Introduction
If you’re passionate about making a difference to children, families and adults, our Social Work degree – approved by Social Work England – is for you.
Social work changes lives. We know. We've been training social workers for more than 20 years, and our graduates continue to make a difference to the children, families and adults they work with.
This challenging yet rewarding career will often bring you into the lives of some of the most disadvantaged and marginalised communities.
The chances are you’re naturally patient, honest and tolerant – someone with sound judgement who sees the value in people. We’ll nurture those qualities, while giving you the knowledge and skills you need to qualify as a social worker.
Study with us in Cambridge, Chelmsford, or Peterborough (part-time) and develop your skills out on placement.
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Social work is about empowering children, families and adults. It’s a complex job that demands a lot of soft skills, such as communication and partnership working.
As a student, you’ll learn how to assess people’s circumstances and needs; measure risk; and set up activities with individuals, families, groups and communities.
Working alongside other care professionals, you’ll plan, provide, review and evaluate services and interventions. You’ll become skilled in problem-solving and communication, and gain a thorough understanding of your legal powers and duties.
We work closely with our Service User and Carers Involvement Group, so you can hear directly from people with experience of social care. And there’s ample opportunity to learn on the job too, with 170 days out on placement.
All of our students do two practice placements. Full-time students will do 70 days in Year 2, and 100 days in Year 3. Part-time students will undertake 70 days during years 2 and 3, and 100 days in Year 4. One of your placements will involve statutory tasks, including legal interventions. Both placements are an invaluable opportunity to learn in the workplace and you’ll cover a range of topics such as engagement, assessment, interpersonal skills, interventions, safeguarding and the appropriate use of authority.
- If you study in Chelmsford, your placements could be anywhere in Essex, including Thurrock and Southend authorities.
- If you're joining us in Cambridge, your placements could be anywhere in Cambridgeshire.
- Part-time students in Peterborough go on placement in and around Peterborough and Cambridgeshire.
We’ll make sure that you get a range of settings to best support your training. It’s likely that you’ll have to travel as part of your placement, so you’ll need your own transport to visit service users in the community, where public transport may not be available.
Our students feel that their voice is heard and that we value their opinion. According to the National Student Survey 2020, they rate their tutors highly and value the feedback they receive
Our Social Work degree course is validated by Social Work England so when you graduate, you’ll be ready to register as a social worker.
Facilities and accreditation
Practical experience
We know that learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom. As a social work student at ARU you’ll benefit from:
- 170 days on placement
- the chance to learn from registered social workers
- covering both adults and children
- experience of working in different settings
- experience of working directly with service users.
Outstanding student support
Join our social work community and:
- make use of facilities including extensive library and IT resources
- learn from our talented team of social worker academics
- access support, should you need it, with study skills, careers advice, health and wellbeing, and more
- get involved with local causes through our Students' Union volunteering scheme.
Social Work England
Our course is approved by Social Work England, meaning you can register as a professional social worker when you graduate.
Careers
Our degree course is a professional qualification, approved by Social Work England.
Social workers must be registered and, once you finish this course, you’ll be able to apply to register with Social Work England.
During your time with us, you'll gain the skills and knowledge you need for a career as a social worker. You’ll be skilled in case management and able to work safely within the law.
Once you’re registered there’s a wide range of job opportunities for trained social workers. Our graduates work in services including adoption, fostering, child protection, adult safeguarding and youth offending. You can choose to work in the public, private or voluntary sectors – often alongside colleagues from other disciplines.
4 years with foundation
This year will prepare you for the rest of your course. We’ll focus on general skills such as researching and referencing, numeracy and ICT, and communication. But we’ll also start to look at topics related to social work, including the structure of health and social care provision in the UK, and the different professionals who work in the sector.
During this year you’ll have your interview, for continuing on to the registered Social Work BA degree. You’ll have to pass all the modules, have a successful interview, an enhanced DBS check and satisfactory Occupational Health clearance.
Modules are subject to change and availability.
This year you'll study with our partner, ARU College, in Cambridge or Chelmsford.
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