This module has been designed to support students in beginning the journey to becoming confident, critical, analytical and reflective practitioners who can work with others to help meet the often complex needs of those who require social work support. This also entails being able to provide professional authority and leadership as qualified social workers.
This module is delivered over eight months and has a practice placement experience running alongside academic study. The module will start at the end of January and finish in September. Prior to the start of your placement, you will need to complete 10 days of verified practice experience in your normal workplace and pass an assessment of ‘Readiness for direct practice’.
During this module you will study five blocks: Foundations for Social Work Practice; Communication and Interpersonal Skills; Social Divisions and Diversity; Human Growth and Development; and one from Social Work Practice with Children and Families, or Social Work with Adults. For the last block you will be able to choose either the children and families option or the adult option alongside your placement to support your practice learning. Relevant teaching of law, digital and information literacy, values and ethics, safeguarding practices, theories and approaches in social work intervention, research methods and evidence-based practice has been threaded through the module blocks.
The learning materials include a range of module-directed multi-media activities for you to engage in to support your learning about social work. You will access the learning guides and activities online through the module website and will be supported through additional readings and books in print. Likewise, you will also engage with video and audio resources, draw upon a range of online tools that suit your study needs, and take part in activities with other students at online learning events.
In addition to module-directed activities within the learning materials, you'll engage in independent learning. The design of the module is informed by the fact that when you become a qualified social worker, you will be expected to be able to address complex situations, think for yourself, collaborate with other professionals and be accountable for your actions. Both academically and in your practice you will increasingly be called on to make your own decisions and evaluations.
This module will help you to develop knowledge and skills in these areas through these regular opportunities for independent learning that will enable you to relate your study closely to your own practice context and to your particular learning needs.
The module has three main learning components:
You will be expected to critically apply relevant knowledge, skills and values in a practice setting to a professional standard. This will entail demonstrating your analytical use of module concepts and research findings, showing a critical appreciation of a range of social work theories and methods, and evidencing your ability to apply them appropriately to practice.
It is a professional requirement for you to engage in practice skills development, which will take place in a day school (or online alternative), and three practice skills workshops. Attendance at the learning event is a compulsory requirement of this module. It will include essential learning activities to support your readiness for direct practice, skill development, and engagement with key social work concepts.
You will be required to demonstrate your ‘Readiness for direct practice’ before you undertake your first practice placement. Readiness for direct practice will be assessed by attending planned learning events, undertaking 10 days of verified practice in your normal workplace and completing a tutor-marked assignment. This is a regulatory requirement that you will need to evidence, and if you do not pass the assessment of Readiness for direct practice, you will be de-registered from the module.
After successfully completing this module, you will:
Developing social work practice is the first of two compulsory modules leading to the Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work which is a professionally qualifying award.
On successful completion of both K832 and K833 you will be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work, entitling you to use the letters PG Dip Soc Wk (Open) after your name.
The Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work (E85) qualification description provides information about the regulatory approvals in place for the PG Dip Soc Wk (Open).
A module tutor will help with the academic content of the module, mark and comment on your written work, and provide academic advice and guidance. Most of the contact with your tutor will be through email and online discussion forums, although phone communication may also be used. Your tutor will run three compulsory practice skills workshops. These events are usually held face-to-face, but where this is not possible, high-quality online alternatives will be offered. The practice skills workshops provide essential support for you to apply module concepts to your practice learning. As well as the workshops, you will be expected to participate in your online tutor group discussion forum.
A practice tutor will provide individual support and arrange meetings in relation to your placement and professional development. Questions of a professional social work practice nature should be directed to the practice tutor.
Course work includes:
The first TMA will comprise an assessment of your ‘Readiness for direct practice'. You must achieve a pass mark for this TMA to proceed with the rest of the module. There will be two further pieces of written assessment, one submitted during the module and the other at the end of the module.
Additionally, your practice learning will be assessed through a Practice Assessment Report submitted at the end of your placement. This report will lead to a pass or fail recommendation, which will be considered by a Practice Assessment Panel and ultimately ratified by the Module Result Panel at the end of the module.
You’ll be required to attend compulsory practice skills workshops and a compulsory day school (or online alternative). This learning event will provide you with an opportunity to focus on preparing your ‘Readiness for direct practice’ assignment and will include activities to foster skills development for effective communication, observation and reflection. It will provide opportunities for you to explore:
Participation is compulsory if you want to gain credit for the components required to demonstrate readiness for direct practice. If you do not pass the ‘Readiness for direct practice’, you will not be able to start your placement and will be deregistered from the module.
Online learning guides containing interactive activities, video and audio resources, a reader, assessment guide, practice learning guide, and a programme handbook.
You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:
You can study this module on its own or use the credits you gain towards an Open University qualification.
K832 is a compulsory module in our:
Sometimes you cannot count a module towards a qualification if you have already counted another module with similar content. To verify any excluded combinations with this module, check with an adviser before registering.
Developing social work practice starts once a year – in February.
This page describes the module that will start in February 2027 when we expect it to start for the last time. It will be replaced in 2028 by the new module Essential social work practice (K834).
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
This module is only available as part of the MA in Social Work and Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work, which has minimum academic and other entry requirements and a formal admissions process.
Further information about how to apply is available from the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care.
To study this module, you must be fully supported by your employer (or an organisation with whom you have an established relationship as a volunteer), who will be required to provide a suitable practice learning opportunity for you.
This module is not available for study outside the UK and ROI, because the work-based learning must take place within a relevant regulatory framework.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
You will receive guidance on how to get started online in your first module mailing. This will provide you with information on using your computer for OU study by working with the OU Computing Guide. For example, it explains how to access and use your module website and online discussion forums. If you have time before the module starts, you can work through this and explore all the online services available to you.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our disability support pages.
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There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
If your income is not more than £25,000 or you receive a qualifying benefit, you might be eligible for help with some of these costs after your module has started.
There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.
This module has a residential school. There’s no additional cost for the school, but you'll need to pay for your travel.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to support your study costs. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in England.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to help with your tuition fees. To find out more, see Postgraduate tuition fee loans in Northern Ireland.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to help with your tuition fees. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in Scotland.
If you study this module as part of an eligible qualification, you can apply for a postgraduate loan to support your study costs. To find out more, see Postgraduate loans in Wales.
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Please note: your permanent address/domicile will affect your fee status and, therefore, the fees you are charged and any financial support available to you. The fee information provided here is valid for modules starting before 31 July 2026. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.
