About the programme

This degree aims to prepare you to work in any sector of social care and related professional work such as policy making, working with specific communities of elders, ethnic minorities, and vulnerable people.
What you learn will help you to help others – whether that‘s children, families, the older population and those with mental health needs. Social care covers everything from families under stress to people with problems related to drugs or alcohol, violence in relationships and communities with special needs. And whether care is needed in a hospital, residential centre or people‘s own homes, knowing you can make a difference gives you a high level of career satisfaction.
This is a degree that‘s firmly based in the real world. You will use theories, concepts and academic work to develop your understanding and build your effectiveness. So as well as studying theoretical, academic topics, your focus is on understanding the practical complexities of social care provision from the very start, using case studies and exercises based in real-world scenarios. All the course materials are designed by experts in this field, specifically designed for students in a distance learning situation.

Programme modules:

Level 1

• Skills for Learning Social Care
• Who Cares? The Social Care Mosaic
• Supporting Children, Young People and Families
• Exploring Social Care in Theory and Practice
• Social Care With and Within Groups
• Caring in Context: Poverty, Exclusion and Care

Level 2

• Social Care Practice 1
• Research Skills for Social Care
• Personal Lives, Identities and Social Care
• Contemporary Social Policy
• Violence in Everyday Life
• Legal Contexts of Care

Level 3

• Social Care Practice 2
• Bodies and Minds
• Crime and Justice
• Education and Everyday Life
• Research Project
• Housing and Homelessness

Learning materials

Textbooks are provided with specially written study guides containing interactive materials. Opportunities for student/student and student/tutor discussion are provided via our Student Community website. Additional learning resources include access to the ATHENS database and the UK Libraries Plus system.

Assessment and examinations

Assessment is through a mixture of coursework and examination. Coursework includes essays, logs, research projects, practical tasks and a final-year dissertation. Assessment at Level 1 is often by coursework, in order to provide you with maximum feedback and guidance. Across Levels 2 and 3, the emphasis shifts to examination-based assessment, but there will be no more than four exams per level.

Duration

 Each module requires 200 study hours (approximately six months) but you can study more than one module at a time.

Award

BA (Hons) Social Care on successful completion of the full programme. You can also study individual modules, or gain a Certificate of Higher Education, Diploma of Higher Education or an Ordinary BA degree, depending on the number of modules completed.