Welcome to your Social Work course - University of Staffordshire

Social Workers support individuals and families to achieve positive change in their lives. This degree prepares you for a profession with human rights and social justice is at its core.

Regulated by Social Work England (SWE), our degree course will prepare you for a career in social work in a diverse range of social welfare settings.

Level 4 begins with a period of study skills development. You will then move on to cover modules which explore, law, sociology and psychology and their links to the social work profession before completing your preparation for practice module.

Your staff team

We want to make sure you know some of our team before you arrive. Hopefully this will help you recognise us and ensure you know who you can contact if you need any additional help and guidance.

Rebecca Ford

Course Director And Social Work Lead

I am a qualified social worker and practice educator, with 15 years experience in practice with children and their families in statutory settings. Working with and safeguarding older children, has been a driving factor throughout my career.

Rebecca's profile

Anthony Bruner

Senior Lecturer

Anthony is the course leader for BA(Hons) Social Work. Originally from America he is a social worker and Psychotherapist. As part of his PhD he is researching how social workers use mental health knowledge in practice.

Anthony's profile

Zoe Yeomans

Lecturer

I am Academic Lead on the BA (Hons) Social Work Course, Lecturer in Practice Learning, and student placements and preparatory modules coordinator. My area of expertise is social work with adults, including learning disability and hospital discharge.

First activity

Your first activity during Welcome Week will be an opportunity to meet the academic team. This will be on the 23 September on the Stoke Campus - room to be confirmed.

Student Occupational Health

A large part of your learning on your course involves practice learning and we need to ensure that you have the correct level of occupational health protection.

For further detail please click here:

Social Work: A Profession

As a social work student, it is important to understand the professional requirements of social work, and the framework that will shape your professional development. The most important of these can be accessed via the links below:

Social Work England’s Professional Standards Professional standards - Social Work England

British Association of Social Workers – Professional Capabilities Framework Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) | www.basw.co.uk

Introductory Reading

One of the most important things you can do to prepare for studying on the BA Social Work is to keep up to date with contemporary issues for social work. Two useful websites are:

Community Care:

The Guardians Social Care Network:

Bottomley, J et al. (2018) Studying for Your Social Work Degree. St Albans: Critical Publishing
Lishman, J. et al (2018) Social Work: An Introduction, 2nd edition. London: Sage Publications

Rogers, M. et al (2017) Developing Skills for Social Work Practice. London: Sage

Course Delivery

The course will be taught on campus, in your first semester from September through to January , teaching will occur between 10am and 3pm over 3 – 4 days a week

Academic skills

Whether you're joining us from school or college, or you're returning to education after some time away, everyone can benefit from the Academic Study Skills resources provided by the University library.

The Academic Skills team is here to support you throughout your academic journey and to help you gain the skills you need to reach your full potential. They can assist with academic reading and writing skills, give advice on how best to plan assignments, and help improve your time management.

The library's Academic Skills Guides offer the key information to make studying easier and give a comprehensive guide to the learning resources and services we offer.

Staffs CampusConnect

Staffs CampusConnect is our student-led community app for new students. Connect with other people from your course, hometown or country, and even those with similar interests.

To register, please ensure you use your Applicant ID (Student Number) that you received in your offer letter, and the email address you used in your application to us.

Register for CampusConnect

Welcome website

Our welcome website will provide you the link to your new student life. It's all about how you find your place at university, including everything from how to meet friends, feel confident in doing your academic work, being a member of your Student Union and getting involved in Union Societies, Academic Societies, Sports, Volunteering or representing your peers in your School.

Part of this Welcome Week - we have an exciting program of University and course level activities planned for you for your first week in September. We are also building an extended program for you to join a series of events throughout the first half of the autumn term. Further details will be shared with you via the Welcome website and Students' Union pages over the coming weeks.

Welcome website

Campus map

Use our campus map to familiarise yourself with our campus before you arrive.

Campus map (PDF)

Check your email

Please make sure you check your personal email account regularly over the next few weeks. We will be sending you lots of information about Welcome Week.

We look forward to welcoming you in September.

If you have any questions, please send them to

Zoe Yeomans zoe.yeomans@staffs.ac.uk

Tony Bruner Anthony.Bruner@staffs.ac.uk