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Undergraduate study
Working With Children and Young People

Working With Children and Young People FdA

The course seeks to ensure that you become an effective reflective practitioner and make a positive impact in your vocational area of working with children and young people. It also enables you to link your practice to theory in relevant and meaningful ways, critically evaluate the appropriateness of different approaches to solving and apply these in a work context.

 

Course overview

The course also aims to:

• give you an applied understanding of multi-disciplinary working within the area of children and young people

• draw on a range of academic disciplines to familiarise you with the characteristic debates and contestations relevant to working with children and young people

• promote the education, development and well-being of the children, young people and families with whom you work, in the context of promoting inclusion, safety and social justice

• facilitate the development and demonstration of key work-related competencies and expertise in multi-agency and integrated working professional standards and settings

• encourage you to develop a set of common values for practitioners that promote equality, respect diversity and challenge stereotypes in your own settings and in the wider social context of learning

• enable you to become a reflective learner by questioning your own experiences, current thinking and conduct reasoned argument in the context of wider debates, and of social scientific research.

• present a variety of progression routes for you to consider a range of work settings that meet employers’ requirements.

This is an award of Teesside University delivered in partnership with Darlington College and Hartlepool College of Further Education.

Download pdf Order prospectus

 

Course details

Course structure

Year 1 core modules

Childhood and Youth Development

You will be introduced to key academic theories and models of children and young people’s development, and engage with sociological and psychological perspectives on childhood and youth, to examine how these differing perspectives provide an interesting and contested understanding of growing up.

You consider the key physical, intellectual, linguistic, emotional and social aspects of development, alongside adolescent theory. You also explore sociological perspectives, including (sub) culture theory and transitions within the life course, and the changing nature of transitions in contemporary UK society.

Developing Work-based Practice

You are introduced to the initial aspects of effective practice in working with children and young people. Typically, you will demonstrate through your practice and academic work, core principles, skills, and values of working with children and young people and to use this knowledge to identify needs and support needs of children and young people.

The module incorporates a minimum of 60 hours of work-based learning to enable you to develop your skills, whist making links to underpinning theory and knowledge.

Relationship Building and Effective Communication

You gain an introduction to key communication and effective listening skills to build relationships with children and young people. You explore the importance of listening and responding effectively to the concerns and needs of children, young people and families. Drawing upon a range of interpersonal skills and insights into practice interventions, including mentoring, coaching and basic counselling, you learn skills and supporting knowledge in areas such as listening, building rapport, showing empathy, and importance of negotiation, dialogue, summarising and explaining.

Understanding Learning for Inclusive Practice

You gain an introduction to understanding learning and its importance for children and young people’s social and individual development. You consider key learning theories and the process of learning.

You are encouraged to examine key issues associated with learning and inclusion through appreciation of the inequalities and barriers, and the importance of designing learning to reflect a diverse range of learner needs.

 

Year 2 core modules

Enhancing Work-based Practice

This is an opportunity to demonstrate practitioner skills at Level 5 which see you increasingly able to operate with increased autonomy to shape and inform your practice. Your understanding of working with others will be developed to take you beyond the team setting to explore external contexts and arrangements, collaborative working and to analyse the key challenges for effective practice.. You will be encouraged to recognise that integrated working is integral to all practitioners who come into contact with children and young people.

In addition, you explore supervision and leadership theory and examine the distinction between managing and leading work within the children and young people’s workforce. You apply practice knowledge and methods which secure positive change and outcomes from practice interventions.

The module incorporates a minimum of 60 hours of work-based learning to enable you to develop your skills, whist making links to underpinning theory and knowledge.

Policies in Practice Contexts

You further develop understanding of the practice contexts through exploration of professional standards and codes of ethics, and the contemporary social policy agendas that shape and inform practice. You explore a range of relevant policy arenas, including safeguarding, health, participation, and involvement, which relate to areas of interest and practice. Critical skills of inquiry into the implications of a specific policy for the nature of work and interventions with children, young people and their families are developed. You explore how the changes in policy environments impacts on the role of the practitioner, considering some ethical dilemmas and the implications for practice policies, priorities and methods.

Promoting the Wellbeing and Resilience of Children and Young People

You increase your knowledge and understanding of the importance of promoting the wellbeing and resilience of children and young people. Current and contemporary aspects of safeguarding policy and practice will be explored examining how professionals involved meet children’s needs and maintain their rights.

You demonstrate your ability to use this knowledge to identify and support safeguarding needs of children and young people.

Use of Data for Evidence-based Practice

You develop research skills and apply gained knowledge to practice, and identify and analyse relevant secondary data sources to devise a profile for a specific neighbourhood. The module enables you to identify some key academic literature and theories within children and young people studies. It encourages you to relate this knowledge to a contemporary issue affecting children and young people and will emphasise the importance of using key data to inform and shape the approaches to work with children and young people.

 

Modules offered may vary.

 

How you learn

You study part-time at one of the University’s partner colleges in Darlington or Hartlepool.

- Darlington College runs this course over one afternoon / evening per week.
- Hartlepool College runs this course over one afternoon / evening per week.

You learn in working groups, lectures, seminars and substantial work-based learning. Supportive and effective colleagues in the workplace are a major benefit to the study.

How you are assessed

You are assessed through essays, reports, annotated bibliographies, discussions, portfolios of evidence and presentations.


Our Disability Services team provide an inclusive and empowering learning environment and have specialist staff to support disabled students access any additional tailored resources needed. If you have a specific learning difficulty, mental health condition, autism, sensory impairment, chronic health condition or any other disability please contact a Disability Services as early as possible.
Find out more about our disability services

Find out more about financial support
Find out more about our course related costs

 

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

You will have a Level 3 qualification in a relevant subject and be employed or volunteer in a relevant setting with children or young people from 5 - 25 years of age at least one day a week. Ideally you will have GCSE maths and English and have the support of your employer to attend the course, and be able to learn in the workplace.

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (formerly an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau check) is required for this course.

For general information please see our overview of entry requirements


You can gain considerable knowledge from work, volunteering and life. Under recognition of prior learning (RPL) you may be awarded credit for this which can be credited towards the course you want to study.
Find out more about RPL

 

Employability

Work placement

You will need to be working with young people for at least 5 hours a week to collect the evidence required for the work-based modules which constitute half of each year’s credits.

Career opportunities

You can progress onto the BA (Hons) Working with Children and Young People or the BA (Hons) Education and Training. Progression into various teacher training programmes and social work are possible once an honours degree is achieved.

 
 

Full-time

  • Not available full-time
 

Part-time

2024/25 entry

Fee for UK applicants
£3,960 (120 credits)

More details about our fees

Apply online (part-time)

 

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Get in touch

UK students

Email: ssshladmissions@tees.ac.uk

Telephone: 01642 738801


Online chat (general enquiries)

 

Open days and events

College DiscoverUni data (part-time)

 
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