MA Social Work  MA Social Work Manchester Metropolitan University ../webroot/files/Institutions/cover_photo/1533818118Manchester-Metropolitan-University.jpg

Social work is about the empowerment, liberation, support and protection of the most vulnerable people within our society.

Through our two-year course, we aim to help you become a capable, analytical and reflective practitioner with the ability to work in any social work service or setting.

Year one of our MA Social Work course focuses on developing your understanding of social work practice and your skills. In year two, we focus on professional development and preparing you for your role as a social worker.

Some of the topics you’ll explore include how to communicate with service users and carers, theories to inform practice and the factors that influence our journey from pre-birth right through to end of life.

You’ll consider topics such as international human rights conventions, the development of the welfare state, social constructionism, cycles of vulnerability, and contemporary issues, such as mental health.

Social work can be difficult and challenging at times and, as well as developing your academic knowledge, we aim to develop your resilience and help you to learn ways to manage the situations that you’re faced with.

You’ll have practical skills sessions and workshops, such as how to conduct a pre-birth assessment to determine the risks for an unborn baby, and how to interview families or communicate with children.

We also use high fidelity simulated learning and use the community flat, Birley Place, in the Brooks building to simulate situations you might come across as a social worker. Birley Place is a purpose-built, mock flat and it features a one-way mirror to a lecture theatre so that you can watch scenarios and learn how you might deal with situations such as a home visit. We use the flat to simulate conditions within homes that could cause concern.

You’ll learn from an academic team who have worked as social workers in areas such as criminal justice, homelessness, statutory children and families, statutory adult services, probation and substance misuse services. Working alongside the team are a number of current social work practitioners.

Staff and students have a commitment to working within community settings. Many of our team also volunteer in their own time, helping at local food banks, homeless charities, and working with the local community in Hulme to provide essentials for babies where the families are in need. There’s usually an opportunity for you to get involved in volunteering too.

Bursaries may be available for this course subject to specific criteria applied by the University and the NHS Bursaries office.