All of our courses are free and you can start them when you want to, studying at your own pace. Some of the courses are badged, so you can print a certificate of completion and include the course on your LinkedIn profile.
Social work and social care
Introducing social work: a starter kit
This free course, Introducing social work: a starter kit, provides a glimpse into some of the things that social workers do and looks at why and how social work is done. The course is designed for people who might be interested in and curious about social work practice. It will also be a useful initial resource for those who may be thinking about entering the social work profession at some point in the future.
Learn more ❯Introducing social work: a starter kit
An introduction to social work
Do you want to learn more about the social work role and develop your understanding of some of the theory associated with social work practice? This free course, An introduction to social work, begins by introducing key ideas, values, the social work process and the skills needed for social work practice. You will then move on to look at social work with individuals. Finally this OpenLearn course considers reflective practice.
Learn more ❯An introduction to social work
An introduction to social work in Wales
Respecting the individuality of each person is a central value of social work but, as the term suggests, social work is not only about individual perspectives: it also takes place in a social context. Society, demography, geography, national legislation, national policy, and language all play an important part, both in the lives of service users and carers and in the practice of social work practitioners. This free course, An introduction to social work in Wales, will introduce you to the importance of recognising that social work practice happens in context. In particular, you will learn about what this means for social work in Wales in the Welsh context.
Learn more ❯An introduction to social work in Wales
Interview with a social worker
The focus of this free course, Interview with a social worker, is to explore the role of a support worker. It helps to identify what is expected within a working environment, and the skills and qualities they need in order to perform their roles effectively. You will be encouraged to think about the skills and qualities that you consider important in your own role, in order to identify any potential for professional development.
Learn more ❯Interview with a social worker
Applying social work skills in practice
In this free course, Applying social work skills in practice, you will explore the social work role in working with vulnerable and socially excluded individuals and groups. You will learn about risk and the assessment of need in social work practice, and explore the wider context of social work practice and responses to social work. You will also explore the application of relevant knowledge, skills and values in social work, and think about the place of research in supporting social work practice.
Learn more ❯Applying social work skills in practice
Supporting and developing resilience in social work
What does it take to become a resilient practitioner in social work? This free course, Supporting and developing resilience in social work, will guide you through some important concepts. An understanding of ‘emotional resilience’ and ‘professional leadership’ will help to guide you through taking a positive approach to problems that arise in social work practice. You will also be introduced to some ideas about leadership in social work practice.
Learn more ❯Supporting and developing resilience in social work
Lead and manage change in health and social care
Change is everywhere in health and social care work and can evoke a variety of emotions, from excitement and eager anticipation, to fear and outright hostility. In this free course, How to manage change in health and social care, you will explore the role of managers in the change process and the skills required for managing and leading change in health and social care work.
Learn more ❯Lead and manage change in health and social care
The law and social work in Scotland
This album tackles the complex relationships social workers experience in the wide spectrum of their work, from those with families affected by social deprivation to those with judges, lawyers and other members of the legal system. The tracks analyse the role of the family in Scottish life in relation to the many voluntary bodies that exist to assist and inform them, and the legal obligations of social workers. Participants from single mothers to solicitors presented their perspectives in a series of frank, informative interviews. This material forms part of The Open University course K207 The law and social work in Scotland.
Listen now ❯The law and social work in Scotland
Cyflwyniad i waith cymdeithasol
Bydd y cwrs byr hwn yn eich cyflwyno i waith cymdeithasol ac yn datblygu eich dealltwriaeth o rai o’r damcaniaethau sy’n gysylltiedig ag ymarfer gwaith cymdeithasol.
Learn more ❯Cyflwyniad i waith cymdeithasol
Social work and the law in Scotland
Social work is a dynamic profession that is undergoing a period of significant change in Scotland. Social workers have the power to make assessments and decisions that radically alter people's lives. This free course, Social work and the law in Scotland, introduces the law as it relates to social work and encourages an understanding of the context of the law in order to make sound decisions.
Learn more ❯Social work and the law in Scotland
Care and caring
Social care in the community
Social care involves the challenge of supporting people who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to function without assistance or supervision. This free course, Social care in the community, focuses on one important area of social care, home care for older people.
Learn more ❯Social care in the community
Caring: A Family Affair
Care is needed at all stages of life. This free course, Caring: A family affair, makes care in the family its focus because the overwhelming majority of care, including health care, is supplied in families, much of it in private, much of it unnoticed and unremarked upon. The meaning of the term (informal carer) and the word (care) itself are explored.
Learn more ❯Caring: A Family Affair
Care relationships
To set up a care relationship that works well is a delicate matter, whether you are at the giving or the receiving end. In this free course, Care relationships, you will explore the very varied meanings of care relationships and how these meanings arise. Millions of care relationships are going on as you read this, and each carries its own particular meanings for those involved. But where have all those people picked up their ideas of how to relate to each other? How does any of us know where to begin?
Learn more ❯Care relationships
The boundaries of care
In this free course, The boundaries of care, you will look at a number of situations which put a strain on the idea that caring is just 'being ordinary', including times when people are giving intimate care. In these special circumstances, since the normal rules do not apply, we have to develop a set of special rules to guide practice.
Learn more ❯The boundaries of care
Care transactions
Arrangements for care and support which people manage for themselves or have organised for them privately or informally tell us something about the shifting borders between funded and non-funded care, between health and social care, and between paid and unpaid care work. They also demonstrate how the reality of the mixed economy of care is played out in the arrangements which people make for care and support in their own households. This free course, Care transactions, explores the mix of paid and unpaid sources of care and support.
Learn more ❯Care transactions
Experiences of assessment
This free course, Experiences of assessment, is about assessing need. It is important to understand and hear about people's experiences of being assessed by health or social welfare professionals so that more sensitive responses to those with care and support needs can be developed. We interviewed three people about their experiences of assessment. Having done that, we then asked a social worker and an occupational therapist to listen to the interviews and to comment on them.
Learn more ❯Experiences of assessment
The meaning of home
This free course, The meaning of home, looks at the way people identify with and become attached to places, buildings and objects. It also analyses how this attachment can impact on personal well-being. Understanding this is important in assessing the care people of all ages need and how this care should be delivered.
Learn more ❯The meaning of home
The Adur Carers Project
This free course, The Adur Carers Project, will help you to understand how people feel about being carers, and what their main concerns are. The Adur Careers Project helps carers in the region to access necessary services and resources. The course features interviews with two people who are involved in the project.
Learn more ❯The Adur Carers Project
Communication
Effective communication in the workplace
This free course, Effective communication in the workplace, explores the importance of communication as a skill in the workplace. It aims to increase your understanding of communication skills and to help you to consider how your communication could be perceived by others. You'll cover areas such as verbal and non-verbal communication, written communication and using your communication skills to overcome challenging situations.
Learn more ❯Effective communication in the workplace
The importance of interpersonal skills
To succeed in management you need good interpersonal skills, you need to understand how to deal with other people. This free course, The importance of interpersonal skills, will help you gain an awareness of your own skills and understand that an awareness of the interpersonal skills of others can help us enormously in dealing with the work tasks we are responsible for.
Learn more ❯The importance of interpersonal skills
Key skill assessment: Communication
Communication is part of everyone's life. Being able to communicate clearly and effectively orally, visually and in writing underpins nearly everything we do. This free course, Key skill assessment: Communication, will help you recognise your strengths as well as the areas where you could improve. In developing and assessing your communication skills, you will learn to recognise, adapt and use your skills confidently and effectively in different situations and contexts.
Learn more ❯Key skill assessment: Communication
Play families: Using toys to open up communication with your child
Children can communicate well using toys to express themselves. Use this activity with your child so that they can open up about how they are feeling.
Take part now ❯Play families: Using toys to open up communication with your child
Aging and supporting older people
Understanding the past
Care can make deep inroads into personal lives and life narratives, so it is essential that care workers are sensitive to this and provide appropriate support. In this free course, Understanding the past, the history of Lennox Castle Hospital in Scotland provides a focus for considering the impact of institutional life.
Learn more ❯Understanding the past
Population ageing: a global health crisis?
This free course, Population ageing: a global health crisis?, focuses on two major issues of our time – ageing societies and global health. It provides you with an introduction to ageing societies and their implications for global health – implications which are only just beginning to be fully understood. The course will help you to deepen your understanding of ageing societies across the globe and the different components of the concept of global health. You will also explore the ways in which population ageing is often framed as a crisis and begin to develop your own ideas about the implications of population ageing.
Learn more ❯Population ageing: a global health crisis?
Designing space for dementia care
The lives of people with dementia can be improved by careful consideration of key features of the design of the spaces in which they live. This free course, Designing space for dementia care, provides examples of how good design can transform their lives and mitigate the symptoms of dementia.
Learn more ❯Designing space for dementia care
Diversity and difference
Ageing and disability: Transitions into residential care
Moving into a care home can have a profound emotional impact on an individual just the anticipation of residential care is one of the biggest sources of fear for the elderly. This free course, Ageing and disability: Transitions into residential care, discusses the role of social workers and care staff in supporting individuals through the transition, and how residential environments affect quality of life.
Learn more ❯Ageing and disability: Transitions into residential care
Exploring learning disabilities: supporting belonging
This free course, Exploring learning disabilities: supporting belonging, takes the real-life cases of a number of different people to explore what it is like to have the label ‘learning disability’. The course also considers how it feels to support someone with a learning disability, as a family member, a friend, an advocate or a paid worker. Through these human stories the course considers the complex moral, ethical and practical debates learning disability gives rise to.
Learn more ❯Exploring learning disabilities: supporting belonging
Diversity and difference in communication
Interpersonal communication in health and social care services is by its nature diverse. As a consequence, achieving good or effective communication whether between service providers and service users, or among those working in a service means taking account of diversity, rather than assuming that every interaction will be the same. This free course, Diversity and difference in communication, explores the ways in which difference and diversity impact on the nature of communication in health and social care services.
Learn more ❯Diversity and difference in communication
Life stories
This free course, Life stories, looks at the way in which objects, trends, cultures or disabilities may contribute to a person's identity, and the contribution that our own life stories make to who we are, and how remembering and revisiting our past may help us to move forward with our lives.
Learn more ❯Life stories
Meeting minority needs
This free course, Meeting minority needs, will help you understand how it is possible to meet the needs of a particular minority community: the Chinese who live in Northern Ireland. The audio file outlines some of the problems that this community are facing as well as describing the differences experienced by older Chinese inhabitants who require care and support.
Learn more ❯Meeting minority needs
Homelessness and need
The majority of people who sleep on the streets, and in hostels and night shelters, are men. However, the number of women, particularly younger women, in these circumstances has increased (Anderson et al., 1993). They are often people with complex care and support needs, which go way beyond the provision of accommodation. But, as you will learn in this free course, Homelessness and need, complex needs are both a cause and a product of homelessness.
Learn more ❯Homelessness and need
Bedfordshire Mencap
This free course, Bedfordshire Mencap, enables you to hear some of the founding members of the Bedfordshire Mencap organisation talk about how the organisation was established and the wide range of support services it offers. The work that individuals exerted to promote change is a source of pressure towards the ideal that parents should be supported in their task of bringing up children with learning difficulties.
Learn more ❯Bedfordshire Mencap
Lennox Castle Hospital
This free course, Lennox Castle Hospital, looks at the history of institutions in the twentieth century, starting with a case study of Lennox Castle Hospital. It tries to make sense of the history of Lennox Castle, and of institutional life in general, through testimony of those who experienced institutions as inmates and as nurses, as well as through Erving Goffman's model of the 'total institution'. It examines the social bases of segregation, the professionalisation of staff in asylums and institutions, and campaigns for change in the treatment of those segregated from society in institutions.
Learn more ❯Lennox Castle Hospital
Mental and emotional health
Making sense of mental health problems
Over the past century there has been a radical shift in responses to people who experience mental health problems. In this free course, Making sense of mental health problems, you will learn about how key perspectives in the field have made sense of mental health problems. By directly relating key perspectives to a case study, you will reflect on how the medical perspective, psychological perspective and social need perspective come to make sense of mental ill-health.
Learn more ❯Making sense of mental health problems
FREE Mental Health Tips and Resources
The constant bad news and panic around coronavirus is unsettling and can have implications on our mental health. Here are some FREE resources to improve your wellbeing.
Read now ❯FREE Mental Health Tips and Resources
How to do counselling online: a coronavirus prima
This course will help you understand the range of technology-based counselling types and make you aware of key technological, legal, ethical and clinical considerations for safe and effective online counselling.
Read more❯How to do counselling online: a coronavirus prima
Study a free health care course
-
COVID-19 nursing and healthcare: learning to help you in practice
If you're returning to practice to support the NHS, NHS in Scotland, NHS Wales or Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland, OpenLearn has a range of free courses available for you to refresh your knowledge and skills.
Read nowCOVID-19 nursing and healthcare: learning to help you in practiceLevel: 1 Introductory
Take your social work and social care career further
-
Try a Day in the Life of a Social Worker
Could you manage 24 hours as a social worker? A Day in the Life... provides you with the opportunity to step into a social worker's shoes and to experience a 'typical' day in the office
Take part nowTry a Day in the Life of a Social WorkerLevel: 1 Introductory
-
Stress and rewards: My life as a social worker
What's it really like being a social worker? Ellen Parker - one of the team shadowed for Protecting Our Children - shares the highs and lows.
Read nowStress and rewards: My life as a social workerLevel: 1 Introductory
-
What's it like being a social worker in the cancer field?
Open University social work graduate, Deanne Yarnold-Hill, tell us in this video interview how she worked with those affected by cancer.
Watch nowWhat's it like being a social worker in the cancer field?Level: 1 Introductory
-
My career goal: Social care
You can change lives by using your personal skills to aid those in need. Your communication skills, resilience and empathy are key assets when working in social care, a crucial societal structure that matters to everybody.
Read nowMy career goal: Social careLevel: 1 Introductory
-
Social care, social work and the law
The law and aspects of the legal system have a massive impact on the lives of social workers, from defining policy and procedure to the actual process of day-to-day working. This album presents an encompassing and engrossing look at the interaction between legal and social teams, and how different professions and groups interact to ensure equality and representation for all members of society. Not only do these discussions offer an insight into the justification and implementation of policy, they also provide illumination onto the realities and experience of working with vulnerable and disadvantaged people. This material forms part of The Open University course K269 Social care, social work and the law (England and Wales).
Listen nowSocial care, social work and the lawLevel: 1 Introductory
Newsletter
Be the first to post a comment
We invite you to discuss this subject, but remember this is a public forum.
Please be polite, and avoid your passions turning into contempt for others. We may delete posts that are rude or aggressive, or edit posts containing contact details or links to other websites.