Law for Social Work (L5092)

30 credits, Level 4

Spring and summer teaching

On this module, you'll develop a foundational knowledge of the legal rules that underpin social work practice. You'll explore how law and social policy interact to create a framework for assessment and intervention.

You'll examine the relationship between law and social work values, reflecting on how legal rules support practice that is both lawful and ethical. Key topics include:

  • the workings of the English legal system
  • the powers and duties of social work in relation to children and families
  • mental health and adult social care.

Throughout the module, you’ll participate in small group e-learning exercises and guided independent reading to deepen your understanding. You’ll then apply legal rules to case scenarios, discussing them in class under the guidance of your tutor.

Teaching

100%: Seminar

Assessment

50%: Examination (Take away paper)
50%: Written assessment (Essay)

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 300 hours of work. This breaks down into about 44 hours of contact time and about 256 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.