Preventive social work

Competence goals

After completing this module, you will have developed a basic understanding of prevention, be able to identify undesirable developments in society, reflect on preventive approaches from a sociological, (socio-)political and economic perspective and categorise them from a social work perspective. You will have gained an overview of the aims of preventive action, its framework conditions, success factors and challenges as well as the limits of prevention.

Sub-modules

• BM1.1 Prevention science basics (basic understanding of prevention and central concepts; framework conditions, success factors and limits of prevention are worked out in discussion with practice representatives, among others)
• BM1.2 Fundamentals of social work science (theoretical traditions and basic concepts of social work; significance of classic and current empirical studies for current prevention issues)
• BM1.3 Sociological foundations (in-depth study of basic sociological concepts and theoretical approaches; focus on social inequalities and current social developments with close reference to prevention issues)
• BM1.4 (Social) policy fundamentals (relationships between (social) policy and prevention; preventive approaches at federal, state and local level and opportunities for strategic influence)
• BM1.5 Economic foundations (economic framework of social work and prevention; approaches to controlling individual and social behaviour, e.g. nudging)

Competence goals

You understand the necessity of using empirical methods in the context of prevention, are familiar with the various methodological approaches and research designs and are therefore able to understand research logic processes. You will be able to manage research processes as a client and carry out your own small-scale research projects.

Sub-modules

• BM4.1 Quantitative social research: data collection (1st semester; basics of standardised survey procedures, from planning and instrument development to sampling; the focus is on standardised surveys)
• BM4.2 Qualitative social research: data collection (1st semester; introduction to the epistemological foundations of reconstructive social research; qualitative questions, sampling strategies and various data collection approaches such as interviews and group discussions)
• BM4.3 Quantitative social research: data analysis (2nd semester; application-oriented basic knowledge of analysing quantitative data with a focus on inferential statistics and the use of software such as Excel and SPSS)
• BM4.4 Qualitative social research: data evaluation (2nd semester; selected evaluation approaches of qualitative social research - grounded theory, qualitative content analysis, documentary method, discourse analysis - in basic principles and practical application)

Competence goals

You will understand the connection between society, crime and criminal prosecution, be familiar with the history of criminology and be able to analyse and evaluate criminalisation processes and systems of social control as political-social constructs.

Sub-modules

• S1M1.1 Fundamentals of Criminology 1 (1st semester; introduction to the subject and basic concepts of criminology; basic theoretical strands; empirical recording of crime - light and dark field; meaning and purpose of punishment)
• S1M1.2 Fundamentals of criminology 2 (2nd semester; exemplary in-depth study of theoretical and thematic discourses in criminology; intensive reading is used to discuss positions on various approaches and their relevance for preventive social work)

Competence goals

You will be able to take a holistic view of social problems and assess the impact of crime prevention projects. You are familiar with the causes of delinquent behaviour and forensic diagnostics and can apply criminological research methods.

Sub-modules

• S1M2.1 Crime prevention 1 (1st semester; basic concepts and key aspects of crime prevention, with a special focus on local crime prevention)
• S1M2.2 Crime prevention 2 (2nd semester; specific areas of prevention such as domestic violence, youth violence, (cyber)bullying and hate crime; role of police prevention)
• S1M2.3 Crime prevention 3 (2nd semester; analysis of the topic area of youth and deviance; discussion of development-oriented prevention approaches in order to develop a critical reflection and an attitude towards good (crime) prevention social work)
• S1M2.4 Forensic psychology (1st semester; introduction to the principles and practice of forensic assessment in criminal law - culpability, criminal prognosis; high practical relevance through case presentations)
• S1M2.5 Methods of criminology (1st semester; with an explicit criminological focus, relevant research approaches are discussed that are important for the development and evaluation of crime prevention programmes)

Competence goals

You understand the formal legal language, are familiar with legal thought structures and can apply the law. You take into account the interests of both offenders and victims and are qualified to cooperate with law enforcement authorities.

Sub-modules

• S1M3.1 StGB, StPO and StVollzG (1st semester; criminal law basics; course of criminal proceedings; penitentiary law; supplemented by practical examples)
• S1M3.2 SGB VIII, JGG and JugendSchutzG (2nd semester; special features of juvenile criminal law and its relationship to secondary legislation as well as family law and child and youth welfare)
• S1M3.3 Victimology: Theory and practice of victim support (1st semester; needs of victims; psychosocial processing; victim protection law requirements to strengthen the victim perspective in the crime prevention discourse)

Competence goals

You will have learnt the basics of health promotion, prevention and rehabilitation, be able to differentiate between key concepts and be familiar with the German healthcare system and its political and economic framework conditions.

Sub-modules

• S2M1.1 Introduction to the healthcare system (introduction to the structures of the German healthcare system, including health insurance, cost and service providers and the professions involved)
• S2M1.2 Fundamentals of health promotion and prevention (definitions and models of health and illness; goals and levels of health promotion and prevention)
• S2M1.3 Fundamentals of rehabilitation (fundamentals of rehabilitation in Germany, including forms of provision and interfaces; forms of intervention; economic framework conditions; definitions of chronic illness; WHO disease impact model; participation concept)
• S2M1.4 Evidence-based practice (sensitisation to evidence-based practice and impact research in social work; researching evaluation studies and interpreting their results)

Competence goals

You will deepen your knowledge of models and theories of illness and health, be able to analyse the connections between social inequality and health, have become familiar with selected clinical pictures and understand their significance for prevention and rehabilitation.

Sub-modules

• S2M2.1 Social inequality and health (1st semester; analysing data on the epidemiology of illness and disability and the connections between health and social inequality in order to draw health and social policy conclusions)
• S2M2.2 Selected clinical pictures (2nd semester; clinic, course and aetiology of relevant chronic clinical pictures in their significance for coping with illness and rehabilitation)

Competence goals

You will have acquired basic social law knowledge in rehabilitation, health and long-term care insurance law and will be familiar with the structures, processes and legal provisions in the context of assessments and early retirement due to illness.

Sub-modules

• S2M3.1 Legal basics of prevention and rehabilitation 1 (1st semester; introduction to social law in general; basics of rehabilitation law (SGB IX), pension law (SGB VI), the personal budget, the prescription of follow-up treatment, outpatient rehabilitation measures, assessment and selected focal points from SGB VIII)

S2M3.2 Legal basics of prevention and rehabilitation 2 (2nd semester; essential basics of the social insurance systems of statutory health and long-term care insurance (SGB V and SGB XI) as well as living wills, care law and special features of labour law in the case of severe disability)

Competence goals

You understand the financial and business management framework of social work and prevention, know the basics of accounting and finance and are familiar with terms such as balance sheet, budget and controlling. In the elective area, you will have deepened your knowledge of institutional financing or market-orientated social marketing.

Sub-modules

• BM2.1 Social management and controlling (economic framework conditions (personnel, finance) and management (controlling) of social organisations based on monetary and performance-related key figures)
• BM2.2 Project planning and management (basics of impact-orientated project management: structure, concept, process and result quality; practical application of required techniques)
• BM2.3 Financing 1 (accounting and financing) (financial accounting (balance sheet, income statement) and cost and performance accounting based on this to calculate and manage projects)
• Elective area (one of the following two sub-modules):
  • BM2.4a Social Marketing (How can offers in social work satisfy the needs of customers and clients? Market research, offer design, communication and social value of prevention measures)
  • BM2.4b Financing 2 (types of financing) (building on knowledge of accounting, knowledge of various institutional sources of finance such as state funding, EU funding, donations and loans is deepened)

Competence goals

By working on a two-semester empirical practical research project in a small team, in cooperation with practice partners and under the close supervision of lecturers, you will have acquired basic knowledge for the management and implementation of empirical (evaluation) research in the course of developing a research design, developing survey instruments, collecting, processing and analysing data and preparing the final report.

Sub-modules

• S1M4.1 Research work with supervision 1 (2nd semester; design, field access and data collection of practical research)
• S1M4.2 Research work with supervision 2 (3rd semester; data analysis and documentation of practical research results)

Competence goals

By working on a two-semester empirical practical research project in a small team, in cooperation with practice partners and under the close supervision of lecturers, you will have acquired basic knowledge for the management and implementation of empirical (evaluation) research in the course of developing a research design, developing survey instruments, collecting, processing and analysing data and preparing the final report.

Sub-modules

• S2M4.1 Research work with supervision 1 (2nd semester; design, field access and data collection for practical research)
• S2M4.2 Research work with supervision 2 (3rd semester; data analysis and documentation of practical research results)

Competence goals

You are familiar with established health promotion and prevention programmes and can critically evaluate them. You will be able to independently justify needs and develop measures based on behavioural and relationship-oriented approaches.

Sub-modules

• S2M5.1 Case management (2nd semester; introduction to case management procedures aimed at needs-based support, assistance, promotion and care; presentation of the phases of case management and discussion of its applicability)
• S2M5.2 Applied health promotion and prevention 1 (selected settings) (2nd semester; practical implementation of measures in specific contexts and living environments - e.g. daycare centre, school, community; setting approach; elements and success factors of setting interventions)
• S2M5.3 Applied health promotion and prevention 2 (selected target groups) (3rd semester; target group-orientated approaches to health promotion, e.g. for children, men, women, migrants; implementation and critical discussion of such approaches)
• S2M5.4 Applied health promotion and prevention 3 (selected methods) (3rd semester; in-depth study and reflection on selected techniques and methods of health promotion and prevention in theory and practice; self-awareness if necessary)

Competence goals

You know the causes and explanatory approaches for social problems and can utilise these for preventative practice. You will be able to develop professional approaches to change social practice on the basis of psychological theories and can assess and implement relevant evaluation approaches.

Sub-modules

• BM3.1 Causes and explanatory approaches to social problems (basic understanding of the constitution and construction of social problems; analysis of specific problem situations such as poverty, exclusion, violence, addiction or radicalisation)
• BM3.2 Theoretical foundations for the design of change processes (learning and motivational psychological theories to understand problems and prerequisites for success in changing human behaviour)
• BM3.3 Change Management / Social Change (theory and practice of change processes; discussion of emancipatory approaches to place individual problems in social contexts and to change social practice)
• BM3.4 Evaluation and impact orientation (science-based evaluation approaches; discussion of their social significance; reflection on principles of evaluative thinking and action)
• BM3.5 Reflexivity of professional identity in the context of prevention (reflection on the significance of the person in professional relationships using the differential psychological concept of the enneagram; self-awareness-orientated form of teaching and learning)

Competence goals

You will be familiar with alternatives to conventional criminal practice such as restorative justice, be able to deal with different groups of offenders and victims, consider aspects of gender and diversity and be familiar with national and international crime prevention bodies and strategies.

Sub-modules

• S1M5.1 Restorative justice vs. criminal sanctions (theories of crime and changes in the purposes of punishment; the idea of reparation and restorative justice models as an alternative to conventional sanctions)
• S1M5.2 Criminology of marginalised groups (examination of selected social groups and their positioning in the social context on the basis of analytical dimensions such as structural disadvantage and risks of exclusion)
• S1M5.3 National and international criminology and crime prevention (European and international strategies, networks and topics of crime prevention, e.g. state crimes, international criminal law, transitional justice)

Competence goals

You will understand the political science context of crime prevention and be familiar with practical forms of crime policy. You will be able to critically categorise and evaluate current media events and how they are dealt with in terms of crime policy.

Sub-modules

• S1M6.1 Introduction to criminal policy (3rd semester; development of criminal policy; variability of criminal law; interplay between the media and society's perception of safety)
• S1M6.2 Current issues in criminology, crime prevention and criminal policy (4th semester; fields, target groups and important issues of criminal policy, such as criminal legislation, victim protection and local and international aspects)

Competence goals

Using examples from different organisations, you will be able to gain an overview of the structures and framework conditions of health promotion, prevention and rehabilitation. You will have gained insights into future fields of work through co-operation with practice partners.

Sub-modules

• S2M6.1 Structures of health promotion and prevention (3rd semester; state, public and independent organisations at federal, state and municipal level; in-depth study of the public health service)
• S2M6.2 Functions and structures of rehabilitation (3rd semester; function and structure of rehabilitation and prevention facilities; institutions of the rehabilitation chain from medical to occupational rehabilitation)
• S2M6.3 Rehabilitation institutions (4th semester; excursion to inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation facilities in the region)

Competence goals

You will have in-depth knowledge of the importance of social space for prevention and will be able to develop, implement and review preventive approaches at a socio-spatial level, taking into account both local political and social work perspectives.

Sub-modules

• BM5a.1 Strategic prevention work in the context of (partial) social urban development (strategic starting points for municipal prevention when linking urban development, social planning and social work)
• BM5a.2 Fields of action and target groups of municipal prevention (overview of the diversity of challenges and actors in municipal prevention; discussion of the need for gender- and migration-sensitive approaches)
• BM5a.3 Socio-spatial prevention (principles of social space orientation and neighbourhood management; understanding of social space-sensitive prevention work using practical examples)

Competence goals

You will have acquired knowledge of organisational framework conditions and the interrelationships between structural and procedural organisation, you will have acquired the basics of structural and personal leadership and will be able to reflect on practical leadership problems.

Sub-modules

• BM5b.1 Organisation and personnel (introduction to the system of social service providers and personnel management - planning, recruitment, assessment, development)
• BM5b.2 Employee management (practical development of the rules of direct employee management on the basis of management theories and communication rules)
• BM5b.3 Leadership of teams (optimisation of team performance; experience of team dynamic processes and their reflection with regard to management options)

Competence goals

Your preparation of scientific texts and your oral presentation and argumentation show that you have acquired the in-depth specialist knowledge required for the transition to professional practice, have an overview of specialist contexts, can work independently in a scientific manner, apply scientific findings and recognise their significance for society and professional practice.

Sub-modules

• S1M7.1 Master's thesis
• S1M7.2 Defence

Competence goals

Your preparation of scientific texts and your oral presentation and argumentation show that you have acquired the in-depth specialist knowledge required for the transition to professional practice, have an overview of specialist contexts, can work independently in a scientific manner, apply scientific findings and recognise their significance for society and professional practice.

Sub-modules

• S2M7.1 Master's thesis
• S2M7.2 Defence