Social work placements

Our programme offers a reliable path to career success, with excellent placement opportunities and valuable industry exposure that will give you the edge you need to secure your dream job.

Our placements

Our BA Social Work course is designed to provide you with the comprehensive skills and knowledge necessary to become a registered and qualified social worker, as regulated by Social Work England. The programme includes supervised hands-on placement opportunities, which take place in years two and three. Our team at Nottingham will provide you with the necessary resources and guidance to ensure that you are well-equipped to succeed in the programme.

Practice based learning is a key component of our course, where you will have the opportunity to learn and apply various approaches to helping people in a variety of settings and with a diverse range of service users. Over the course of the degree, you will spend a total of 170 days in practice learning, which will be assessed against the requirements of social work qualification training.

We have strong partnerships with a variety of statutory and voluntary agencies in the region, which provide our students with valuable practice learning opportunities. We have a proven track record of providing high-quality placements, and we recognise that this is an essential part of your education.

All placements are full-time and require you to work the same hours as other staff members in that setting. Careful consideration is given when allocating practice learning placements, to match each student's individual learning needs and personal requirements with the opportunities offered within a particular organisation. These placements are typically within the geographical boundaries of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Mental health and wellbeing at Nottingham

Promoting mental health and wellbeing is a top priority at the University of Nottingham. We are dedicated to helping you make the most of your time from the moment you arrive here. 

Turning passion into a successful career

"I really enjoyed my placement. I worked in a secondary school as a social work student. I gained experience working with young people every day. I learnt to contribute in Child Protection and Child In Need review meetings. I also coordinated sessions to support young people suffering with low self-esteem and support them in understanding healthy and unhealthy relationships. I had the opportunity to go on home visits and support children who had low attendance in school and implement effective plans to get them back into classroom, to avoid gaps in their development.

It has helped me a lot because I realised, I actually know more than I think! The placement really boosted my confidence when working with children and other professionals because it developed my practice and the skills I had learnt during university".