PGCert Advanced Child and Family Social Work draft

Program Overview

This part-time postgraduate program is designed for employed social workers seeking career advancement. It enhances professional practice, develops mentoring and supervision skills, and deepens understanding of child and family social work. Graduates gain confidence, resilience, and transferable skills for complex work environments.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Aims:

• Develop capacity to evaluate, review, and improve approaches and systems
• Apply learning effectively using relevant methodologies for continuous improvement
• Facilitate the development of a self-aware, proactive, reflective practitioner to contribute to social work innovation and development
• Increase confidence, resilience and adaptability to changing social work demands
• Provide opportunities to develop critical understanding of global and national issues and insights into social work practice

Outline:

Modules:

• Developing the Practitioner in Social Work (20 credits): This module aims to develop professional social work practice through reflective practice, assessed and supported learning.
• Mentoring, Supervision and Assessment in Practice Part 1 and 2 (PEPS Stage 1 - 10 credits each): This module prepares students to act as enablers of others' learning by developing knowledge of theories, concepts, and processes of practice education in the context of an explicit value base.
• Advanced Critical Practice: Child and Family (20 credits): This module facilitates the continuing professional development of registered social workers, extending and deepening their knowledge and skills in contemporary social work practice, drawing on the "Social Worker" career level statements of the Professional Capabilities Framework and the Knowledge and Skills Statements for Approved Child and Family Practitioners.
Assessment: This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module, including:
• Exams
• Individual assignments
• Group work
• Nationally recognized portfolio
Teaching: This course is delivered on a part-time basis using a blended learning approach of:
• Classroom teaching
• Online discussions
• Online tasks
• Project work

Additional Information:

• The number of contact hours varies but averages around 32 hours in seminars, 7 hours of tutorials, 10 hours workshops, and 426 hours of work-based learning.
• Self-guided learning is expected to be approximately 125 hours.
• Contact hours may include a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.
• The university may utilize emerging technologies within the student experience.
• Teaching may be delivered online, in line with public authority guidance and safety measures.

Careers:

Upon successful completion of the course, graduates should be able to:

• Demonstrate developed social work practice and achieve outcomes via the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) or its equivalent.
• Demonstrate a comprehensive and critical understanding of the Practice Education Professional Standards (PEPS) Stage 1 and their application to adult learning, supervision, and assessment of others.
• Demonstrate skills and knowledge aligned with the relevant levels of the Professional Capabilities Framework and the Knowledge and Skills Statements.
• Evidence a critical understanding of practice education paradigms, an awareness of ethical dilemmas, and consolidate learning around anti-oppressive practice when working with students and newly qualified social workers (NQSW).
All students on the course are already employed as qualified social workers. The course further develops transferable skills such as communication, assessment, leadership, and mentoring skills for complex and unpredictable professional environments. Other:
• The course embeds enhanced employability through initiatives like developing transferable skills.
• Graduates have access to the Talent Team for support with writing CVs, job applications, etc.