SW0418 - Skills for Social Work Intervention

Your learning will be promoted by the use of short lectures, small group sessions (seminars) and directed learning. The seminars are practical in nature and you will be expected to participate fully in simulated practice scenarios and other practical activities to promote your learning in a supportive environment. This will include practising skills in giving and receiving feedback and using reflection to enhance intervention skills. Some sessions will be facilitated by specialist practitioners and service users to focus on specific areas of skills development in relation to communication and interpersonal skills. Staff modelling and role play will be used to enhance the learning experience. You will also have the opportunity to use the specialist facilities and equipment in the Clinical Skills Centre to develop your skills through simulation activities. Your learning is supported by active use of the e-Learning Portal on which the Module Team will post e-resources and materials to support your learning about specific topics which are covered in lectures. You will be expected to use video recording software to record sample interviews for formative and summative assessments. Instructional and informational materials on skills will be used throughout the module to add to your reading and participation in seminars.

Most of the learning on this module takes place in weekly seminar groups which are practical in nature and run in a workshop style. These sessions aim to provide a supportive environment where you can learn through practice. Your seminar tutor will provide support throughout these sessions, often modelling activities and giving you feedback on your development to enhance your learning. We will also encourage you to engage in peer feedback with other students and learn from each other. Lectures will provide the underpinning knowledge for the topic areas. Tutors will support your learning in a variety of ways. You will be provided with an electronic reading list which will include essential and recommended reading for the module and its assessment. Following

the formative assessment for the module, your seminar tutor will provide detailed written feedback to help with your summative assessment.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk

Knowledge & Understanding:
• Be familiar with a range of forms of intervention to respond to need and promote change.
• Consider and explain the impact of diversity upon interpersonal communication.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
• Demonstrate a range of appropriate interpersonal and written communication skills for a professional social work context.
• Understand and manage yourself in your interaction with service users, their families and carers and other professionals.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
• Meet HCPC guidelines by demonstrating learning outcomes at a level where the student is considered to be ready for direct practice before undertaking their first assessed practice learning opportunity

Formative Assessment
You will complete a video-recorded conversation with a student peer which will be reviewed during a seminar. Feedback will be given by your seminar tutor and peers. You will also complete a series of structured written tasks based on the activities undertaken during weekly seminars in Semester 1. Your seminar tutor will provide written feedback on these tasks to help you prepare for the summative assessment.

Summative assessment
The summative assessment is in two parts and both must be passed to successfully complete the module: 1. You will produce a 10-minute video recording of a simulated social work interview with a peer, which should demonstrate your ability to engage with a service user using effective inter-personal skills. (Marked Pass/Fail)
2. A series of structured written tasks demonstrating your ability to plan for, reflect upon and record your simulated interview, incorporating relevant knowledge and theory. (1,000 words, marked Pass/Fail)

Not applicable

SW0417, SW0419, SW0420, SW0421 and SW0422

This module will prepare you to undertake direct practice with service users by enabling you to begin developing the practical skills you will need as a social worker. Communication is vital to effective social work practice and during this module you will develop your core communication and interpersonal skills and the capacity to develop these further. You will learn about the key components of verbal and non-verbal communication. You will consider your personal communication style and develop your understanding of how to form, manage and sustain relationships. This will include practising skills in interviewing, observation, giving and receiving feedback and using reflection to enhance intervention skills. You will also be supported to develop your written communication skills in a professional context. Skills development workshops will give you the opportunity for simulated practice and feedback from peers and tutors. Some of these workshops will be facilitated by specialist practitioners and service users, with a focus on how to facilitate communication with people who have particular needs. The module assesses your fitness for social work practice learning and will provide a strong foundation for the ongoing development of your skills for social work practice in your future career.