Goals

Graduate of the Degree in Social Work will be expected to be able to:

• Facilitate the inclusion of groups of people who are marginalised, socially excluded, destitute, vulnerable and at risk, whilst questioning the barriers, inequalities and injustices that exist in society.
• Assist and mobilise individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities to increase their wellbeing and their problem-solving abilities.
• Encourage the commitment of citizens to defend matters that concern them by devising and implementing coherent policies and promoting the transformation of the structural conditions that keep people in marginal, destitute and vulnerable positions.
• Work towards the protection of people who are unable to do so for themselves, within the framework of accepted legal and ethical principles.
• Commit to the political and social action in order to influence the eradication of inequality.
• Promote respect for the cultures, ideologies and beliefs of different ethnic groups and societies, providing they do not contravene human rights.
• Plan, administer and manage programmes and organisations dedicated to the field of social work.

Competences

List of specific competences: (knowledge and skills) expected of graduates.

• Knowing the nature, history and theoretical foundations of social work.
• Understanding the concerns of human and social sciences that contribute to the understanding of the social realities that have a bearing on social work.
• Understanding intervention models of social work.
• Knowing how to apply methods and techniques of social work to all environments and fields of intervention.
• Knowing how to raise awareness among citizens about their rights and motivate them to make sound decisions.
• Analysing and evaluating social problems and needs in society.
• Knowing how to interact efficiently with people, show empathy and use mediation in conflict resolution.
• Knowing how to promote and support the development of networks, groups and dynamics of community organisation.
• Designing and applying planning processes for social intervention, on an individual, family, group and community level.
• Knowing about the welfare state system, the social policies that it develops and the services it provides.
• Having good command of social resources and services, as well as knowing how to determine their suitability depending on the circumstances.
• Knowing how to create, organise and manage services and entities, control their efficiency and ensure their quality.
• Knowing and applying the ethical principles and the deontological code of the profession.
• Investigating the new phenomena and scenarios in which social intervention can be realised.
• Using one’s knowledge of best practices to review and update one’s own knowledge.

List of general competences related to teamwork, communication, problem solving, etc.

• Critical capacity, for analysis and synthesis.
• Capacity for organisation and planning.
• Oral and written communication, in one’s native language.
• Command of a foreign language.
• Use of IT resources in professional contexts and a capacity for information management.
• Problem resolution and decision-making.
• Teamwork and leadership.
• Abilities in interpersonal relationships.
• Knowledge of other cultures and customs.
• Autonomous learning and adaptation to new situations.
• Ability to take initiatives.
• Respect for the fundamental rights of equality between men and women, the promotion of human rights and of values inherent to a culture of peace and of democratic values.