Professor Wilson Muleya

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Wilson Muleya
About
Teaching and learning
Research
Business, knowledge transfer and international
Professional practice, knowledge exchange and impact
Leadership and management

About

I am the Head of Department of Social Work and Social Care, and Professor of Social Work. In my role, I am accountable for and have strategic oversight of student experience including student progression and retention, facilitating and continually improving the quality of teaching in the department to ensure the curriculum engages with research and practice and meets academic benchmarks and regulatory professional body requirements. I  also have overall responsibility for recruitment, management, performance and development appraisal of academic staff in the department.

I am a Principal Fellow of HEA (PFHEA). Over the years I have led on a number of new course developments including the BA (Hons) Social Work delivered in Gibraltar (with partners), the BA (Hons) Social Work Integrated Degree Apprenticeship co-created in partnership with London employers, the establishment of our regional teaching partnership (Developing Together Social Work Teaching Partnership), and a Step Up to Social Work route. I also led our involvement in the DfE's National Assessment and Accreditation System (NAAS) pilot working in a consortium with other partners.  

My research interests and teaching expertise centre on theory application in practice particularly on exploring the effectiveness of different intervention approaches. I am equally interested in strategic approaches to the adaptation of new technologies in learning and teaching in higher education. I have worked with a number of international partners to develop opportunities to enable and support students to undertake short international practice learning placements. 

I am a registered social worker with Social Work England, and an external examiner at other universities. I Co-Chair the University's Race Equality Charter (REC).

Academic responsibilities

School Head of Department

Qualifications

  • PhD, Social Policy, University of Birmingham
  • Master of Social Science, University of Birmingham
  • Bachelor of Social Work (with Distinction), University of Zambia
  • Diploma in Social Work, University of Birmingham
  • Postgraduate Certificate, Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Kingston University
  • Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM)

Teaching and learning

Social work education is situated in a fast-moving environment of partnership working in which new routes to qualified status are emerging and new constituents of learners are being recognised. Working at the interface of education and practice, I anticipate change, innovate, build, and lead strong teaching partnerships drawing on my facilitative and inclusive leadership approach. 

Recognising a shift in Government funding towards employer-HEI partnerships, I coordinated (2018) and led a successful tender application to work with 33 London employers (through LondonADASS) to co-create a BA Social Work Integrated Degree Apprenticeship. I led the development of a new teaching and learning strategy underpinned by apprenticeship principles and created new structures that embedded and supported KU policies at institutional and regional levels across a large partnership, albeit institutional structural challenges. This new growth area comes with a complex set of compliance rules that I ensured were met both at institutional and regional level. 

I have led a transformation in the Department whereby it is now outward looking towards its regional and national social work community through the establishment of Developing Together Social Work Teaching Partnership (DTSWTP) and dynamic in terms of its participation in national initiatives (such as National Assessment and Accreditation Scheme (NAAS), Social Work Integrated Degree Apprenticeship, Department for Education funded Step Up to Social Work fast track programme).

In the process, I have developed agency in the staff team, developing their reach regionally and nationally. This work has also delivered significant professionally orientated learning opportunities and advantages to our students.

Undergraduate courses taught

Postgraduate courses taught

Research

My research interests centre on theory application in practice particularly on exploring the effectiveness of different intervention approaches.

I have supervised a PhD student to completion (second supervisor), chaired an EdD viva panel, and examined a mock EdD.

Publications

Jump to: Article | Book Section | Monograph
Number of items: 8.

Article

Hood, Rick, Gorin, Sarah, Goldacre, Allie, Muleya, Wilson and Bywaters, Paul (2020) Exploring drivers of demand for child protection services in an English local authority. Child & Family Social Work, 25(3), pp. 657-664. ISSN (print) 1356-7500

Richardson, Angela, Pedley, Gillian, Akhtar, Farrukh, Pelone, Ferruccio, Chang, Jacqueline, Muleya, Wilson and Greenwood, Nan (2016) Psychosocial interventions for people with young onset dementia and their carers: a systematic review. International Psychogeriatrics, 28(9), pp. 1441-1454. ISSN (print) 1041-6102

Muleya, Wilson (2006) A comparative study of social work intervention in context in Zambia and England. International Social Work, 49(4), pp. 445-457. ISSN (print) 0020-8728

Book Section

Muleya, Wilson (2016) Applying theory in practice. In: Davies, Keith and Jones, Ray, (eds.) Skills for social work practice. London, U.K. : Palgrave. pp. 105-120. ISBN 9781137390264

Muleya, Wilson (2007) Understanding African values in teaching. In: Ixer, G., (ed.) Practice Learning: perspectives on globalisation, citizenship and cultural change. London, UK : Whiting & Birch. pp. 41-60. ISBN 9781861770516

Muleya, Wilson (2005) Understanding African cultural values. In: Ixer, Graham, (ed.) Practice learning: perspectives on globalisation, citizenship and cultural change. London, UK : Whiting & Birch. ISBN 9781861770516

Monograph

Hood, Rick, Lindsay, Jane and Muleya, Wilson (2015) Caring Dads: multi-site evaluation in London 2013-2015: final report. (Project Report) Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Kingston University and St George's, University of London. 107 p. (Unpublished)

Hood, Rick, Lindsay, Jane and Muleya, Wilson (2014) Evaluation of Caring Dads: a single site evaluation in an urban local authority: interim report. (Project Report) Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Kingston University and St George's, University of London. 60 p. (Unpublished)

This list was generated on Wed Sep 13 06:46:50 2023 BST.

Business, knowledge transfer and international

As part of my leadership role and work within our regional teaching partnership (DTSWTP) I have led on the development of an innovative community providing KU with an adequate and reliable supply of statutory student placements that enhance employability. I lead social work academic to co-create with employers a vibrant learning community, recognising employers' needs and finding ways in which my department might contribute to meeting them (for instance our recently launched regional Postqualifying frameworks). This approach of integrating various interests has been the development of systems which are reciprocally beneficial, and which result in good opportunities for social work students and their potential employers.

Through our Teaching Consultants under DTSWTP, we support practitioners to contribute to student learning on our courses and enable academic staff, through the Academics in Practice arrangements to support employers whilst enhancing their own practise.

In our participation in the DfE funded NAAS pilot, I lead and supported Lead Assessors (from my department) responsible for supporting Assessment Centre Assessors and monitoring standards, drawing on our expertise in this area.

Both DTSWTP and NAAS have provided knowledge exchange opportunities and generated significant income for the the institution. 

Professional practice, knowledge exchange and impact

Institutional lead for Social Work and Social Care ensuring provision meets Social Work England (the Professional and Statutory Regulatory Board) standards through submission of annual reports.

Institutional lead overseeing Social Work Education Grant, ensuring timely accountability and submissions of annual reports signed over by VC.

Oversight of provision of practice placements. Working with DTSWTP partners developed systems for allocating students to placements.

Through membership of Joint University Council, Social Work Education Committee (JUC-SWEC), contribute to discussions / formal consultation on regulatory framework and policies that inform sector developments.

Leadership and management

I have led a transformation in the Department notable in its current ranking as 2nd in London (2022 Guardian University League tables).

Under my leadership, I established a DfE funded teaching partnership, run a successful course in collaboration with the Government of Gibraltar, and developed two new course (Degree Apprenticeship and Step Up to Social Work) and a Postqualifying framework and a suite of Postqualifying courses. These have generated great opportunities for staff development and had significant impact on student learning.

I worked with HR to establish a structure to support Associate Professors in the Department to take up delegated line management responsibilities, thereby created supportive opportunities for innovation and new experiences in response to university strategy.

Co-Chair of Kingston University's Race Equality Charter.