BA (Hons) Social Work

Interview Day

Guidance Notes for Applicants

2017 Entry

Before the interview:

Read the interview guidance information
Understand the selection criteria of the course and familiarise yourself with the written task examples
Log on to UCAS Track to confirm your attendance

Bring to the interview:

Photographic Identification
Original certificates of qualifications (with one photocopy of each certificate)
Criminal Conviction statement (if appropriate)
Completed Declaration of Suitability Form
Pen

Contents

  1. Your Interview:

Purpose

Criteria

Format for the day

Pre-interview preparation

Getting here

  1. What to bring with you on the day
  1. Admissions information
  1. Additional information
  1. Appendices:

AStatement of Criminal Conviction Form

BDeclaration of Suitability for Social Work

CList of Examination/Awarding Bodies

1.Your Interview

Congratulations on being selected for interview!

We are very pleased that you have decided to apply to Edge Hill University for a place onour BA (Hons) Social Work programme. This document contains general information about the programme, subject specific guidance, and an outline of the interview process you will experience. We hope that this will enable you to prepare thoroughly and to present yourself well at interview.

We hope that you enjoy yourvisit to the campus, have a successful outcome and decide that you would like to come to EdgeHillUniversity. Good luck!

1.1Purpose of the Interview

The programme you have applied for is regulated by the HCPC (Health and Care ProfessionsCouncil) and as such, in order to complete the programme and receive a recognised social work qualification and become eligible to apply for registration as a social worker, you must meet a range of standards of proficiency (SOP’s) and professional capabilities (Professional Capabilities Framework – originally developed by the Social Work Reform Board, now managed & delivered by BASW).

For further information on the HCPC go to:

For further information on BASW go to:

You will be interviewed to see whether you:

  • possess the personal, intellectual and presentational qualities suitable to become a Social Worker
  • have the ability to accomplish the academic and professional requirements of the programme
  • display an understanding of the demands of studying at university
  • meet the standards required for entry to the programme applied for
  • display a commitment to developing subject knowledge, skills and understanding
  • display a commitment to becoming a competent professional
  • communicate clearly in written and spoken Standard English (to be tested through interview and written task)

1.2Selection Criteria

You can expect that the interview will assessall of the following areas:

i.Intellectual ability and personal and presentational qualities

You will be given the opportunity to demonstrate that you have an enthusiasm for Social Workand would be likely to adopt a positive approach to work.

Particular qualities we will be looking for include:

  • confidence
  • clear speech
  • positive demeanour
  • the capacity to be an effective member of a team
  • good communication skills
  • enthusiasm
  • ability to get on with people
  • a caring and compassionate attitude
  • an ability to analyse questions and issues
  • an ability to give clear, thoughtful answers to questions

ii. Professional awareness and a commitment to a future career in Social Work.

You should have a good understanding of the knowledge, concept and skills of the subject area and the capacity to articulate your understanding. If you have planned to gain experience after the interview you should let your interviewers know.

These qualities are based around the Professional Capabilities Framework (managed and delivered by BASW) which sets out a number of areas that social work professionals need, to evidence proficiency in different levels throughout their careers – including at the point of entry to a programme of social work education. There are 9 areas or ‘domains’:

  • professionalism
  • values and ethics
  • diversity
  • rights
  • justice and economic wellbeing
  • knowledge
  • critical reflection and analysis
  • interventions and skills
  • contexts and organisations
  • leadership

You can access these at:

iiiAcademic Awareness

Success on this course depends on you being able to commit to academic and professional demands and for this reason you should be able to demonstrate clearly an understanding of the academic rigours of this course and how you will ensure assessment deadlines are met.

Interviewers will expect candidates to have a basic understanding of the theoretical experience that will be gained during this programme and how that might enable your practice experience to develop.

Do remember that an interview is a two way process and that you should treat the interview as an opportunity to ask tutors questions. It is important that you make the right choice of programme. Your undergraduate programme will be intensive and challenging, but ultimately enjoyable and rewarding.

ivEnglish

The ability to communicate clearly in spoken Standard English and the ability to write and understand written English. This will be tested on the day through the interview and written task.

1.3Format for the day

All interviews follow a similar format, but you need to be aware that the process can differ according to the number of applicants attending, the venue, and the time of year. Please check your invitation carefully for the interview time and location.

Below is the general programme for the day:

  • Arrival and check in
  • Collection of qualifications and Declaration of Suitability for Social Work form (Appendix B) and any other information you have been asked to bring with you (please refer to section 2 of these guidance notes)
  • General welcome and introduction
  • Completion of written task
  • Group Exercise
  • Individual interviews

You will be interviewed by a small panel which is likely to include a member of academic staff alongside representatives from outside of the University such as carers, service users, practitioners and employers. Your individual interview will take around 20 minutes and you will be asked a number of questions relating to yourself and your chosen career pathway.

There is no formal closure of the interview session's activities. Once you have completed the full interview process (including thewritten task, group exercise, and your interview, you are free to leave.

1.4Pre-interview Preparation

Research

Prepare a 5 minute talk on: ‘Why is there a need for social work?’ This talk forms part of your individual interview.

You will be asked to tell us which sources of information you have used in the preparation of this talk.

Before the interview

It is essential that you have:

a)researched and read about the role of the Social Worker

b)thought about and can explain why you wish to enter a career in Social Work

c)professional awareness and commitment to a future career inSocial Work

d)considered the amount of studying that will be involved in the programme

e)have read this document and made a note of the items you need to bring with you to the interview (see also section 2) and any questions that you want to ask

f)Prepared for the research task as at a) above.

Please remember to log in to UCAS Track to accept the interview invitation, if you haven’t already done so.

1.5How to get here

The following link provides directions to the Ormskirk Campus and travel information: -

You should make your way directly to the main foyer area of the Faculty of Health building where a member of the Admissions Team will be on hand to greet you. Tea and coffee will be provided on arrival, but should you wish to purchase lunch or snacks you can visit one of our many catering outlets, the closest of which is located on the lower ground floor of the Faculty of Health building.

You will be met at reception by our Admissions Staff, who will direct you to the venue for the introductory welcome.

Please aim to arrive no later than 15 minutes before the time stated in your interview letter.

If, for any reason, you are going to be late arriving, please contact us on 01695 650950.

Parking at the Ormskirk campus

Parking at the Ormskirk campus is likely to be extremely limited. We would strongly advise candidates to travel by public transport wherever possible. There is an Edge Hill bus which runs from the bus station in Ormskirk to the Edge Hill campus every 20 minutes.

If you do travel by car, we have included a parking notice with your interview invitation. Please display this on your dashboard as you enter the campus main entrance, so that it is clearly visible to our parking attendants. They will then direct you to the nearest available space, if any are available. We must emphasise that possession of the parking notice does not guarantee you a space and we are not in a position to guarantee that parking spaces will be available on any given day. If the campus is full, you can find several car parks in Ormskirk Town Centre.

For candidates attending morning interviews, you can expect to find traffic queues on St Helens Road from around 8.00-8.15am. If you are due to attend a morning interview and are attempting to park on campus, we would advise you to arrive no later than this time.If you do arrive early, there are several catering outlets on campus for you to purchase refreshments.

2.What to bring with you on the day

PROOF OF IDENTITY / Please bring with you your originalphotographic ID (i.e. current valid passport or photo-card driving licence).
Your ID will be checked by the Chair of the interview panel prior to the start of the interview process.
If you do not bring suitable ID on the day, you may not be interviewed and will have to attend on an alternative date
PROOF OF QUALIFICATIONS* / Please bring with you original certificates for qualifications already attained and listed on your UCAS application.
E.g. GCSEs, A Levels, BTEC, Access or other Further/Higher Education Certificates.
You are also required to bring with you a complete set of photocopies which will be taken from you and retained for our records.
Please note that it will not be possible for us to photocopy these for you on the day.
DECLARATION OF SUITABILITY FORM
DECLARATION OF CRIMINAL CONVICTION(S) / Please bring a signed copy with you, this document can be found in the Appendices.
If you have had a criminal conviction, caution, bind over, or any offence at any time in your life which may appear on your DBS Enhanced Disclosure, you must provide a statement relating to this. The statement must include the date of the offence, type of offence, sentence, fine imposed, etc.
If applicable, please complete the form in Appendix A and bring this to your interview in a sealed envelope with your name and course written on the front.
This information will be considered by the Head of Clinical Partnerships & Fitness to Practice Team and you will be required to attend a short meeting to discuss this further.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING EVIDENCE / If you have any additional supporting evidence (i.e. additional references, evidence of work experience, etc), that you would like to show your interviewers, please bring this with you on the day.
A PEN

*Please note:

If you have changed your name since the certificates were issued, please advise us of this when youcheck in and hand in your photocopies. You may be required to provide proof of this, eg your marriage or deed poll certificate. In this case, please also bring with you a photocopy of the relevant proof of name change.

If you do not bring photocopies of your certificates on the day and the decision of the panel is to offer you a place, we will withhold the decision until we receive verification of qualifications already attained and listed on your UCAS application. In this instance, it is important that you initiate a search as soon as possible either by contacting your previous school/college or the relevant examination boards. Please be aware that search fees are in place and searches take a number of weeks to complete. To assist you, we have listed some of the examination boards in Appendix C of this interview guidance.

3.Admissions Information

The Admissions Team is here to guide you through the application process. If you have any queries about your application or the interview guidance information, please do not hesitate to contact us on the following numbers:

01695 650950

01695 650953

01695 650696

If you require any specific information on issues such as student finance, accommodation, student supportetc., specialist guidance is available from Student Services in the Student Information Centre at the Ormskirk campus, or you can contact them by telephone on 01695 584554.

As an inclusive institution, we do seek to ensure that we are able to meet individual needs. If you have a specific requirement that will need to be addressed in order that you can engage effectively with the interview process, i.e. additional time for written tasks, etc., we ask that you advise us in advance so that we can make the necessary arrangements as appropriate. Please complete the online form at as soon as possible, and at least 5 working days prior to your interview.

You will be required to provide a copy of your LEA ‘statement’ or a letter from your school, college or employer to confirm that additional time for tests is a requirement.

If you would like any confidential advice or information on EdgeHillUniversity’s student support services for students with disabilities or specific learning difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact the following staff:

Edge Hill Inclusion Team / 01695 584190

Edge Hill Specific Learning Disabilities / 01695 584372

3.1Notification of the interview outcome

Following your interview, we will let you know the result as soon as reasonably possible. As competition for places is extremely fierce, we may delay making final decisions until we have completed all the interviews in fairness to all candidates. However, we will endeavour to keep you informed of the situation should this be the case.

Decisions are made based on your interview and the selection criteria set out within this guidance information.

3.1.1If you are offered a place on the BA (Hons) Social Workprogramme

Following the interview, you will receive written confirmation of the decision reached by the interview panel. If your interview is successful and you are made an offer, the letter will advise you to log in to UCAS Track to check the specific conditions of your offer. If you have any queries regarding your offer conditions, you must contact the Admissions Officer immediately and certainly within 14 days of the date on the offer letter.

3.1.2If you are unsuccessful

We will notify UCAS and, at the same time, write to you providing individual feedback detailing the reasons for the decision, to help you prepare for any future applications you may decide to complete.

4. Additional Information

Additional notes to applicants who are subsequently made an offer after interview:

In order to ensure your smooth entry to Edge Hill and your professional training programme, it is important that you adhere to the national criteria for entry to the profession by following guidance notes issued by the NMC/UCAS/Edge Hill Prospectus and that you are:

a)able to comply with the requirements of the offer sent to you and any other requests as soon as they are asked for and certainly not later than a given date.

b)able to meet the national requirements for full clearance to work with people in respect of the Police Act and the health standards to enter the profession

c)able to comply with any changes in the national requirements for those starting Social Work programmes in 2014

d)responsible for the completion and prompt return of all forms sent to you.

If you are having difficulties locating previous examination results / certificates it is important that you initiate a search on receipt of the offerby contacting your previous school / collegeor the relevant examinations boards. Please be aware that search fees are in place and searches take a number of weeks to complete.

We have listed some of the exam boards in the Appendices.

APPENDIX A – Statement of criminal conviction(s)

SURNAME

/ FIRSTNAME(S)
DATE OF BIRTH / MALE / FEMALE
PROGRAMME / PROGRAMME START DATE
STATEMENT (use additional sheet if required)
SIGNATURE: / DATE

Please complete this ONLY IFyou have any criminal convictions, including caution’s, a bind over, or any offence at any time in your life which may appear on your DBS Enhanced Disclosure. The statement must include the date of the offence, type of offence, sentence, fine imposed, etc. Bring this to your interview in a sealed envelope with your name and course written on the front.

APPENDIX B – Declaration of Suitability for Social Work

Name: ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

(Please print your full name here)

When you have completed this form, please check the details, sign and date it and bring it with you when you attend for interview in an envelope marked 'CONFIDENTIAL - Social Work Suitability Declaration'

1. Introduction

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) requires that students who are being admitted to the social work programme have undertaken:

a)enhanced checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and its successors; and

b) a health check, usually by means of a self-declaration, but with an additional statement from a GP or consultant where necessary.

In addition to these statutory requirements, universities may seek other relevant information to help them make a well-informed judgement about an applicant’s suitability to enter social work training.

This programme wishes to preserve entry to a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds and does not wish to automatically exclude students who have a criminal or disciplinary record, or have previously experienced poor health, or have had contact with social service departments. We recognise that in many instances, there is no simple criterion of suitability and thus, each case will be assessed individually. You will be informed if your declaration is thought to require further consideration, and in the event that this results in your offer being withdrawn, you will be informed of the general reason (subject to any restrictions on passing on confidential information contained within the Data Protection Act 1998).