Undergraduate

The law and social work in Scotland

On this page

• What you will study
• Entry
• If you have a disability or additional requirement
• Study materials
• Teaching and assessment
• Professional recognition
• Students also studied
• Future availability

This course examines the legal frameworks that shape and regulate social work decision making in Scotland. It considers how social work can make use of the law in a positive way and examines the value of law from the perspectives of service users, carers and professionals. The course deals with a range of legal issues related to social care and social work practice, including children in need and safeguarding children, criminal and youth justice, community care, housing, and the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on practice. It also examines the dilemmas encountered in practice of working in an ethical way.

Course facts

Register for the course

This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.

What you will study

The policy issues raised by social-care and social-work practice can be controversial. They include the pressure on local authority resources that limits provision of community care services; the abuse scandals that surface regularly in relation to children, older people and those with learning difficulties; and controversy over professional decision making and interventions in family life. This course examines the role of law in regulating the complex range of tasks and issues raised by modern social-care and social-work practice.

The course will develop your knowledge and understanding of the law in relation to social-care and social-work practice. It will:

• give you an understanding of the legislative base of social-work practice in Scotland in relation to particular client groups
• enable you to broaden your understanding of issues and dilemmas that social-work law raises for social workers
• give you information about the law relating to working with children and adults in various situations, including child care and protection, criminal and youth justice, community care, mental health, housing, welfare rights, asylum and immigration
• heighten your awareness of the processes of decision making that are associated with the legal powers, responsibilities and duties of social workers and their employers
• explore how the legal framework can be used to challenge discrimination and oppression.

Entry

This is an Open University Level 2 course equivalent to SCQF level 9; our Level 1 course An introduction to health and social care (K101) offers ideal preparation for study in this field at this level.  

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

Preparatory work

You will receive guidance of how to get started online in your first course mailing. This will provide you with information on using your computer for OU study and working with the Computing Guide. For example, it explains how to access and use your website and online discussion forums. If you have time before the course starts, you can work through this and explore all the online services available to you.

If you have a disability or additional requirement

Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting Your Needs.

You can also find information about accessible study materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.

Study materials

What's included

Course books, other printed materials and audio CDs. You will have access to a website through which teaching and library resources are available including online law resources which are integral to this course. Electronic versions of most of the printed study materials are provided on the website.

You will need

A CD player.

Computing requirements

This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.

You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. We may also be able to offer group tutorials or day schools that you are encouraged to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course. 

Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.

You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.

Professional recognition

This course is one of a set of modules that together constitute an approved programme that leads to the BA (Hons) in Social Work (Scotland) degree endorsed by the Scottish Social Services Council.

Students also studied

Students who studied this course also studied at some time:

• Applied social work practice (K216)
• Critical social work practice (K315)
• Foundations for social work practice (K113)
• Managing care (K303)
• Challenging ideas in mental health (K272)

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2013. We expect it to be available once a year.

Fees 2012

See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.

Study explained

Financial support

- find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.

Study explained

- all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.

Course satisfaction survey

See the satisfaction survey results for this course.

Your questions

We may have already answered it in our frequently asked questions.

Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35

Employers' questions

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