module specification

This module aims to provide students with an opportunity to learn a range of theoretical approaches used in Social Work interventions, and to apply these to different social contexts in order to promote effective, ethical and anti-oppressive social work practice.

By the end of this module:
• You will be able to critically analyse the contested nature of social work explanations of the circumstances of service users and the interventions implied by these explanations.
• You will be able to identify and analyse theoretical perspectives relevant to social work taking into account the practical and ethical impact these perspectives have upon different individuals, groups and communities.
• You will be able to critically evaluate different theoretical perspectives with regard to relations of power and anti-oppressive practice relevant to social work

• Social work theories, methods and applications to practice (LO 1,2,3)
• Motivational Interviewing (LO 1,2,3,4)
• Cognitive-Behavioural Approaches (LO 1,2,3,4)
• Systems theories (LO 1,2,3,4)
• Narrative approaches (LO 1,2,3,4)
• Task-Centred intervention (LO 1,2,3,4)
• Crisis intervention (LO 1,2,3,4)

The teaching and learning strategy consists of formative exercises to help you to develop your ability to understand and apply to practice a range of theoretical perspectives that can be used to inform social work interventions and direct work with people with lived experience. These activities will support you to deepen your understanding and application of theories to social work practice.

Class based exercises are designed to support you develop critical and reflective abilities in relation of theory through formative analysis of case studies undertaken regularly in small groups. Group discussion and debates are also used to stimulate critical approaches to theories, allowing individual and general feedback to can be given immediately.

These, together with an individual essay plan will support your development of the required skills to complete the summative assessment which is a 2,500 words essay based on a case study analysis to assess all the learning outcomes.

You will be supported and guided to identify relevant reading to support independent study. Resources available to you on Weblearn to support your independent study will include a wide range of audio-visual as well as text-based resources to support the diversity of student learning styles.

On successful completion of this module you will be able to:

1. Analyse theoretical perspectives to gain a critical understanding how they can be applied in Social Work practice to intervene with diverse individuals, groups and communities.

2. Evaluate different theoretical perspectives in relation to power and anti-oppressive practice in social work having a critical awareness of their implications for service users

3. Examine concepts and theoretical approaches to social work practice in the context of organisational settings as well as from socio, economic and political perpsectives.

4. Demonstrate a critical knowledge of social work theory, research and evidence, and evaluate how they inform interventions with service users including practice responses to the contexts of poverty and social exclusion.

The assessment strategy consists of a series of formative exercises to help you to develop your ability to understand the theoretical basis for social work. This will deepen your critical understanding and application of theories to social work practice. Class based exercises are designed to develop your abilities in relation to the application of theory through formative analysis of case studies undertaken regularly in small groups.

Class debates will also be used to stimulate critical approaches to theories and allowing individual and general feedback to be given immediately. These, together with an individual essay plan, will support your development of the required skills to complete the summative assessment which is a 2,500 words essay based on the application of social work theories to practice, based on a case study to assess all the learning outcomes.

You will complete a critical analysis of selected theoretical perspectives relevant to understanding and intervening with services or service user groups and apply these to a practice scenario. Particular attention will be paid to how these perspectives inform the application of anti-oppressive practice. People with Lived Experience colleagues have contributed to the development, design and delivery of this module in developing the case studies and practice scenarios used for the final assessment.

Social Work Theories and Perspectives Reading List Link