Social Care Practice – BA (Hons)

This module introduces students to Social care. It is built on the Framework of the Standards of Proficiency. It provides students with an understanding of the historical evolution and framework of social care. It introduces the role of the professional social care worker in different social care contexts. Built on the framework of the CORU Standards of Proficiencies; this module informs students on child protection policies and procedures in the Irish Context and equips them to deal with child protection concerns effectively.

The module will help students develop their academic skills and a sense of autonomy in order to thrive in the third-level academic environment and beyond.

The module provides students with the awareness of the importance of the self when working with colleagues and service users. It explores the nature and principles of groups and group work and develops confidence in building effective working relationships with individuals and groups.

This module will introduce students to the study of Psychology providing an understanding of key theories and perspectives in the development of the individual relating to the psychology of learning, personality and social influence, areas of particular relevance to Social Care Practice. The research process underpinning evidence-based theories will be examined. The module will provide a foundation for future modules namely Applied Child Development Psychology, Mental Health Psychology and Counselling and Psychotherapy. Central to the theoretical knowledge delivered in lectures will be its practical application to the field of Social Care Practice.

To introduce students to the fundamental principles of Irish law and to the structure and distinct features of the Irish legal system as applied to the social care profession. In addition, this module will prepare students for their first placement by ensuring that they are aware of the law pertaining to data protection, freedom of information, confidentiality, whistleblowing, informed consent, health and safety legislation and the various regulatory and compliance requirements applicable to the profession.

The primary focus of the module is to equip students with the knowledge necessary for generalist social care practice. This module will focus primarily on relationships and introduces the student to the importance of the “use of self” in social care practice while assisting them to develop greater self-awareness while emphasising a strengths’ perspective.

The aim of this module is as follows:

• To provide students with an understanding of the nature of physical, cognitive, social, emotional and moral development during infancy and childhood.
• To explore the various theoretical approaches to child development.
• To consider the practical applications of theoretical knowledge about child development to social care practice

To provide

• experiential opportunities to gain specialist knowledge of the various forms of creative art and to explore and develop the student’s own creativity with reference to creativity theory,
• an introduction to creative drama and movement and its use in social care settings through theory, practicals and self-reflection.

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the principles of sociology which can be applied in social care practice settings. This will enable students to apply sociological tools in order to provide professional insights, engage in self reflection and demonstrate a sociological awareness and imagination.

The aim of this module is to prepare the student for the first practice placement in a Social Care settings. The student will be supported in applying the Standards of Proficiencies into the day-to-day practice of Social Care.

This module aims to further enhance students’ knowledge, skills and competencies in regard to social care provision. To support students to examine culturally competent practice and methods of engagement within social care, from both a national and international perspective. To discuss supporting children and young people through their life stage transitions. To recognise the complexity of needs and issues of young people within the juvenile justice system, and to examine the relevant responses and best practice provision to address same. The module aims to address profession-specific skills and knowledge of profession specific groups.

This module will introduce students to the field of social policy, the meaning of social policy, its origins, the history of social policy and social service development in Ireland. The concepts of welfare and wellbeing are central to the understanding of social policy and the sectors responsible for the protection and promotion of individuals welfare and will be explored throughout the module. This module will engage students to understand social policy and its importance in the delivery of social care services. The module will allow students to reflect on the role of social care workers as agents of change in addressing diswelfares and promoting social justice for individuals that they care for and support while adhering to the current Code of Professional Conduct and Ethnics.

• Art – The Creative Approaches to Art module offers learners an opportunity to develop safe practice based on creative and recreational knowledge, abilities and teamwork based facilitation skills.
• Drama – the module aims to facilitate the student in developing the skills needed to apply the creative arts (Drama and on a minor level recreation) in social care situations. Drawing on various forms of drama and drama therapy, the student will learn to analyse and critique drama as a form of therapy in the social care context.
• Recreation – Through research and assessing needs for practical participation and reflective work, it will provide the learner with knowledge and confidence to assess, plan, develop and deliver a recreation programme to mainstream and special needs groups in a safe environment.

This module aims to provide students with the opportunity to explore the inclusion and exclusion of people with disabilities from key areas of social activity, across different historical and cultural contexts, and to recognise the necessity of the shift towards person-centred and rights-based approaches in disability policy and practice today.

The aim of this module is to provide the student with an opportunity to practice in a social care setting to develop their skills, knowledge and competencies for professional practice.

The aim of this module is to enable students to examine the importance and benefits of professional structured supervision in social care, to further enhance their knowledge, abstract thinking and self-reflection as a social care professional. To identify the importance professional autonomy and accountability in social care practice. To discuss the concept of professional boundaries in the practice of social care work, and to examine the regulation and registration of Social Care Workers in Ireland.

The student will identify and discuss perspectives of mental health and mental illness by: explaining the continuum of mental health, defining and differentiating between mental health and mental illness. Students will gain an understanding of the defining characteristics of selected mental illnesses  including depression, anxiety, psychosis, and eating disorders. The aetiology of mental illness will be examined alongside the therapies available for successfully managing psychological problems. Students gain insight into the role of social care worker in mental health, and the primary of recovery-oriented practice in the field of mental health.

This module will build on the student’s understanding of sociological concepts and theories, and relate this knowledge to issues relevant to social care practice, while incorporating the use of a sociological imagination in order to critically analyse and assess the social world.

This module provides a thorough introduction to the principles and practices of modern management. It applies the science of management to social care organisational contexts, and addresses such areas as leadership, motivation, ethics, human resource management, planning, negotiation and conflict management, together with an emphasis on the exercise of appropriate judgement in managerial and supervisory capacities. It intends to facilitate and engender an ability to assess organisational environments in a critical and analytical fashion.

The aim of this module is to provide the students with opportunities to acquire skills and develop their knowledge in preparation for their second practice placement in a Social Care setting. The module will support students to reflect on their first practice placement learning and to develop their ability to critically reflect on their own current and future practice and their experience of engaging with the standards of proficiencies.

Practice Placement 2 is the second and final placement on the programme and builds on and consolidates the learning that took place on Practice Placement 1 and in the academic setting.

The aim of this module is to develop the student’s knowledge, understanding and application of the research process to enhance the evidence base of social care practice. The module introduces students to: research methodologies relevant to the field of social care; qualitative and quantitative techniques; ethical issues in research; research design; data analysis and doing research with vulnerable groups.

• Art – To further develop students understanding of how creative art and recreational approaches can be used safely in social care, through active creative and recreational facilitation, creative skills development, and creative theory.
• Drama – Delivered through a series of workshops, lectures and practical skills demonstrations, in this module the student will build on facilitation skills in a group work session. The student along with their peers will create and implement a drama workshop safely facilitating an external group from a social care context.
• Recreation – Through individual and group activity, students will develop a greater understanding of the role of recreation, sport and leisure in social care. To further develop the applied skill in relation to practical research, delivery and management of recreational activities with a variety of groups. To extend knowledge and competence in the delivery of sporting, creative and recreational activities in the community and social care settings

The module aims to enhance students’ understanding and develop their critical thinking skills on current issues in social care practice. Students will examine current issues in social care practice including behaviour of concern and engaging with young people at risk. They will draw on recent empirical research, existing social care approaches and ideas around ‘use of self’ and reflection. They will also be encouraged to take into account values, skills and knowledge as they explore the various topic areas. There will be strong focus on the link between theory and practice and the learning that has occurred as a result of the various reports from the past in Ireland.

The aim of this module is to provide students with an understanding of social psychology and its applications in the field of social care practice. The module equip students with an understanding of social influences on individuals and within groups.Students gain an opportunity to reflect on how people think about and perceive their social world (social thinking and social perception) and how they behave towards other people (social relations).

Children’s Rights examines different conceptions of childhood as they evolved over time. It explores the national and international development of children’s rights within these various and changing contexts and reflects on the United Nations approach to children’s rights. Participation in this module will require the student to critique perspectives of childhood and children’s rights from a multicultural perspective, discuss of the welfare and liberty rights models of children’s rights and evaluate the impact of the UN on the welfare of children. Family Law is a discipline that deals with one of the most central and personal aspects of society – the Family. It is a discipline that boasts a remarkable history and a discipline which continues to be of major contemporary importance.

Family law deals with issues pertaining to marital separation, nullity, paternity, custody of and access to children, maintenance and financial settlements, cohabitation rights and adoption. It is an extraordinarily emotive and fascinating area of law because it directly affects that which is of the greatest importance to people – their families.

This is a theoretical and practical course, which aims to develop the students’ understanding of the dynamics of conflict and to develop skills in conflict resolution.

The focus of the module for the student is to:

• practice advanced professional skills in social care,
• critically discuss issues pertinent to advanced child protection and mandatory reporting and develop key skills required to apply knowledge in practice,
• develop skills for assessing and intervening with children and families,
• develop an critical understanding of theory and be able to apply that theory when working with children and families,
• explore separation and loss and how that loss impacts on children and families,
• critically evaluate theoretical approaches that support families.

The module aims to provide students with the conceptual frameworks to use sociology to critique the effects of social policy in areas of social care practice.

The module aims to teach the student how to conduct ethical research in the social care area, explore a particular theme and produce new cutting edge knowledge and insight in social care theory and practice. The course constitutes the process of initiating, administering, managing and completing a research project in Social Care. It facilitates acquisition of the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to plan, conduct and evaluate a research proposal, draft an appropriately justified literature review, conduct fieldwork, present, analyse and discuss findings on a topic relevant to social care. Independent thought and analytical investigation are encouraged through in-depth exploration of a topic selected from another Social Care discipline. The research project modules draw on analytical and evaluative capabilities based upon knowledge and skills developed during the preceding years of the programme. The exercise also provides an opportunity for students to develop their interests in a particular area, and to demonstrate an ability to undertake individual research. While not essential, it is anticipated that the theme of the research project will usually reflect the student’s area of expertise.

This module exposes students to the legal rights which are recognised as attaching to vulnerable individuals and groups that the students may encounter in their work as Social Care Professionals. In particular, the rights under international and domestic law relating to children, trafficked persons, asylum seekers and persons with disabilities will be critiqued.

The module will introduce students to one of the most important issues of societal concern. Introduction to the addiction studies module will provide students with an understanding of the concept of addiction, the knowledge, skills and approaches necessary for social care practitioners to engage with individuals, families and communities who are affected by addiction. Students will learn about the pharmacological classification of substances, the impact on physical and mental health and the module will also introduce students to gambling.

This module provides a detailed knowledge of the practices of modern management, and addresses the diverse factors which influence personal effectiveness and organisational management in social care environments. It includes such areas as management style, persuasion and influence, individual behaviour, change, employment law, culture, teams, HRM and employee relations. It intends to foster an ability to exercise appropriate judgement in managerial contexts, and assess organisational environments in a critical and analytical fashion.

 This module will build on learning from two practice placements. The module will focus on child protection and welfare and the skills required for report writing. The current landscape of child protection will be explored, with a critical discussion on the challenges and complexitie that emerge in policy and practice.

This module provides students with the theoretical knowledge of the models of counselling and psychotherapy most relevant to the field of social care. It supports students to develop their therapeutic skills as professional social care workers to enable them to work more effectively with clients/service users in social care settings. Students will be required to reflect on their practice and engage in self, peer and lecturer feedback throughout this module.

The purpose of this module is to develop the students’ understanding of the law pertaining to children and child protection and to further familiarise students with the circumstances in which Social Care Professionals may be subject to liability in their professional capacity.

The module aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to critically appraise and adopt person centred and rights based approaches in their work to promote the quality of life of people with disabilities in a transitory legal and policy environment.

The aim of this module is to equip students with a critical understanding of the causes of global inequalities, and the concepts, theories and practice of ‘development’. This module also aims to enable the student to explore, reflect and research issues in development including strategies for sustainable development and global justice.

The aim of this module is to provide students with critical understanding of old age. The module will also equip students with the necessary skills, ethical awareness  and an anti-ageist approach to work with older people. Students will be introduced to therapeutic approaches, understanding old age, social transitions and positive ageing.