Teaching and learning
Our MA in Social Work is a full-time course. You will receive the majority of your teaching during semester 1 (September to January) and will be at the University most days.
You are encouraged to participate in interactive teaching sessions that incorporate seminars and workshops to enable you to develop a critical understanding and analysis of social work theory in practice.
You will benefit from small classes, allowing for a more intimate and in-depth learning experience. We are committed to working in partnership with our students and see building positive professional relationships as key to social work education.
Asynchronous teaching (online) on a Monday normally takes place from 9.00am to 5.30pm, and your live seminars on a Wednesday between 9.30am and 3.30pm. See below for a typical first term timetable.
There is some flexibility as to when the asynchronous work needs completing, as long as this is done in-time for the related seminar.
After the Christmas break, you will start your first 20 skills days throughout January before you go on your first-year 70-day practice placement.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9am-11am | Asynchronous online |
Skills Days* |
9:30am-11am | Seminar 1 | ||
| 11am-1pm | Asynchronous online | 11:30am-1pm | Seminar 2 | |||
| 1pm-2pm | Lunch break | 1pm-2pm | Lunch break | |||
| 2pm-4pm | Asynchronous online | 2pm-3:30pm | Seminar 3 | |||
| 4pm-5:30pm | Asynchronous online |
* Students will be expected to be on campus for Skills Days on specific dates between October and December and in January. These dates will be communicated directly to you.
Teaching staff
The course is delivered by staff whose practice and academic expertise ensures up-to-date delivery of learning in social work education and practice. Learn more about how research feeds into the MA.
You are likely to be taught by the following staff members on the course.
Professor Alys Young
Alys has extensive experience in specialist social research involving Deaf people and sign language(s).
Many of her projects interface directly with statutory and non-statutory social work, social care and health provision.
Dr Patricia Cartney
Patricia's research focuses on exploring pedagogies for professional practice.
Much of her work focuses on exploring the impact of the interlocking social, political, emotional and cognitive context of educational environments for social workers.
Dr Stephen Hicks
Stephen's research encompasses LGBTQ issues in social work theory and practice, with a particular focus on foster care and adoption, questions of community and belonging and creative research methods.
Dr Dharman Jeyasingham
Dharman's research examines conceptualisations of race and sexuality in social work, and the ways digital technologies and hybrid working approaches are influencing children and family’s social workers' practice.
Gary Norton
Gary has extensive experience in social work practice, especially in the family justice system.
His interests and publications are in socio-legal areas of practice relating to contemporary issues in child protection.
Simon Burrow
Simon's area of specialist interest is dementia. He has worked as a social worker and in the not-for-profit sector in this area.
His research interests include acute hospital care for people living with dementia, dementia education and training for health and social care staff, and assistive technologies to support independence and autonomy.
Claire Harnett
Claire leads on the Assessed Readiness Direct Practice Module and the skills workshops on the MA in Social Work. She collaborates with people with lived experience, registered social work practitioners, and practice educators to involve them in student preparation for practice and assessment of students' readiness for practice.
Claire works in partnership with the Greater Manchester Social Work Academy (GMSWA) and local authority workforce development teams, social workers and practice educators, as well as other organisations, on placement learning opportunities.
Barbara Tisdall
Barbara leads in practice learning and has a work background in mental health social work.
Anna Beddow
Anna is the programme director for Applied Mental Health. This is the aspect of the social work department that is responsible for post-qualified mental health education.
Anna's interests are on complex and critical decision making in mental health, as well as teaching newly qualified mental health social workers in their assessed and supported year in employment.
Mark Cooper
Mark is passionate about the teaching the application of mental health law to health and social care professionals. He is the unit lead for the Best Interests Assessor (BIA) and Applied Law Units and Lead for statutory refresher training for AMHPs and DOLS professionals.
He was a member of the committee that developed the NICE guidelines 'Social work with adults experiencing complex needs' (2022). He also provides a wide range of external consultancy for local authorities and health trusts on the application of mental health law and 'legal literacy'.
Andrew Holt
Andrew teaches the application of mental health law and adult safeguarding.
Service user involvement
People with lived experience, practitioners and carers are involved as stakeholders in shaping the course to help you benefit from their experience.
They are very involved in the skills days during the first year of the programme, but are also involved in teaching students across the curriculum.
This includes a range of professionals who are involved in teaching such as qualified social workers, members of the judiciary, recruitment consultants, health professionals and police officers.