module specification

This module prepares you for direct practice to progress into your first placement.
This module provides opportunities for you to:
• Gain a deeper understanding of the role of social workers, the regulations and key documents that govern social workers.
• Develop practice skills in a supportive learning environment.
• Develop professional abilities, skills and understanding of the generic role of a social worker to achieve readiness for practice across a range of different service user groups.
• Develop basic communication skills in-line with the Readiness for Practice criteria
• Engage with the 9 domains of the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF).
People with Lived Experience colleagues have contributed to the development, design and delivery of this module in the following ways:
Assessment of  summative role play task
Co-facilitation of role play communication skills session.

This module must be passed before progressing to module SW7W00 – Practice Learning 1

On your journey from student to a developing practitioner, you are encouraged to become an active learner/participant through your engagement in a range of interactive activities. These learning and  teaching activities will develop your understanding of social work practice, and are an important part of building your social work portfolio. The module is structured around the readiness for direct practice level of social work.
What are the distinct elements of the module?
This module will:
Encourage you to think deeply around issues that position social work as a social justice and human rights   profession.

Encourage your professional curiosity and to help/support  you to make links between anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice, social work values, initial understanding of the legal framework, skills of intervention and social work practice throughout the course.

Raise your awareness and support you to confront/challenge issues that impact human rights and social work. e.g.  inequality, discrimination, disadvantage, marginalisation, privilege and its association with Human Rights, issues of social justice and how to embed those values into the social work role.

Encouraged you to develop/demonstrate your understanding of the role of reflection, reflective practice and professional use of self.

Support practice knowledge and skills of engagement, information gathering, investigation, authenticity, active listening skills, managing conflict & confrontation, professional voice, the use of assertiveness, report writing, presentation and recording skills.
Topics to be covered:
Core communication skills (LO1, LO2).
Skills and values needed to engage with users  (LO1, LO2, LO4).
How to learn from feedback and supervision  (LO1,  LO3)
Reflective Practice skills and tools (LO3 7 LO4).
The role of the Professional Capabilities framework expectations (LO1).
The role and purpose of social work (LO2).
Values and critical reflection on equality and discrimination LO1, LO4).
Key concepts and terminology. 
Relationship-based practice (LO1 LO2)
The role of the social worker (LO1)
Professional boundaries (LO1 & LO2)
Unconscious Bias (LO3, LO4)
Culture and social work (LO1  LO4)
Resilience
Knowledge of the Social Work England Standards and the role of Regulation (LO1).
Understanding accountability  and the duty to report concerns (LO1).
Knowledge of the BASW Code of Ethics and the Professional  Capabilities Framework (PCF) (LO1)
Knowledge of the use of supervision in practice and understanding of continual   professional development (CPD) (LO3)
Fitness to practice (LO1)
Personal and Professional Values and Ethics (LO4).

The learning and teaching methods on this module will include the following approaches:

• Interactive skills-based workshops: collaborative experiential learning
• Small group and peer learning and reflection on feedback
• Experiential role plays
• Case-study analysis and problem-based learning
• Personal reflection and reflective writing
• Preparation for supervision and direct practice
• Weblearn, video materials & other online educational content
• The module will include service user, carer, and practitioner contributions

The use of these approaches will be complemented by your active engagement with the learning process as you identify your learning needs. You will be encouraged to engage meaningfully with these strategies through personal reflection and reflective writing, use of Weblearn, visual materials and other educational content. You will also be expected to access educational resources.

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. LO1 demonstrate an understanding of social work values & ethics, professional boundaries, that includes application of anti-discriminatory, anti-oppressive principles and anti-racist social work practice.
2. LO2 demonstrate core communication skills and the ability to engage with people to build compassionate, effective, and respectful relationships.
3. LO3 reflect on your learning and development.
4. LO4 reflect on your own personal and professional values and how these can impact on practice.

This is a Pre-requisite Module which you must pass to progress to placement.
Summative Assessment Tasks:
1) Practical Task: You are required to take part in a practical task to demonstrate communication skills, compassionate practice including anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory, anti-racist practice and professional boundaries in response to a given case scenario and service user interaction (LO1, LO2).
2) Reflective evaluations: You must complete reflective evaluations where you  discuss your learning from the practical task and the module contents more widely demonstrating how you will take this learning into future practice – the first placement (LO3, LO4).

Formative Assessment Tasks:
1) Poster presentation: You are required to prepare two posters or short video files – (max 7-10 mins total): one on your culture and one on social work within your culture. As part of this task you will also be encouraged to consider personal and professional values and social work contexts.
2) Placement Application Form: You are required to complete a placement application form
3) Professional, Personal Development Plan: You are required to complete a personal and professional development plan.

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