Course summary

Drawing on current research across the social sciences, government guidance, and legislative frameworks, this degree focuses on the issues that are key in facilitating your professional and academic development as a social worker. Why study BA Social Work at Goldsmiths

• The BA is both an academic and professional qualification, and is therefore ideal if you're interested in pursuing a professional career in social work

• We'll equip you with the knowledge, values and skills you'll need to practise as a reflective and ethical social worker, equipped for the challenges of contemporary social work practice

• Our social work programmes are highly regarded by potential employers within London and further afield, and our graduates have an excellent record of securing employment; they've gone on to work in local authority children's services departments, adult services departments, and independent sector and voluntary sector agencies such as the NSPCC, Family Action and Mind

• The degree includes practice placements in two settings and with different service user groups, so you'll be able to gain invaluable real world experience.

• You will cover areas of human growth and development; community; needs and services; law and organisational contexts of social work; and research methods. Specific learning will include mental health and disability, and social work processes of assessment, planning, intervention and review

• We'll encourage you to think deeply about human rights and social justice, and to embed these values in your practice

• Social work education at Goldsmiths has a long and distinguished record – you'll be taught by established social work academics and associate lecturers who have considerable research and/or practice experience in their fields

• The degree also prepares you according to the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF), the Quality Assurance Agency subject benchmark for social work, and the Department of Health's requirements for social work training

• The Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies at Goldsmiths has entered into a formal Teaching Partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Lewisham for the delivery of social work education at Goldsmiths.

• As a result, social work practitioners, from all levels within these three local authorities, are involved in the delivery of the BA in Social Work, delivering or co-delivering lectures, workshops, seminars and group work.

• This means that there is a very close relationship with practice with many opportunities for students to hear directly from social work practitioners about statutory social work. You will be encouraged to make links between anti-oppressive practice, the social work values, the legal framework, theories, methods and skills of intervention and social work practice throughout the course.