RĪGA STRADIŅŠ UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Rehabilitation
Second level professional higher
education Bachelors study programme
Social work
(code 4276201)
Accreditation documents
Programme director
Dr. phil., assist.prof. Lolita Vilka
Riga – 2007
Table of Contents
Application for study programme accreditation…………………………...... 4
Self-evaluation of programme...………………………………………...... 5
Introduction……………...... ……………………………………...... 6
1. Study programme aims and objectives...... …………………... …...... 6
1.1. Expected results…………………………...... …………… ...... 7
2. Study programme organization …………………...... ………...... 9
2.1. Conformity of study programme to RSU aims………...... …………..9
2.2 Study programme structure…………………………………...... 10
2.3.Functioning of internal quality of study programme …………...... 12
3. Annotation of study programme………………………………...... 13
3.1. Practice ………………………………………………………...... 14
3.2. Evaluation of practice…………………………………………...... 17
4. Evaluation system ……………………………………………...... 18
5. Practical implementation of study programme …………………………19
5.1. Study methods and forms used……………………...... 20
5.2. Research work of academic staff and its influence on study work…... 21
5.3. Involvement of students into research projects………………...... 21
6. Perspective evaluation of programme……………………...... 22
6.1. Conformity of study programme to professional education standard ....22
6.2. Questionnaires of employers on graduates’ employment in further six years’ perspective ………………………………...... 26
7. Students…………………………………………………...... 27
7.1. Number of students in programme……………………………...... 27
7.2. Involvement of students into study process organization …...... 27
8. Evaluation of academic staff involved into programme…...... 30
8.1. Selection, renewal, training and development policy of academic
staff for next six years...... 31
8.2. Scientific work of academic staff ………………...... 32
9. Sources of financing and provision of infrastructure……...... 34
10. Foreign relations...... ……………………………...... 35
10.1. Cooperation with employers……...………………………….……. 35
10.2. Questionnaires of employers………...………………………..…... 35
10.3. Cooperation with Latvian and foreign higher schools…………...... 36
11. Programme comparison with other related study programmes study programmes in Latvia and abroad…………...... ………...... 36
12. Summary ……………………………………………...... …...... 43
12.1. Development of study programme …………………………….…...44
Appendix 1 Time distribution for programme (full time) ...... 47
Appendix 2 Time distribution for programme (full time)...... 52
Appendix 3 Saff involved in the programme…………………………………………57
Description of the study subject programmes ...... 63
Curriculum Vitae ...... 128
List of not added documents ...... 205
Added doccuments ...... 206
Diploma supplement
Questionairre form for survey of students
Application for study programme accreditation
Riga Stradiņš university is applying for accreditation a professional Bachelor’s study programme.
Title of higher education programme: Social work
Code of higher education programme: 4276201
Length for study programme implementation: 4 years for full-time studies and
5 years for part-time studies.
Volume of study programme implementation: 160 credit points.
Place of higher education programme implementation:
Rīga Stradiņš University Faculty of Rehabilitation.
Type and form of study programme implementation: full-time and part-time studies . and extra-mural studies
Requirements, starting study programme: secondary school education
Degree to acquire and qualification: professional Bachelor’s degree in social work;
Qualification of social worker;
Title of higher educational establishment: Rīga Stradiņš University,Nr. of registration certificate: 3341202042.
Legal address and telephone: Dzirciema iela 16, Rīga, LV-1007.Telephone: 7457605.
A person, authorized to deal with accreditation questions:
Dr. phil.,assist.prof. Lolita Vilka, RSU Faculty of Rehabilitation, director of Academic School of Social Work.
COORDINATED AFFIRMED
RSU Dean’s Council RSU Senate session
Session on on
......
record Nr...... record Nr......
RĪGA STRADIŅŠ UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF REHABILITATION
ACADEMIC SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
SELF-EVALUATION OF STUDY PROGRAMME
Second level professional higher education
study programme
SOCIAL WORK
(code 4276201)
Volume of study programme implementation: 160 credit points.
Length of study programme implementation: 4 years full-time studies and
5 years part-time studies.
Type and form of study programme implementation: full-time and part-time studies.
And extra-mural studies
Acquired degree: professiona lBachelor’s degree in social work.
Qualification awarded: social worker
Place of higher education programme implementation:
Rīga Stradiņš Universiy Faculty of Rehabilitation .
Introduction
.
In accordance with the Decision Nr. 526 of Study programme licencing commission of LR Ministry of Education and Science, dated on October 22, 2004, a licence was issued to Rīga Stradiņš University professional higher education study programme „Social work” (code 4276201) to acquire a professional Bachelor’s degree and a qualification of social worker. Licence Nr. 04055-8.
Study programme is being implemented in accordance with the decision of RSU Senate meeting on May 18, 2004, protocol Nr. 1-2/18.05.04.
Study programme was begun in the academic year 2005/2006, September 1, and is now being implemented in a form of full-time and part-time studies.
Self-evaluation of the study programme is written in correspondence with the Regulations Nr.821 of the Cabinet of Ministers, dated on October 3, 2006.
1. Study programme aims and objectives
The aim of study programme is: to train highly qualified social work specialists, whose knowledge, skills, professional competence and values would correspond to the needs and character of current society in the period of transition.
Objectives:
1. To provide integrative basis of social, humanitarian and medical knowledge for the development of many-sided professional competence of a social worker.
2. To form understanding on the role, place and tasks of social work in the state welfare policy and solution of social problems.
3. To develop professional skills to be applied in effective social interference strategy in solution of social problems at various levels.
4. To create conditions for acquiring special knowledge and skills in social work within the system of health care and rehabilitation and social services on the basis of multilevel classroom studies and the system of study practice.
5. To promote interest and to develop research skills.
6. To facilitate students to develop skills for critical analysis and innovativeness, to find interest and motivation in continuation of professional and academic careers.
7. To make students perfect their morally ethical aspects of their personalities on the basis of respect of higher principles of humanity.
1.2. Expected results
Considering the LR professional standard requirements for Social work specialists, as well as the synthesis of practice, modern approach and international experience, a study programme in social work has been designed with a tendency towards a new social work direction – developing of social work in medical environment (in profession classificator III subgroup 3461 a special group profession 3461 10 „Social worker with clients in medical institutions”). The training of specialists of such a profile is in line with the topical needs of Latvia at present and in future, as well as it provides new possibilities for the implementation of state policy in the field of social and health protection fields.
The tendency of study programme requires a certain determination in professional training of specialists in social work, and opens new opportunities to develop the practice in the branches of social work, and the subbranch of science of social work.
The study programme designed is the basis for further, more flexible and more aimed training of such specialists, as well as developing new specializations for Master’s programmes, PhD study programmes and post-diploma study programmes.
In the study programme the emphasis is made on many-sided approach of social and individual problems, as well as on differentiated application of social work methods. The programme envisages the training of specialists, who may effectively work in the field of social rehabilitation and health care in the context of Latvia’s social, political and economical conditions with various client groups.
The basis of these specialists’ knowledge and skills provides possibilities to work with high responsibility and competence for guarantees of patient/client health protection. Thus, the expected result is – qualified social work specialists with integrated knowledge and skills in medicine, which is necessary in order they would qualitatively and effectively deal with social assistance, social rehabilitation and health care service structures.
The knowledge applied includes: knowledge of human biophysiological, psychological and social development; understanding of human behaviour and psychopathology, individual’s uniquiness and inimitability, interpersonal relations and family dynamics; physical health and mental disorders, stress, addiction, violence in interpersonal relations, consequences of diseases and injuries; the effect of physical, social and cultural environment on human biophysiological and psychosocial functioning; ways of cognitive, affective and behavioural manifestations of conscious and unconscious processes.
Social workers, after acquiring the study programme, will be able to use in practice specific knowledge, theory, as well as methods of evaluation and diagnostics, social and health care, rehabilitation and psychosocial therapy planning, intervention and estimation of final results.
After learning the knowledge and skills of the study programme, social workers will be able to work with various patient/client groups and perform specific tasks in health care:
1. to identify and analyze social problems and social needs, to assess the effect of a client’s social environment and conditions, to counsel, render first medical aid, to deal with extraordinary and life-threatening situations adequately and operatively;
2. to render support and health care services in complicated clinical conditions (palliative care patients, patients with special medical problems; HIV/AIDS, addiction, tuberculosis);
3. to make social diagnoses and to practice direct and indirect intervention strategies;
4. to diagnose and to carry out socially therapeutic and rehabilitation work in cases of physical and psychosocial insufficiencies and to prevent the aggravation of conditions, including mental, emotional and personality- concerning developmental disorders;
5. to solve patient/client social problems in relation to one’s disease and treatment in medical institution;
6. to support, improve and promote psychosocial functioning and adaptation to the disease of patients and their family members in a medical institution or outside it; to organize the raising of social resource system for solution of clients’ social problems;
7. using social work methods and measures, to render supportive therapy for increasing a patient’s physical and psychosocial functioning abilities and strength, by working either with individual cases or patient/client groups;
8. to ensure elderly people’ social therapy, improving their social functioning;
9. to establish and run a multifunctional specialists’ team;
10. to prognose the development of social problems, to do the optimal prevention of physical and psychosocial dysfunctions;
11. to use in practice the rules and regulations of Latvian welfare system, strategies and projects, to plan and realize social rehabilitation, support and social integration programmes;
12. to carry out an adequate strategy of advocacy of patient/client interests and rights;
13. to deal effectively with social resource systems in the interests of patients and clients’ needs;
14. to identify and coordinate the participation of volunteers and other category assistance service providers in patient/client rehabilitation and social involvement in practice, to supervise professional activity of lower qualification social service providers;
15. to assess the quality of social services and its adequacy to the specifics of clients’ social needs;
16. to analyze and evaluate the social policy in the context of health protection, to design new social services;
17. to take care of one’s professional qualification and provision of qualitative work environment.
The fields of work of sepcialists trained are, mainly, the state and non-governmental medical and health care institutions: hospitals, rehabilitation centres, special care centres, as well as, schools, children’s homes, shelters, local government social services, etc. Institutions, which call for services of social workers of medical profile.
2. Study programme organization.
2.1. Conformity of study programme to RSU aims
Professional study programme in Social work is being realized at RSU Faculty of Rehabilitation, Academic School of Social Work (ASSW).
Study programme is realizing its aims in accordance with RSU strategic aims, according to the University Constitution, being in line with the Statutes of the Faculty of Rehabilitation, the Statutes of the Rehabilitation Institute and Statutes of the Academic School of Social Work, which envisage to train qualified social work specialists, whose knowledge, skills, professional competence and the values correspond to the character of the contemporary society in transition period. (see the Statutes in Appendix).
Study programme is implemented in cooperation with other RSU faculties and the Academic Schools of the Faculty of Rehabilitation and the Social laboratory of the Rehabilitation Institute.
In the programme implementation there are also involved the state and municipal institutions (Social service department of the Ministry of Welfare, Social assistance department of Riga Kurzeme district, Social assistance service of Riga Ziemeļu district, as well as RSU clinical practice centres, - State Rehabilitation Centre „Vaivari”, Riga Stradiņš hospital, Children’s Clinical University hospital (CUH), etc.).
Designing a study programme, its implementation and development is coordinated by RSU Faculty of Rehabilitation, the Academic School of Social Work.
The structural unit of the Academic School of Social Work comprises 7 staff workers: director/assistant professor of the structural unit, 1 associated professor, 2 acting lecturers, 1 acting assistant, study methodologist and a laboratory assistant. The existing number of the staff of the Academic School is in line with the number of students and provides a qualitative study process in the study programme offered.
2.2. Structure of study programme
Study programme has been worked out on the basis of LR Higher School law, LR Regulations Nr 481 of the Cabinet of Ministers on the second level professional higher education state standard and LR professional standard requirements of Social work specialists (Ministry of Education and Science, June 6, 2002, Order Nr. 351, in accordance with the Regulations Nr.131 of the Cabinet of Ministers of March 26, 2002), as well as taking into account the basic principles worked out by the International Association of Clinical Social workers in the field of speciality of clinical social workers, the Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers Nr.133 on the licencing order of study programmes implemented in a Higher Educational Establishment.
Professional Bachelor’s study programme comprises 160 credit points (CP), which correspond to 240 ECTS (European credit point score system).
Programme has been worked out in correspondence with the structure stated in Regulations of LR CM 481:
Table Nr.1
RSU / Profession standardFull-time studies / Part-time studies
Study length / 4 years / 5 years / II level higher professional education
Volume of study programme / 160 CP/ 240 ECTS / 160 CP/240 ECTS
Number of CP per year / 40 CP/ 60 ECTS / 32 CP/ 48 ECTS
General study courses / 20 CP/ 30 ECTS / 20 CP/ 30 ECTS / General skills
Special theoretical and information technology study courses / 36 CP/ 54 ECTS / 36 CP/ 54 ECTS / Common skills in the special field
Professional specialization courses in the special field / 60 CP / 90 ECTS / 60 CP/ 90 ECTS / Specific skills in profession
Practice / 26 CP/ 90 ECTS / 26 CP/ 39 ECTS
Free elective courses in Bachelor’s programme / 6 CP/ 0 ECTS / 6 CP/ 9 ECTS
State examination, including writing of a Bachelor’s paper and its defence / 12 CP/ 18 ECTS / 12 CP/ 18 ECTS
Degree acquired / Professional Bachelor’s degree in social work / Professional Bachelor’s degree in social work
Qualification / Social worker / Social worker / 5th qualification level
One credit point equals to 40 CP/60 ECTS hours of a student’s full-time workload. Within 1 CP, the proportion is taken into account of contact lessons and students’ individual work like 50%:50% for full-time students and 25%-30%: 75%-70% for part-time students.