BA (Honours) Social Work
Three years full-time
UCAS code • L500
Location • Collegiate Campus
Subject area • Social work
Related subjects • Nursing and midwifery
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Our health and social care courses place a strong emphasis on interprofessional learning. This means that you train alongside practitioners from other health professions. Find out more.
FInd out more about the teaching staff in this subject area.
At a glance
Make a difference to people's lives by choosing a career in social work, providing people with help, support and guidance when they need it and protecting vulnerable children and adults. You split your study time between teaching and learning at university and practice learning in services settings. This approach ensures that you qualify with the skills, knowledge and experience you need to succeed in your career.
Key points
• Work in specialist facilities that include the £13m Health and Wellbeing Building.
• Learn from lecturers who have worked as social workers and related professions.
• Get practical experience of 200 days working in professional settings and attending specialist skills days.
• Benefit from our strong partnerships with service users and carers and service providers in the region.
What is social work?
Social workers enable vulnerable people to live independent lives by assessing needs and providing services to support, care for, and protect them. People needing help, support or guidance from social workers include
• children and families
• people with mental health problems, learning or physical disabilities
• older people
• young people who may be in trouble with the police or at school
Social workers need to be tolerant, clear thinking and be able to find effective solutions to people's problems. They have to intervene in peoples lives at points of extreme crisis and difficulty and sometimes work in challenging and high risk situations where they are not always welcome. They come into contact with a cross section of people in society, so it is important to respect cultural differences and have the ability to relate to people with widely varying backgrounds.
This course
Study the theories, skills and values of social work on this course which is well connected with social work and social care service providers in the region. As a result of these connections you get the benefit of supervised practical work in a range of social work settings.
Parts of your studies focus on learning how to work with people who have problems in their lives or whose actions cause significant problems for others. This might involve dealing with people who behave in a volatile manner. As a student on this course and for your career, you must develop the strength and skills to manage uncertain situations.
During your studies, you spend some of your time studying in our £13 million purpose-built Robert Winston Building, described as 'a beacon for the future development of health education in this country' by a leading UK health body. You also use other specialist facilities including a practical skills room in our Woodville Building.
As well as specialist facilities, you also benefit from a teaching team made up of qualified and experienced social workers, or practitioners from related professions. Many are involved in research in social work and have a well-established reputation in various international projects. This engagement with research helps to keep course content up to date and relevant.
One key aspect of the degree is that you spend at least 170 days across the degree putting what you’ve learnt into practice in real working situations such as social work teams, nurseries, family centres, primary care practices, hospitals and residential settings.
Your placements take place with our partners in local authority, private and voluntary agencies across South Yorkshire and the North East Midlands.
Service users and carers are central to all aspects of the course delivery and development, including teaching, assessment and placements. Other key aspects of the course and assessment include essays, presentations, exams and a dissertation.
Key areas of study
You follow the Health and Care Professions Council and The College of Social Work guidelines for training which include • assessment, planning, intervention and review • role play • dissertation or project • psychosocial knowledge • professional ethics • law and policy • social work theory.
Our teaching staff
All our teaching staff are qualified and experienced social workers, or have experience in related professions. Many are involved in research in social work and have a well-established reputation in various international projects, including
• international practice learning opportunities for students
• EU-funded projects to develop an international curriculum
• projects developing social work practice and social work education
61 out of 82 completing graduates got an honours degree that was a 2.1 or higher in 2011 – 23 students qualified with 1st class honours and 38 qualified with 2.1 class honours. This is the highest rate in the region (source: Unistats).
Related courses
You apply for this course through UCAS.
2013/14 academic year
If you are a home or EU resident, you can normally apply for a NHS-funded bursary.
To qualify as a home student, you must have been living in the UK for over three years and have indefinite leave to remain or refugee status.
For information about the social work bursary scheme visit the NHS Social Work Bursaries website.
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees and funding see www.shu.ac.uk/study/ug/fees-and-funding
2013/14 academic year
Typically £13,880 a year
2014/15 academic year
Typically £14,380 a year
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees, scholarships and bursaries see www.shu.ac.uk/international/fees
• coursework • case studies • examinations • presentations • reflective portfolio of work
This course is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Graduates are eligible to apply to register with them. You must be registered with the HCPC to practise as a social worker in the UK.
Key Information Set 
Together in the real world of health and social care
Our health and social care courses place a strong emphasis on interprofessional learning. This means that you train alongside practitioners from other health professions. So, depending on your course you could spend time working alongside
• nurses
• midwives
• operating department practitioners
This gives you a fresh perspective on situations. And it also prepares you for the real world. Collaboration between health professionals is increasing as organisations try to provide a more integrated and effective service. At Sheffield Hallam we understand that by working together we can we give the best possible care.
Staff profiles
Visit the Department of Allied Health Professions website to view profiles of the staff who teach in this subject area.
