SAQA

All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.

SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

REGISTERED QUALIFICATION THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE:

Postgraduate Diploma: Social Work

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
3045	Postgraduate Diploma: Social Work
ORIGINATOR
University of Natal
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
Was CHE until Last Date for Achievement			HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
Postgraduate Diploma	Field 09 - Health Sciences and Social Services		Rehabilitative Health/Services
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	128	Level 7	Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L7	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		SAQA 2663/05	2006-07-01	2009-06-30
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2010-06-30		2013-06-30

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.

This qualification is replaced by:

Qual ID	Qualification Title	Pre-2009 NQF Level	NQF Level	Min Credits	Replacement Status
72996	Postgraduate Diploma: Social Work	Level 7	NQF Level 08	128	Complete

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

The three core components of social work training include knowledge, skills and values. In addition to theory and skills sessions, students registered for the social work degree have to take separate social work practice courses. At the post-graduate level scope is offered for specialisation. Social work training is, to a large extent by the White Paper for social welfare (1997) and the Government's Reconstruction and Development plans that embrace a social development paradigm to health, welfare, education and infra-structural development in South Africa.

Given the rights of civil society and the requirements of the profession, heavy weighting is given to the development of the morally active practitioner. The overarching values that guide social work training are social justice and respect for persons. From the second year of study, students registered for the W degree have to registered with the SA Council for Social Service Professions. They are, therefore, obliged to adhere to the professions Code of conduct.

Students are made aware of the range of contexts in which social workers might be employed. With the new Welfare Financing Policy in place, based on the funding of sustainable programmes, students are increasingly being made aware of the importance of developing entrepreneurial skills and the need to integrated community social economic development.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

The following are possible entry routes into the programme:
1. Students recruited through the Regional Access programme.
2. A combination of a senior certificate, age and level of maturity, life experiences, work experiences and potential to study at the tertiary level will be considered.
3. Matriculation exemption - with a minimum of 30 matric points.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

Skills in empathic understanding, active listening and reflection-in-action.

Understands the importance of reflective techniques and the need to be morally active practitioners.

Decision-making, with due consideration to ethical and value dilemmas that human service providers are often confronted.

Assertiveness, conflict resolution and problem-solving skills.

The ability to work with individuals, groups and communities, with recognition of the micro-macro or the "personal-political" links in respect of major life problems.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Students need to DEMONSTRATE the following capacities:
and
Integrated assessment:

Basic writing skills and appreciation of written material

Understanding of the need for holistic assessment and intervention at micro, mezzo and macro levels

Awareness of use of self

Reflects respect for persons

Basic interviewing skills

Counselling in diverse contexts (culture, gender, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, religion)

Conflict resolution skills

Understanding the place of values in practice

Selection, synthesis and processing information from various sources - books, journals, internet, individual & family interviews and group work

Knowledge of the South African socio-political and policy contextCommunity entry strategies, community profiling, programme planning and programme implementation

Knowledge and implementation of welfare financing policy

Theory and practice of child & youth centered work (child abuse, street children, foster care, adoption and residential services, juvenile justice family advocacy) at casework, group-work and community work levels.

Understanding the relationship between welfare policies and practice.

Consolidation of SW values and use of self in practice

Critical understanding of the micro-macro or "personal-political" links in SW practice

Capacity for reflection-in-action and reflects the need to be morally active practitioners.

Capacity to write coherent, well processed reports and essays that integrates material from various sources and draws the links between research, theory and practice

Beyond sensitive - competence in working in a world of diversity

Advanced skills in working with individuals, families, groups and communities.

Skills in policy formulation, analysis, evaluation and implementation.

Skills in inter-sectoral collaboration and multi-disciplinary practice

Sound assessment of mental disorders & sexual dysfunction, SW intervention and working with other health professionals

Basic supervisory and management skills

Understanding of research methods and the relationship between research and SW practice

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

EXPORTABILITY
TRANSFER FROM OTHER PROGRAMMES
As all the modules at the under-graduate level, apart from SW3 Practice, are open to students across faculties students will easily be able to transfer credits into other programmes - with approval of relevant Programme Directors. Several modules from the other Faculties and Programmes (as indicated in No 12 of this document) are recognised in the SW Programme and will, therefore, be credit within other programmes. There is, thus, a high degree of "exportability".

IMPORTABILITY
TRANSFER FROM OTHER PROGRAMMES
Students, on other programmes, wishing to do the second level Social Work (Theory and/or practice) modules must have at least 80 credit points. Those wishing to do the Social Work Theory modules at level three must have at least 208 credit points. Entry into the modules, in relation to relevance of prior courses completed, will be at the discretion of the Under-graduate Programme Director. Social work practice at Level Three is open only to students registered for B. (Social Work) degree.

POSSIBILITIES FOR ACCELERATED PROGRESS
Students registered for the B. (social Work) degree are required to complete all the modules offered at the under-graduate level by the Center for Social Work. The courses will not be linked. This allows for accelerated progress for high achievers as it will allow for concurrent registration of, e.g. SWIA & B, SW2 A & B (Theory) and SW2A & B Practice.

LINKS WITH POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES

On completion of the B.SW degree students may choose to proceed into an Honours/Postgraduate Diploma course in Social Work or any other major subject that they have completed. The B.SW (Hons) allows SW graduates to pursue various postgraduate course work and research options across various Faculties in fields such as Gender studies, Development Studies, Housing, Child & Youth Care, Management & administration, Community Development and Peace Studies. Within the Center for SW at UND, students may pursue one of two streams at the Master Level -
1. Welfare Policy & Social Development and
2. Clinical Practice

MODERATION OPTIONS

Moderation by the South African Council for Social Service Professions.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

Until the HEQC establishes a registration system for assessors in the HET Band, the University of Natal assumes that on the basis of its rigorous selection criteria for the appointment of academic staff (who also have opportunities for staff development in assessment), staffs are competent to assess students on the modules they teach. This assessment is quality assured via a university system of internal moderation and external examination. External examiners are appointed for their teaching and disciplinary expertise and subject to the approval of Faculty Boards. The University of Natal ruling is that 66 % of all assessments at exit level, i.e. leading to qualifications are externally examined.

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006.

LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION:

When qualifications are replaced, some of their learning programmes are moved to being recorded against the replacement qualifications. If a learning programme appears to be missing from here, please check the replacement.

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PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION:

This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.

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