gain entry to the course – you will need to enter the completion date and upload copies

  • Details of any employment history, including name, address, dates and role

  • Personal statement – this can be either input into the relevant field or uploaded separately

  • Details including email addresses of two referees, at least one of which should be someone who can provide an academic reference

Please make sure any documents you wish to upload in support of your application are in pdf or jpeg format. Personal statements may be word documents.

Please ensure your data is correct at each stage of the application before you proceed to the next page. If you use the back button at any time during the application, you should check the validity of the data you have already inputted.

If you experience difficulties during the application process, contact the Undergraduate Admissions Team on 01204 903394 or admissions-team@bolton.ac.uk

We look forward to receiving your application and you continuing your academic journey with us!

Teaching & Assessment

Modern social work professionals require a range of skills and values. Our practice placement partners and tutors will help you gain experience in a range of social work scenarios designed to develop your skills in a safe and supportive environment. The course involves a wealth of workplace learning opportunities. You'll undertake a second-year placement of 70 days and a final-year placement of 100 days. The University will organise and monitor your placements (please note that considerable travelling may be required and that you'll be responsible for travel and parking costs).

As you progress through the course, we'll guide and encourage you to draw on your practice placement experience while studying theory, and apply the theory learned to your practice while on placement so you can understand how the two complement each other. Your practice placements will contribute to your overall degree outcome alongside your academic work.

We'll use a blended learning approach, combining face-to-face sessions with online and practical work. You can expect lectures, presentations, simulations delivered by tutors, seminar discussions, small group workshops, and group and individual tutorials. Inter-professional practitioners from the health and social care field will contribute as guest speakers so that you can learn from their first-hand live examples of current practice. We'll use a virtual learning environment (VLE) as an accessible repository for online resources and learning packages. Online content will form a normal part of the learning experience (for instance, podcasts, blogs, and audiovisual media), as well as interactive learning packages. You'll also need to undertake a significant amount of personal study, including general background reading, preparing for seminar activities, working on assignments and revising for examinations.

To help support your learning, the University also offers additional study skills sessions, such as essay writing, numeracy, library skills and electronic searching. You can also find support through our social learning community, which includes a peer-support programme and enhanced personal tutoring. You'll also need to develop your E-portfolio, where you'll catalogue evidence of your learning through various media. To enhance your individual journey to becoming an effective practitioner, we'll encourage you to develop reflective practice through personal development planning.

Assessment tasks are designed to ensure you achieve the learning outcomes for each module and develop the necessary skills, knowledge and behaviours required to practise as a social worker. Assessment evaluates your achievement and helps you organise and develop your learning by revealing your strengths and weaknesses. You can expect various assessment methods, including essays, reports, presentations, portfolios and set exercises. We'll provide feedback on your assessments to help you improve in the future.

PLEASE NOTE:
100% attendance for practice-based learning is required, and absences or missed components of practice-based learning will have to be completed at a later date.

A minimum of 80% attendance is required for programme modules to progress and achieve the award for which you are registered. You must attend scheduled sessions. Please note that attendance is taken into account when making Assessment Board decisions. You may be withdrawn due to poor attendance.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

  • Introduction to Social Work
  • Anti-Discriminatory Practice
  • Human Growth and Development
  • Readiness for Practice
  • Working with Children and Families
  • Working with Adults
  • Social Work Law
  • Decision Making in Practice
  • Social Work Perspectives in Mental Health
  • Practice Placement 1
  • Research Methods for Social Work Professionals
  • Employability
  • Practice Placement 2
  • Dissertation
  • Critical Reflective Practice

Assessment methods

Level Assessment method
Level 1 Coursework 100%
Level 2 Coursework 100%
Level 3 Coursework 100%

Learning Activities

Level Activity
Level 1 Guided independent study 70%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 30%
Level 2 Guided independent study 52%
Placement/study abroad 30%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 18%
Level 3 Guided independent study 58%
Placement/study abroad 30%
Scheduled learning and teaching activities 12%

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.

Postgraduate Options

Programme Contacts

Help Centre

We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

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Help Centre

We have the answers to your questions, find all the advice and support in one place.

Part of the University of Bolton Group

Bolton college
Alliance learning
Anderton centre2
QQA Scheme Participant