Disability and Mental Health Social Work MA

This MA has been co-designed with social work practitioners, people with lived experience of social work, and community groups representing various priorities and interests. The course is holistic, wide-ranging, and uniquely relevant to the authentic practice of social work as a result. A variety of strong practitioner and lived experience voices will be involved in delivering the course.

The course combines theory, skills practice, work-based placements, supervision and personal development opportunities. We will ensure that you understand your responsibilities as a social worker, and build your capacity to meet the professional standards set out in the British Association of Social Work (BASW) Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF).

The course curriculum is aligned to Social Work England's professional standards, and when you graduate you will be eligible to apply to register with them.

On your placements you will work with individual children and adults, as well as within family, multi-disciplinary and community settings.

As well as a broad understanding of social work with children and adults, this course highlights the experiences of disability and mental health across the life cycle and in the context of practice itself. These issues are central to all areas of social work practice, and you will graduate with a solid understanding of the complexities and challenges people are facing in our society, including social workers. This course aims to break down barriers between the concept of "us" and "them" in terms of social workers and service users, community and university.

Social work exists within a societal and political context which can directly impact on practice and organisational cultures. Throughout the course you will consider social work within this wider context. Our commitment to social justice mirrors the wider values of the University. We will challenge hetero-patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism and colonialism as they manifest in social work practices. You will be encouraged to challenge oppression throughout your academic work, your placements and your future careers.

How you will study

This course must be studied full time and will take  just over 2 years to complete.

In your first year you will:

• Study 4 compulsory modules
• Spend 70 days on placement. Placement days are consecutive and will be completed between August and December. 

You can find out which modules are available in each term in the Course Specifications.

Modules

In your second year you will:

• Study 4 compulsory modules
• Complete a Dissertation
• Spend 100 days on placement. Placement days are consecutive and will be completed between April and September.

You can find out which modules are available in each term in the Course Specifications.

Modules

Teaching and learning

The course will be delivered full time over 2 years. This will include taught, practical and experiential learning. 

You will be expected to attend a minimum of 4 full days per week on the University campus during your first semester in each year. The course will extend across the usual University semesters, and standard University breaks will not apply. All 200 placement and skills days must be 100% attended in order to be eligible to register with Social Work England. Academic attendance that drops below 80% may result in you failing to meet the requirements for professional accreditation. 

Academic staff, social work professionals, and people with experience of social work will all be involved in the delivery of your lectures and seminars. Taught sessions include lectures, seminars and small group work. Your independent study will include reading and preparation for the seminars, as well as completing assessments.

Placements

In your first year you will complete 20 professional skills days in advance of your first placement, to support you in developing your professional capabilities. Your first placement consists of 70 days in a community social work setting. Regular group supervision sessions throughout the placement will ensure that you can share learning across the group and consider challenges collectively.

In your second year you will complete 10 professional skills days and will start your second placement at the end of semester 1. Your second placement will be 100 days in a statutory setting such as a Local Authority or the NHS.

From the beginning of your course, you will be expected to understand and behave in accordance with the BASW Code of Ethics for Social Work as well as the Social Work England Professional Standards. Breaches of these standards may call into question your Fitness to Practice as a social worker and you may not be eligible to apply to register as a qualified social worker as a result.

Assessment

The assessments we use are designed to best suit the theoretical and practical content and will vary between modules. You will be provided with ongoing formative feedback during lecture and seminars.

The content of the assessments will ensure you are prepared to meet the appropriate stages of the BASW Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) with a focus on its 9 domains:

• Professionalism
• Values and ethics
• Diversity
• Rights and justice
• Knowledge
• Critical reflection
• Intervention and skills
• Contexts and organisations
• Professional leadership

For each module you will be assessed through one or more of the following:

• Essay
• Exam
• Report
• Portfolio
• Creative artefact
• Public facing document
• Presentation

We encourage you to reflect on your work as you progress though informal peer supervision, individual tutorials and use of a reflective journal.

Assessment of placements are undertaken by Practice Educators who are practising social workers. They will provide individual supervision throughout your placement to support you to link up theory and practice and ensure you are meeting the professional standards.

Qualifications

If you do not have a 2:1 BA or BSc (Hons) degree, but have extensive experience in a relevant setting, you could still be accepted onto the course. In this situation you may be asked to study an extra module, Access to Postgraduate Study, to help you get your academic writing skills to the standard required of postgraduate study.

You will also need:

• A minimum of 6 months experience in a relevant setting
• A satisfactory Medical Health Questionnaire
• A satisfactory enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• A successful interview process
• Satisfactory references 

Access to Postgraduate Study

10 credits | optional

This module provides an entry route if you would like to join the course but do not have an undergraduate degree. It is designed to develop your knowledge and understanding of a range of key academic study skills, including comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, reflection and evaluation. This will help prepare you for postgraduate level study. Material relevant to counselling and social work professions will be used and evaluated. You will be encouraged to extend your learning by sharing knowledge and resources within the group.

International students

Unfortunately this course is not available for international students. Discover the other courses we offer.

FIND A COURSE

Interview

You will be asked to attend an interview for this course. 

The interview panel will be made up of 3 people who will be a mix of social workers, placement providers, people with lived experience, and academics. We use values-based recruitment to ensure prospective students share the values and behaviours align with those required by the social work profession.

Once you have applied, you will receive further information about your interview from our Admissions team.

Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)

If you do not have traditional qualifications, you might be able to provide evidence of professional experience in the subject as an alternative way to meet the entry requirements. This is called Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL). Appropriate references and records of employment would need to be presented to support your case for admission. 

Terms and conditions

Our terms and conditions, policies and procedures contain important information about studying at York St John University. You can read them on our Admissions page.

UK 2024 entry

The tuition fee for January 2024 entry to this course is £14,800. This will be split across the 2 years, so you will pay £7,400 per year.

These costs apply to all UK, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man students.

Postgraduate loans are available to help you pay for your master’s course. Find out more about funding your postgraduate studies.

Funding opportunities

Tuition fees

Alumni Scholarships

If you are alumni of York St John University we have scholarships available to help you continue your studies.

Scholarships for alumni

Additional costs and financial support

Course-related costs

While studying for your degree, there may be additional costs related to your course. This may include purchasing personal equipment and stationery, books and optional field trips. You will need to pay your own travel costs while on your 200 days of placement.

Accommodation and living costs

View our accommodation pages for detailed information on accommodation and living costs.

Bursaries

Social Work Bursaries are provided and administered by Student Services, part of the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). The number of bursary recipients for full-time courses is limited and there is no guarantee you will receive a bursary even if your application is accepted and you take up an offer of a place on this course. York St John University is able to nominate 6 students in the 2023/2024 academic year to NHSBSA who approve and administer bursary funding.  

You can find more information about social work bursaries on the NHS website.

Where could Disability and Mental Health Social Work take you?

When you graduate from this course you will be eligible to apply to register with Social Work England and practise as a qualified social worker in any field of your choosing. Practitioners often have widely varied careers spanning many areas of work. 

Disability and mental health are visible in all areas of social work, and your enhanced knowledge in these areas will help you to support individuals and groups in an understanding and anti-oppressive way. Your knowledge of systemic issues will also provide you with the fundamental tools you will need to challenge the wider system and understand your role within it.

Social work can include work in:

• Mental healthcare 
• Youth justice 
• Transitions 
• Trauma 
• Bereavement 
• Foster care 
• Adoption 
• Working with refugees and asylum seekers
• Substance misuse recovery 
• Advocacy 
• Housing and homelessness 
• Schools 
• Hospitals 
• Prisons 
• Community development 
• Rehabilitating offenders 
• Research  

Stand out from the crowd with postgraduate study.

Far fewer people have postgraduate degrees than undergraduate qualifications. This gives you something extra to set yourself apart in a competitive graduate job market. Those with a postgraduate qualification will earn an average of £8,000 a year more than those with only an undergraduate degree. (Department For Education Graduate Labour Market Report 2019)

Our careers service, LaunchPad, provides career support tailored to your ambitions. Through this service you can access:

• Employer events
• LinkedIn, CV and cover letter sessions
• Workshops on application writing and interview skills
• Work experience and volunteering opportunities
• Personalised career advice

This support does not end when you graduate. You can access our expert career advice for the rest of your life. We will help you gain the experience and confidence you need to succeed.