As a Social Worker Degree Apprentice, you will have the opportunity to complete a BSc Hons Degree in Social Work and progress your career by becoming a Social Worker, a role where you can make a difference working with adults, children, carers and families, supporting positive change in people's lives.
What you will be doing:
For the first time, we are offering an opportunity to start February 2025 with training provider, The Open University.
The apprenticeship is taught by experienced social workers in a highly supportive environment, their knowledge and experience spans the range of social work specialities: adults, children, families and mental health.
The programme has six modules. The first two provide an introduction to the organisation of social care in the UK and develop apprentices’ awareness of the different components of good social work practice. The third module covers legal issues related to social care and social work, including the regulation of social care decision-making.
The fourth module focuses on blocks of learning that run alongside working with others in terms of need, risk, responding to crisis and developmental needs. As a practitioner how do we develop collaborative working relationships in practice with professionals, communities, individuals of different ages and in different settings.
Apprentices then progress onto a practice-focused work-based learning module, which includes a defined period of assessed practice learning. The fifth module will be a choice from four core option modules. The final module will be another practice-focused work-based learning module.
In these work-based and blended learning modules, you will be required to reflect on your role and document acquisition of skills and competencies in their portfolio.
Throughout the apprenticeship, you will be expected to undertake rotational placements to have the opportunity to gain experience working in Children's services and Adults services.
Once apprentices have completed the final module, Critical Social Work Practice, there will be a brief period known as the “Gateway and End-point Assessment” where all apprenticeship requirements will be checked, including ensuring all apprentices have completed and recorded all required off the job learning and reviews. If apprentices have completed all of this, and have successfully passed all modules, they will not have anything additional to do during this time.
Things we need you to know:
As part of the apprenticeship, you will gain a BSc (Hons) in Social Work. The degree apprenticeship is approved by Social Work England. Once you’ve successfully completed the apprenticeship you will be awarded Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) and you will be eligible to apply for registration as a Social Worker with Social Work England.
Throughout your 3 – 3.5 years apprenticeship, we will allocate you a designated workplace mentor to give you guidance and support in completing your Level 6 Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship.
The February cohort is known as the express route, where you will be expected to study module 1 and module 2 simultaneously only during the first year of the programme. You will start your rotational placements and qualify as a Social Worker the same time as the October 2024 cohort.
As part of the selection process, you will be interviewed by our Principle Social Workers, OU representatives and an individual with lived experience. You will be required to undertake a written online assessment which will be sent to you via a link to complete within a set time.
Prior to the interview date, you will need to complete the OU application and the candidate preparation pack which will be emailed to you by The Open University Admissions Team.