Only Social Work applicants need to pay for their DBS. It costs £46 and can be purchased on our online store.
Social work is an exciting, rewarding career which trains you to support people and families through difficult times. Our BA Social Work will aid you in developing the specialist skills needed to provide assistance and support to a variety of people in society. A combination of formal university teaching and practical real-world placements will provide you with the knowledge, experience and expertise you need to start a successful social work career. You’ll prepare for a vocation helping those on the margins of society and across the spectrum in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and, to some extent, class, with full integration with service users and practitioners from a variety of backgrounds and traditions. There is a strong emphasis on critical reflection and problem solving on this course, which will enable you to navigate the exciting and challenging career of a social worker. Success in this course can lead to registration with Social Work England.
To learn more about a career in Social Work, listen to our podcast "A Day in the Life of a Social Worker", where our academic team interview LSBU Social Work alumni now working in the sector.
ModeFull-time | Duration3 years | Start dateSeptember | Application codeL500 | Application method UCAS |
London South Bank University student union is located at 103 Borough Rd, London SE1 0AA.
If you are visiting our Southwark Campus, you may wish to use our downloadable campus map (PNG File 466 KB). For information on accessibility, see our DisabledGo access guides. See our location page for more details.
Need further information? Call us on 0800 923 8888 to discuss entry requirements.
All offers are conditional and subject to satisfactory completion of a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check and references.
As part of the application process, you will be expected to evidence six months relevant experience of the delivery of social care in either a paid or voluntary capacity. Experience gained whilst at school or during the course of a placement undertaken as part of an Access or BTEC course can be included.
Some examples of social care work:
We welcome qualifications from around the world. Those whom English is not their first language must achieve a minimum score of 7.0 overall or equivalent with not less than 7.0 in the listening and reading sections and not less than 7.0 in the writing and speaking sections for the International English Language Test Score (IELTS) at the time of application.
If you have been out of study for a considerable amount of time or have slightly missed the entry requirements this course, you can take your first steps to becoming a registered practitioner with our Health and Social Care Foundation year. Boost your qualifications and confidence for further study with this one-year introductory course and on completion of this course you will be guaranteed entry on to one of our 13 health BSc pre-registration health and social care degrees.
Select country here:
If you do not have the required English and Maths qualifications needed to satisfy the entry requirements for this programme, we have courses available at our partner College that you can take to upskill in these areas. Find out more at South Bank College.
If you have already completed some studies at another university, we may be able to consider you for advanced entry. Please see our advanced entry page for more information.
£9535
Tuition fees for home students
£17600
Tuition fees for international students
Tuition fees are subject to annual inflationary increases. Find out more about tuition fees for Undergraduate or Postgraduate courses.
UK fee: £9535 | International fee: £17600 |
AOS/LSBU code: 4355 | Session code: 1FS00 |
Total course fee:
* The full amount is subject to fee increases, the total shown below is based on current fees. |
UK: £28605 |
UK fee: £9535 | International fee: £17600 |
AOS/LSBU code: 4355 | Session code: 2FS00 |
Total course fee:
* The full amount is subject to fee increases, the total shown below is based on current fees. |
UK: £28605 |
UK fee: £9535 | International fee: £17600 |
AOS/LSBU code: 4355 | Session code: 3FS00 |
Total course fee:
* The full amount is subject to fee increases, the total shown below is based on current fees. |
UK: £28605 |
The international fee for this course shows as "£0" because this course is not open to international students.
For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for undergraduate students.
Please check your fee status and whether you are considered a Home, EU or International student for fee-paying purposes and for our regulatory returns, by reading the UKCISA regulations.
See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 391 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).
The University reserves the right to increase its fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions.
The fees for international students are reviewed annually and the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fees in line with the RPIX measure of inflation up to 4 per cent.
We offer several types of fee reduction through our scholarships and bursaries. Find the full list and other useful information on our scholarships page.
If you are applying to a Social Work course you may be eligible to receive a non-income assessed basic bursary awarded by the NHS Business Services Authority .This is dependent on where you study and whether you study full-time or part-time. The amount of the basic bursary for undergraduate students is dependent on whether you are subject to variable tuition fees.
In April 2013 the Department of Health announced new arrangements for the Social Work Bursary Scheme.
In summary the new arrangements are:
For further information on the Social Work Bursary Scheme and Bursary changes to Social Work courses please refer to the NHS Business Services Authority website.
Mode Full-time | Duration 3 years | Start date September | Application code L500 | Application method UCAS |
This course is not open to international students.
Once we have made you an offer, you can apply for accommodation. You can rent from LSBU and you’ll deal directly with the university, not third party providers. That means we can guarantee you options to suit all budgets, with clear tenancy agreements and all-inclusive rents that include insurance for your personal belongings, internet access in each bedroom and on-site laundry facilities.
Or, if you’d rather rent privately, we can give you a list of landlords – just ask our Accommodation Service.
Read more about applying for accommodation at LSBU.
You don't need to wait for a confirmed place on a course to start applying for student finance. Read how to pay your fees as an undergraduate student.
Remember the personal statement on your application is extremely important. This is essentially a selling tool on why you are right for the course. The personal statement is taken into consideration when shortlisting applicants for interview. Download our personal statements guidance (PDF File 91 KB) to help you write your personal statement.
If you have been successful in your application, you will be invited to an interview where we will discuss your ambitions to work in social care.
There is no parking available at the University, please use public transport to make your journey to the campus.
All pre-registration students need to be DBS cleared before going on placement. You’ll need to have an enhanced DBS check even if you have had one before and will not be able to go on placement until this is complete.
The DBS process is not difficult but can take some time so it's best to get started as soon as you receive your email. You will receive the email during Summer 2023.
If you're part of the DBS update service, your subscription is up to date and you already have a DBS certificate, please bring in your original green DBS certificate for the document check. To take advantage of the update service, your certificate needs to be classified as 'Enhanced' and workforce must be listed as 'Adult and Child'. If you have any queries, please email us at hscdbsoh@lsbu.ac.uk.
Our DBS supplier, Verifile, will send you an email with all the details you need to complete your DBS.
Verifile will give you instructions to log into their system and complete your personal details and information. To complete the process, you'll need your passport or driving licence and 5-year address history including dates when you moved in/out.
You can use your application number to track the progress of your DBS.
When you've finished, your Disclosure Statement will be mailed to the most recent address in your submission, so please make sure it's correct. We don't automatically receive a copy of this Statement, which is why we need you to bring it in as part of the next step.
Only Social Work applicants need to pay for their DBS. It costs £46 and can be purchased on our online store.
Please include any and all major and minor, spent and unspent convictions, cautions, warning and reprimands, even if they relate to juvenile offences or seem trivial or unimportant. Some minor offences will not prevent you from going on placement or being offered a place on your course, but still need to be reviewed so it’s best to be honest and include everything. Also, the more information you include about any offences can help reduce the time it takes to assess them.
Yes, you do. You need to have an up-to-date DBS. Once you have received the email from our DBS supplier make sure you start the process straight away. All details of how to do this will be outlined in the email. If you don’t complete your DBS in the timeframe given, we may withdraw your offer even if term has already started. So it’s important that you get started as soon as you receive the email.
Government legislation requires all Higher Education Institutions who offer courses where students may come into unsupervised contact with children or vulnerable adults to have this check. These checks also help us to ensure duty of care to our students, and create a safer environment for patients seen by our students.
As part of the University’s admissions process, declarations of any offence may be referred to a virtual panel made up of senior managers from partner NHS Trusts and/or other sectors within Health and Social Care. Any DBS that is considered by the panel will be anonymised. The panel members then deliberate and make a recommendation whether the application be rejected, accepted or request further information or documents.
If you have declared an offence, we might ask for more information from you in writing which will help the panel make a decision. Once your declaration has been referred to the panel it can take up to 28 working days to be processed.
You need to put your current address on your DBS application because this is where your Statement will be mailed. If you’ve moved house between submitting and receiving your DBS, make sure you have mail forwarding set up so that you’ll receive your statement. If you’ve moved recently, make sure you have proof of your new address (such as a new bank statement) to bring for your document checks.
If you’ve lost your statement you will need to pay £46 to purchase a new one.
Yes. If your application has been rejected due to your DSB declaration/discloser, you will be sent a letter to confirm this. There will be instructions in the letter about how you can appeal and which supporting information you need to provide. Once a decision has been made you will receive a letter from the School Executive Team.
Once you have completed the online part of the DBS process, you will need to produce three accepted documents from this list to be verified.
Southwark: Southwark Student Help Desk in the K2 building Monday – Friday between 9am-11am or 1pm-4pm
If you’re not able to come to campus, you can get your documents checked and certified at the Post Office for a fee of £10.50. To do this, make photocopies of your three accepted ID documents and take your DBS form, copies and originals of your documents to the Post Office. The Post Office will stamp the form and photocopies and given them back to you. Email your post office receipt, stamped form and stamped documents to hscdbsoh@lsbu.ac.uk.
Before you start your course we’ll send you information on what you’ll need to do before you arrive and during your first few days on campus. You can read about the process on our new students pages.
Your holiday periods will not follow the normal University timetable because of placements. You’ll receive more details once you start your course.
Most health and social care courses’ practice placements will operate outside normal working hours e.g. evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays.
Our Social Work programme is inter-professional, collaborative and participatory. We aim to produce reflective social work practitioners who are ready to practice in the rapidly changing and developing world of social work. The course covers communication skills, human growth and development, sociology, ethics, welfare, policy and law, advocacy and partnership, professional practice.
Some compulsory skills sessions may take place in the evening.
At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, which includes:
Our Student Enterprise team can also help you start your own business and develop valuable entrepreneurial skills.
If you’re interested in social work as a career, you would normally specialise in a certain group of society, such as children. Much of the work is around helping decide the level of support or protection required, responding to requests for help and working with other agencies and professionals for the best outcomes. Most opportunities are with local authorities. However, there are also opportunities available at private care homes, charities and NHS Trusts.
Students who have graduated from this course recently have gone on to work in a variety of settings, including local authority children and adult services departments, as well as in the voluntary sector.
You’ll need a patient, non-judgemental mind-set, and be able to communicate effectively with a host of different people and gain their trust. The work demands a level of resilience and a genuine desire to help people, as some cases may be disturbing, and some people won't want your help. As a graduate from this course you’ll also be able to apply for further study at postgraduate level. You can find out more about our professional development portfolio through our online CPPD prospectus.
We work in partnership with several London boroughs, other organisations in both the public and private sector, along with many service users and carers. This is both an academic and a professional qualification.
The course is approved by Social Work England.
Social Work England is a specialist body taking a new approach to regulating social workers in their vital roles.
We work in partnership with several London boroughs, other organisations in both the public and private sector, along with many service users and carers. This is both an academic and a professional qualification. The course is approved by Social Work England (SWE).
When it comes to placements, you’ll spend some of your time involved in academic study and the rest in practice within a broad variety of primary and social care settings. A practice placement allows you to put theory into practice by working with a range of primary and social care professionals to develop the skills, knowledge and experience required to become a competent social work practitioner. Although sometimes initially challenging, practice learning is one of the most interesting and exciting aspects of learning to be a social worker. You’ll complete two placements throughout the course: the first placement is 70 days and the second is 100 days.
At LSBU we work closely with a number of primary and social care organisations to provide a wide range of suitable placements. These placements take place across a variety of settings from all sectors including local authorities, private, voluntary and independent sectors. The providers offer placements across the required service user communities; children and families, adults, learning disabilities and mental health.
Examples of placements include:
· Traditional local authority services
· Hestia Supported housing services including mental health and domestic violence
· St Mungos
· Victim Support
· Schools
· Mind
· Age UK
· Carers organisations
· Prison placements through PACT and Surgeons
During the first practice placement, you will be expected to practice as trainee professionals being responsible of cases under close supervision and undertaking social work interventions in less complex situations and operating as a member of the inter-professional team. You will demonstrate knowledge, skills and commitment to core values of social work as well as capacity to work with people and situations where decisions are not always clear-cut. You will be encouraged to develop oral and written communication skills, negotiating skills, IT skills and presentation skills. You are actively encouraged to use this opportunity to test out your new knowledge base and to try different social work methods and approaches.
The 70 day placement will usually be within the private, voluntary and independent sectors or occasionally within a local authority setting. You will be placed with a Practice Educator who will be responsible for you whilst on placement and will act as a mentor throughout your time on placement as well as offer guidance and feedback.
The final practice placement will prepare you for the statutory aspects of social work. You'll demonstrate engagement with formal assessment processes (observation, gathering information, analysis, reporting, use of evidence base, development of clear recommendations). These include considering risk and/or safeguarding for child protection, for mental health or with vulnerable adults. You'll have the opportunity to reflect on, discuss and analyse appropriate use of authority and formal agency recording for assessment/risk.
You will also apply and understand legal frameworks relevant for social work, practice and organisational policies and decisions, as well as their impact on service delivery. You will present outcomes for formal assessment processes, including analysis of risk/recommendations in line with organisational policy/procedure at e.g. panels/meetings/courts, as well as meet the demands of a high pressured environment where time and competing interests have to be managed effectively.
We have a practice-based learning approach that’s complemented by teaching and learning by our teaching staff, all of whom are registered Social Workers. The teaching includes lectures, seminars and e-learning, debates, group work, group discussion, research projects, problem-based learning, reports and presentations, videos and computer simulations and workshops.
The programme features a range of assessment methods, including essays, presentations, case studies and exams. As part of the course you’ll also undertake: a five-hour child observation at the start of the course, and two placements in Years 2 and 3.
Percentage of time spent in different learning activities
Lectures and seminars | Self-directed study | Work-based placements | |
---|---|---|---|
Year 1 | 28% | 72% | 0% |
Year 2 | 18% | 52% | 30% |
Year 3 | 8% | 54% | 38% |