Advanced Adult Social Work PGCert

Coventry University

Overview

Coventry University has been providing social work CPD (Continuous Professional Development) courses and modules to local employers for many years and has prominent links with nearby local authorities and voluntary sector organisations.

This Postgraduate Certificate course in Advanced Adult Social Work is designed for social workers who have completed their social work pre-registration training, are in employment and wish to enhance their career prospects via gaining a postgraduate level qualification. Opportunities may also be available within the faculty to progress your studies beyond the Postgraduate Certificate to a full master’s degree (subject to successfully completing the PG Cert and application). This course is open to EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status who would not require a visa to study.

Course information

This course aims to enable you as a social worker to develop your career from early social work practice through to teaching, mentoring and assessing others. It has been designed to enable you to develop your practice, extend your range of skills, enhance your critical reflective skills and thus improve service delivery.

It is offered via a blended learning approach and is intended to be a key vehicle for social workers to gain an academic award on successful completion while at the same time meeting your CPD, which is required by the current regulator. The curriculum for the course aims to allow you to meet the Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) stage 1 requirements where you should begin to form some knowledge of the role of teaching and mentoring others as you develop your social work career in more senior positions.

How you'll be assessed

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will could vary depending upon the module. The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards the achieving the intended learning outcomes. Assessments may include exams, individual assignments or group work elements.

In practice, social workers are required to demonstrate a high level of reasoning based on best evidence; discuss, debate and reflect upon and test hypotheses; demonstrate extensive skills that are underpinned by theory and method; and be able to explore ethical dilemmas. They are also required to communicate clearly in focused notes and reports and articulate these decisions via a variety of media such as written reports, presentations and other mediums such as technology.

Career prospects

All students on the course will already be in employment as qualified social workers. However, the course aims to enhance employability through a variety of initiatives including providing the opportunity for the further development of transferable skills (e.g. communication and assessment skills, leadership and mentoring skills).

These skills help develop the qualities needed for employment in circumstances requiring sound judgement, personal responsibility and initiative in complex and unpredictable professional environments.