University of Essex

HS651-7-AU-CO:
Law, Policy and Ethics

The details

Year: 2023/24

Department: Health and Social Care (School of)

Campus: Colchester Campus

Term: Autumn

Level: Postgraduate: Level 7

Status: Current

Start date: Thursday 05 October 2023

End date: Friday 15 December 2023

Credits: 15

Last updated: 16 February 2023

Requisites for this module

Pre-requisites: (none)

Co-requisites: (none)

Pre and / or co-requisites: (none)

Prohibited modules: (none)

Key module (requisite for): (none)

Key module for

DIP L50017 Social Work,
MA L50021 Social Work

Module description

The central purpose of this module is to provide an environment where students can explore issues and concerns of legislation, policy making and ethics in practice. The module will also focus on building the foundations of legislation relating to children and young people, adult social care, mental health and mental capacity.
Through this module, social work students will have the opportunity to explore the process of ethical decision making alongside students and tutors from the Law Clinic. Law and social work staff will be making use of the giving voice to values approach which focuses on empowering decision making for transformational leadership.

The module will include an exploration of the notions of social justice, moral judgment, equality and the impact of legislation and guidance on people and people's rights- in short social work what one writer has termed social works "rights and wrongs" (Doel, 2016).

Module aims

The module will introduce students to the skills required for ethical practice in the context of safeguarding and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults. The module also aims to introduce students to the skills related to legislation and regulation including advocacy and legal research skills.

Module learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, the learner will be able to:
1. Accurately identify and select elements of legislation appropriate to specific instances of social work practice.
2. Critically consider the legal and policy bases of social work practice.
3. Present arguments that clearly and effectively communicate professional decisions based on legal and ethical principles.
4. Critically reflect on own practice in order to evaluate the impact of relationships between legislative framework, professional code of conduct and organisational policy on social work practice in response to human rights issues.
5. Listen and respond to the thinking of others in order to develop plans and ideas that progress cases.

Module information

Learning activities will include tutor led presentations, group discussions of how to practise
social work in ways that are lawful and ethical; how to work with experts by experience, service
users, carers and others to examine and explore the impact of legislation, regulation, social
policy and ethical issues and how to examine and explore issues relating to personal and
organisational oppression.
The module will also provide opportunities for inter-disciplinary teaching, in conjunction with
the Law Clinic, through the 'Giving Voice to Values' pedagogy. Law and social work staff will
be making use of the giving voice to values approach which focuses on empowering decision
making for transformational leadership.

Learning and teaching methods

The module will combine several different teaching approaches, incorporating lectures, group work, computers skill-based sessions and joint workshops with students and tutors based in the Law Clinic. Lectures: As noted above it is expected that lectures will be incorporated within the scheduled days of teaching and learning activity as outlined in the attached timetable. Independent: Small/ PBL group work and independent work on searching the literature and any research related activities. Practice and presentations to be discussed on sphere of practice. Online: A range of materials and resources relating to this module are available through the MA Social Work and Human Rights Moodle site. Students should upon registering for this module be able to access this Moodle course by going to https://moodle.essex.ac.uk or by accessing Moodle via the 'my study' section of the main University of Essex website. If you are experiencing any technical difficulties with Moodle then please contact; helpdesk@essex.ac.uk Tutorials: On commencing the course students will be allocated an Academic Supervisor, (usually the module leader). Academic Supervisors will support the student in the preparation of the module assessment. Students will be expected to meet with their Academic Supervisor on a regular basis throughout the course. Arrangements for supervision will be the responsibility of the student. Any student may elect to change his/her Academic Supervisor following discussion with the module or programme Leader or the Director of Education. Students are expected to maintain contact with their academic and practice Supervisors throughout the module. Tutorial sessions will be negotiated between student and supervisor. It expected that tutorial support and supervision will total no more than 2 full days over the period of the module. Skills: Students are expected to engage in a range of research related activities: searching the literature, visiting the library, attending seminars and participating to the joint Law-Social Work workshops.

Bibliography

Alcock, P. and May, M. (2022) Social policy in Britain. 5th edn. London: Bloomsbury Academic. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/1891996.
Beresford, P. and Alibhai-Brown, Y. (2016a) All our welfare: towards participatory social policy. Bristol: Policy Press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4337158.
Carr, H. and Goosey, D. (2021e) Law for Social Workers. 16th Revised edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/867012.
Johns, R. (2016a) Ethics and law for social workers. Los Angeles, [California]: Sage. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5164541.
Hodgson, S.M. and Irving, Z. (2007b) ‘The Meaning of Policy/policy as Meaning’, in Policy Reconsidered: meanings, politics and practices. Bristol: Policy Press, pp. 21–36. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qgv6w.7?refreqid=excelsior%3A67f6d01c6699042378b74c793bff3c75#metadata_info_tab_contents.
Alcock, P. and May, M. (2022) ‘Ideologies of Welfare’, in Social Policy in Britain. 5th edn. Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 179–196. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/1891996.
Hudson, J. (2013) ‘Welfare’, in Introduction to Social Policy. London: SAGE Publications Ltd, pp. 3–13. Available at: https://sk.sagepub.com/books/an-introduction-to-social-policy/i108.xml.
International Federation of Social Workers Human Rights resources (no date). IFSW. Available at: https://www.ifsw.org/human-rights-policy/.
‘Social Work and Human Rights: A Practice Guide’ (no date). BASW. Available at: https://www.basw.co.uk/system/files/resources/Social%20Work%20and%20Human%20Rights%20A%20Practice%20Guide.%20DEC%202019.pdf.
‘Social Work and Human Rights: The International Context’ (no date). BASW. Available at: https://www.basw.co.uk/system/files/resources/Social%20work%20and%20human%20rights%20international%20context..pdf.
Beresford, P. (2016b) ‘The origins of the welfare state’, in All our welfare: towards participatory social policy. Bristol: Policy Press, pp. 49–65. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4337158.
Feldon, P. (2017) The social worker’s guide to the Care Act 2014. 1st edn. St Albans: Critical Publishing. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4860762.
Whittington, C. (2016) ‘The Promised Liberation of Adult Social Work under England’s 2014 Care Act: Genuine Prospect or False Prospectus?’, British Journal of Social Work, 46(7), pp. 1942–1961. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcw008.
Mitchell, W., Brooks, J. and Glendinning, C. (2015) ‘Carers’ Roles in Personal Budgets: Tensions and Dilemmas in Front Line Practice: Table 1’, British Journal of Social Work, 45(5), pp. 1433–1450. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcu018.
Mental Health Policy in England (no date). UK Parliament. Available at: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7547/.
Whittaker, A. and Taylor, B. (eds) (2020) Risk in Social Work Practice. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd. Available at: https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/699715.
The Mental Health Act (no date). Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1983/20/contents.
Mind a mental health charity: Policy work (no date). Mind. Available at: https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/our-policy-work/.
Rogers, A. and Pilgrim, D. (2014) A sociology of mental health and illness. 5th ed. Maidenhead: Open University. Available at: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=821727.
Houston, D. and Lindsay, C. (2010) ‘Fit for work? Health, employability and challenges for the UK welfare reform agenda’, Policy Studies, 31(2), pp. 133–142. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/01442870903429595.
Garthwaite, K. (2015) ‘Becoming incapacitated? Long-term sickness benefit recipients and the construction of stigma and identity narratives’, Sociology of Health & Illness, 37(1), pp. 1–13. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.12168.
Dwyer, P. and Wright, S. (2014) ‘Universal Credit, ubiquitous conditionality and its implications for social citizenship’, Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 22(1), pp. 27–35. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1332/175982714X13875305151043.
Payne, M. (2020) How to use social work theory in practice: an essential guide. Bristol: Policy Press. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=6007142.
Johns, R. (2016b) Ethics and law for social workers. Los Angeles, [California]: Sage. Available at: https://sk-sagepub-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/books/ethics-and-law-for-social-workers.
Department of Health (2018) ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.’ Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/942454/Working_together_to_safeguard_children_inter_agency_guidance.pdf.
Parton, N. (2009) ‘From Seebohm to Think Family?: reflections on 40 years of policy change of statutory children’s social work in England’, Child & Family Social Work, 14(1), pp. 68–78. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2008.00582.x.
Thompson, N. (2021) Anti-discriminatory practice: equality, diversity and social justice. 7th edition. London, England: Red Globe Press?: Macmillan International Higher Education. Available at: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=6418087.
Madden, Mary and Speed, Ewen (2017) ‘Beware Zombies and Unicorns: Toward Critical Patient and Public Involvement in Health Research in a Neoliberal Context’, Frontiers in Medical Sociology, 2. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fsoc.2017.00007.

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam	Description	Deadline	Coursework weighting
Practical	PechaKucha Presentation (09/02/2024)		50%
Written Exam	MCQ Online Quiz (14/12/2023)		50%

Additional coursework information

Presentation (100%), phonetics and linguistics test (pass/fail)

Exam format definitions

Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Reassessment

Coursework	Exam
100%	0%

Module supervisor and teaching staff

Supervisor: Dr Peter Hall, email: prghal@essex.ac.uk.

Teaching staff:

Contact details: pgsocwork@essex.ac.uk

Availability

Available to incoming Essex Abroad / Exchange students: No

Available to Outside Option: No

Available to Audit: No

External examiner

Name: Dr Panagiotis Pentaris

Institution: Goldsmiths, University of London

Academic role: Programme Leader

Resources

Teaching materials: Available via Moodle

Lecture recording: Of 88 hours, 79 (89.8%) hours available to students:
3 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
6 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.

Further information

Department website: Health and Social Care (School of)

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The full Procedures, Rules and Regulations of the University governing how it operates are set out in the Charter, Statutes and Ordinances and in the University Regulations, Policy and Procedures.

Module Directory

HS651-7-AU-CO:Law, Policy and Ethics