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Attendance

Campus

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Duration

3 years

Start

January 2025

Delivery

In-person

Are you passionate about making a difference? Would you like to help people in need and make a positive impact to those who need it the most? If so, study our Social Work Degree Apprenticeship.

The Social Work Degree Apprenticeship programme has been designed in partnership with both employers and those with lived experience. The course aligns to Social Work England’s professional standards and the social work degree apprenticeship standard (IFATE). This apprenticeship will develop your confidence as a practitioner and build your resilience. We'll support you to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to work in the rapidly changing social work sector.

The mix of learning and working enables you to apply what you've learnt in the workplace which improves your understanding of the theory.

This social work qualification is generic, meaning you could work in a wide range of settings including, but not limited to:

Children Services
Adult services
Mental health
Disability services

In year one you'll be encouraged to think about how to prepare for social work practice and gain knowledge on social work theory, methods, skills and values. You'll learn about legal principles and safeguarding and will improve your communication skills though experiential learning. You'll also enhance your understanding about social justice and learn about theoretical perspectives.

In year two you will study three specialist modules where you'll think critically about working with children, young people and families, adults and those who experience mental health difficulties.

In year three you will learn more about relationship-based practice and research and will understand how research informs social work practice.

You will be afforded two placement opportunities which are organised by your employer. One placement will be in a contrasting setting and take place in year two, ensuring that you have experienced working with a different group of individuals. In your final year your other placement will include working alongside social workers to experience statutory social work. These will ensure that you feel fully prepared to qualify and practice as a social worker.

In addition to engaging in academic learning, you'll have opportunities to learn and develop in the workplace. Your Apprenticeship Educator will work closely with you and your workplace mentor to identify learning opportunities. Your progress will be reviewed regularly to ensure that you are developing your knowledge, skills and behaviours as outlined in the social work degree apprenticeship standard. Additionally, you will be encouraged to think about and continuously develop your knowledge on safeguarding, British Values, Maths and English.

Why study with us

Joint
4th
in the UK for graduate prospects (on track)
Complete University Guide (Social Work)
2025
2nd
in the North West for research quality
Complete University Guide (Social Work)
2025
2nd
in the North West for research quality
Times Good University Guide (Social Work)
2024

On completion of this degree, you’ll be eligible to apply to Social Work England for registration as a social worker.
You’ll benefit from our experience as the largest provider of social work education in the UK - and a wealth of staff experience and resources.
In the latest Research Excellence Framework 83% of Social Work's research is rated world-leading and internationally excellent.

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Why choose a Degree Apprenticeship?

With a Degree Apprenticeship you can achieve both a qualification and a career boost. It’s the perfect opportunity to develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours in the workplace as you earn a salary.

Your employer is invested in your learning, you'll be given support from both them and the university to achieve your full potential and gain a qualification in social work.

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The social work apprenticeship has provided me with opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills to effectively support young people to achieve the outcomes that are important to them.

Lancashire County Council’s first social work degree apprentices graduate from UCLan

Danielle Fairclough

BA (Hons) Social Work Degree Apprenticeship

Who is this course for?

You’ll want to gain a professional qualification and work as a social worker. You may want to work in children’s services, adult services, mental health or disability services. You will want to make a difference to those in need.

You will need to be in suitable employment in order to apply for the apprenticeship and will need to have full support from your employer.

Whichever area of practice you choose, you'll want to know how to work safely and effectively with individuals who use services. You'll be passionate about achieving a high standard of social work practice. This will positively impact on individuals’ lives, their families and the wider community.

You'll want to develop as a practitioner and thrive from the opportunity to learn. You'll want to apply the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to achieve the apprenticeship standard and maintain professional social work standards (Social Work England).

To achieve your apprenticeship qualification, you will be given off the job training. Most weeks, the academic teaching and learning will count as your off the job training. When you are not in university, you will be given opportunities on the workplace to further enhance your knowledge and skills, many of these experiences will also count as off the job training.

As a training provider and a course team, we have lots of experience of supporting social work apprentices and tailor our teaching to sector needs. Apprentices will be supported by an Apprenticeship Educator throughout their learning journey. Apprenticeship Educators will meet with apprentices regularly to review progress, identify further learning opportunities and to offer tailored support.

Apprentices are well supported to reach their End Point Assessment. The End Point Assessment is the final part of an apprenticeship and confirms the apprenticeships completion. The End Point Assessment arrangements changed in 2023 for the Social Work Apprenticeship. The End Point Assessment takes place for the final month of the apprenticeship and includes the confirmation of the qualification, and the process of sending details to Social Work England.

Our Social Work apprenticeship graduates celebrate their success.

What you'll do

In addition to having a dedicated Apprenticeship Educator, you will have access to an achievement coach. You will also be able to access support from our student services team.
We invite a number of guest speakers, practitioners and those with lived experience to contribute to teaching and learning. You will attend bespoke skills sessions tailored to contemporary social work themes.
We work collaboratively with both you and your employer to ensure you make progress and achieve your full potential.

Modules

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of our published course information. However, our programmes are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may cause alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses. Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of accrediting bodies or revisions to subject benchmarks statements. As well as to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.

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image overlay — The Library (Preston Campus)

students-library — The Library (Preston Campus)

doctor-business-administration-dba — Lecture theatres

Academic expertise

Laura James

Senior Lecturer in Social Work

Cheryl Lovell

Social Work Outreach Educator

Katy Simister

Outreach Educator

Mary Gibson

Lecturer

Che McGarvey-Gill

Lecturer in Mental Health Social Work

Karen Taylor

Lecturer in Social Work

Entry requirements

UCAS: 120 points at A2
BTEC Extended Diploma: DDM
Pass Access Course: 120 UCAS points
International Baccalaureate Diploma: Pass including 120 points from Higher Level Subjects
T Level: M
IELTS: 7.0 with no component lower than 6.5
Access to HE Diploma at distinction ( at least 30 level 3 credits at distinction)
UCLan Foundation year entry Applied Community and Social Care Studies pass at 50%
Cache level 3 Diploma in Child Care Education
OCR level 3 National Diploma
NVQ 4 pass
Scottish Certificate of Higher Grade
Irish Leaving Certificate Higher Grade
International Baccalaureate
English and Maths GCSE grade C or above or equivalent
For Degree Apprentices: You must be employed in a suitable role and have your employers support to apply

This course will involve you working with vulnerable groups of individuals, this may include children. In order to ensure that the University offers places on their programmes to suitable candidates you will be required to obtain a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service clearance (formerly termed CRB).

We will be able to guide you through this process once you have been offered a conditional place of study at the University of Central Lancashire.

It is important to note that should your Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check prove to be unsatisfactory for the purpose of the course you have applied to, your offer of a place for that course may be withdrawn. If you have already enrolled on a course and your DBS check subsequently discloses a criminal conviction, you may be required to withdraw from the course even if you have already started. If you are aware that your DBS check will disclose a previous conviction, please contact the course leader for advice as not all convictions may preclude you from continuing with the course.

Scholarships and bursaries

We have a wide range of bursaries, scholarships and funds available to help support you whilst studying with us.

Select your country to see eligibility information and how to apply by selecting more info on the cards below.

Select your country/region

Degree Apprentice Care Leaver Bursary
We offer a range of support and services to help all apprentices, but you may need a little extra assistance if you have been in Local Authority care and don’t have support from your parents. Find out more about our Care Leaver Bursary for our Degree Apprentice students.
Find out more about Degree Apprentice Care Leaver Bursary

As a graduate from our Social Work Degree Apprenticeship programme you’ll be eligible to apply to join the Social Work Register and practice as a social worker.

This is a generic award so there are many different opportunities within the social work sector. You may choose to pursue a career in a Local Authority or the voluntary or private sector.

You may be offered a social work position in your current work place or be able to explore different opportunities through your current employer.

Every apprenticeship includes an End Point Assessment (EPA).

Full-time apprentices will typically spend 36 months on the programme working towards the social work apprenticeship standard, with the EPA taking place in the last month of the programme.

The End Point Assessment arrangements changed in 2023 for the Social Work Apprenticeship. The End Point Assessment takes place for the final month of the apprenticeship and includes the confirmation of the qualification and the process of sending details to Social Work England.

Readiness to commence the EPA is confirmed by the employer, with support from the University.

On completion of the programme, you will receive both a BA Hons in Social Work and a Level 6 apprenticeship qualification.

As you’ll be working with vulnerable groups of individuals, including children, you’ll need a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service clearance (formerly termed CRB). We’ll be able to guide you through this process once you have been offered a conditional place of study here. This should be provided by your employer and needs to cover both workforces.

If your Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check proves to be unsatisfactory, your offer of a place may be withdrawn.

If you’ve already enrolled on a course and your DBS check subsequently discloses a criminal conviction, you may be asked to withdraw from the course even if you have already started. If you think your DBS check will disclose a previous conviction, please contact the course leader for advice as not all convictions may preclude you from continuing with the course.

Interested?

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Information for employers

An apprentice is employed to do a real job while studying for a formal qualification, usually for one day a week at one of our campuses. This programmes meets the IFATE’s social work apprenticeship standard and Social Work England standards. Apprentices employed by you will be given many opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to succeed in a social work role upon qualification.

Apprentices follow an approved study programme, which means they’ll gain a nationally recognised qualification at the end of their apprenticeship.

The delivery of the course is designed to meet workforce needs. In response to employer feedback, apprentices attend university on different days in each year group; this reduces the amount of apprentices out of the workplace at any one time. Apprentices attend university for one day each week and develop against the apprenticeship standard in the workplace for the remainder of the working week.

If you are a new employer who is interested in exploring whether having a social work apprentice would enhance your workforce and seek to meet the sector’s recruitment and retention challenge, please make contact with the Course Leader Laura James by email to discuss the apprenticeship programme further.

Benefits to the employer

Enhance your workforce by developing existing employees or recruiting new staff to the position of Social Work Apprentice.
Improve staff retention and loyalty by providing them with professional development and a high quality Honours degree.
If your pay bill is over £3m, you’re required to pay the Apprenticeship Levy at 0.5% of pay bill to HMRC. The funding pays for training and assessment (not wages) by government-approved providers.

Award: BA (Hons) Social Work and Level 6 Apprenticeship
Level: 6
Location/Campus: Preston
Duration: The course is three years in duration.
Fees: Tuition Fees are paid by funding through the Employer and/or Government via the Apprenticeship Levy, meaning that the learner does not pay the standard tuition fee rates. Students on Degree Apprenticeships do not qualify for any funding from Student Finance.
SFA Course Directory: Social Work (integrated degree)

The funding band for the Social Worker Degree Apprenticeship is £24,000.

Funding bands range from £1,500 to £27,000 and sets the maximum amount of digital funds an employer who pays the levy can use towards an individual apprenticeship.

This course is delivered by the School of Health, Social Work and Sport

For information on possible changes to course information, see our essential and important course information

You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at the University of Central Lancashire on our student contract page

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