The School of Social Work and Psychology is a department of the University of East Anglia, Norwich, England.
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The origins of the School can be traced back to 1975 when Professor Martin Davies was brought from Manchester to design and launch a new Graduate Programme in Social Work. As a result UEA welcomed its first 12 social work students in 1976. The School grew steadily, originally operating as a sector of the School of Economic and Social Studies. A new research degree was launched in 1983, and the School's first doctoral student graduated in 1984. In the late 1980s there began a series of collaborations with local authority and probation departments in East Anglia which lay the foundations for a burgeoning programme of postqualifying courses in social work.
In 1993 the School performed a key role in the development of health studies at UEA in the formation of the School of Health and Social Work. To support the development the Elizabeth Fry Building was built, which has been occupied by all social work and psychosocial sciences staff and students since January 1995. The School of Social Work became an entity in its own right in 1997 and was renamed the School of Social Work and Psychosocial Sciences in 2000, changing to the School of Social Work and Psychology in 2008 in recognition of the British Psychological Society approval of the BSc Psychology (formerly psychosocial sciences) degree programme. The School is also home to the Centre for Research on the Child and Family. Launched in 1996, the Centre provides a focus for internationally recognised research in this field. In 2006 the Centre hosted the Second International Conference on Adoption Research and the First International Conference on Children and Divorce, attracting delegates from all around the world.
In 1989, 1992, 1996 and most recently in December 2001, the School's research was recognised by the Higher Education Funding Council when social work at UEA was top-rated 5 on each occasion in the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)}.{{fact} External funding for research has been awarded by a range of organisations including the UK and Welsh Government, Economic and Social Research Council, NSPCC, Nuffield Foundation, and the Big Lottery.
The quality of the teaching received by social work students was also given the highest possible ranking by the Funding Council. This was consolidated in the first ever National Student Survey in 2005 where students on the School’s undergraduate programme ranked gave the course the best ranking for courses of its kind in the whole UK, a result which was repeated in the 2006 and 2007 National Student Survey.
The undergraduate Psychology programme (formerly Psychosocial Sciences) was launched in 1997, with the first cohort of students graduating in July 2000. The programme provided a new undergraduate degree focusing on the scientific study of human relations in a social context. The programme was able to draw on the teaching and research skills of existing members of faculty and to attract new appointments to strengthen the School's expertise in psychology. The BSc Psychology at UEA achieved accreditation from the British Psychological Society in 2008. The School currently has around 300 students studying psychology and 60 studying for a professional qualifying Masters or Bachelors degree in Social Work, with many more undertaking post-qualifying and research qualifications.
- 650 qualified social workers/probation officers graduated 1976-2006
- Current annual research income of around £350,000
- 25 members of academic staff and 7 research staff
1975 – First social work programme at UEA designed
1976 – First intake of social work qualifying students at UEA
1983 – MA by Research (Social Work) programme launched
1984 – First social work doctoral student graduates at UEA
1989 – Research Assessment Exercise result ‘5’
1992 - Research Assessment Exercise result ‘5’
1993 – School of Health and Social Work established
1995 – Last intake of probation officer trainees
1995 – Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) programme launched
1995 – Academic and support staff move to the new Elizabeth Fry Building
1996 – MA in International Child Welfare launched
1996 – Centre for Research on the Child and Family founded within the School
1996 - RAE result ‘5’
1997 – BSc in Psychosocial Sciences launched
1997 – School of Social Work created
2000 – School renamed School of Social Work and Psychosocial Sciences
2000 – First BSc Psychosocial Sciences graduates
2001 – Research Assessment Exercise result ‘5’
2001 – Social Work Graduate Trainee Scheme launched
2001 – First post qualifying Child Care Award students complete
2004 - MA in Child and Family Research launched (ESRC accredited)
2005 – National Student Survey results – best course of type in England (Psychosocial Sciences)
2005 – Social Evaluation Services initiative launched
2006 – BA in Social Work launched
2006 – National Student Survey results – best course of type in England (Psychosocial Sciences)
2006 – 30th Anniversary of first intake of social work students
2008 - British Psychological Society accredits the BSc Psychology degree programme
2009 - New MSc in Child and Family Psychology launched
"UEA's pre-eminence in the area of Social Work was confirmed when it became the only department to receive top grades in both teaching and research."
The Times Good University Guide, May 1996
“We welcome this exciting development from the University of East Anglia because it stands to benefit people locally as well as nationally. Like all other social service authorities, Norfolk County Council faces a continuous uphill struggle to recruit and retain qualified social workers. So a new degree course on our doorstep provided by such a respected and well-regarded university, will be a very helpful contribution to our efforts.”
Harold Bodmer, Director of Adult Social Services at Norfolk County Council on the new BA in Social Work, August 2005
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