BA Hons Education & Social Services

This module seeks to build upon students' practical knowledge and understanding gained at HNC level in a particular discipline and to extend their understanding of how practice is driven by the need to develop the concept of working collaboratively.  Auditing a range of services/settings will develop an insight and awareness of the complexities of professional practice in collaborative settings. Students will be introduced to the concept of analysing and evaluating material gathered from the audit.

This module aims to help students develop their professional and academic communication skills and give them confidence in academic research and writing. It develops professionals in education and social services who understand the knowledge, skills and values required to be successful in academic study and to work collaboratively.

This module is central to the aims of the degree, which seek to assist practitioners in developing best practice in working with users of services and fellow professionals. This module aims to assist students to begin the journey of effective academic reading and writing.

Students intending to work within community health, education or social services should familiarise themselves with the societal context in which they'll work. The ‘societal context’ refers to social factors that may influence the needs for services, and may also impact on their effective delivery. This awareness envelops the individual’s social responsibilities and the responsibilities of the professional groups involved in service provision.

Students will explore the nature of the 'community,' how it develops and how it is defined. Students will also look at the professional codes that facilitate social interaction, reciprocity and cooperation. Social problems and the roles of professionals are also explored.

This module shall lay the basis for issues that shall be developed further in Level 9: Context, Policy and Joint Working.

Professionals working with people need to understand the dynamics of human development and learning and the contexts that influence this. In order to enhance the quality of life for people who use Education and Social Services, professionals need to understand how people develop and learn. The aim of the module is to build on earlier study and enhance students' understanding of how learning and development is influenced by social, environmental, biological, cultural and personal factors.

Students in higher education need to understand the processes of learning and development in order to enhance their skills and maximise their own capacity for lifelong learning.

The integration of services through joint planning and delivery of services across health, education, community education, social work and related services has been identified as a key mechanism for supporting families, facilitating learning, protecting children, promoting health and wellbeing and empowering communities socially and economically. There is growing recognition that practitioners need to be competent in working with others in disciplines other than their own. This is, in part, recognition of a history of service failure arising from ineffective collaboration across disciplines.

Developing professionals in educational and social services are required to understand the knowledge, skills and values required to work collaboratively and the challenges to services themselves as they respond to the integrated services agenda.

This model provides a structured and supported introduction to quality frameworks and to how quality is evaluated. It is put into context by looking at students' placement experiences as well as exploring national contexts through consideration of policy, literature and e-learning sources.

The module also helps the development of a critical, evidence-based and reflective approach to professional development and professional action.

Particular emphasis is placed on students' ability to appreciate the theory of effective inter-agency and collaborative practice, including issues of individual and community empowerment, accountability and leadership.

Students will learn about the relationship of theory of community, family and human development to the development of social policy, with particular emphasis on effective inter-agency and collaborative practice and its implementation within students' practice placement.

This module aims to develop students' knowledge and understanding of issues affecting the leadership and management of self and others, the change process, management of conflict and a consideration of the skills required to successfully lead and manage in a social services establishment. This module is aimed at all professionals whether or not they hold posts of responsibility.

Students builds on and use the learning they have gained from the first module of this strand, How People Develop and Learn. A central theme throughout the module is developing understanding and awareness of the operation of discrimination and disadvantage at personal, cultural and structural levels.

Students will also develop their understanding of observation, assessment, recording, analysis and approaches to the management of behaviour as well as ways to support service users.

Students are prepared for undertaking a small-scale research project in this module. Students require a knowledge and understanding of contemporary literature, methods of data gathering and ethical issues related to conducting research.

The knowledge and skills gained will be transferable to further study and/or the workplace as there is increasing demand for enquiry-based practice. The module will support the development of a research proposal and consider the component parts required to write a dissertation. Successful completion of this module will allow students to progress to honours year.

Students further develop the professional knowledge, values and skills relevant for integrated practice and for managing a specific development project.

The placement will consolidate the student’s learning from across the course, particularly building on the key theories that have been introduced in the Management and Leadership in Integrated Services module. The module will have two phases: a project planning phase and a project implementation phase.

In order to further develop professional competences students will also continue to engage in the range of activities undertaken in Workplace Learning and Practice 1.

This class provides an extended work-based learning experience, which will enable students to apply knowledge and theory to integrated services. It'll offer opportunities for students to consider how integrated services meet the needs of service users, and understand the role of evidence informed practice in the delivery of services.

This class aims to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of contemporary practice issues in relation to specific service user groups. The class develops knowledge and skills in meeting the needs of people in a range of targeted services across the lifespan.

The aim of the class is to provide a formal and structured opportunity for consolidation of learning and planning for future learning and employment. Students will formally record and capture their learning and use this knowledge to gain relevant employment following graduation.

Students undertake a small-scale project for their honours dissertation in social work. It directly addresses the growing recognition that practitioners in Education and Social Care must be competent in reviewing using and conducting research.

This module contributes to an understanding of the lived experiences of children who are in alternative care arrangements and critically explores the challenges to integrated and partnership working in meeting the educational needs of looked after children.