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New College Durham continues the drive to train Social Workers
New College Durham (NCD) has once again received approval from Social Work England to continue to offer the prestigious Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA Hons) in Social Work.
Social Work England is a specialist regulator focussing on social workers in England. It sets standards, holds a register, quality assures education and investigates complaints with the aim of achieving positive change in social work.
NCD’s Social Work provision recently underwent a rigorous inspection from Social Work England and has been re-approved. The inspection process takes place every three years and lasts for a minimum of three days. The inspection is designed to ensure that institutions meet education and training standards and covers staff, facilities and learning resources, training placement providers, people with lived experience of social work and students from their admission through to achievements.
Alison Maynard, Deputy Principal, New College Durham, said, “We are delighted to be continuing to offer our Social Work degree. Here at New College Durham, we’ve been delivering social work programmes for the last 45 years. We began in 1979 by offering the Certificate in Social Service (CSS) course and this programme evolved into the Diploma in Social Work (DipSW) in 1991. In 2002 we began offering the Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA Hons) in Social Work based primarily in our dedicated University Centre.”
Rachel Pritchard who studied BA (Hons) Social Work at New college Durham said,
“NCD and the degree had a very good reputation for being supportive and student focused. This felt important to me, given the course I wanted to study. The campus was also close to where I live which was a bonus.
“It’s a huge step to get back into education as a mature student. I was born in the 80s where higher education was not encouraged so entering a supportive and nurturing environment made NCD the perfect fit. I didn’t feel like the college was too big either.
“I liked the feeling of studying with like-minded people and my tutors understood when I faced barriers. The course supported my understanding and the importance of the theoretical and academic approach to the role of a Social Worker. I still carry this approach with me in practice today. I benefitted from three high quality work placements where I received the support I needed to help me progress and qualify.
Rachel is now the Social Work Team Manager for Redcar Cleveland Borough Council.
Alison added, “The Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA Hons) in Social Work is both a popular and respected qualification. Social work is a profession for those with a strong desire to help improve people's lives. These highly trained professionals are devoted to helping all types of vulnerable people find solutions at times when they need support, care, and protection. I am proud to say that over the last 20 years, we have trained almost 400 of these exceptional professionals and look forward to many more years of delivering this crucial course.”
PICTURE CAPTIONS
(AM release image) Alison Maynard, Deputy Principal, New College Durham
(Social work release image) Recent students at New College Durham’s University Centre