Bachelor of Social Work

Purpose

The purpose of the qualification is to produce professional graduates in the field of Social Work, who will be able to deliver effective services to solve social problems or to address personal, community, or social development needs.

The qualification will enhance the career of the graduate by enabling him/her to use higher order and lateral thinking, and general social work knowledge.

Further, the purpose of the qualification is to produce graduates who can contribute to the economy and social well-being of South Africa by preventing and minimising the serious educational and vocational consequences of social problems.

On completion of the qualification, qualifying learners will be able to

• Develop and consolidate a professional identity as a social worker
• Apply core values and principles of social work.
• Provide a holistic assessment and intervention with individuals, families, groups, and communities.
• .Demonstrate competence in the use of codes of ethics vis-�-vis the moral impulse.
• .Work with a range of diversities
• Develop an ability to undertake research

Rationale

The three core components of social work training include knowledge, skills, and values. In addition to theory and skills sessions, learners registered for the social work degree must take separate social work practice courses. At the post-graduate level, scope is offered for specialisation. Social work training is mostly informed by the White Paper for Social Welfare (1997) and the Government's Reconstruction and Development plans that embrace a social development paradigm to health, welfare, education, and infra-structural development in South Africa.

Given the rights of civil society and the requirements of the profession, heavy weighting is given to the development of the morally active practitioner. The overarching values that guide social work training are social justice and respect for persons. From the second year of study, learners registered for the degree must register with the SA Council for Social Service Professions. They are, therefore, obliged to adhere to the profession's code of Conduct.

Learners are made aware of the range of contexts in which social workers might be employed. With the new Welfare Financing Policy in place, based on the funding of sustainable programmes, learners are increasingly being made aware of the importance of developing entrepreneurial skills and the need to integrate community, social, and economic development.

Qualifying learners are eligible for a further education pathway where they can enrol in Postgraduate studies.

Recognition of Prior Learning

The institution has an approved Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy, which is applicable to equivalent qualifications for admission into the qualification. RPL will be applied to accommodate applicants who meet the qualification criteria. RPL thus provides alternative access to and admission for qualifications, as well as advancement within them. RPL may be applied for access, credits from modules, and credits or towards the qualification.

RPL for access

• Learners who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements or the required qualification that is at the same NQF level as the qualification required for admission may be considered for admission through RPL.
• To be considered for admission in the qualification based on RPL, applicants should provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that they have acquired the relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies through formal, non-formal, and/or informal learning to cope with the qualification expectations, should they be allowed entrance into the qualification.

RPL for exemption from modules

• Learners may apply for RPL to be exempted from modules that form part of the qualification. For a learner to be exempted from a module, the learner needs to provide sufficient evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that competency was achieved for the learning outcomes that are equivalent to the learning outcomes of the module.

RPL for credit

• Learners may also apply for RPL for credit for or towards the qualification, in which they must provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates prior learning through formal, non-formal, and/or informal learning to obtain credits towards the qualification.
• Credit shall be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

� National Senior Certificate, NQF Level 4, granting access to Bachelor's degree studies.

Or

• National Certificate (Vocational), NQF Level 4, granting access to Bachelor's degree studies.

Or

• Senior Certificate, NQF Level 4 with endorsement.

Or

• Higher Certificate in Social Auxiliary Work, NQF Level 5.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory and elective modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 5, 6, 7, and 8, totalling 594 Credits.

Compulsory and Elective Modules, Level 5, 162 Credits

Compulsory Modules, 126 Credits

• Field Instruction in Social Work Practice I, 18 Credits
• Introduction to Social Work Theory and Practice, 36 Credits
• Psychology 1, 36 Credits
• Southern Africa in the Era of Globalisation, 18 Credits
• Identity and Society, 18 Credits

Elective Modules, Level 5, 36 Credits (Select one pair)

• Culture and Humanity, 18 Credits
• Practices of Identification, 18 Credits

or

• South African Sign Language: Basic 1A, 18 Credits
• South African Sign Language: Basic 1B, 18 Credits

Compulsory Modules, 120 Credits

• Field Instruction in Social Work Practice II, 24 Credits
• Integrated Social Work Methods and Human Rights, 24 Credits
• Psychology II, 48 Credits
• Psychological Research Design and Analysis IIA, 24 Credits

Elective Modules, Level 6, 48 Credits

Select one stream

Stream A

• Sociological Theory II, 24 Credits

And one of the following modules

• Organisations, Movements and change II, 24 Credits
• Contemporary Social Issues, 24 Credits
• Environment, Development and Globalisation II, 24 Credits
• Family, Gender and Work II, 24 Credits
• Knowledge and Power II, 24 Credits
• Law, Crime and Power II, 24 Credits
• Population Studies II, 24 Credits
• Society, Health and Disease II, 24 Credits
• The Sociology of Religion II, 24 Credits

Stream B

• Sociological Theory II, 24 Credits

And one of the following modules

• Family, Gender and Work II, 24 Credits
• Organisations, Movements and Change II, 24 Credits

Compulsory Modules, 72 Credits

• Field Instruction in Social Work Practice III, 36 Credits
• Integrated Social Work Theory and Practice, 36 Credits

Elective Modules, 72 Credits

Select one stream: 72 Credits

Stream A

• Abnormal Psychology III, 18 Credits
• Cognitive Neuropsychology III, 18 Credits
• Health Psychology III, 18 Credits
• Community Psychology III, 18 Credits
• Psychotherapeutic Interventions III, 18 Credits
• Child and Adolescent Psychology III, 18 Credits
• Critical Social Psychology III, 18 Credits
• Organisational Behaviour III, 18 Credits
• Career Psychology III, 18 Credits
• Employment Relations III, 18 Credits
• Organisational Effectiveness III, 18 Credits
• Select Topic in Psychology III, 18 Credits
• Cognitive Studies III, 18 Credits

STREAM B

• Researching Social Life III, 18 Credits
• Culture, Identity and Power, 18 Credits

And 36 credits from the modules below

• Contemporary Feminism: Issues and Struggles III, 18 Credits
• Demography and Development III, 18 Credits
• Intermediate Quantitative Research Methods III, 18 Credits
• Postmodern Theory III, 18 Credits
• Sociology of Education III, 18 Credits
• Sociology of Latin America and the Caribbean III, 18 Credits
• Sociology of the City III, 18 Credits
• Sociology of War and Peace III, 18 Credits
• Class, Power, and Economic Relations III, 18 Credits
• South African Industrial Relations III, 18 Credits
• States, Markets and Economic Policy III, 18 Credits
• Sociology of Africa III, 18 Credits
• Contemporary Social Issues III, 18 Credits

STREAM C

• Researching Social Life III, 18 Credits
• Class, Power, and Economic Relations III, 18 Credits

And 36 credits from the modules below

• Contemporary Feminism: Issues and Struggles III, 18 Credits
• Culture, Identity and Power III, 18 Credits
• Demography and Development III, 18 Credits
• Intermediate Quantitative Research Methods III, 18 Credits
• Postmodern Theory III, 18 Credits
• Sociology of Education III, 18 Credits
• Sociology of Latin America and the Caribbean III, 18 Credits
• Sociology of the City III, 18 Credits
• Sociology of War and Peace III, 18 Credits
• South African Industrial Relations III, 18 Credits
• States, Markets and Economic Policy III, 18 Credits
• Sociology of Africa III, 18 Credits
• Contemporary Social Issues III, 18 Credits

Compulsory Modules, Level 8, 120 Credits

• Field Instruction in Social Work Practice IV, 45 Credits
• Social Work Theory and Practice IV, 45 Credits
• Research Report, 30 Credits.

1. Develop and consolidate a professional identity as a social worker
2. Apply core values and principles of social work.
3. Provide a holistic assessment and intervention with individuals, families, groups, and communities.
4. Demonstrate competence in the use of codes of ethics vis-�-vis the moral impulse.
5. Work with a range of diversities
6. Develop an ability to undertake research
7. Select from the wide range of available knowledge and theories to facilitate conceptualization at higher levels of abstraction.
8. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of policy and legislation
9. Write and communicate professional knowledge to different audiences.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 1

• Show understanding of the power process and building sound relationships
• Demonstrate ability in advancing human rights, and working with and for the most disadvantaged groups in society
• Demonstrate commitment to work toward social justice and egalitarian societies
• Demonstrate commitment to caring, building humane societies, and mutual inter-dependence
• Use validation as one of the core empowerment strategies in working with individuals, families, groups, and communities
• Demonstrate skills in critical thinking and scholarly attitudes of reasoning, and openness to new experiences and paradigms
• Show commitment to professional ethics and to ongoing professional development
• Demonstrate ability to deal with complexity and ambiguity and to think on one's feet
• Demonstrate understanding of social work as a context-embedded, proactive, and responsive profession
• Use supervision effectively in practice.
• Demonstrate ability to understand the links between the personal and the professional dimensions of life and the relationship between the micro- and the macro-aspects of learners' lives and the lives of people whom they engage with.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 2

• Show respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all human beings
• Demonstrate understanding that every person can solve his/her problem
• Separate acceptance of the person while challenging and changing conditions and behaviours that are self-destructive or harmful to others
• Uphold the value of doing no harm and practising beneficence
• Show understanding of the mutual inter-dependence among human beings and between human beings and other living entities, and a commitment to inter-generational equity and continuity (third generation rights) as advocated by 'green' social work
• Respect the rights of people to inclusion in decision-making and in the planning and use of services
• Respect rights to self-determination (with due consideration to potential structural constraints)
• Respect rights to confidentiality within legislative constraints.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 3

• Recognise humans as bio-psycho-social (BPS) beings, as the biological, psychological, and social (including the spiritual) dimensions of life are inter-connected and mutually reinforcing
• Undertake holistic BPS assessments to facilitate holistic intervention directly and/or through referrals to appropriate professionals and resources.
• Show understanding of the Person-in-Environment gestalt, appreciating that the environment consists of the natural, geographic environment and the various social systems, both proximate and distal, that surround and impact individual and family functioning
• Interpret how historical and contemporary BPS approaches impact human functioning and capabilities development
• Undertake appropriate interventions ranging from direct protective/ therapeutic/ educational interventions with individuals, families, and groups to broader community interventions, including education, social activism, and/or advocacy at local, regional, and/or international levels
• Use a range of strategies to monitor and evaluate interventions

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 4

• Show awareness of international, regional, and national statements of ethical principles and codes of ethics
• Engage critically with codes of ethics
• Recognise the interrelatedness between the moral impulse and codes of ethics
• Display awareness of the boundaries of professional practice and what constitutes unprofessional conduct
• Demonstrate understanding of principled ethics and feminist relational ethics, and skills of negotiating ethical decision-making through discourse ethics and dialogue, and through peer consultation and supervision.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 5

• Demonstrate self-awareness regarding personal and cultural values, beliefs, traditions, and biases, and how these might influence the ability to develop relationships with people, and to work with diverse population groups
• Demonstrate awareness of self as an individual and as a member of collective socio-cultural groups in terms of strengths and areas for further development
• Show competence in non-discrimination based on culture, nationality, ethnicity, religion, language, race, gender, language, physical status, and sexual orientation
• Minimize group stereotypes and prejudices and ensure that racist, sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic behaviour, policies, and structures are not reproduced through social work practice
• Form relationships with, and treat all persons with respect and dignity, irrespective of such persons' cultural and ethnic beliefs, gender, nationality, language, religion, disability, and sexual orientation
• Serve as cultural mediators using constructive confrontation, conflict-mediation, discourse ethics, and dialogue where local cultural values, traditions, and practices might violate universally accepted human rights, as entrenched in national, regional, and international human rights instruments
• Show awareness of the importance of inter-sectoral collaboration and teamwork across disciplines and among social service professionals

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 6

• Demonstrate appropriate skills in the use of qualitative and/or quantitative research methods
• Recognise and apply the ethical requisites of social work research
• Use research to inform practice and vice versa
• Appreciate the value of practice-based research, of practice as research, and of research as practice
• Document and communicate research findings to professional and non-professional audiences

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 7

• Make judicious selection from the wide range of available knowledge and theories to facilitate conceptualization at higher levels of abstraction
• Select from a range of theoretical perspectives and
• Practice skills to facilitate effective interventions at the level of the individual, family, group, organization, and community
• Demonstrate an understanding of the structural determinants of people's lives and how criteria such as race, class, gender, language, religion, geographic location, disability, and sexual orientation might constitute sources of privilege and/or oppression
• Demonstrate an understanding of the complex relationship between the power of structural determinants and the power of human agency, and the relationship between freedom and responsibility
• Show awareness of strategies to facilitate praxis and consciousness-raising to enable people to understand and challenge structural determinants of normalization, and of oppression and/or privilege
• Demonstrate critical understanding of how socio-structural inequalities, discrimination, oppression, and social, political, economic, and environmental injustices impact human functioning and development at all levels

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 8

• Demonstrate an understanding of how social welfare policy and legislation influence the conception of issues as social problems, interventions, and resource allocation
• Analyse, formulate, evaluate, and advocate for policies that enhance human wellbeing and environmental sustainability
• Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the law and social work
• Apply knowledge of global, regional, and national declarations, policies, and legislation relevant to social welfare and social work
• Apply knowledge of national, provincial, and local governance structures, and the general laws and charters governing social welfare policy and social work services in South Africa
• Identify and understand the historical, political, and economic dimensions of welfare policies

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 9

• Write coherent, logical, grammatically correct, and well-considered reports/memos, whether for internal or external use
• Show awareness of the ethical and legal aspects of report-writing
• Show awareness of the targeted audience of any communication; the central messages to be communicated and how these are to be communicated, for example, probation reports; reports for children's court enquiries, divorce settlements, referrals for medical/psychiatric assessment and treatment; support for a social action campaign
• Demonstrate clear, coherent, and engaging oral communication skills
• Apply interviewing skills
• Record and disseminate social work research findings and knowledge
• Function in a multilingual context and use oral and/or written translation and interpretation when necessary.

INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT

A variety of assessment strategies, including summative and formative assessment, are used continuously to monitor learners' progress. Assessment of practice includes a range of forms from simulated teaching on real-life issues to work-based learning in field placements, the latter being mandatory to achieve all the graduate attributes.

Mechanisms are in place for peer and self-assessment, particularly about field practice.

A scaffolded approach to assessment from first to fourth year of study is adopted to ensure the incremental integration of theory and practice and the capacity for reflexive practice.

To promote, monitor, and measure learner learning throughout a course, no single assessment may count for more than 40% of the final mark unless there are special circumstances, in which case the permission of the Dean is required.