Social Work BA Hons

Our course is accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). You will gain the skills and experience you need to be effective and successful in your chosen career.

Social workers face complex and challenging situations and need to be committed to the principles of social justice. At Lancaster, you will learn with enthusiastic lecturers, practitioners, service users and carers. We emphasize research and knowledge to give you the opportunity to develop a critical but reflective approach to understanding social work in contemporary society.

Two practice placements form an important and integral part of this vocational degree. These are an excellent way of getting to know the role of a social worker and give you hands-on experience to back up your academic learning. This degree program gives you the opportunity to prepare for work in the rapidly changing environments of social care. 

The two first-year modules, Social Work Practice and Contemporary Social Problems will give you an introduction to the nature, origins, and values of social work and to the economic, organisational policy and social circumstances in which it is practiced. You will set issues in the context of class, gender, race and ethnicity, and disability to start developing a critical understanding of social work.

Your first placement starts at the beginning of September before your second year and runs through to mid-December. You then complete a series of modules that include ‘Social Work with Children and Families’, ‘Social Work in Adult Social Care’ and ‘The Research-minded Practitioner’.

Your third-year modules include ‘Mental Distress and Health’ and ‘Social Work and Transitions’. In addition, all social work students write a dissertation. Your final practice placement runs from January to May of your third year.