For more than 60 years, the University of Nottingham's Centre for Social Work has been providing education in the field of social work. Our goal is to foster the exchange of knowledge and ideas through close partnerships with various stakeholders, including service users, government departments, national charities, and third sector organisations. Our research centres serve as a platform for collaboration and the exchange of ideas and help us to ensure that our impact is long-lasting and meaningful.
We are ranked 7th for social work in the UK, The Complete University Guide 2024, with world-class teaching alongside the best learning environment and facilities to meet your maximum potential.
Upon successful completion of our course, you will meet the professional standards required for registration as a qualified social worker with Social Work England. Our course is distinguished by its unique approach, which includes:
The University of Nottingham is renowned for the exceptional quality of our academic staff, courses, and ground-breaking research. Andrew Murphy, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Social Work, is dedicated to promoting mental health and helping individuals lead fulfilling lives.
“Something I encourage students to do is to move beyond thinking of service users and professionals as ‘them and us’. Actually, we are all human: more unites us than divides us.”
Andrew Murphy - Assistant Professor, Centre for Social Work
Image of Andrew
I qualified as a social worker at the University of Nottingham in 2001. I then worked in community based mental health services as a social worker and Approved Mental Health Professional. More recently, I worked in a local authority Learning and Development Service. I started work at the University of Nottingham as Assistant Professor in 2016.
Like lots of people, I became a social worker because I wanted to make a difference by supporting people who are excluded and marginalised within society. I was drawn to mental health social work because I am keen to promote mental health wellbeing for everyone and to support people to have fulfilling lives through relationship-based work.
Something I encourage students to do is to move beyond thinking of service users and professionals as 'them and us'. I've learnt from practice that you are more likely to motivate people to change if you are genuine and treat them with respect. I try to model this with students in the hope they will do likewise in their professional relationships.
Find out as much as you can about what social workers do: talk to social workers, look on social media, read Community Care. And consider being flexible in your career options: you may start the course convinced you want to work with adults and find out through your placements that you actually have a vocation for work with children.
The Social Work programme has allowed me to look at myself and evaluate the background of my values and beliefs and their effect on practice. The lecturers have challenged me to view things critically in every aspect, which has taught me to be more open and accepting of other people's views.
Latif Bawah
BA Social Work graduate
