| CODE | SWP3220 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Practice Workshops 3 | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Social Policy and Social Work | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Practice Workshops will run in parallel to the academic study-units of the social work programme and will draw upon the material covered during these study-units. They will provide students with the opportunity to relate theory to practice in experiential workshop settings. Students would also have the opportunity to relate their own experiences from the field to theory being covered by the study-units. In addition the workshops would also provide the milieu for students to practice or actualise activities which relate to theory. The workshop session is intended to provide a venue for student's guided professional development, self awareness and appraisal. Course Content The emphasis will be on the acquisition of skills and critical awareness of attitudes. It will also include: Use of Resources/Data in Research; Tools For Working With Families; Counselling Microskills. Method Participatory learning methods will be used throughout the course and this will include small group discussions, role-play, simulation experiences, case-studies and the like. The workshop sessions will be of two hours duration and will run alternate weeks during the semester. Assessment Each student will be required to keep a Workshop Journal which is the student's record of what took place during the sessions together with his/her reactions, insights and critical analyses. It is intended to function as a record of learnings made. This journal will be used in assessment of students where process and method will be assessed as well as content. Attendance and participation will be taken into account in judging a student's performance. Since assessment is continuous this study unit does not have the possibility of Supplementary Assessment, i.e. should a student fail this study unit they will have to 'recycle' it when it is next offered. Absenteeism Due to the participatory nature of the course, attendance to all sessions is compulsory. Since the sessions are based on experiential learning, missing sessions will influence negatively on the student's personal experience, as well as the group's experience. In the event of serious reasons which would make it absolutely impossible for a student to attend, s/he may be given permission to absent her/himself from one session. Absence from more than 3 sessions "will lead to the student being declared ineligible for assessment of the unit, in which case a 0 mark and an F grade shall be assigned and recorded" (General Regulations, Clause 35, May 2004). Study-unit Aims: - To expose students to various tools which they can utilise in their practical placement and, later on, in their professional practice; - To provide the students with the space and opportunity to reflect on their practical placement and on other aspects of their professional practice; - To give the students an understanding of the social work process and its different phases, through reflections which compliment the theoretical input being made in other study-units. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Show their understanding of the processes of assessment and the various tools which could be used to arrive at a complete assessment; - Describe a number of tools which can be used for engagement with clients and assessing their situation; - Demonstrate their understanding and appreciation of the context as an essential element in many social work processes, particularly engagement and assessment; - Show that they have understood the importance of practical placements as part of their formation in becoming professional social workers; - Demonstrate an understand of the various processes of engagement and assessment which they encounter while on placement and an integration of their concepts into their practical formation; - Show that they have understood the importance of appropriate termination of social work relationships; - Demonstrate that they understand how the various elements from their personal and professional life come together to form the social work professional they will become. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Engage with service users in an appropriate, professional manner; - Assess service user situations, taking into consideration the particular context within which they occur; - Discuss the application of social work theories of assessment and engagement within their placement; - Carry out terminations with the service users they meet on placement in a way which is respectful and which does not impact service users negatively; - Identify appropriate tools which will enhance their assessment and engagement and use them appropriately; - Reflect on and analyse their life experiences and how these impact on their practice; - Analyse and reflect on their placement experience and how it contributes to their professional development. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts - Compton, Galaway & Cournoyer (2005) Social Work Processes Brooks/Cole California. - Coulshed,V. (1998). Social Work Practice: An Introduction. Macmillan/BASW London. Supplementary Readings Students are encouraged to read material on the reading lists of other study-units they are taking during this semester, as this will be assumed during this study-unit. - Brill, N.I. (2012). Working with People - the Helping Process (9th ed.). Pearson. - Corey, Corey & Corey (2013). Groups: Process and Practice (9th ed.). Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. - Darmanin, A. (1992). Developing Leadership Skills. Media Centre Publications. - Davies, M. (1994). The Essential Social Worker: The Essential Social Worker: An Introduction to Professional Practice in the 1990s. Arena. - Day, P. (1985). Sociology in Social Work Practice. Macmillan. - Fink, A.E., Pfouts, J.H. & Dobelstein, A.W. (1985). The Field of Social Work (8th ed.). Sage Publications. - Johnson, L.C. & Yanca, L. (2009). Social Wok Practice- A Generalist Approach (9th ed.). Pearson. - Johnson, D.W. (2012). Reaching Out: Interpersonal Effectiveness and Self-Actualization (11th ed.) USA: Prentice-Hall. - Kadushin, A., & Kadushin, G. (2013). The Social Work Interview (5th ed.). Columbia University Press. - Nelson-Jones, R. (2006). Human Relationship Skills: Training and Self-Help. (4th ed.). Routledge. - Nelson-Jones, R. (2013). Practical Counselling and Helping Skills (6th ed.). Cassell. |
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| RULES/CONDITIONS | Before TAKING THIS UNIT YOU MUST TAKE SWP2550 | ||||||||
| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Due to the participatory nature of the study-unit, attendance to all sessions is compulsory. Since the sessions are based on experiential learning, missing sessions will influence negatively on the student鈥檚 personal experience, as well as the group鈥檚 experience. In the event of serious reasons which would make it absolutely impossible for a student to attend, s/he may be given permission to absent her/himself from one session. In this case, the student will be expected to write an assignment of not more than 500 words on the topic presented during the session missed. Absence from more than 4 sessions 鈥渨ill lead to the student being declared ineligible for assessment of the unit, in which case a 0 mark and an F grade shall be assigned and recorded鈥� (General Regulations 2019, Regulation 38). |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Seminar | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Patricia Bonello Brian Camilleri Maria Mangion (Co-ord.) Maria Mercieca Mike Orland |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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