Social Work

Social work is a profession grounded in social justice, human rights, and the belief that people's lives can be changed for the better through skilled, compassionate, and evidence-based practice. Social workers engage with individuals and families at moments of great vulnerability, including crisis, abuse, neglect, mental illness, and poverty, helping people to access the support they need, to navigate complex systems, and to build on their own strengths and resilience. The profession operates within legal and policy frameworks that are demanding and evolving, and it requires practitioners who are both technically skilled and deeply committed to the people they serve.

At Glasgow Caledonian University, this four-year, full-time degree is designed to qualify you as a social worker in Scotland, and it leads to registration with the Scottish Social Services Council on graduation. You will study across the key areas of social work practice, including child protection, adult care, mental health, substance use, criminal justice, and community work. The programme combines academic study with substantial supervised practice placements, which are central to the degree and to your development as a professional.

You will develop your skills in assessment, care planning, risk management, communication, and the ethical dimensions of practice, learning to work with people across the life course and in collaboration with other professionals.

Graduates work as registered social workers in local authorities, health and social care partnerships, third-sector organisations, and the independent sector. Specialist areas including child protection, looked-after children, adult social care, mental health, and criminal justice social work all provide career pathways. Many social workers go on to postgraduate study in specialist areas or in social work education and research, developing expertise that can shape practice and policy as well as individual cases.