How you learn

All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive. 

On this course you’ll experience a blended approach to learning and teaching – on campus, online and in work placements – which mirrors how you’ll work in practice. You’ll be taught in class by academic staff who are research-active, both locally and internationally. We’ll be joined by international social work researchers who help you challenge and be part of real-life social work research, in groups or individually.

You’ll learn in active and independent ways – across teaching, practice and individual study. During two placements (80 days and 100 days) you’ll learn from people who access services, with support from interprofessional colleagues, a practice educator and supervision as an individual and in groups. You’ll also return to Hallam on several ‘recall days’ for peer support, skills development and critical reflection.

You learn through:

• Seminars, workshops and tutorials
• Academic adviser meetings
• Problem-based activities
• Skills development sessions
• Simulation-based learning and courtroom skills
• Scenario-based learning and library support
• Guest lectures and online international events
• Collaborative and self-directed learning
• Group work meetings
• Placements and employer-led learning
• Peer support and critical reflective supervision
• Exams, assessments and presentations
• Portfolio, reports and research project
• Reflective accounts

Course topics

Our BA Social Work (BASW) course is compliant with the Hallam Model, embedding a person centred approach to your professional knowledge, skills and behaviours in practice. You’ll learn the underpinning knowledge base required for social work placements, preparing to work collaboratively with practice partners and multi-agency working, supporting wellbeing and empowerment in practice. You’ll engage in specialist simulation facilities through workshops and digital technologies – e.g. courtroom and mental health tribunals.

You’ll develop your inter-agency collaboration skills for future careers in interprofessional contexts – learning from students across the college who represent a range of professional health and social care groupings. This will ensure you have the required foundations for social work in a variety of contexts and diverse group work settings.

In the libraries and learning spaces across the university and online, you’ll take an international approach to social work – individually or with student project groups to encourage collaboration, professional curiosity, problem-solving and critical reflection. You’ll also be able to discuss your research with your research group and potentially present your research findings during placement – meeting the professional leadership domain of the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) for Social Work (BASW 2018).

Through case studies and real-world examples explored with practitioners and people with lived experience, you’ll be intellectually challenged by national and global social work problems. You’ll develop evidence-based solutions, portfolios of evidence and transferable employability skills – preparing you to successfully register as a professional who makes ethically sound assessments and research-informed decisions.

Course support

You’ll be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate-level employment through a number of key areas. These include:

• Access to our unique student support triangle to help with your personal, academic and career development
• Access to our Skills Centre with one to ones, webinars and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments
• Industry-specific employability activities such as live projects, learning in simulated environments and networking opportunities
• Individual and group course support from academic advisers, a research supervisor and colleagues
• Placement support from a practice educator (a qualified social worker) and an onsite work-based supervisor and placement tutor from Hallam
• Reinforcement and enhancement of topics, writing and study skills covered in prior study
• Activities to build transferable and employability skills, reflecting on your own experiences and learning

Course leaders and tutors

Louise Whitehead

Course Leader, BA (Hons) Social Work

Staff profile for Louise Whitehead, Course Leader, BA (Hons) Social Work at Sheffield Hallam University

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Applied learning

Work placements 

Our membership with the South Yorkshire Social Work Teaching Partnership provides you with the majority of work experience opportunities. The course includes a 10-day experiential work placement towards the end of the first year. 

You’ll have built up essential practice skills through a programme of ten skills days provided by external experts – both practitioners and colleagues with lived experience. You’ll cover core professional skills for engagement, applying knowledge in order to assess needs and risks, the fundamentals of safeguarding and preparing for professional practice. 

At Level 5 there’s an 80-day mandatory work placement assessed against the relevant levels of the PCF. Then in your final year you’ll have a mandatory assessed placement of 100 days in a contrasting setting, where statutory aspects of social work are undertaken.

We have a dedicated placement team to help you find placements. You’ll also be supported by academic staff in your application and as your placement tutor – plus a qualified practice educator (PE), as well as a trained work-based supervisor if your PE is based offsite. 

We’ll establish learning agreement processes that check learning expectations – including your supervision, provision of work opportunities, building of evidence against the practice standards of the PCF, and explaining key aspects of the procedures. You’ll also have a midpoint review meeting with your placement tutor, and a concerns meeting.

You’ll be assessed against the relevant PCF through evidence including direct observations, supervision discussions, reflective journal submissions, feedback from people with lived experience, your own written work, and a summative report produced by the PE. 

Handbooks for practice learning and regulations, plus supporting information

Live projects

A range of experiences are built into the course from the outset, developing your skills in connecting theoretical knowledge to real-world applications. You’ll have  opportunities to undertake project work in all three years of the course, alongside students from other professional disciplines within our College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences.

Field trips 

You’ll be able to take trips to make observations about social settings and environments.

As a department we value the importance of learning from diverse experiences – broadening your professional understanding and becoming a culturally competent social worker. Through access to the Turing Grant Scheme we have a range of active partnerships across Africa, Europe and India, facilitating volunteering visits to community development or refugee agencies. 

Networking opportunities

We have extra-curricular career-focused activities – from careers and job fairs to employer events, volunteering and leadership awards, and training to assist with professional development. As a department we celebrate international social work with a global audience, so you’ll be able to engage in a range of online international activities and events.  

Our student Social Work Society, our Global Majority Student Group, and the Diverse Voices Conference are great opportunities for students to come together and share experiences with their peers and academic staff. From the point of student recruitment to assessment, our colleagues with lived experience and employer partners enhance your student experience and create real links to practice. You’ll have many opportunities to learn with and from students across the college, representing a range of health and social care professional groupings.

Future careers

Social work is an in-demand profession with a protected title. The BASW is a professionally approved course which prepares you to become a newly qualified social worker. 

We work closely with Hallam’s careers service to provide integrated and timetabled employment support throughout the course. This covers a range of work opportunities with local, regional and national employers – including a Social Work Skills Day focused on career readiness. We have an excellent record of graduate employment and incorporate many aspects of employability skills into your modules and practice learning.

We maintain strong relationships with local authorities in the South Yorkshire region and beyond, as well as private and voluntary sector agencies. This all enhances your route from a student on placement to an employee after you graduate. 

Previous graduates have gone on to work for:

• Local authorities in the region and beyond
• Field teams
• School and hospital settings
• Social care charities such as Barnardo’s and Age UK
• Private sector organisations such as private fostering and adoption agencies 

Where will I study?

You study at Collegiate Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Collegiate campus

Collegiate Campus can be found just off Ecclesall Road, a bustling student district.

Collegiate Campus map | Campus facilities 

Location

Collegiate Crescent
Sheffield
S10 2BP

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Collegiate library

Collegiate Library can be found just off Ecclesall Road. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.

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Entry requirements

Fees and funding

• Home students
• International students

Home students

Our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. These fees are regulated by the UK government and are therefore subject to changes in government policy.

If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

International students

Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2024/25 is £16,655 per year.

Health and social care funding

Home fee-paying students can access a non-repayable maintenance grant of at least £5,000 per year. You may also be eligible for additional financial support based on your circumstances.

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Additional course costs

This link allows you to view estimated costs associated with the main activities on specific courses. These are estimates and, as such, are only an indication of additional course costs. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

Additional costs for Social work courses (PDF, 331.7KB)

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.