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Step Up To Social Work

Producing high-calibre social workers for the realities of frontline social work practice.

Overview

Our programme

Manchester Metropolitan University was one of two universities commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) to develop and quality assure the initial Step Up To Social Work Programme Pilot.

The pilot ran for the first time in 2010 and we’ve continued to deliver the programme with local authority partnerships ever since.

We’re committed to developing sustained partnerships. We work with employers to produce high-calibre social workers who are equipped for the realities of frontline social work practice. This was recognised in the national evaluation of the programme by the DfE.

The programme aims to build on skills that students already have from a variety of different work settings, backgrounds, and experiences.

Course Overview

The integration of theory and practice is a key theme running throughout the programme and the local authorities ensure that teaching is relevant for contemporary social workers.

Being a fast-track programme, the programme moves quickly in order to fit in the academic work and practice placements you’re required to take to qualify within 14 months.

The pace of the academic work varies over the course and the assessments are a mixture of assignments, time-constrained assignments and online assessments, all of which are submitted electronically.

Placements

The programme includes over 170 days of placement which will be in your supporting local authority. You’re expected to travel to placements and after completing the programme, most graduates work within their supporting local authority. The first placement will be for 70 days and the second placement is 100 days long, four days a week.

We’ve developed the programme to ensure that your learning will prepare you to become a skilled social work practitioner, working with children and families in a local authority setting.. 

To facilitate the integration of theory and practice, the programme has been organised so that you study academic units alongside being on placement. 

Course Length

The next cohort will begin January 2024 and finishes at the end of March 2025.

There are some breaks in the programme when you can take a holiday. However, you will not have the long holidays normally associated with university undergraduate courses.

It is likely you will have to study during the evenings and weekends in order to qualify in 14 months.

Our Partnerships

We currently have three regional partnerships with local authorities; Greater Lancashire, the North East of England and Yorkshire and Humberside.

Planning the programme with local authorities means that social workers learn about issues and skills that are important for effective social work with children in a local authority setting.

  • Greater Lancashire

    Greater Lancashire partnership includes:

    • Lancashire County Council
    • Blackburn with Darwen Council
    • Blackpool Council

    Key strengths include:

    • overall student satisfaction levels for their programme of study
    • strong partnership working
    • student preparedness and readiness for practice at the point of qualification and employment
    • a course that is mapped against the Knowledge and Skills Statement for approved child and family practitioners (KSS, March 2018)

    External examiners have commented that high attainment levels and high completion levels reflect the success of partnership working. The commitment to joint working, including co-delivery with service users and an overall commitment to supporting and developing students to very high standards ready for the workforces of each local authority.

    The success of our partnerships arises from:

    • a positive ethos of joint working
    • employer and University responsiveness to high quality educational and practice-based provision
    • flexibility to meet employers’ needs over a wide geographical area
    • creative and innovative provision which is employer-led
    • currency of knowledge and flexibility within the curriculum

    Step Up To Social Work is a high-quality bespoke programme based on:

    • a blended learning approach to social work education encompassing online delivery, direct  face-to-face teaching sessions, workshops, tutorials and small group learning opportunities
    • utilisation of electronic technology for the programme online delivery aspect
    • sustained focus on integrating theory and practice, throughout the programme, stimulated by an integrated practice/academic structure focusing upon skills development

    Practicalities

    The programme provides support through face-to-face workshops, online academic support and personal tutor arrangements. You’re expected to be highly motivated, and able to work independently and engage fully in online material.

    Face-to-face teaching will occur in the region; in previous cohorts this has been in Preston. Some local authorities expect you to have a driving licence.

    The local authorities in the partnership are very committed to providing good learning experiences for Step Up students through the provision of statutory placements.

    What previous students think of the course

    Really comprehensive information, with lots of links to other resources that may be of use to the module being studied, but also to practice. I feel that they’re able to offer much more information than would be available if delivered face-to-face. I like the availability of interactive workbooks and the ability to access electronic versions of academic texts.

    The quality and relevance of the teaching at Manchester Met is very good. It not only prepares you to be technically competent at the task of being a social worker but encourages them to think about the profession and become mindful of the challenges faced within the field and what changes are required. I believe that this supports you to progress quickly upon qualifying.

  • Yorkshire and Humberside

    The Yorkshire and Humberside partnership comprises of the following local authorities:

    • Sheffield City Council
    • Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
    • Doncaster Children Services Trust 
    • East Riding Council 
    • Hull City Council 
    • North Lincolnshire Council  
    • North East Lincolnshire Council
    • Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
    • City of York Council

    For further information about the Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Partnership, please visit the Children’s Social Work Matters website.

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How To Apply

The application form is available from the Department for Education (DfE) website, where you will also find the experience and qualifications needed for the programme.

Apply Now

Contact us

For any further questions about Step Up To Social Work that cannot be answered by a local representative, please email Dr Jenny Fisher.

j.fisher@mmu.ac.uk