Heather Sparks (Current student):
"Just wanted to say thank you for such a great course/module that has pushed me beyond what I thought I could achieve."
Lindsey Bampton (Current student):
“I'd definitely recommend this course. I'm learning so much and it fits well with full time employment. The staff in the School of Law have been amazing. I am so glad I waited for the right MA to come along."
Philippa Uren (2017-2019):
“The MA Safeguarding Adults: Law, Policy and Practice has been challenging and thought provoking. It has challenged me on a professional and personal level and taught me to challenge my own decisions and those of others involved in adult safeguarding. It has given me the knowledge of the legal aspects of safeguarding that I have used to underpin my professional decisions. The lectures and seminars were well presented and allowed the group to have debates and express very different views on the topics delivered. This debate allowed challenge of each other and tutors in a safe environment where everyone felt valued. The assignments were well spaced out throughout the year and the support and feedback was well structured allowing for constant reflection and improvement. The dissertation module was very tough (when working full time) but taught me how to manage my time in a structured way. I have enjoyed all aspects of the course and have recommended to peers.”
Kelly McAleese (2016-2018):
“When I enrolled on the course in 2016, I had no idea how valuable I would find the experience. I already had an interest in Social Care law but my time at Keele significantly broadened the scope of my awareness and understanding in this area of practice. I met so many likeminded people, who alongside the staff at Keele, challenged my thinking and most definitely helped me to grow as a professional working in adult social care. The teaching and course structure were excellent; a real mixture of law, theory and practice with experienced guest speakers and helpful interactive seminars. Whilst working full time and completing my dissertation was a challenge, I focussed on a topic I was passionate about and that, alongside supportive and responsive staff, helped to make the experience less daunting. The course definitely gave me confidence as a manager within a local authority, it reaffirmed my enthusiasm for this area of practice and has inspired me to continue developing my interest in social care law and share that commitment to it with the practitioners I now support.”
Bruno Ornelas (2016-2018):
“I enrolled on the MA Safeguarding Adults programme with a professional background in supporting adults with needs linked to multiple exclusion and homelessness. For years I worked in the homelessness sector as an outreach worker, including homeless hostels, tenancy support projects and in a variety of management roles. As an experienced professional I found that there was little research or training around adult safeguarding to draw on, in particular to understand what constitutes ‘positive practice’ and the services and support that are needed to address these problems, particularly where they intersect with substance misuse and other extreme forms of deep social exclusion such as ‘rough sleeping’.
The MA was very challenging but highly insightful on an intellectual level as well as being practically useful from a casework perspective, which is not always an easy combination to strike. The staff at Keele are genuinely interested in your development and potential to contribute to the growing body of evidence surrounding adult safeguarding. There’s lots of opportunity for debate with other students and staff which makes for a stimulating and vibrant learning environment. I particularly took a lot of learning from discussions surrounding the relationship between individual autonomy and protection. The support I got from the School of Law was first class, the staff completely understand that students may be returning to academia after a period away from learning and understand that students will have other commitments around work or family and will do what they can to support you.
Since the course I have been promoted to Head of Service and appointed Safeguarding Lead for a large voluntary sector organisation. I have also done several talks and delivered training at local, regional and national conferences, contributed to research and worked with government to produce a series of good practice briefings around homelessness and safeguarding.
I’d highly recommend this course if you’re up for a positive challenge and want to enhance your knowledge base to make you even better at what you already do.”
Zoe Batesmith:
"I would like to thank you (Professor Alison Brammer) for the excellent teaching on the first year of the course; plainly a great deal of effort and care has gone into ensuring that the content is both stimulating and comprehensive. Your knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject was obvious. I have been left with a very favourable impression of Keele and the quality of teaching, especially in the interactive methods which enabled me to gain so much from the knowledge and experience of my co-students."
Vanessa Davies:
"Having worked with vulnerable adults for about 20 years, qualifying as a nurse 25 years ago, I've seen practices change and very often helped to influence those changes. I didn't really think I needed any other qualifications to help my career and then I saw the advert for the MA safeguarding adults, law, policy and practice, in the Community Care magazine. With no degree but years of experience I wasn't sure I'd be accepted or even, that I could do it, but I went for it anyway. Managing a very large nursing home, supporting a teenager through A Levels and doing the MA was very difficult, but I had lots of support both at home and at Keele.
The MA has had a huge effect on my career. Since graduating I've been appointed Safeguarding Lead for a large care provider, I've written and had published an article in Nursing and Residential Care magazine, I've been asked to write a further article and invited to sit on the advisory board for International Dementia Conference, I am convinced that none of this would have been possible without my MA. With the focus more and more on protecting vulnerable adults, I cannot recommend this course enough."
Chelle Farnan:
“I’m a bit of a legal geekgirl and I can get a bit carried away by the intricacies of the safeguarding legal landscape. The MA in Safeguarding Adults: Law, Policy and Practice absolutely triggered this almost anorak level of love for the law and the experience of completing the qualification was hugely rewarding, tough at times and yet enjoyable. I have made life-long friends and I believe holding this MA has been an accelerant to my career. At the time of writing, 1st November 2019, I am on my first day in a new role in the NHS England and NHS Improvement National Safeguarding team as ‘Mental Capacity Act / Liberty Protection Safeguards Programme Manager’ to lead on the NHS implementation of the Mentals Capacity (Amendment) Act 2019. The interview for this post was one of the most difficult I have ever been through, so you can imagine my feelings when the panel reacted favourably to me talking about the MA, the grounding in law it has given me and the tools for understanding legal mechanisms and language in order to interpret emergent statute and case law. “
