Law and Social Policy (858L5)

15 credits, Level 7 (Masters)

Autumn teaching

This module introduces the statutory and policy contexts of ethical social work practice.

It provides the opportunity to:

• gain a deep understanding of the legal rules that shape social work practice, while critically examining the policies and organisational structures that influence the profession

• explore the complex and often contested dynamics of power and discrimination, learning how the values and ethics of social work are applied or negotiated within legal and policy frameworks
• develop your ability to critically reflect on how lawful, ethical, and evidence-based decisions are made in social work. You’ll examine important topics such as vulnerability, need, harm, risk, safety, protection, and care.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 77 hours of contact time and about 73 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.