Overview
Social work is an exciting, rewarding career which trains you to support people and families through difficult times. Our BA (Hons) Integrated Social Work Degree Apprenticeship enables you to ‘earn whilst you learn’. It will aid you in developing the specialist skills needed to provide assistance and support to a variety of people in society.
A combination of work experience, 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 lived experience and practitioners from a variety of backgrounds and traditions.
Why a Social Work Apprenticeship at LSBU?
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- There is a strong emphasis on interprofessional practice, 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.
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- LSBU is ranked first in London for Social Work training (Complete University Guide 2023).
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- Ranked 1st amongst London competitors for Student Satisfaction and Overall Score in Social Work (Complete University Guide 2023).
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- Our industry relevance means we produce reflective social work practitioners ready to practice in the rapidly changing and developing world of social work.
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- LSBU Health and Social Care graduates are the second highest paid amongst all London Modern university graduates, and the sixth highest in the UK one year after graduating (DfE LEO data 2022).
| ModePart-time | DurationUp to 36 Months Practical Period & 1 Months EPA (37 months) | Start dateSeptember | Application code5899 | Application method Direct to LSBU |
Course Accreditations
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Social Work England
Location
The Croydon Campus is located at Electric House, Wellesley Road, Croydon, CR0 1LB See our location page for more details.
Entry Level Requirements
Want to start your course this September? call 0800 923 8888 for entry requirements.
Apprenticeship applicants will have:
- A Level BBB or;
- BTEC National Diploma DDM or;
- Access to HE Diploma in Social Work or similar with 24 Distinctions and 21 Merits or;
- Equivalent level 3 qualifications worth 122 UCAS points
Applicants must hold 5 GCSEs A-C including Maths and English or equivalent (reformed GCSEs grade 4 or above).
All offers are conditional and subject to satisfactory completion of an Enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check, occupational health screening, through your employer, and two references (employer and a character reference)’.
As part of the application process you will be expected to evidence 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.
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.
Choose your country
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Missing English and Maths qualifications?
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.
Subject to contract between LSBU and the employer.
Funding
The cost of the apprenticeship is paid fully by the employer (sometimes part funded by the government) through apprenticeship levy. The apprenticeship levy is a pot of money some companies pay into, which all businesses have access to spend on the training costs of apprenticeships. Companies fall into two categories: levy-payers (who pay into the pot) and non-levy payers (who do not). You can find out more in our Levy and Funding section, specifically for employers
The apprentice does not contribute toward the cost of study.
Bands
Apprenticeship standards are all assigned a funding band by the Government – these funding bands are the maximum amount the Government will fund via the levy towards a given apprenticeship standard. There are currently 30 funding bands ranging from £1,000 to £27,000.
Incentives
Employers with less than 50 staff sending an apprentice aged 16-18 will have 100% of the training costs paid by the government. All employers who employ an apprentice aged 16-18 on the first day of teaching will receive a £1,000 incentive from the government. You can find out more in our Levy and Funding section, specifically for employers.
Cost
You can find out the funding band for an Apprenticeship Standard on the Government website. To find out how much we are charging, please get in touch with us at apprenticeships@lsbu.ac.uk
Field trips
Some modules include field with and site visits, which may be residential or outside the United Kingdom, ranging from three to five days. These are organised by the Division and students are required to contribute towards the cost. If there are any field trips or any course visits as part of your course, we will let you know in good time.
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| Mode Part-time | Duration Up to 36 Months Practical Period & 1 Months EPA (37 months) | Start date September | Application code 5899 | Application method Direct to LSBU |
In order to be considered for this programme you need to apply via your employer.
An Apprenticeship Standard is comprised of a programme of study, an End Point Assessment and on-the-job learning. This means that in addition to meeting academic requirements, you’ll need to be employed in a role related to your apprenticeship. The process of applying depends on whether you have an employer to sponsor (and support) you.
If you are employed and your employer has confirmed they will support your apprenticeship:
You are welcome to submit an application via our application system. You’ll need to provide details of your employment/employer as part of the application. You’ll also need to ensure you and your employer meet the requirements – find out who can be an apprentice to see if you meet the entry requirements and employer commitments to find out more about your employer’s role.
If you are not employed:
- You will need to find a job role related to the apprenticeship you wish to apply for, with an employer who is happy to support you. If you would like to find an employer to support your apprenticeship with LSBU, you can search which employers are currently advertising Apprenticeships via the National Apprenticeship Service website searching for ‘London South Bank University’ as keywords.
- If there are no search results, this means there are currently no vacancies. We update our vacancies regularly, so please do check back regularly.
- Many employers advertise their apprenticeship vacancies on their websites or via other portals. You could search for ‘find an apprenticeship’ online.
- When you’re ready to apply, see the government's advice on how to write a winning apprenticeship application and make your application.
Further information for apprentices
If you’re a prospective apprentice, you can find out more about who can be an apprentice on our student pages.
Further information for employers
If you’re an employer, you can find information about the employer commitments and further related information on the related pages for business.
See our admissions policy 1.0 MB and complaints policy 516.0 KB.
Prepare to start
There are steps the apprentices, the employer and the University need to complete before you start your course. Take a look at the steps to be completed in the Enrolment section. Employers may also like to look at our steps to offering an apprenticeship.
Our Social Work programme is inter-professional, collaborative and participatory. We aim to produce social work practitioners who are ready to practice in the rapidly changing and developing world of social work. The course covers the foundations of social work, social work skills, the life course, social policy, law, and safeguarding. Apprentices will be encouraged to focus on the relationship based practice with people with lived experience, their colleagues and other professions. Practice is viewed through a lens of social justice and critical reflection.
Some compulsory skills sessions may take place in the evening.
Year 1
- Social Work Foundations
introduces apprentices to the basics of professional social work practice and prepares them for their first placement (in year 2). (40 credits) - Journey through the Life Course
explores human development from birth to death from a psycho-social perspective. (40 credits) - Social Policy
provides a critical overview of the welfare state and health and social care provision. (20 credits) - Concepts of Interprofessional and Collaborative Practice
is a interdisciplinary module in which students from different professionals learn about group working and the roles and responsibilities of different professions. Hybrid delivery (part online part in person) (20 credits) - Gateway preparation
ensures that apprentices are progressing in the knowledge, skills and behaviours that are required of apprentices.(non credit module)
Year 2
- Applying methods and theories
provides apprentice with a ‘tool kit’ for practice. (20 credits) - Learning from lived experiences
is a module which is coproduced by people who use services and their carers to provide apprentices with insight into how their practice can be experienced by others. (20 credits) - Law for Social Work
helps apprentices to develop the legal literacy necessary for social work practice. (20 credits) - Appraising Practice for Research Informed Practice
is an interprofessional module which helps students from different professions develop the skills necessary to gather and analyse research based evidence. Hybrid delivery (part online part in person) (20 credits) - Work Based Practice 1 is a 70 day practice based placement.
- Gateway preparation ensures that apprentices are progressing in the knowledge, skills and behaviours that are required of apprentices.(non credit module)
Year 3
- Applied Safeguarding: Balancing risk, dignity and rights
explores safeguarding of children, young people and adults. - Social Justice and Critical Issues in Social Work
seeks to extend and deepen knowledge and understanding of critical, sociological and social pedagogic approaches to social work practice. It will raise awareness of and help to understand how to contribute towards system change. - Social Work Literature Review
builds on the skills learnt in the second year to enable approaches to develop research literacy.. - Therapeutic and Relationship Based Skills
looks at ways to engage and support carers and people who use services. - Work based Professional Practice 2 is
is a 100 day practice based placement. - End Point Assessment
this occurs at the exam board and is verification that the apprentice has achieved the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours required to become a social work
Careers
On successful completion of the course apprentices will be able to register with Social Work England as qualified social workers.
Social Workers work in a wide range of environments a few examples are: Local Authority Children and Families Team, Fostering and Adoption, Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Youth Offending Team, Disability team, Learning Disability Team, Community or Hospital Based Mental Health Team, Hospital discharge Team, Older person’s Team.
Example of what is required of a Social Worker in a Children and Families Team:
“You will be dedicated to and knowledgeable about responding to the needs and wishes of children; you will be committed to safeguarding practices and to identifying and challenging discrimination and racism. You will be creative, analytical and reflective and be willing to work hard to improve outcomes for children and young people.” (London Social Work with Children 2024, online)
Yes, you can progress onto post graduate courses at LSBU.
Employability Service
We are University of the Year for Graduate Employment for the second year in a row - The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018, 2019.
At LSBU, we want to set you up for a successful career. By completing the apprenticeship route, you’ll have the advantage of having real-world work experience, working in a role related to your area of study. This will give you a competitive edge among other graduates when you complete your apprenticeship standard.
During your studies – and for two years after you graduate – you’ll have access to our Employability Service, who can help you develop your skills through the Careers Gym workshops and presentations. Our JobShop advisers support students and graduates with finding the right job for them.
Placements
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.
This course has been developed with people with lived experience and employers to meet Social Work England standards, The British Association of Social Workers Professional Competence Framework, The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education standards (Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours) and duties.
Teaching and Assessment
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 and case studies. As part of the course you’ll also undertake: Three hours of observation infant/child, or adult in the first year of the course, and two placements in Years 2 and 3.
Each apprentice is at the centre of a network of support. Your employer will provide a mentor (to support you throughout your course), Practice Educators when on placement and line managers; LSBU will provide you with a Skills Coach (supporting you on placement and to achieve the knowledge, Skills and Behaviours required of social work apprentices), a personal tutor, who will support you in your studies, module leaders who will provide support with the modules you study and a Course Leader who will oversee the programme.
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Apprentice Guide
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Course Enquiries - UK
Tel: 0207 815 7500