| Start date | September 2024 |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Fees | UK: fees paid by employer |
| Course leader | Sarah Lewis-Brooke |
| Related courses |
Get in touch for more information about apprenticeships at Middlesex University:
Email: apprenticeship@mdx.ac.uk
With the social work sector expanding rapidly, there’s never been a better time to develop your communication, resilience and organisation skills to enter a career that will make a positive impact on some of society’s most vulnerable people. Undertaking an apprenticeship in social work will enable you to enter a crucial sector, supported by your sponsoring agency.
Middlesex University has extensive experience of serving the local communities in London. We are committed to making a positive impact within the local community and nationally.
The apprentice programme, working in partnership with apprenticeship employers, gives us the opportunity to develop local people. Our vision is to transform individuals to reach their full potential. We work in partnership to bring together local employers, potential social workers and the wider community to create solutions to complex problems. These concepts are fundamental to the Social Work Apprenticeship Programme at Middlesex.
Our social work integrated apprenticeship degree – which is fully accredited by the Social Work England (SWE) – has been designed and revised to give apprentices the knowledge and professional skills to succeed in social work. Through a mixture of teaching sessions, interactive workshops and e-learning resources, apprentices familiarise themselves with current policies and practices. The programme will build their skills and knowledge to collaborate confidently and effectively with a range of service providers, service users and their carers.
Apprentices will learn how to utilise evidence informed knowledge to make effective assessments, assess risk and to write professional reports. They will develop effective communication skills. They will learn how to reflect on their learning and practice in a supportive environment.
We value the relationship between the apprentice applicant’s current work role and knowledge and that of their academic studies. The Apprenticeship Programme includes a minimum of 20% off the job learning. They will undertake two periods of assessed work place learning. This will help to deepen their knowledge on how to apply theoretical frameworks, legislation and research and to develop their professional skills.
The Programme will develop the apprentice’s understanding of the role of a social worker. They will undertake statutory tasks where they will learn what they need to know to practice as a professional social worker within their sponsoring organisation. Apprentices joins us from all areas of the sector including local authorities, NHS and independent organisations in social care. This provides a rich learning experience and a solid foundation for their career. Our programmes are very well thought of by employers and we have valued and enduring partnerships which enhance our teaching.
Our staff are research active, with several holding Middlesex University or National Teaching Fellowship status that recognises their innovative approaches to teaching, learning and assessment – so the apprentices can rest assured they’ll get the support they need to succeed in their studies.
Our close and collaborative relationship with the employers means that we will be well placed to advise on fulfilling and relevant periods of assessed workplace learning, that will equip the apprentices well for their career as a social worker.
The apprentices will be located in the School of Health, Social Care and Education and will have the opportunity for some inter professional learning, which will enable them to develop crucial skills in multi-professional work, learning to work collaboratively with colleagues from other disciplines.
Apprentices will get plenty of support throughout their course, from their Academic Advisor (Personal Tutor) at university to the mentor organised by the employing organisation Everyone in the university team has studied the subject and will provide the support the apprentices need based on their own experience. If the apprentices need a little help with writing, numeracy or library skills, we can help with that too.
With a career that gives apprentices excellent salary progression, our graduates have an average starting salary of £30k, and have gone on to work in a wide variety of social work roles. Recruiting apprentices are an excellent way to develop strong relationships with the workforce and many employers find this an excellent way to encourage retention of their social work, work force.
Social Work apprenticeship is an excellent route into a qualified social work role. The employer, who will already be planning how to support your career post qualification.
The apprentices’ studies will be focused towards enabling people at risk to live fulfilled and independent lives. In the first year, they will build the professional acumen and communication skills required for effective social work and lay the foundations for the second and third-years’ academic study and practice-based learning.
They will be employed and will be spending at least 20% of your time in “off the job learning” The programme will support their role in their employing organisation whilst bringing new learning into the workplace. The holistic experience will equip the apprentices to become a skilled and successful social worker.
All modules, and the programme as a whole, are clearly structured to meet the Social Work England’s Professional Standards (2019). The apprentices will undertake two periods of assessed work place learning in two contrasting and approved placements lasting a total of 170 days, undertaken in year’s two and three. These usually run concurrently with academic study. These will be arranged by the employer in partnership with the university. In at least one of these, the apprentice will gain experience of statutory roles and tasks.
The apprentice will be allocated an academic advisor (tutor) at the beginning of their course who will meet the apprentice regularly in tutor groups and who will also act as a link to the employer and will oversee and support the periods of assessed work place learning.
Please visit Social Work England for further information about the social work profession.
Upon graduation, apprentices will be able to communicate effectively with a range of service users and professionals in a variety of contexts and confidently present arguments based on available academic and practice evidence in specialist areas of social work practice. apprentices will be able to confidently use advanced IT skills to carry out professional social work practice and demonstrate an advanced ability to solve problems and to apply this skill to professional practice. Apprentices will also critically analyse the latest research findings and apply them to practice.
Employers will have developed a strong relationship with their apprentices and will have gained an in-depth knowledge of their skills and strengths to enable work force planning and to encourage retention of a skilled practitioner who has an in depth knowledge of the organisation prior to qualification.
This module introduce the broad theories of human growth and development across the life course. It facilitate your understanding of the application and relevance of theories of human growth and development to social work practice and explore the influences of early life experiences in later life. It supports you to critically review and appraise the impact of diversity, differences and structural inequalities on people over the life course, focusing particularly on key transitional processes from birth to late adulthood.
This module equips you with an understanding of the social problems you may encounter in your practice placements in years two and three of the programme. It offers the opportunity to develop a range of direct skills through active enquiry, synthesis and evaluation of information about the socio-economic and political realities in your chosen community. You will be encouraged to be creative by using innovative approaches to enhance your understanding of issues important to contemporary social work practice.
This module gives an overview of the purpose, complexity and breadth of social work knowledge and practice from three perspectives: service users/carers, professional colleagues and the requirements of the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) as the statutory regulator. It provides a foundation level of knowledge and skills, enabling you to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to demonstrate readiness for practice. This includes an introduction to safeguarding, legislation, social work theory, assessment and intervention models and organisational contexts. It supports you in developing an understanding of diversity and equality in social work practice and the integration of social work values in working with disadvantage, poverty and sustainability. You will explore the interface between one's own values and those of the profession.
This module develops communication skills relevant for professional practice and promotes your potential for lifelong learning at the beginning of your career as a social worker by introducing the Professional Capabilities Framework and the concept of personal development planning.
This module provides you with an understanding of the structure, organisation and processes of the English legal system including comprehensive knowledge and understanding of all four major areas of law for social work practice (children and families, mental health, community care and youth justice). You will begin to learn how to differentiate and to work with absolute, qualified and competing rights, and the differing needs and perspectives that arise during social work assessment and interventions alongside their first practice learning placement. You will also gain skills in understanding how to use the law positively and effectively and in selecting relevant aspects of the legislation to practice situations whilst promoting people's rights and begin to identify some of the ethical dilemmas that inevitably arise with legal interventions.
This module enables you to explore the nature of social work knowledge, critically analysing contemporary practice theories and their interrelationships to social work assessment and intervention. It supports you in further developing your practice skills and intervention techniques, and assists you in developing insightful, exploratory and creative practice approaches. It also supports you to enhance and develop your direct communication skills and begin to apply professional ethical standards and values, incorporating service user/carer perspectives.
This interprofessional module introduces those from health and social care related subjects to the process of health and social care research. It is a professional requirement for those working in health and social care related disciplines to underpin your knowledge with research and evidence-based practice. Professionals need to be able to access research findings, and through an understanding of the research process and methodology, be able to critique research and apply this knowledge to practice.
This module supports your first experience of assessed work place learning (70 days) where you will be required to work collaboratively with service users/carers and other professionals. These experiences will be used as material to assess your progress. You will be given carefully chosen work opportunities that will enable you to demonstrate how you meet the Professional Standards (Social Work England 2019), BASW (2018) the IFA apprenticeship standards (2021) Assessed work place learning at this level is designed to give you a broad experience and understanding of how to engage in social work casework using your knowledge of theory, legislation and interventions which will facilitate your learning of practice skills and help you develop as a reflective practitioner. You will be supported in the task by your university tutor, your practice educator and mentor.
The Assessed Workplace Learning module supports the apprentice’s first experience of assessed work place learning (70 days) where they will be required to work collaboratively with service users/carers and other professionals. These experiences will be used as material to assess their progress. They will be given carefully chosen work opportunities that will enable them to demonstrate how they meet the Professional Standards (Social Work England 2019), BASW (2018) the IFA apprenticeship standards (2021) Assessed work place learning at this level is designed to give apprentices a broad experience and understanding of how to engage in social work casework using their knowledge of theory, legislation and interventions which will facilitate their learning of practice skills and help them develop as a reflective practitioner. They will be supported in the task by their university tutor, their practice educator and mentor.
In the third-year apprentices must enrol on either the Specialist Adults’ Social Work Practice and Interventions and Specialist Children and Families’ Social Work Practice and Interventions. These specialist elective modules will teach the specialist knowledge and skills for their area of social work. The apprentice’s employer will advise on which module and specialism the apprentice should undertake. This will normally mirror the service focus in which the apprentice is employed. These modules will also prepare the apprentices for the End Point Assessment which is the final assessment of the Programme and is taken only after they have successfully completed all other modules.
This module enables you to explore the nature of social work knowledge, critically analysing contemporary practice theories and their interrelationships to social work assessment and intervention. It supports you in further developing your practice skills and intervention techniques. It assists you in developing insightful, exploratory and creative practice approaches. It also facilitates your exploration of ethical models of decision making and relate these ideas to the enhancement of your own ethical social work practice.
This module is designed to offer a holistic approach to the identification of needs, circumstances, rights and strengths of service users within your final 100 days of assessed work place learning module. This will allow you to begin to work, in a supported way, with issues of risk and safeguarding practice. This learning is demonstrated by a critical understanding and application of the use of research, theory and knowledge from a wide range of disciplines and expert sources, adapting to changing contexts and ability to work safely in a challenging environment. You will be supported in the task by your university tutor, your practice educator and mentor.
The specialist social work practice module provides the opportunity to apply the specialist practice frameworks that inform and mandate social work practice in Adults Services Alongside the critical reflection module, it will increase your in-depth knowledge about a key area of social work practice. You will also be encouraged to explore your potential for leadership (PCF 9) which will help prepare you for your ‘Assessed and Supported Year in Employment’ where this is applicable.
The module is designed to offer a holistic approach to the identification of needs, circumstances, rights and strengths of service users within your final 100 days of assessed work place learning module. This will allow you to begin to work in a supported way with issues of risk and safeguarding practice. This learning is demonstrated by a critical understanding and application of the use of research, theory and knowledge from a wide range of disciplines and expert sources, adapting to changing contexts and ability to work safely in a challenging environment.
The specialist social work practice module provides the opportunity to apply the specialist practice frameworks that inform and mandate social work practice in Children and Families’ Services Alongside the critical reflection module, it will increase your in-depth knowledge about a key area of social work practice. You will also be encouraged to explore your potential for leadership (PCF 9) which will help prepare you for your ‘Assessed and Supported Year in Employment’ where this is applicable.
The module is designed to offer a holistic approach to the identification of needs, circumstances, rights and strengths of service users within your final 100 days of assessed work place learning module. This will allow you to begin to work in a supported way with issues of risk and safeguarding practice. This learning is demonstrated by a critical understanding and application of the use of research, theory and knowledge from a wide range of disciplines and expert sources, adapting to changing contexts and ability to work safely in a challenging environment.
Teaching and learning will be interactive and blended; with the use of online platforms and where possible, on-campus, face to face skills classes.
The apprentices will learn through research, reading and critical reflection, workshops, tutorials and class discussions, and will work on written assignments and reports, presentations and group assignments. They will record their development and progress on aptem the apprenticeship communication system and will work on a case study in their final year where they will demonstrate all the professional standards ( SWE 2019) and the Apprenticeship Standards (2021) in their final year where they can research in detail a more complex case that they have been working on and critically present how they have used legislation, research, theory, social work values and the Professional Standards (SWE, 2019) to develop best practice. The apprentices will undertake a minimum of 20% off the job learning during apprenticeship and they will be encouraged to actively use their learning whilst at work to reflect on the learning in university. The two strands of learning will enrich their understanding of the social work task so that they are well equipped to take their place as a social worker, helping often the most marginalised in our society.
Whilst on your apprenticeship, the apprentices will be working but during this time they will also complete 170 days of assessed practice learning within an approved work based setting. This is spread over two formal periods of assessed learning – one for 100 days, and the other for 70 days.
Work experience greatly improve graduate employment prospects, and therefore apprentices who take part, achieve excellent academic results through applying their learning in a professional setting. It also gives them the chance to gain a deeper relationship with their employer before qualifying.
The apprentices will be assessed through a wide range of assignments, their placement portfolio, practical assessments, research tasks, presentations, class discussions, case study analyses, and observational visits. They will also submit written assignments, in which we will be looking both at their understanding of theory and their knowledge of its practical application, as well as their ability to communicate your ideas clearly.
The apprentices’ final assessment is called The End Point Assessment. It is prescribed by the Institute of Apprenticeships. You undertake it once you have passed all other modules and gained 300 credits. It is a mixture of written course work, an unseen exam, a presentation and a case discussion. It is a very thorough assessment to determine the apprentices’ readiness to enter the profession. The apprentice’s employer and the university support them in preparing to undertake this assessment throughout the programme and specifically in the third year.
There is no cost to do a higher or degree apprenticeship for the apprentice/learner. They will earn at least the minimum wage for apprentices but many companies pay more than this, particularly for higher and degree apprenticeships.
Fees are paid by the sponsoring apprenticeship employer, drawn from the apprenticeship levy or via co-investment arrangements.
Employers in England, can directly access their levy through the Digital Apprenticeships Service.
If an employer is a non-levy paying employer then they will share the cost of training and assessing their apprentices with government – this is called ‘co-investment’.
Learn more about the admissions and interview process.
Prospective Social Work Apprentice Employers:
If you would like to learn more about our programme and how we can work in partnership to provide a social work apprenticeship for your employees or people from your community Please contact:
Sarah Lewis-Brooke
Programme leader for the BA (Hons) Social Work apprenticeship programme
s.lewis-brooke@mdx.ac.uk
Apprentice Applicants:
If you are applying to a specific apprenticeship and have queries about the course or the application process please contact the Centre for Apprenticeships and Skills Team directly via
Email: apprenticeship@mdx.ac.uk or Tel: 0208 411 4048
