Overview

• Social work at York is widely recognised to be of the highest standard, consistently featuring within the Top 5 of national subject league tables.
• You will study a tailored programme, gaining the knowledge, practical skills and understanding of social work.
• You will achieve the qualification needed to work as a social worker, as recognised by the General Social Care Council.

The course work involves study of the key elements of social work knowledge and skills, including: social work law; human development; focus on practice; preparation for practice; communication skills; health, mental health and disability; children and young people; evidence and knowledge; social work theory and models.

At York, you are offered two placements as part of the degree, in the first and final years. Placements are designed to give you knowledge and skills to practise. In the final year, you will opt for one of four possible pathways. These are: Children and Families Social Work; Health and Disability Social Work; Youth Social Work; Mental Health Social Work.

Important notes about this course

Admission to the course is by interview. Interviews take place from December to March.

We welcome applications from students from a range of backgrounds and ages, and we have a firm commitment to supporting their progression through the course. The Department has a strong commitment to admitting and supporting students with disabilities; support and services are organised centrally by the University Disability Services and students will be invited to contact them if they require support at interview or after admission.

You will also need GCSE Maths and English at grade C or equivalent, such as adult numeracy and literacy skills at Level 2 (see DirectGov).

Financial help is available from the NHS Business Authority (NHS BSA) which administers two types of bursary for students studying social work – the social work bursary and the postgraduate bursary. For full details on eligibility criteria, the financial value of the bursaries and availability of application packs, you can visit NHS Social Work Bursaries or email your enquiry. Alternatively, call the Bursaries team on 0845 6101122.

In addition to applying through the UCAS scheme, you will be required to provide a satisfactory health declaration and undergo a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. Having either a health condition or criminal conviction is not an automatic bar to entry but failure to disclose relevant information may result subsequently in termination of training. Should you declare a criminal conviction, it may be necessary to consult our partnership agencies in relation to placements.

You must be at least 18 years old.  

Structure

Course structure

This is a 3-year, full time undergraduate programme.

Dissertation examples

The third year dissertation is a great opportunity to apply your knowledge and understanding in independent supervised research on a topic of your interest. Previous dissertation titles include:

• A mock research proposal on the significance of faith-based influences in UK social work practice
• Ethical questions when conducting research with and for young children
• The feasibility of and standards for conducting user-led research studies in which service users and/or carers collaborate as equal partners with social work students, researchers or practitioners.
• An assessment of the scope for research on the relations between education and social work when working with Traveller children

Teaching and support

Modules

Your lectures and seminars will be delivered by academic staff and on occasion guest speakers. 

Support

All students are allocated a personal supervisor who is responsible for supporting you throughout your three years. Most commonly, your supervisor will be a member of the staff team responsible for the degree and involved in teaching some of the core modules.

Careers

On successful completion of the degree, you will be eligible to register as a social worker in England.

Social workers are in great demand throughout the country; career prospects in social work are very good.

General Social Care Council

Social work is a regulated profession. As a social work student you will be expected to register with the General Social Care Council (GSCC), the social work profession's regulator, and adhere to the standards set out in the Code of Practice for Social Workers.

As well as regulating individual social workers and students, we also regulate the performance of social work courses, the reports of which are published on our website, so you can check to see how each univeresity is performing. For more information visit: General Social Care Council.

Application

In addition to applying through the UCAS scheme, you will be required to provide a satisfactory health declaration and undergo a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. Having either a health condition or criminal conviction is not an automatic bar to entry but failure to disclose relevant information may result subsequently in termination of training. Should you declare a criminal conviction, it may be necessary to consult our partnership agencies in relation to placements.

You will also need GCSE Maths and English at grade C or equivalent, such as adult numeracy and literacy skills at Level 2 (see DirectGov). Admission to the course is by an interview. Interviews take place from December to March.

Successful candidates will have:

• Some understanding of the various roles and responsibilities of social workers
• Motivation to become a social worker, shown by having a clear rationale for doing so gained from experience in a helping role
• Some self-awareness and empathy for others
• Awareness of and a commitment to the values of social work
• Ability to succeed academically

Find out more: Tips for Interviews.