Evidence-Based Practice (PG) (P00656)

? Credit Points : 40 ? SCQF Level : 11 ? Acronym : SPS-P-SW26A

The course seeks to consolidate and extend the students understanding of social work by building on earlier courses and the students' practice learning. It considers the ethical, legislative, policy, organisational and research context in which practice, service provision and their development is located. It considers the interrelationship between those elements and the challenges and dilemmas presented for practitioners.

The course incorporates three main elements:

(i) Ethics -designed to develop understanding of selected concepts and theories from moral and political philosophy; and to apply these to the analysis of key issues in the professional ethics of social work

(ii) Research, Policy and Practice - in relation to the three main domains of Community Care, Children and Families and Criminal and Youth Justice, is designed to consider: the nature of practice, service provision; issues and trends in practice policy; multi-disciplinary, inter-professional and inter-agency collaboration; current research and; competing definitions of user need

(iii) Organisations - designed to consider the organisation of service agencies, their management and systems.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Social Work in Context; Social Science for Social Work; Research and Evaluation in Social Work; Learning for Practice 1

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Postgraduate (School of Social and Political Studies), (School of Social and Political Studies, Schedule J)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : Postgraduate

? Delivery Period : Full Year (Blocks 1-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 12 hour(s) per week for 7 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Ethics- 1)Justice, care & control in soc welfare & community justice - practical & ethical effects/implications; 2)Nature, historical development & application of s/work values & codes of practice; 3)Understanding/resolving value dilemmas & conflicts in inter-personal/professional contexts;4)Content of codes defining ethical practice & regulation of professional conduct;5)Rights, responsibility, freedom, authority & power associated with practice of s/workers as moral & statutory agents;6)Managing conflicts created by codes & values of professional groups.Research Policy and Practice-7)Theoretical ideas & research evidence in designing/implementing effective s/work service;8)Research-based concepts & critical explanations from s/work theory & other disciplines, their reliability & application;9)Choice & evaluation of interventions;10)Legal bases of intervention & significance of relationships with statutory social services & vol orgs & support group services;11)Range/appropriateness & organisational systems of statutory, vol & private providers of community-based services;12)Significance of interrelationships with other social services;13)Risks & harm associated with intervention in lives of vulnerable/dangerous/socially excluded individuals & groups;14)Character/evidence of effectiveness of s/work practice in community-based & organisational settings inc. group care;15)Factors influencing changes in practice in statutory, voluntary & private sector services; 16)Significance of legislative & legal frameworks, service standards, practice guidelines & codes of practice.17)Legal authority/application of legislation in practice, statutory responsibility & conflicts between statute, policy & practice.Organisations-18)Improving management, leadership & quality enhancement in soc servs;19)Communication, IT, & management info. systems in service delivery;20)Statistical, resource management & budgetary procedures & techniques;21)Communication & IT in planning/managing work.

Assessment Information

Composite Assignment 5000 words (Children and Families, Community Care, Criminal/Youth Justice) (75%)
Ethics Assignment 2,500 words (25%)

To achieve a pass for this course overall, students must achieve at least a pass grade in each of the two components of assessment.