SOS2140 Social work in welfare services Course description

The bachelor's thesis is an independent academic and individual work based on a self-chosen topic related to core areas of social work. In the bachelor's thesis, the student formulates a problem of relevance to the social worker's field of study. The aim is to put professionally relevant issues into a theoretical and practical perspective and demonstrate analytical competence and ethical reflection. The student will apply relevant academic and research literature related to the chosen topic. The student will answer his/her social science research question by collecting, processing and analysing knowledge, and present this in writing in an assignment that satisfies the requirements for scientific argumentation and presentation at bachelor level.The bachelor's thesis will demonstrate skills in academic thesis writing, source criticism, independence, critical reflection and ethical understanding. It is an objective that the student shall master the formal and methodological requirements imposed on academic work of such a scope.

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:  

Knowledge  

The student:  

• has broad knowledge of the follow-up of individuals with complex needs for assistance in the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)  
• has broad knowledge of the requirement for individual assessment of assistance needs in NAV  
• has knowledge of poverty, financial problems and unemployment  
• has knowledge of key financial benefits, financial counselling and the Debt Settlement Act to prevent and remedy individuals’ problems with debt and finances   
• has knowledge of counselling, health clarification work and the implementation of measures in practice  
• has knowledge of how to facilitate user participation through mapping and case processing  
• has knowledge of the importance of documentation in case processing and proper record-keeping   
• has broad knowledge of the Act relating to social services in the labour and social welfare administration (Social Services Act), circulars and general administrative law   

Skills  

The student:  

• can apply rules of law, provide information about rights and obligations and exercise judgement in a legal and social work context.   
• can prepare basic patient record notes and draw up decisions that, from a social work perspective, are ethically justifiable and legally correct   
• can meet and assist individuals with different needs with respect to counselling and financial assistance  
• can apply professional knowledge of work-related inclusion when working with job seekers, employers and other partners  
• can reflect on dilemmas surrounding the choice of voluntary vs mandatory measures  
• can analyse how policy and structural framework conditions affect social work in NAV  

General competence  

The student:  

• has insight into work as an objective and means of securing an income to ensure financial independence  
• has insight into the responsible conduct requirement in connection with assessment, mapping and guidance  
• has insight into how to exercise judgement in situations with inadequate and/or contradictory information  
• has insight into the relationship between help and control, the exercise of power and ethical problems relating to the social work carried out in NAV  

The teaching methods vary between subject-integrated teaching in plenary sessions, and assignments in groups based on up-to-date, authentic and anonymous cases. Feedback will be provided on the group-based assignments.

The following must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam: 

1. Three written coursework requirements in groups comprising a case where the students practise assessment, mapping and case processing in NAV.  

The groups will submit three written coursework requirements during the course. Continuous written and oral feedback will be given on the coursework requirements. 

If the coursework requirements are not approved, the student will be given the opportunity to submit an improved version once. The required coursework will be assessed together as approved/not approved.  

If the student fails to submit one or more of the coursework requirements, they will be given the opportunity to submit a compensatory coursework requirement within a stipulated deadline. 

The bachelor’s thesis is an individual work.

The thesis must be 20 pages long +/- 10 %. The cover page, table of contents and reference list come in addition to this. All the pages, apart from the cover page, must be numbered and state the candidate number. The cover page must also state necessary information about which exam the paper concerns, and carry the exam code.

Font and font size: Calibri 12-point. Line spacing 1.5. The approved citation style APA for assignments must be complied with.

A selection of self-chosen readings, which comprises of 500 pages must be attached in the assignment.

Students who fail the exam or who were absent from the ordinary exam for a valid reason can take a resit/rescheduled exam. Students can submit a reworked version of the thesis once, and can receive one hours’ additional individual supervision in connection with improving the thesis. Students must contact the person responsible for the course to organise a supervision session. No supervision will be given in July.

Students who fail twice must submit a new bachelor’s thesis based on a new research question at the next exam. It is the students’ responsibility to contact the person responsible for the course to schedule three supervision sessions well before the start of the course.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Grade scale A-F.

All exam papers are assessed by one internal and one external examiner. A student’s supervisor cannot be their examiner.

Monica Elton and Ira Malmberg-Heimonen