About Us

We are a leading centre for excellence in social work education, research and consultancy. We work with a wide range of partners and networks from across the private and public health and social care sectors to improve professional practice and outcomes for people who use services.

Why cross-disciplinary social work?
What we do
How we do it
Our Achievements
How to get involved
Meet the team
Get in touch

Why cross-disciplinary social work?

We believe that social work is a cross-disciplinary profession that requires collaboration and integration with other disciplines, especially in the context of health and social care. We recognise the benefits and challenges of working across boundaries and sectors, and we aim to support social workers and other professionals to develop the skills, knowledge and values they need to deliver high-quality, person-centred and evidence-based care.
What we do

We offer a range of qualifying and post-qualifying social work programmes, as well as a wider CPD menu for health and social care professionals. Our programmes are flexible, responsive and innovative, designed to meet the needs of employers and practitioners in a changing policy and practice environment. We also provide research and consultancy services that inform policy and practice development, as well as generate new knowledge and insights into complex and emerging issues in health and social care.
How we do it

We are driven by Bournemouth University’s vision and strategic plan to be recognised as a sector leader for inspiring learning, advancing knowledge and enriching society through the fusion of education, research and practice. We adopt an interdisciplinary approach that combines theory, evidence and experience to create relevant and impactful learning opportunities, research projects and consultancy solutions. We also engage with our stakeholders, service users, carers and communities to ensure that our work is co-produced, co-delivered and co-evaluated.
Our Achievements

We are proud of our achievements and impact over the past 24 years. Here are some examples of how we have made a difference in health and social care:

We were the first centre of its kind to be established within a university in 1999, endorsed by the General Social Care Council (GSCC) and later by the College of Social Work as a CPD provider.

We have delivered outstanding CPD programmes to more than half of all English local authorities, as well as to many other organisations across the health and social care sector.

We have won several awards for our work, such as the Chartered Trading Standard Institute’s first institutional Hero Award in 2017 for our contribution to understanding the relationship between adult social care and Trading Standards enforcement around financial scams.

We have produced influential publications, such as the All Party Parliamentary Group report on Financial Scamming and Fraud in 2018, which was launched in Parliament and disseminated to every MP in the UK.

We have developed practical tools, such as the Mental Capacity Toolkit (https://mentalcapacitytoolkit.co.uk/) which helps practitioners assess mental capacity in relation to financial decisions.

We have created learning materials, such as the Age UK Scam Prevention and Support Toolkit which raises awareness of fraud and financial scams among older people.
How to get involved

We invite you to explore our new website, which will be launched in Autumn 2023. You will find more information about our programmes, research and consultancy activities, as well as how to book CPD directly through our online application portal. You will also find links to our research centre (the Centre for Seldom Heard Voices), our practice tools (such as the Mental Capacity Toolkit), our social media feeds (@nccdsw on Twitter and LinkedIn), and our bi-monthly newsletter.

We look forward to hearing from you and working with you to support your personal and organisational development needs.