Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.
Year one
Social Work Law 1
Year: 1
Status: C
This module enables students to acquire an understanding of the legislation and legal practice underpinning Social Work practice in Northern Ireland. Its initial focus is on legal method and the legal system, providing students with sufficient understanding of legal process to underpin the 'follow-on' law module in Year 3 of the Degree. In the areas addressed in this module, students are encouraged to critically appraise the application of the law.
Research and Academic Skills for Social Work
Year: 1
Status: C
This module is designed to facilitate students at Level 4 in developing essential research, and presentation skills, along with knowledge and skills in critical reflection for academic and professional learning and development. The acquisition of knowledge and skills on reflection and research are critical to academic and lifelong professional development in social work practice.
Introduction to Lifecourse Psychology
Year: 1
Status: C
This module explores the theoretical underpinnings of social work and neighbouring academic disciplines. Psychology is of particular relevance, for the insights it offers into the drivers of human behaviour, and the interventions it has developed for the caring professions. This module explores these links and connections in the context of social work practice.
Introduction to Social Work Practice
Year: 1
Status: C
This module aims to provide students with a basic understanding of the social work profession, its roles and functions in the statutory and voluntary sector and, additionally, to provide students with a theoretical and ethical base for practice at Level 5.
Preparation for Practice Learning
Year: 1
Status: C
The Preparation for Practice Learning module is a pre-requisite in order to progress to your first Practice Learning Opportunity (PLO). The module assessment has three elements; a written tuning-in assignment, a summative skills role-play assessment, and a written evaluation assignment. There is no compensation across these and students must pass all three elements in order to pass the module.
Assessment of this module will determine fitness to proceed to Level 5 practice learning, and successful completion is therefore a pre-requisite for placement.
Sociology & Social Policy for Social Work
Year: 1
Status: C
This module is designed to encourage enquiry based learning by setting tasks that require problem solving and debate for students enabling them to construct their own learning on sociological and social policy concepts. This is important for social work as we want each student to start to develop and reflect on their own values, knowledge and experience of societal issues that in turn impact on service users, carers and providers we work with.
Building and Maintaining a Professional Identity
Year: 1
Status: C
This module is designed to support the development of a strong professional identity. Identity in social work is essential for sustained, confident and competent professional social work practice. This module is designed to develop the foundations for this development including understanding the influence of self on professional practice and mechanisms for sustaining professionalism.
Social Work Law 1
Year: 1
Status: C
This module provides students with a knowledge of the legal system and the legislation pertinent to Social Work practice. It also focuses on the interaction between Social Workers and lawyers, in what some refer to as the emerging discipline of Social Work law.
Theories and Methods of Intervention
Year: 1
Status: C
This module will provide the opportunity for students to acquire underpinning knowledge of theories and methods of intervention for social work practice. It will enable students to identify and integrate relevant theoretical concepts and methods of intervention, providing a necessary foundation in preparation for practice learning.
Experts by Experience, Citizen Educators and Communities
Year: 1
Status: C
Students will be asked to reflect upon the interface between their own personal values in relation to the helping process and the opportunities and limitations generated by the professional social work role. The Experts by Experience, Citizen Educators and Communities experience will be the primary focus in facilitating this critical evaluation utilising underpinning theoretical models.
Preparation for Practice Learning
Year: 1
Status: C
The Preparation for Practice Learning module is a pre-requisite in order to progress to the first Practice Learning Opportunity (PLO). The module assessment has three elements; a written tuning-in assignment, a summative skills role-play assessment, and a written evaluation assignment. There is no compensation across these and students must pass all three elements in order to pass the module.
Assessment of this module will determine fitness to proceed to Level 5 practice learning, and is a pre-requisite for placement.
Theories and Methods for Assessment
Year: 1
Status: C
The module is designed to develop social work student assessment skills and the identification and management of risk across a range of practice settings. The module will prepare students for undertaking assessments of need and risk by providing knowledge on current assessment frameworks and guidance used across many Social Work settings.
Year two
Assessment and Risk Assessment in Practice Settings
Year: 2
Status: C
The module is designed to provide Social Work students with a knowledge base of the assessment frameworks currently used in a range of Social Work settings in Northern Ireland. It provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their assessment skills in relation to analysing information, forming professional judgement and understanding of the Social Work role in a numbers of practice situations. It explores the issues and dilemmas for professional Social Workers in relation to the assessment of need in a resource limited service.
It also looks at risk thresholds and risk management strategies in Social Work practice and the learning from recent inquiries and departmental guidance and protocols. The module provides online resources and lecture material to assist in the development of assessment skills. The theoretical knowledge and evidence base practice research that underpins the assessment frameworks, and the need for multi-disciplinary working is also taught. The two hour lectures are supported by weekly interactive seminars.
Assessed Practice 1
Year: 2
Status: C
This direct practice learning module enables students to apply college based teaching in relation to social work knowledge, values and skills to the practice setting, to develop effective helping relationships and to work in accordance with statutory and legal requirements as an accountable member of the organisation.
Reflection on Practice 1
Year: 2
Status: C
This self-directed module relates to Level 5 Practice Learning and will equip students with the ability to integrate and apply knowledge, skills and values in direct supervised practice.
Case Study
Year: 2
Status: C
At first practice learning students must develop skills working through the social work process of preparation, assessment, planning, intervention, endings and review. This module is designed to give them the skills to do this in a sufficiently professional and academic manner, in order to prepare students for the rigor needed in working with complex situations involving high levels of need and risk.
Working in Society
Year: 2
Status: C
The module examines the organisational and the wider contemporary societal contexts for social work practice and multidisciplinary working. It enables students to reflect on their placement experience to date and to plan for their own professional development in the light of the themes of the module, including the discussion of models of best practice and of the application of professional social work values, as they go forward to their final year, final placement and on to professional practice. It encourages students to think critically, and in greater depth and breadth, about structural factors influencing service users' lives and the applicability of sociological theory in this context. The module also offers students the opportunity to develop academic and transferable skills in academic poster development.
Critical Perspectives and Skills for Contemporary Practice
Year: 2
Status: C
This module provides students with a critical foundation for understanding the wider social, political, and economic contexts that shape contemporary social work practice. It explores how social and political factors influence the experiences of individuals, families, and communities. Emphasis is placed on anti-oppressive, anti-racist, rights-based and relationship-based practice, encouraging students to critically reflect on their role in challenging inequality and promoting social justice. Through engagement with both quantitative and qualitative research, students will enhance their ability to evaluate evidence and contribute to ethical, informed practice across diverse social work settings.
Assessed Study and Practice Abroad 2
Status: O
Year: 2
This module is optional
Study abroad and pre-departure information sessions containing individual and group exercises, help students explore and anticipate potential personal and professional development.
Lectures and seminars at host institutions inform students about the international dimension of their academic discipline whilst absorbing wider experiences.
Recording and updating learning through reflective practices gives students the opportunity to document their learning, their goals and aspirations and their plans.
The module is web supplemented and is administered (in part) using the University's virtual learning environment plus other secure online systems.
This module provides the opportunity for students to continue to develop their social work practice by exposure to practice in a foreign country. They will reflect on how this experience helped to develop their knowledge skills and they will develop their empathetic understanding of isolated, excluded and oppressed groups.
Outgoing Ulster University students will be awarded a Diploma in International Studies.
Year three
Social work law 2
Year: 3
Status: C
This module enables students to acquire an understanding of the legislation and legal practice underpinning key areas of social work practice in Northern Ireland, such as child protection, relationship breakdown, mental health and community care law. It builds upon the foundations laid in Social Work Law 1. In the areas addressed in this module, students are encouraged to critically appraise the application of the law.
Family and Child Care
Year: 3
Status: C
The family and childcare module will prepare final year undergraduate students for Social Work practice in a range of Social Work roles and settings. The three main areas of child care practice, safeguarding/child protection, family support and looked after children (including fostering and adoption), will be covered. A range of social work and other professionals will provide the lectures on current, evidence-informed family and childcare practice and multi-disciplinary working. The multi-disciplinary and interagency practice learning component normally includes inputs from the police, primary health care, voluntary child care organisations, social services and specialist child care services. The module has a clear child protection/safeguarding focus including teaching on, the signs and indicators of abuse and neglect, recognising and responding, the use of assessment frameworks, professional decision making and child safety planning. There is service user input on the module. The legislative and policy context for family and child care practice in Northern Ireland is critically examined and the module is informed by child care theory, research and Inquiry reports from the UK, Ireland and the international context. The module is supplemented by online resources, plus workshops to prepare students for practice with children and families. The module is assessed by a class test and a recorded case study presentation. Students are required to pass both assessment components to pass the module.
Interventions in Social Work Practice
Year: 3
Status: C
The module will build on the foundation of generic learning in levels four and five. It will facilitate social and political awareness and an understanding of social action and preventative strategies aimed at improving the well-being and quality of life of all citizens. In particular, there is an emphasis on promoting social justice perspectives, relationship, rights-based and anti-oppressive practice. It will provide insight into service user issues and perspectives and the dilemmas and tensions that social workers face in day-to-day practice. This will allow students to consider the opportunities, complexities and challenges professional practice. Furthermore, it will support students to critically consider the practical application of theory, literature and research in real world social work practice situations.
Assessed Practice II
Year: 3
Status: C
This module, which relates to Level 6 direct practice, will enable students to consolidate knowledge, skills and values acquired during Level 5 practice experience.
Reflection on Practice 2
Year: 3
Status: C
This self-directed module relates to Level 6 Practice Learning and will equip students with the ability to integrate and apply knowledge, skills and values in direct supervised practice.
Evidence Based Case Project
Year: 3
Status: C
This module, which involves self-directed study, will enable students to develop an enhanced knowledge of a particular service user group in relation to the social work service they receive. Students will be encouraged to critically appraise key literature and empirical evidence to support their discussion.
