Why did you choose to study the MSc in Social Work degree at the University of Bristol?

I chose Bristol because it is one of the top programmes in the country, in particular for the quality of the research undertaken by staff. As a student, Bristol is also a vibrant and culturally involved city, with plenty of community events for anyone wishing to actively participate in what the city has to offer.

What was your educational/work experience prior to applying?

After graduating (I have a background in the liberal arts, communication, and cultural studies) I spent a few years working as a teaching assistant, support worker, and caseworker in the community/voluntary sectors and Local Authority. These experiences led me to decide to qualify as a social worker. - I knew that this would be the route for me to take, if I wanted to help people with care and support needs experience real and positive change in their lives.

Can you describe your experience of the programme? For example, the teaching, guest lecturers, Service User and Carer forum, small group work etc

The programme extends over two years, and it is demanding as it is engaging. The timetable was extremely varied and allowed for learning to take place in different forms. - About five-six months after the course had started, the Covid-19 global pandemic hit the UK. Lecturing staff promptly adapted their teaching to the online environment, and ensured that, as students, we could still access a comprehensive range of content and opportunities to learn and develop the necessary skills to qualify as social workers. I continued to access workshops and lecture material delivered by staff, guest lecturers and professionals, via the use of online platforms. I was also able to take part in smaller integrative groups and independent group work carried out with peers, on a remote basis. As students, we reflected on what we had learnt and shared our experience from our current placements, or from previous work and personal life.

Service users from the Service User and Carer forum were directly involved in contributing to the teaching content and delivery throughout the course. Learning from the people we are meant to assist as social workers has been invaluable learning and continues to be crucial in my professional development.

Was there an area of research that particularly interested you?

In the second year, individual assignments afforded us the opportunity to align essay writing with our professional and research interests and engage with academic literature focussed on social work with specific service user groups. I was able to research more in-depth issues pertaining to social work with people with mental health needs and with asylum seekers and refugees - both areas of social work where I retain a keen interest.

Evidence-based and evidence-informed practice are crucial elements of this Master's course. I had the opportunity to contribute to this body of literature with my dissertation, using a systematic review methodology to study the effectiveness of two interventions in reducing compulsory admissions under the Mental Health Act 1983.

Where did you undertake your practice placement? What were the key takeaways from this experience? Have you found this to be useful in your current role?

I undertook my first-year placement with the Red Cross' Refugee Support Service. Although my placement had to be interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I learnt extensively about working with people with no recourse to public funds and about refugee family reunion rights, over a short period of time. This placement inspired me to champion the cause in my current role.

I undertook my final placement in a Local Authority's Adult Social Care, long-term community team. I felt that this placement represented the ideal context for me to achieve the professional objectives I wanted to reach by the end of the Master's course. It allowed me to work with people with a diverse range of care and support needs, such as dementia, learning disabilities, Autism, physical disabilities, mental health difficulties, and substance misuse difficulties. This gave me the opportunity to gradually develop the confidence to juggle a growing and more complex caseload, which ensured that, by its conclusion, I would be ready for employment.

Two weeks from the end of my final placement, I was employed as a social care practitioner in a Local Authority's Adult Social Care team. And, following the successful completion of my master's course, I have now registered with Social Work England and recently started my Assessed and Supported Year in Employment, as a newly qualified social worker.