Social Work University of Portsmouth

Overview

Social workers change lives for the better and help protect some of society’s most vulnerable people.

On this BSc (Hons) Social Work degree, which is approved by Social Work England, you’ll be supported by passionate industry experts with many years of social work experience.

Once you graduate, you'll have the skills and knowledge you need to apply to register as a social worker.

Course highlights

• Practise your social work skills in our Centre for Simulation in Health and Care, a safe and supportive environment where we use innovative technologies to simulate real-life scenarios
• Work closely with the University of Portsmouth Social Work Inclusion Group (SWIG), to help you understand service user experiences
• Build your professional experience by spending 200 days on placement working with vulnerable people, service users and carers in the community

Careers and opportunities

Social workers provide essential care and support to adults and children who need it most. They work directly with people in need, as well as their families and other carers, and offer care that includes counselling, independent life skills, and mental and/or physical health support. 

There's an urgent need for more social workers in the UK, in fact adult social worker vacancy rates have risen back up to pre-pandemic levels. 

This BSc (Hons) Social Work degree will train you for a rewarding and challenging career as a social worker. You'll study topics including safeguarding, law and social policy, and social work practice with children and adults, and learn through simulation, group work and skills workshops.

When you successfully complete the course, you'll be eligible to apply to be a registered social worker and to work in settings such as social care, drug and alcohol services, domestic abuse services and schools.

What areas can you work in with a social work degree?

You could work in areas such as:

• social care settings
• rehabilitation services
• criminal justice
• voluntary organisations
• advocacy agencies
• housing advice
• education settings such as schools and colleges

Graduate roles and destinations

Roles our graduates have taken on include:

• social worker
• care manager
• missing children and child exploitation coordinator 
• family support worker
• housing adviser
• independent domestic violence adviser
• adult wellbeing manager
• primary mental health worker
• learning disability practitioner

They've gone to work for organisations including:

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• Mind
• Hampshire County Council
• Portsmouth City Council
• Essex County Council
• Spectrum Centre for Independent Living
• Southern Advocacy Services

Entry requirements

104-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent, one of which must be in a relevant subject (Anthropology, Childhood and Youth Studies, Criminology, Critical Thinking, Early Years, English, Health and Social Care, Law, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, R.E, Sociology, Social Policy, Theology). Access courses in Health and Social Care are also acceptable.

All applicants must have an acceptable GCSE qualification in English at grade C/4 or above.

Successfully shortlisted applicants will be invited to a staged, holistic and multidimensional selection day which has been designed in accordance with Social Work England's standards.

All applicants must complete the written task.

Applicants who pass the written assessment will be invited to attend an individual online interview.

International applicants must provide a satisfactory police check/certificate of good conduct from their home country (with a certified English translation if necessary), before admission to the programme can be confirmed.

All successful applicants will be asked to complete confidential occupational health, immunisation, and disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks.