Social Work

Social work is one of the most challenging and consequential of the caring professions. Social workers operate at the point where individual need meets institutional response, working with families in crisis, children at risk, adults with mental health difficulties or physical disabilities, older people requiring care, and communities facing poverty and exclusion. The work demands emotional resilience, clear ethical reasoning, strong communication skills, and the ability to navigate complex legal and institutional frameworks while keeping the humanity of the people you are working with at the centre of everything you do.

At Manchester Metropolitan this three-year full-time degree prepares you for direct professional practice, combining academic study with substantial supervised practice placements in a range of statutory and voluntary settings. You will develop the knowledge base that social work requires, drawing on social policy, law, psychology, sociology, and ethics to build a comprehensive understanding of the contexts in which social need arises and the frameworks within which it is addressed. Placement experience is central to the degree, reflecting the fact that social work cannot be learned from books alone: you need to develop professional judgement, relational skills, and ethical awareness in real situations, supported by a practice educator.

Successful completion of the degree leads to qualification as a social worker and eligibility to register with Social Work England, which is the professional regulator for social work in England.

Graduates work as social workers in local authority children's and adults' services, the NHS, the voluntary and charity sector, and specialist settings including mental health services, prisons, and refugee support. Career pathways lead to team leadership, management, policy, and specialist practice roles, and many social workers also pursue postgraduate study or continued professional development.