Social Work - BSc (Hons) Degree

As a Professionally Regulated Programme, all Social Work students in Wales are required to register with Social Care Wales. Eligible students will be nominated for a Social Care Wales bursary at the point of entry onto the programme. Further information regarding student bursaries can be found on the Social Care Wales website.

Year One (Level 4)

The focus at this level is Introduction and Foundation. In Semester 2 you will complete 20 days (140 hours) of practice-based learning.

You will be introduced to legislation and social policy that underpins social work practice and start to develop your professional persona alongside learning about the Social Work role in contemporary society whilst also studying human development. You will have the opportunity to reflect on your development through group tutorials and develop your skills using in class simulations.

The modules you will study include:

• Introduction to Professional Social Work – 20 credits
• Skills and Values for Social Work Practice – 20 credits
• The Emerging Practitioner – 20 credits
• Introduction to Law and Social Policy – 20 credits
• Introduction to Assessment – 20 credits
• Human Growth and Development – 20 credits

Year Two (Level 5)

The focus at this level is the Application of Knowledge Skills and Values in Practice. You will complete six 20 credit modules building on the knowledge and experience that you have gained from level 4.

You will undertake an 80-day (560 hours) practice learning opportunity (PLO) on a full-time basis in Semester 2 which will provide you with the opportunity to apply your taught knowledge and skills within a practice setting.

The modules you will study include:

• Application of Law and Social Policy – 20 credits
• Social Work Theories to Intervene – 20 credits
• Evidence Informed Social Work – 20 credits
• The Reflective Practitioner – 20 credits
• Co-Production in Practice – 20 credits
• Outcome Focussed Practice – 20 credits

Year Three (Level 6)

The focus of studies in your final year is the development and confirmation of competence. You will complete two 20 credit modules and two 40 credit modules.

You will spend the first half of semester 1 at university before embarking on your final 100-day (700 hours) practice learning opportunity (PLO). The teaching of the modules will explore the complexity of social work practice within the 21st Century.

The modules you will study include:

• Social Work Practice in Context – 40 credits
• Applying Evidence Informed Practice – 40 credits
• The Competent Practitioner – 20 credits
• Emerging Trends in Social Work – 20 credits

The BSc (Hons) Social Work is a full-time programme that is delivered over two days with three days assigned to self-directed study per week whilst at university. At Level 5 and level 6 the practice learning opportunities are full time, where you will attend your placement five days a week.

A mixture of blended learning experiences, lectures, seminars, group work, tutorials, independent research/study and work-based learning will enable you to reflect upon your learning and identify future learning goals.

Within the delivery of the modules, you will have the opportunity to test out their knowledge and skills within a safe environment through the use of simulations and role plays.

You will be further supported in your learning through the virtual learning environment ‘Moodle’.

At the beginning of your studies, you will be allocated a personal tutor and will be assigned to a professional development group which will enhance your learning and development as burgeoning professionals. You will also be allocated a ‘host agency’ who will work with you in the allocation of your practice learning opportunities.

A substantial part of the course is spent in practice settings within agencies in South Wales; therefore, the ability to undertake travelling to and within practice agencies will be advantageous.

Whilst on the social work degree you are also required to demonstrate that they can use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) methods and techniques to support your learning and practice.

All staff teaching on the programme are qualified Social Workers and bring with them a wealth of experience of working within the profession.

Whilst in practice you will be assigned a Practice Educator who will be a qualified Social Worker. They will provide you with supervision throughout your practice learning opportunity and support you in integrating theory to practice.

Assessment of individual areas of study will include a combination of different approaches: through practice learning, simulation/case study exercises, essays and assignments, reports, poster presentations, group and individual presentations and timed essays. There is a level of diversity of assessment and student choices are exercised at differing times throughout the programme. You will be encouraged to link summative assessments to your PLO experiences where appropriate.

In addition, to the academic assessments, you are required to produce portfolios that are linked to your practice-based learning, which includes observations of practice and reflective accounts based on the observations. Your practice educator will provide you with verbal and written feedback. Whilst in practice you will be assessed against the National Occupational Standards for Social Work and the Code of Professional Practice.

You will receive electronic feedback and feedforward to all academically assessed work and are encouraged through the enhanced personal tutorial process to review feedback and build both academic and practice based social work skills.

You are required to pass both the academic and practice-based learning in order to process.

On completion of the BSc (Hons) Social Work degree and all associated academic and practice-based learning opportunities, graduates will be able to register as qualified Social Work practitioners and access a wide range of employment opportunities within social work in the statutory, independent and third sectors. Graduates can take up employment with people with social care needs and their carers who use a range of social work and social care services which address complex social issues and needs.

Career prospects are excellent, and the degree allows you to work across different sectors such as child and family services, adults’ services, mental health in both the statutory or private and voluntary sectors.

Graduates will also be required to pursue Continued Professional Education and Learning within their Social Work career, and may choose to pursue a postgraduate qualification, for example in teaching in further/higher education or a master’s or doctorate in Social Work. There are also other graduate opportunities outside Social Work.

Typical Offers

• Tariff points: 96
• Contextual offer: See our contextual offers page.
• GCSE: Preferably five GCSEs at Grade C / 4 or above to include English Language / Welsh First Language.
• English Language Requirement: Academic IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in all elements, or equivalent.
• A level subjects: Minimum three A levels to include grades CCC. No specific subjects required. Welsh Advanced Skills Baccalaureate considered as a third subject.
• BTEC National / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: MMM
• T Level: Pass (C+).
• Access to Higher Education Diploma: No specific subjects required.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: No specific subjects required.
• Irish Leaving Certificate: 2 x H2. No specific subjects required. Higher level subjects only considered with a minimum grade H4.
• Scottish Advanced Highers: Grade DD. No specific subjects required. Scottish Highers are also considered, either on their own or in combination with Advanced Highers.
• A relevant NVQ Level 3 or 4 in a social work/social care related subject area.
• Other requirements: Successful interview and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).  Applicants need to satisfy DBS requirements and meet the requirements of registration with Social Care Wales.  Please refer to the Experience tab below for more detail.

Combinations of the above qualifications are accepted if they meet our minimum requirements. If your qualifications aren’t listed, please contact askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk or refer to the UCAS Course Search.

Further information on Overseas qualifications can be found here.

How to Apply

Further information on how to apply can be found here.

Students wishing to study this course at Bridgend College should select ‘Bridgend’ as the location of study on their UCAS application.

Recognition of Prior Learning

If you are interested in using credit from another institution, or have obtained qualifications and/or experience to study for a course at Cardiff Met,  you can find further information on this as well as information on how to apply on the RPL page.

If you are a mature applicant, have relevant experience or RPL that you would like us to consider, please contact Admissions.

Selection & Interview Procedure

Selection is usually on the basis of a completed UCAS application and an individual interview. Interviews are currently held online via Microsoft Teams. You will receive notification of your interview date via UCAS and via email from Cardiff Met. You will then receive a Teams invitation, with your specific interview time, from the programme team. Prior to your interview you are required to complete a written task and a self-declaration form.

Individual Interview

Your individual interview will last around 15-20 minutes and will be undertaken by academic members of staff from both Cardiff Metropolitan University and Bridgend College, alongside social work practitioners and individuals that use social work and social care services, that are involved with the Programme. Applicants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the information on the Social Care Wales website relating to the Social Care Wales’s Code of Professional Practice for Social Care (2017), and social care legislation in Wales.

Experience Requirements

Applicants are required to have some work experience in a social care setting. There is no time limit for when this work experience was completed, however more recent experience would strengthen your application.

The programme will also consider, in exceptional circumstances, those applicants that have personal experience as an individual with social care needs or as a carer. For example, applications from individuals that have been a primary carer, on a substantial and regular basis of a relative, friend, or neighbour or a child/young person looked after by the Local Authority – that is, a care experienced person. In such circumstances, applications can also be strengthened with additional volunteering/paid social care experience.

Experience can be gained in a wide range of paid or volunteering roles in social care:

• With children and families in social care settings such as Flying Start, Local Authority teams, Action for Children, Barnardo’s, and residential homes.
• With adults in social care settings such as Local Authority Adult Teams, supported accommodation, residential/nursing homes, charities working with people with disabilities, domestic violence charities, homelessness services and substance misuse organisations.
• In counselling settings or working one-to-one within youth and community work settings.
• In education settings where this role relates to direct work with children with additional needs or working in mainstream education and/or nurseries/crèches.

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact the BSc (Hons) Social Work ​Senior Lecturer, Suzanne Gannon-Lewis:

Email: sgannon-lewis@cardiffmet.ac.uk