BA (Hons) Social Work

Core units

• The Context of Social Work Practice in the UK: This unit explores the social, economic and political context in which social workers work and the possible causes of social problems including social exclusion and discrimination.
• Human Development – Applying Theory to Practice: During this unit you will develop an understanding of human growth, development and behaviour across the lifespan. You will learn about different sociological and psychological explanations for this and the application to social work practice.
• Academic Skills for Social Work Study: This unit will help you to develop new skills relating to critical approaches to existing research and how to conduct your own investigation of data and evidence in all forms.
• Learning from the Living Experience: This unit provides essential practice experiences that you require in order to develop your competence and meet the requirements of social work’s regulatory body.
• Communication Skills and Professionalism: This interdisciplinary unit will help you develop anti-discriminatory, inclusive, and effective professional communication skills, use reflective approaches to identify areas of development around communication and professionalism and to work in interprofessional teams to build interdisciplinary skills. 
• Readiness for Direct Practice: In this unit you’ll be provided with a range of practical guidance, support and knowledge to develop your capabilities against the Professional Capabilities Framework and the regulatory body codes of practice.
• Law in Social Work Practice: You will develop an understanding of law and relevant social policy and, through your knowledge and harnessing of relevant skills, be able to use knowledge of law and social policy competently and creatively.

Core units

• BA Social Work First Substantive Placement Part A: This practice based unit provides essential practice experiences that you require in working toward meeting the regulations of the professional body.
• BA Social Work First Substantive Placement Part B:  This practice based unit provides essential practice experiences that you require in working toward meeting the regulations of the professional body.
• Applying Social Work Models and Methods in Practice: The unit will help you develop an understanding of the complex and multi-layered nature of social work with a strong focus on the practical applications.
• Developing Relationship Skills as a Social Work Practitioner: This unit aims to facilitate the development of personal and interpersonal communication skills as well as exploring and understanding theory that will aid the application of these skills in professional practice.
• Social Justice & Social Work: The aims of this unit are to explore the meaning of social justice in relation to the role of social workers working in complex and diverse contexts, often managing conflicting ethical issues.
• Developing Research Mindedness: This unit will enable you to develop the capacity to read and evaluate research and learn the skills that are essential to effectively communicate information, arguments, and analysis through the application of research to practice. 
• Practice Learning Skills

Core units:

• Professional Practice with Children & Families: This unit will be underpinned by research and evidence based judgements and you will develop understanding and competence in assessment and intervention with children and their families. You will be expected to examine your own beliefs and values in relation to protection work and to build on your previous learning in both theory and practice.
• Professional Practice with Adults: This unit aims to prepare you for practice with adults in a variety of settings; making reference to contemporary social work practice issues. This includes approaches to intervention, the legislative framework which mandates practice, professional accountability, applying critical thinking, working with risk and complexity, and the importance of evidence-informed practice.
• Understanding Mental Health & Substance Use: The aim of this unit is to introduce, and develop knowledge, on key issues encountered in social work practice in mental health and substance use fields. The focus is to consider the nature and impact of mental health issues across the life course, and to develop a platform for you to explore concepts and approaches to inform your understanding and practice.
• Critical Literature Review: You will undertake an intellectually challenging and in-depth literature review exploring a topic relevant to contemporary social work practice 
• BA Final Substantive Placement Part A: (pre-requisite is successful completion of First Substantive Placement Part A and Part B) 
• BA Final Substantive Placement Part B: (pre-requisite is successful completion of First Substantive Placement (Part A and Part B)
• Practice Learning Skills

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry.

If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

In the first year of the BA Social Work course, students undertake a service user led unit, providing experiences and opportunities for students to learn from the expertise of those with lived experience. Students will have the opportunity to meet with and learn from a range of people within the community and to develop and practise their professional skills. This counts towards some of the skills days required during the course. Students will be expected to manage their own diary, create and keep to schedules and collaborate with a range of different people with different lived experiences, to learn about the key issues people from certain marginalized groups experience. Students will also undertake a ‘readiness for practice’ unit which evidences they have reached the required capabilities to undertake a first practice placement. Content includes safeguarding education, shadowing opportunities and observed role play.

In year two you will undertake a 70-day placement in a practice setting. This may be a day centre providing support and services to people with dementia, or residences supporting people with complex or enduring mental health problems, educational settings, or recovery services for people with problematic substance use, among several other types and locations of services.  When placing you, we consider your areas of experience and try and place you somewhere which will provide a contrast and new learning experiences.

In year three you will undertake 100 days within a Social Work team, undertaking statutory tasks. This may be located across a region encompassing Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Dorset and Wiltshire. Students will be allocated individuals and families to work with under supervision and, as part of this, employers expect students to travel independently to meetings and contacts. This may be across the region the particular service covers, and sometimes further afield, when they have people who are living in other areas but are still under the care of a particular council (eg. children in care).

Bournemouth University is located in the south-east of Dorset and, as such, works with organisations providing services in rural and urban communities. Some placements may require the use of personal transport as public transport to these locations may not be available. For services where you may visit clients, you will need access to transport with insurance for business travel. 

The wide range of placements includes:

• Social work teams engaging in child protection and adult safeguarding with adults, children and their families
• Hospital social work teams
• Fostering and adoption
• Drug and alcohol services
• Mental health services
• Supported housing and homelessness schemes
• Domestic violence refuges
• Children’s centres
• Adult day resources
• Children’s homes
• Youth projects
• Adult disability services

In all placements, you will have an onsite mentor who is called your Placement Supervisor. They oversee the work you are given and provide both informal daily supervision of your workload, and one to one supervision focusing on developing your practice skills and learning how to analyse and understand your development as a practitioner.

You will also have a Practice Educator, who is responsible for overseeing your assessment of practice. In your first placement this may be someone from offsite, provided by the university, someone who is a registered social worker or a qualified practice educator. They will provide you with essential practice experience that will develop your social work knowledge and skills. In your final placement, this person may be part of the team and the role of supervisor and educator is combined into one person. The Practice Educator role is focused on drawing in evidence and theory to analyse your practice and learn how to be a critical and reflective practitioner, improving and developing your practice all the time. This is a basis for the requirements of Continued Professional Development during your career.

This course ensures that students spend at least 200 days (including up to 30 skills days) gaining different experiences and learning in practice settings.

This is normally split between two separate placements, the first substantive placement of 70 days and the final substantive placement of 100 days, plus 30 practice learning skills days. Each skills day and placement day is seven hours in total, plus a break for lunch.

While on placement, you will typically work office hours between 9.00 and 5.00 but this can depend on the setting and the nature of the work you are doing. Some settings operate in the evening, and some areas work on the weekends.Your hours will be discussed and agreed to ensure appropriate work / life balance and supervision in your role.The hours you work will be discussed with your Practice Educator on placement.

You will undertake two substantive placements which are likely to be geographically within Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Dorset and Wiltshire.

The role of the Social Work student encompasses a range of statutory tasks. This can mean students work across wide geographical areas with visits to other areas of the country at times.

Employers and practice partners expect students to be able to travel to rural and remote locations independently as part of their placement role. You will need to have access to transport to commute to the base location for your placement. For much of your practice placement time you will also be required to make journeys independently as part of your practice-based role (e.g. to attend appointments or meetings across the geographical area covered by the placement provider), often by car.   

Please visit the 'Entry Requirements' section of this page for more information on driving requirements.  

It is the student’s responsibility to cover all transport costs for your placements. These include the cost of commuting to and from the base for your placement and any travel costs during the practice placement. Where you are using car transport during your practice placement activities, the costs you need to cover will include all costs of daily access to a car and the cost of business travel insurance cover. However, when students are in their practice learning setting, and business travel is required, you can claim back mileage costs from the placement provider as if you were an employee. The policies for reimbursement vary by placement provider. The cost to and from the place of work cannot be claimed for. 

The Social Work Bursary offers a flat fee to cover all travel throughout the placement period, insurance and travel to and from placement cannot be claimed as a business travel expense. If you are awarded a Social Work bursary, this includes a contribution towards your placement commuting travel costs in recognition of the cost of travelling to and from placement.

AccessBU: AccessBU provides you with the opportunity to tell us about your circumstances that are not always evident in your UCAS application. This widening access initiative also considers relevant criteria such as being in care or if you live in an area with a low participation rate in Higher Education - if you are eligible, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Apprenticeships: We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Deferred entry: We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry. If you have already submitted your application, please submit your deferral request through our website.

Direct entry: We welcome applications from students who have previously studied at degree level at other institutions and wish to transfer onto a BU course. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure enables credit awarded from one institution to contribute to a BU award, subject to an application process. Please visit our RPL webpage for more information.

Mature applicants: We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

Occupational Health (OH) Checks

This course is physically and mentally demanding and you will need to be mentally and physically able to undertake your chosen course. Places are offered subject to passing an OH check, and this will be carried out by the Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust. Health conditions need to be dealt with on an individual basis e.g. deafness, blindness, eczema (or other dermatological allergic reactions) on exposed areas, epilepsy, back problems, or mental health conditions, eating disorders and other disabilities. These do not automatically exclude you but please ensure that you fully disclose your condition to OH. The University can then consider the recommendations made by OH and whether reasonable adjustments can be made to support you on your chosen course. If you require more guidance please contact us for more information.

You will be required to provide a record of your immunity status or be vaccinated or have the required blood tests. You may need to ask your GP or current OH department or find your childhood vaccination record for details of your past immunisation records. You should be aware that there may be charges made (for which you will be liable) relating to your gaining the appropriate immunity required prior to starting your training programme.

Driving

Please view the 'Driving requirement' section below. 

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check (previously known as CRB)

All successful applicants will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barred List check; this will be a condition of offer and will need to be completed prior to commencing the course. Please see the Government website for the most up to date information.

Before you start the course in September, BU will carry out an enhanced DBS check.  When you get the certificate, please take care of it. You need to provide this for your practice placement provider to see before you start your first substantive placement.

We also make a strong recommendation that you sign up to the online update service that keeps your DBS up to date, meaning any employer (who you wish) can check your DBS without starting from scratch. The fee for this service is £13 per annum. 

Refusing Immunisations

The University has an expectation that all students will comply with the vaccination programme as it is Public Health England requirement for healthcare workers and social workers to have certain immunisations. This ensures that you will be able to undertake the wide range of training placements that your course will require and aims to keep you, as well as the people in your care as safe as possible. Please note that at this time Covid-19 vaccinations are not a mandatory requirement for health or social care workers and so are therefore not a mandatory requirement for health or social care students either. Occasionally some vaccinations are contraindicated in certain medical conditions. Occupational Health (OH) will advise the University in these cases. The University will consider students on an individual basis. Refusal to have immunisations will may result in the student not being allowed to attend practice placement and being withdrawn from the course. There is no opportunity to appeal against the requirements of the immunisation policy.

Consent for roleplay and practical activities

It is important that you understand what will be expected of you as a student studying for both an academic award and professional qualification in social work. You must agree to participate in roleplay and practical activities within the Social Work course at Bournemouth University as detailed in this document. As participation is a requirement for successful competition of the course, failure to comply with these expectations could lead to disciplinary action.

You will undertake two full-time practice placements in a professional social work setting. These are likely to be geographically within Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole, Dorset and Wiltshire.

If you are made an offer for this course, it is under the expectation that you:

• have or will obtain your UK car driver's licence prior to the start of the course; and
• will have access to an appropriately insured car prior to the start of a relevant practice placement.

If you do not meet this requirement, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to access and successfully complete the required practice-based learning. If you cannot access the placements, you will be unable to meet the full learning outcomes of the course and complete your degree. The only exception to this requirement is if you have a disability or medical condition which prevents you from holding a UK car driving licence. Please contact us to discuss your situation if this applies.

Employers and practice partners expect students to be able to travel to rural and remote locations independently as part of their placement role. You will need to have access to transport to commute to the base location for your placement. For much of your practice placement time you will also be required to make journeys independently as part of your practice-based role (e.g. to attend appointments or meetings across the geographical area covered by the placement provider), often by car.

It is the student’s responsibility to cover all transport costs for your placements. These include the cost of commuting to and from the base for your placement and any travel costs during the practice placement. You may be able to recover some mileage costs where this is considered as business travel, depending on your placement provider. Where you are using car transport during your practice placement activities, the costs you need to cover will include all costs of daily access to a car e.g. hire costs, and the cost of business travel insurance cover.

What if I have a non-UK driving licence?

If you have a non-UK driving licence you may be able to exchange your licence for a UK licence, but in many cases, you will need to sit a UK driving test to enable you to meet the driving requirement for this course. You can check the rules about your non-UK licence on the UK government website.  You will need to commit to obtaining a UK driving licence as soon as possible. Please contact us if you need further information on how to do this.

Why do we require students to have a UK driving licence?

The second and final practice placements take place in a setting where statutory social work practice is undertaken. This is necessary so that you can meet the required learning outcomes for the course and become eligible to apply for professional registration with Social Work England, the social work regulator. For this type of practice learning, our practice partners require Social Work students to have access to their own car transport, due to the geography and transport infrastructure of the areas they cover. This means having a UK driving licence and the daily use of a car, with appropriate insurance cover for business use.  This is in-line with the requirements on statutory social workers employed by the providers.

If we offer you a place on this course, we will ask you to complete a form about the driving requirement. If you have any concerns about this requirement, please contact us during the admissions process so that we can discuss your circumstances.

Exceptionally we may withdraw an offer of a place if we determine that you are unlikely to be able to meet the driving requirement for placement (except where this is due to a disability or medical condition, where we will work with placement providers to make reasonable adjustments to the requirement).

We would normally expect you to have some paid or voluntary experience in a social work and/or social care capacity or clear insight in the field of work being applied for. The longer and more varied that experience, the better. Examples of the sort of experience that candidates often have are:

• Employment as a carer in a residential home
• Being a volunteer in an agency working with young offenders
• Paid or voluntary work in a day centre for people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or mental health problems
• Employment as a social work assistant in a social services department
• Work on summer play schemes and/or after school clubs
• Personal experience as a service user or carer.
• If you are still in full-time education, you will need to have additional experience outside of the work experience arranged by your school.

You can find out about opportunities for volunteering from local volunteer bureaus, citizens advice bureau or in the public library. Newspapers such as the Guardian on a Wednesday or a magazine like Community Care are helpful.

NB. It would be unusual for us to offer a place to anyone without such social work/social care experience, but we will consider the merit of each application as a whole. Please contact us if you are in any doubt.

We would normally expect you to have some paid or voluntary experience in a social work and/or social care capacity. The longer and more varied that experience, the better. Examples of the sort of experience that candidates often have are:

• Employment as a carer in a residential home
• Being a volunteer in an agency working with young offenders
• Paid or voluntary work in a day centre for people with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or mental health problems
• Employment as a social work assistant in a social services department
• Work on summer play schemes and/or after school clubs
• Personal experience as a service user or carer.

If you are still in full-time education, you will need to have additional experience outside of the work experience arranged by your school.

You can find out about opportunities for volunteering from local volunteer bureaus, citizens advice bureau or in the public library. Newspapers such as the Guardian on a Wednesday or a magazine like Community Care are helpful.

NB. It would be unusual for us to offer a place to anyone without such social work/social care experience, but we will consider the merit of each application as a whole. Please contact us if you are in any doubt.

In the healthcare sector, IT is now a vital tool for accessing and maintaining patient records, accessing literature to client care and conducting clinically-related research. As a student you will receive an introduction to IT near the beginning of your course and you will be provided with computer access and your own email address.

During the course you will be expected to use your developing IT skills to produce assignments, to conduct literature searches, and to use client-related record systems in a practice setting.

We select candidates for this course by looking at your application. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining BU. View our flowchart for information on how we process applications for courses with additional selection measures. 
 
For our health and social care courses our admissions team use the DRIVE criteria to assess your application and evidence of this must be show in your personal statement. You can also find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply web pages. 
 
Please note that interviews are part of our selection process and you must be able to demonstrate at interview that you show the necessary insight into social work, as well as the motivation and commitment to become a social worker. 

What to expect at an interview

Your interview will take place in person and as part of your interview you will be asked to complete a written exercise. 

A member of the Admissions Team will email you with what to expect at interview.

Your individual interview is where you will have the opportunity to tell us a little more about yourself and why you would be a great candidate for the course. You will be scored using a common template and offers will be made based on these scores.

On the day of your interview you can ask questions to our current student ambassadors and other members of staff.

Additional reference

In addition to the reference on your UCAS form, once we’ve received your application we will contact you to ask for a second reference; depending on the course you’ve applied for, this may be an academic reference, or from an employer or person who knows you in a professional capacity.

We look at individual applications and make a tailored offer based on your potential to succeed on the course considering a range of factors, including your academic achievements, work and other experience, reference and personal statement, and in some cases, your performance at an interview or a portfolio review. Typically, we make an offer at the bottom of the tariff range.

If you are unable to meet the entry requirements, we may be able to make you an offer through AccessBU if you meet certain criteria e.g. you have been in care or live in an area where fewer people typically progress to Higher Education. If you don't meet our published tariff, we will accept you at least 8 points below if your personal circumstances match our AccessBU criteria. 

Our offer-making will typically be based on your most recent qualifications, including any required subjects where applicable. We'll consider all qualifications when assessing your application, although these may not be part of our offer.

If you do not meet the criteria of your original offer, we may still offer you a place. We will review your whole application and consider all academic qualifications (including those not in the offer) to see if you have the academic potential to succeed on the course. If we feel the answer is yes, we will confirm your place.

Among the roles you can apply for once you graduate are:

• Social Worker
• Health Service and Public Health Manager
• Care Worker
• Mental Health Social Worker
• Health Assistant.

Social Work graduates enjoy careers in a wide variety of roles across social work, healthcare, and in education. The degree’s teaching and placements will help you choose the route that you feel most passionate about and that best suits your skills. 

Once you have completed an undergraduate Honours degree, you can further develop your education by studying for a postgraduate degree. Please visit our postgraduate section for further details about our range of Master’s degrees.

What’s included in your tuition fee?

Your tuition fee covers expenses associated with your course including tuition materials, access to facilities, mandatory field trips and the following:

• Materials for laboratory and mandatory field-based teaching activity
• Support for finding placements (UK or abroad) and fieldwork, and non-financial support whilst on placement if this is part of your course of study
• A range of student services – advisors, help desks, counsellors, placement support and careers service
• The Library – access to a wide range of electronic resources (databases, e-journals and e-books), print and multimedia collections, subject librarians and study spaces
• Access to Brightspace, our virtual learning environment, which offers a responsive and personalised learning experience with powerful learning analytics capabilities, integrated social media and advanced video features.
• IT labs (some open 24/7), wireless network, AV equipment to borrow
• Free software download to your personal device of Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus while you are studying, as well as access to applications provided on AppsAnywhere, subject to licensing and compatibility restrictions
• Disability and additional learning support, according to individual circumstances 
• The BU Language Centre to help you develop/improve foreign or English language skills
• 24 hours a day, 365 days a year security team
• Professional body accreditation of the course
• Occupational Health services and checks are included but you will be charged if you do not attend Occupational Health appointments without giving appropriate notice. You are also responsible for travel costs to Occupational Health appointments.

Additional costs

We are committed to offering you value for money and ensuring there are no hidden costs while you are studying with us, therefore we have listed below any additional costs you may incur that are not covered by your tuition fee:

• Laptops, tablets and mobile devices and any software used on personal devices. Access to a personal computer is strongly recommended for your study. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, visit our website for information regarding hardship funds.
• Textbooks, general stationery and other supplies. Our award-winning library is stocked with a large range of textbooks and online resources, free of charge. The Students’ Union shops stock a wide range of stationery supplies on both campuses.
• You will need to meet the cost of an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check as a condition of enrolment, including any Post Office verification charges. 
• You may need to pay for immunisations if they are not covered by your GP.
• Accommodation and living costs. Our accommodation price guide can be found on our website
• Travel costs to and from the University campus. An annual bus pass can be purchased alongside your rent if you are living in halls of residence/Unilet accommodation or may be purchased separately.
• All students, including international students must cover the costs of travel costs to and from their placement, including car parking charges. Where possible, travel distance and time are minimsed as part of the placement allocation process.
• SportBU membership.

If you need to repeat one or more units during your studies (with or without attendance) the pricing will be pro-rata of the full-time fee.

If you are planning to study the BA (Hons) Social Work at BU, you may be eligible for a bursary during your second and third years of study.

These bursaries don’t need to be paid back, and are awarded in recognition of the fact that you are expected to undertake hands-on placements.

My practice experience is: In 1994 I started working with children who are disabled and decided to qualify as a social pedagogue. Since arriving in England I have been working for a Local Authority as a social worker, team manager and Principal Social Worker.  The focus of my practice was Child Protection and Children with Disabilities. I had the opportunity to work for children in need of protection, offer supervision to other social workers, undertake court work and develop strategies. I also worked with Residential Children’s Homes to introduce social pedagogy to improve the everyday experiences of children living in children’s homes.

My main interests are: I take a particular interest in the way social workers come to make a decision or a judgment, given the implications social work decisions have on the life’s of the service user we work with. Additionally I am interested in the experiences of children in care and developing creative ways to identify children who experience adversity in early childhood. Given my experience in practice I am also intrigued about the current political climate and the impact austerity policy has on the ability of Local Authorities to provide important services to vulnerable people in our society.

What I bring to my teaching is: … a unique way to facilitate learning experiences by using the collective experiences that students bring into the seminars. My style of teaching is very responsive to discussions and interests emerging form a group. Rather than relying on presentations I believe that learning in a group is far more engaging and effective than traditional methods of teaching.

My practice experience is: I qualified as a social worker back in 1993, following time working with charities providing housing and support to homeless people in Nottingham and London. During my training I chose to focus on working with adults and I have always enjoyed collaborating with service users, carers and support networks to achieve positive outcomes. I have experience of a range of statutory services, starting my social work practice in a busy hospital where building respectful relationships with colleagues from diverse disciplines was essential. This work ensured that I developed a strong professional identity early in my career, able to express and defend decisions based on social work values. Since then I have worked with older people, and in later years worked in a specialist team with physically disabled adults, learning a great deal about from the experts by experience.

I began my part-time doctoral studies in 2010, focusing on the meaning of sexual well-being for physically disabled people. I then moved from practice into the role of Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the National Centre for Post-Qualifying Social Work, Bournemouth University in 2016, undertaking research, publishing literature and producing learning materials around issues of concern to social work (and other) practitioners and service users.  I am now a member of the social work teaching team, thoroughly enjoying the time spent with students.

My main interests are: I believe deeply in the contribution social work makes to society and the value practitioners can bring to individuals and communities. I am proud to be a social worker and am keen to share this pride through contributing to students’ learning, and being part of the team developing professionally curious practitioners.

What I bring to my teaching is: practice experience and enthusiasm for collaborative exploration and investigation.  Social work is an activity requiring the head, heart and hand, using a range of types of knowledge discovered through exploration and investigation. I bring this questioning approach to my teaching and thoroughly enjoy the lively debates.

My Practice Experience: I am a qualified counsellor and social worker. When I first qualified in 2007, from Bournemouth University, I worked in an Older Person’s Mental Health Team. I was part of a project that specialised in supporting people living with dementia. During my time with the team, I completed my safeguarding training and undertook regular enquiries. I later joined the Learning Disability Team and qualified as a practice educator and best interest assessor (BIA). After a few years, I was invited to help set up the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Team. I was the only full-time BIA for a few years before the team expanded. I qualified as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) and assessed people under the Mental Health Act. I also managed the team and ran regular workshops throughout the year which focused on various aspects of DoLS and the Mental Capacity Act. I continued to support students in my role as a practice educator. 
I started working at Bournemouth University in 2021, but I still do some work as an independent social worker, so I can keep my practical skills up. The social work team at Bournemouth University are lovely and since joining them, I have never looked back. 

My main interests include: Mental Health and wellbeing, especially the topic of self-care for students and social workers.

What I bring to my teaching is: I bring a supportive, nurturing approach. I like to use humour and I try to be creative in my presentations. I feel passionate about social work education and continuous professional development. I have been a tutor with Skills & Learning for several years where I have designed courses and taught a variety of social care and creative writing courses. My main experience from practice includes working with people living with mental health conditions and people living with learning disabilities and I draw on my knowledge, experience and love of learning to help my students get the best possible experience.  

My practice experience is: full-time practice for over 3 decades included working with a range of service user groups in statutory, charitable and private contexts. I worked at the first domestic violence shelter in the modern world, Chiswick Women's Aid and went on to manage a residential children’s home in Ealing, a special school on the south coast and a probation hostel. From statutory child care I went to the role of Joint Principal of an Education Social Work service and then co-ordinated a Home Office funded project to improve outcomes on a comparatively disadvantaged estate. I finished full-time practice managing inclusion for a mainstream secondary school. I maintain contact with practice through research and teaching and with a social group for young people with social communication difficulties.

My main interests are: To ‘make a difference’ is a noble aim and I believe we have a responsibility at Bournemouth University to contribute to the body of knowledge that demonstrates that social work does make a difference. I maintain a very strong commitment to the discipline of social work and I know that our graduates stand out for the high quality of their practice and their capacity to reflect upon the value of outcome as a measure of success.

What I bring to my teaching is: underpinned by the core belief that; “If I am not modelling what I am teaching, then I am teaching something else and I should be challenged”. Furthermore, I advise students that “You should not believe what I tell you – you should be willing to question and to challenge me respectfully – this is a core social work skill”. Crucially, feedback from students includes that I make the subject interesting and that students are provided with opportunities to explore ideas or concepts in depth.

My practice experience is: In mental health and substance use services in local authority, primary care and voluntary sector organisations across Manchester and Salford. In addition to case-holding work, my practice included developing specialist support for women substance users and working with local maternity services to support women who became pregnant whilst dependent; developing a volunteering scheme to enable people to enhance their own emotional health and well-being through engaging and supporting others; and working with GP practices to enhance the opportunities and support available to patients with common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

My main interests are: Involving people with lived experience, in health and social work education and research, in particular those from marginalised groups and communities. I use creative approaches to ensure that their stories are heard. My research includes the Parents Story Project where parents with a history of substance misuse shared their experiences and insights; developed a play and shared recommendations with practitioners and service commissioners; and the Older Carers Research Project, where older male carers (over the age of 85) shared their stories, created a short film and are now working with GP practises to improve recognition and support for older male carers.

What I bring to my teaching is: A supportive approach to enable you to gain the most from your social work education and become the best social worker you can be. My focus is as much on your personal and professional development as on your academic progress and how you can use this to inform your practice and achieve the best outcomes for those involved in receipt of social work services. I value the expertise; insights and perspectives that people with lived experience can offer and will incorporate opportunities throughout the curriculum for you to learn from those with a range of experiences and perspectives.

My Practice Experience is: In different roles, I have worked within children's social care for approximately 20 years before becoming a full-time lecturer at Bournemouth University.  I currently co-facilitate the Phoenix Programme, which is a domestic abuse support programme.  

My Main interests are: My doctoral research focused upon children who are violent towards their parents and also secrets and secrecy. This has led to my post-doctoral interests to focus upon domestic abuse, with child-to-parent violence coming under this broader umbrella. I am also the lead for social work practice education at Bournemouth University, which has led to my interest in innovative teaching methods as well as exploring critical reflection. 

What I bring to my teaching: My past and current practice experiences are fused with my research interests, this therefore feeds into my teaching, bringing it to life. 

My practice experience: I am a Registered Social Worker and have worked in Community Mental Health Teams for adults experiencing severe and enduring mental health issues since qualifying in 2007. Post qualifying, I was able to specialise in this area and underwent training to become an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP). I also have experience as a Safeguarding Adult Practitioner, Best Interest Assessor (BIA) and acting as a DoLs signatory.

For two years, I had a role assisting the Principal Social Worker for adults in the Bournemouth area. This role supported strategic management and, involved developing key policies and procedures to comply with current legislation and contemporary practice approaches, networking with other Local Authorities, implementing key practice changes, undertaking audits, supporting the development of newly qualified social workers, implementing training and workforce development functions. I was able to undertake a practice education qualification and utilise this to support the continued professional development of practitioners.

My main interests are:

• I have embarked on Phd study as part of my professional development in my current role. My chosen area of research compliments the teaching I undertake within practice learning. 
• I have strong interests in the field of mental health and safeguarding adults.
• I am a qualified practice educator and am also interested in the role and influence of effective supervision within practice. As a practitioner I understand the importance of receiving good quality supervision to provide foundations for creative and robust practice.  

What I bring to my teaching: I bring fresh eyes, enthusiasm and recent social work practice experience from a Local Authority setting. I feel passionately about bringing the worlds of practice, education and research together, and hope to draw on links to practice to enrich my teaching. Continued professional development is vital to keep engaged and creative in practice, and I hope to bring my experiences into teaching to enable students to feel they can positively influence, and work within, what is a challenging practice landscape. 

The journey you are on, as an individual, is about developing not only your professional skills, but your professional identity. This is informed by the work you complete in units but also the experiences you have in placement, and of course the life and work experiences you bring.  I feel strongly about providing students with the right tools to enter qualified practice, in terms of helping them develop their professional identity, autonomous thinking and individual strengths.

My practice experience is: in teaching and learning support; I am not a social worker.  In another part of my life, I work in adult education, focusing on supporting people aim to reach Level 2 English Language Functional Skills.

I support adults who, for many reasons, have not attained Level 2 equivalent qualifications. This means I work with people with a wide range of needs and challenges: specific learning difficulties, brain injury, mental health problems and learning disabilities, as well as people learning English as an additional language. 

My main interests are: Personal learning and development in adults.

What I bring to my teaching is: Enthusiasm