SWK-10034 - Module Specification
School of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

This module will equip you with fundamental knowledge, skills and values that will enable you to understand and apply the law as a throughout your social work degree. You will be able to understand and appreciate why the law is so important to social workers, particularly within the context of safeguarding children and adults. This includes understanding how law is created and developed and the court structure within which the law is applied. You will develop your understanding of the complex relationship between law and social work values and ethics and how these influence decisions you will make as a professional social worker. You will have an opportunity to identify and visit a Court and to reflect on your observations.
The module also seeks to support you to draw upon learning from other modules. Throughout the module you will be introduced to key legislation, such as the Human Rights Act 1998, the Children Act 1989, the Care Act 2014 and how to apply knowledge and values to practice. This module serves as an introduction to later modules examining social work with children and families and adult social work.

The module aims to increase students' knowledge of law, key policies, and to understand why law is crucial to social work and safeguarding practices. It also seeks to enable students to understand the relationship between law and practice and its complexities when making decisions and demonstrating professional accountability.

Intended Learning Outcomes

discuss the development of law and policy in the context of social work practice: 1
apply the law in the context of safeguarding in social work: 1
identify, and apply relevant case law and legislation to a given social work context: 1
demonstrate engagement with, and understanding of the application of law and policy in practice: 1
recognise the need for reflective practice when engaging with the law in practice and the role of social work values: 2

Study hours

Active learning Hours (total = 91 hours)
In situ, synchronous (60 hours):
Lectures = 20
Workshops = 40
Court visit = 7 hours
Remote, asynchronous engagement with specified resources: 24 hours
Independent study hours = total of 209 hours:
(All remote, asynchronous)
Includes preparation for taught sessions (50 hours), preparation of and for assignments (60 hours), wider reading and research (99 hours)

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment