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About the Role

This exciting post enables the postholder to play an active role in the development of opportunities for students to use the Welsh language in their studies for the BA (Hons) Social Work (Wales) at the Open University (OU) in Wales. The OU is committed to meeting the needs of Welsh students, while our commitment to educational opportunity and social justice are encapsulated in our mission statement, in that ‘The Open University is open to people, places, methods and ideas’.

The Social Work Programme encourages students and staff to use the Welsh language, whatever their level of ability. In practice, this includes the delivery of bilingual face to face workshops (depending on the language skills of tutors), electronic communication, and provision of key documents in the medium of Welsh. Students can complete the academic and practice elements of the degree in Welsh and/or English, and our students welcome this choice.

Your role will be to take a lead in ensuring adequate and appropriate support for Welsh speaking students as they study for the social work degree (both academically and in their practice learning settings), focussing on the practice learning modules.

You will build on what has already been achieved by supporting students, updating resources and taking a role in staff development to enable tutors and others to provide appropriate support with regard to the Welsh language. You will also work with the social work team in Wales and Milton Keynes to ensure appropriate support with regard to the Welsh Language within a four nation UK-wide perspective.

You will also engage with the academic community in Wales and further afield, through collaboration with partners, Social Care Wales, and other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), as well as with the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. You will also contribute to the academic life of the Social Work Department, and will develop your own academic profile.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with the Professional Lead for Social Work (Wales) and other staff to promote and develop opportunities for the use of Welsh in the social work practice modules of the BA (Hons) Social Work (Wales)
• Work with the Student Support Team, Faculty staff, Associate Lecturers and Practice Tutors to identify students whose preferred language is Welsh, and to provide appropriate support;
• As required, and with a particular focus on Welsh medium communication, provide advice and support to students and advise designated members of staff on their progress and support needs;
• Promote and develop students’ academic writing skills, including submission of assignments in Welsh (for example, provision of Welsh medium guidance, delivery of online/face to face support as appropriate);
• Brief and support Associate Lecturers and Practice Tutors with a view to ensuring the quality delivery of the practice learning modules, with particular regard to the promotion of bilingual delivery;
• Assist in the quality assurance of practice learning including supporting the work of Programme Tutors where Welsh medium support is required;
• Advise the Faculty on Welsh medium teaching strategies in the practice learning modules, in the light of feedback from tutors and students;
• Work in partnership with other Social Work programmes in Wales to develop Wales-wide opportunities to promote the use of Welsh in Social Work education and practice;
• Participate in the social work subject area network of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol;
• Undertake marketing and external relations activities to promote the Social Work degree, with a particular emphasis on recruiting Welsh speaking students;
• Seek further external funding for the purposes of developing appropriate support for social work students within the OU and in partnership with other Social Work programmes in Wales;
• Provide regular progress reports to the Professional Lead for Social Work (Wales), the Social Work Programme Delivery Group, and the wider Faculty as appropriate;
• Contribute to the Faculty’s research and scholarship portfolio by developing and implementing a personal research/scholarship plan in accordance with the Faculty’s Research and Scholarship Strategy, identifying and taking advantage of opportunities to promote their subject area within the wider Welsh medium community, for instance by publishing material in journals such as Gwerddon and presenting papers to conferences and fora.
• Represent the Faculty and the Open University in Wales on relevant external committees and groups;
• Assist in the implementation of the Faculty’s academic policies within Wales, and in consultation with their line manager, work with colleagues from other faculties and from Student Services in the development and implementation of the University's strategy for Wales;
• Undertake other duties within the Open University in Wales as required.

About You

Essential criteria:

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills in both Welsh and English;
• An ability to promote the Social Work programme to individuals, groups and corporate customers, in both Welsh and English;
• A demonstrable capacity to promote and develop the use of Welsh in the Open University’s Social Work programme in Wales;
• A good first degree or post-graduate qualification in a related subject area and a professional qualification in Social Work;
• Experience and understanding of professional Social Work practice and practice learning in Wales;
• A sound knowledge and understanding of legislation and policy relevant to Social Work practice, and current issues in social work in Wales;
• Knowledge of the regulatory requirements for Social Work education and practice in Wales;
• An ability to contribute to the academic profile of the Faculty and the Social Work team in Wales in accordance with the Faculty’s research and scholarship priorities;
• Commitment to continuing personal development and updating in the field of Social Work;
• An understanding of factors that impact on language choice (Welsh/English) in Higher Education and in Social Work practice;
• An ability to work co-operatively in teams, and a capacity to undertake relevant initiatives independently including homeworking;
• An ability to network and develop effective working relationships with external organisations, including other Higher Education Institutions and Social Care Wales
• Good organisational skills and the ability to plan effectively and to prioritise a varied workload;
• A demonstrable ability to support the professional development of colleagues, with particular regard to promoting a bilingual learning environment;
• An ability to write clearly and to deadlines, in both Welsh and English;
• Ability to carry out the role in a way that is consistent with equality legislation and University policies;
• An ability to use information and communication technology for communication and administrative purposes;
• A willingness and ability to travel around Wales and to Milton Keynes, and to work some evenings and weekends.
• Ability to teach and support students fairly and respectfully in line with University policies.

Desirable criteria:

• Some experience of teaching adult learners, particularly in the context of distance learning and in a bilingual environment;

• Experience of delivering Social Work education;
• A higher degree and potential to develop a research and scholarship profile.
• Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy or the willingness to work towards an application.

Support with your application

If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on 01908 541111 or email careers@open.ac.uk quoting the advert reference number.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

What's in it for you?

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).

Flexible working

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

Working Location: It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where the successful candidate can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Cardiff Office, it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. Full-time working based from our Cardiff site is also supported if this is preferred by the candidate.  Expenses associated with travel to our Cardiff site are not reimbursable.

Next steps in the Recruitment process

Interview dates are still to be confirmed.

Early closing date notification

While most roles will remain open until the advertised closing date, applications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis. In some cases, vacancies may close earlier if a sufficient number of suitable applications has been received and equality impacts have been appropriately considered. All roles will remain advertised for a minimum of one week before any early closure is implemented.

If you have started an application or were in the process of applying when the advert closed, we encourage you to get in touch. We are committed to understanding individual circumstances and can offer further support where needed, including reasonable adjustments for applicants with protected characteristics.

How to apply

To apply for this role, please submit the following documents:

• CV
• A Supporting Statement of up to 1000 words. You should set out in your statement why you are interested in the role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the essential criteria for this role as detailed above.

You can view your progress and application communications when you are logged into our recruitment system.  Please check your spam/junk folders if you do not receive associated email updates.