Social Work

Social work is a profession committed to supporting people through some of the most difficult circumstances they will face: family breakdown, poverty, mental illness, addiction, disability, domestic abuse, and the impact of exploitation and discrimination. Social workers operate at the boundary between individuals and the state, combining care and advocacy with a complex web of legal powers and responsibilities. In Scotland, social work is governed by its own distinctive legislative and policy framework, shaped by Scottish legislation, the standards of the Scottish Social Services Council, and a tradition of community-based and strengths-focused practice.

The Open University offers this social work programme for Scotland through distance learning and part-time study, making it accessible to people who are combining education with work, caring responsibilities, or life in areas where full-time campus attendance is not practical. The programme is approved by the Scottish Social Services Council and leads to a qualification that makes you eligible for registration as a social worker in Scotland. As with all qualifying social work programmes, substantial assessed practice learning takes place in real practice settings throughout the degree, giving you the supervised professional experience that registration requires.

You will study human development across the life course, social policy and the legislative framework for social work in Scotland, social work theory and methods, and the ethics and values that underpin professional practice. You will learn to assess need and risk, to work with families, individuals, and communities in ways that are strengths-based and anti-oppressive, and to navigate the multi-agency environments in which most social workers operate. Reflective practice, supervision, and the ability to communicate clearly in both written records and direct work with people are all central to what the programme develops.

Graduates register with the SSSC and work in local authority social services, the health service, the voluntary and third sector, criminal justice social work, and specialist services for children, adults, and older people. Experienced social workers can progress into team management, advanced practice roles, service design, and policy positions. Academic careers in social work education are another destination for those who pursue postgraduate research.