Cyngor Gofal Cymru / Care Council for Wales

The social work undergraduate degree and masters degree in social work is the professional qualification for social workers in Wales and throughout the United Kingdom. The title ‘Social Worker’ is protected, meaning that only people with this professional qualification (or relevant predecessor qualification) can practice as social workers. The degree was introduced in Wales in September 2004, replacing the Diploma in Social Work.

The course has been carefully tailored to ensure graduates are highly skilled professionals in the practical and theoretical skills of the profession that allow them to deliver service of the highest standard. An emphasis on practice means that newly qualified social workers will be properly equipped to deal with the realities of the job.

The universities that offer the qualification do so in partnership with local authorities and other organisations which provide care services as well as service users and carer partners. This means that the academic element and the practice element of the course are equally important. All partners are a key part of the learning and assessment process. The undergraduate degree course usually lasts for three years with 200 days of practice learning opportunity in the field over the three levels of the degree, which are assessed and supervised by experienced practitioners.

By the third year students are spending about two thirds of their time actually out in practice which is intended to provide a grounding for the reality of working in social work today.

For those who already have a first degree, there is the opportunity to qualify for social work by undertaking a Master’s degree which is available at Cardiff University and takes two years to complete.

Whichever route you take to qualify, you will need to demonstrate that you are committed to social work and to helping others.