LEEDS CITY COLLEGE
HIGHER EDUCATION SCHEME
BA(Hons) Social Care
(Adult and Community)
COURSE HANDBOOK
Full time
2016/17
Contents Page
1 Welcome to the College……………………………… 4
2 About your course……………………………………… 5
3 Student Support System……………………………… 9
4 Your responsibilities as a student………………………… 11
5 Assessment………………………………………………………… 15
6 Academic and student regulations………………………… 23
7 Quality control…………………………………………………… 26
8 Have your say ……………..……………………………...... 28
9 Where to get help…………………………………………………..30
10 College HE Calendar……………………………Appendix 1 35
11 Learning Outcome grids………………………Appendix 2 37
12 Assessment grids……………………………… Appendix 3 39
13 Assessment timetable……………………… Appendix 4 40
1 Welcome to the College
1.1 Welcome from the Principal
I am delighted to have this opportunity to welcome you to Leeds City College.
Thank you for choosing to study a Higher Education course with us.
Our provision continues to be commended externally. In a recent HE inspection, carried out by the Higher Education Quality Assurance Agency in May 2016 (The QAA inspects all Universities and colleges) the high quality of our HE programmes was confirmed and it was noted that our approach to supporting and facilitating scholarly activity and the implementation of our new Virtual Learning Environment were areas of good practice.
We regularly seek the views of our students on the quality of their courses and use this information to make improvements. Student satisfaction is consistently high, with students commenting on the level of support provided and the quality of feedback they receive on their work.
At Leeds City College we know that the whole HE experience is at the heart of student success. That’s why, in addition to the actual teaching and learning experience, our campuses have a friendly, supportive atmosphere and we offer a range of support services which cater for individual needs.
We hope you enjoy your time with us.
Colin Booth
Chief Executive & Principal
1.2 Welcome to Leeds City College
Welcome to Leeds City College and the School Health, Social Care and Childcare. In particular, welcome to the BA (Hons) Social Care (Adult and Community).
This handbook provides you with information about your BA (Hons) Social Care (Adult and Community) course (which is validated by Teesside University), your faculty, your responsibilities as a student, support available to you, in addition to information about assessment and other regulatory issues.
Now that you have enrolled, our aim is to offer you all possible help and support to enable you to gain the qualification, prepare you to be successful in the social care sector.
The team is looking forward to meeting you and hopes that your time in Leeds is both enjoyable and successful.
Best wishes to you in your future studies.
Linda Cawthorne/ Pam Grieve
Head of Higher Education, Health, Social Care and Childcare
/Award Leader
BA (Hons) Social Care (Adult and Community).
1.3 Which Faculty is my course in?
Your Honours Degree course is located in the College’s Faculty of Health Caring and Public Services.
The organisation’s structure is as follows:
Director of Health, Social and Childcare Services : Suzy Gallahger
Head of Department Higher Education: Linda Cawthorne
Award Leader: Pam Grieve
Module Leaders
Module Lecturers
1.4 What facilities are available?
The college has Library plus facilities as well as teaching rooms with some computer access. There are some private study spaces for both quiet study and group study.
The Higher Education courses in the School of Health, Social and Childcare have a designated teaching suite.
1.5 What can I do once I graduate?
On completion of your Degree you can either work in the field of adult and community social care in a variety of settings. In addition to those working in traditional social care roles, it is ideal for those working with service users with disabilities, mental health issues or substance misuse who are accessing services in the community. This degree may create promotional opportunities within relevant social care settings.
2 About your course
2.1 Welcome to the course
Welcome to the BA (Hons) Social Care (Adult and Community). We hope you will enjoy your studies with us.
We have designed the curricula in consultation with employers to ensure it meets the requirements of the adult and community social care workforce. During the course you will have opportunities which will enable you to develop a range of technical, professional, vocational, employability transferable and key skills. We aim to:-
¨ develop lifelong, independent and reflective learners;
¨ enhance the employability and career prospects of learners;
¨ produce capable and well-rounded graduates who will contribute to the skill base of the local economy and region;
¨ up-skill practitioners already working in the social care sector;
¨ enhance career progression.
The course is delivered in 1 year full time.
2.2 Aims of the course
The overall aims of the programme are to:
¨ Prepare suitably qualified and knowledgeable graduates with the ability to work towards the changing requirements for Social Care Practitioners in light of current changes in legislation and the Winterbourne and Francis reports.
¨ Offer a robust BA honours programme that is relevant to contemporary social care philosophy and practice that will allow students to be autonomous and progress onto their chosen career.
¨ Produce graduates who have the ability to critically reflect and learn from their significant practical and workplace experience in an adult and social care context and have the ability to relate this experience to relevant theory.
¨ To encourage students to share their knowledge of sound practice in a work environment and to be aware of emerging trends and best practice.
¨ Produce graduates who have both subject specific skills and transferable skills (communication, teamwork, project management, reflective and reflexive practice) which are key to being employable within the social care sector.
2.3 Course Learning Outcomes
During your course you will have opportunities to develop a range of academic, professional and transferrable skills relevant to a professional working in the adult social care sector. These will include: independent working, research, critical evaluation, academic presentation of materials, independent learning, reflective practice skills and contribute to your continued professional development. The outcomes for level 6 are listed below.
Knowledge and UnderstandingCritically appraise theories, concepts and principles relevant to the adult social care sector.
Demonstrate a comprehensive and detailed knowledge of the role of the practitioner in the adult social care sector.
Plan, undertake and evaluate a negotiated, self- managed, major, relevant adult or community care related project.
Cognitive/Intellectual Skills
Critically appraise new knowledge and understanding of work practices in the adult social care sector.
Demonstrate openness to new concepts and ideas in identifying and defining complex problems relating to adult and community social care. Apply appropriate knowledge, tools and methods for their solution.
Appraise, evaluate and synthesise information relating to adult and community social care from a variety of sources and make independent judgements.
Practical/Professional Skills
Operate ethically within in a range of contexts, in the adult social care sector, whilst maintaining professional boundaries.
Act autonomously with limited supervision or direction within agreed guidelines.
Key Transferable Skills
Communicate clearly; fluently and effectively with adults; their families, carers and other professionals.
Engage effectively in academic discussion and present arguments in a professional manner.
Demonstrate critical reflection to enhance professional development and personal effectiveness relevant to your study and professional role.
2.4 What will I learn?
You will study the following modules during your course.
The modules build upon each other and your work related learning experience.
If you are studying on the BA full time you will attend college for 2 days per week. You will have increased contact time per module and tutorial and study support sessions on your timetable.
For full time study the research methods module will be taught in the first 10 weeks of the programme. The remainder 20 credit modules have the same number of delivery hours but have a flexible delivery model to allow for reflection and potential application to the dissertation module. These are delivered in both semester 1 and semester 2. (Weeks 1-25) The modules build upon each other and your work experience. The dissertation module will run from weeks 10-30 to compliment the research methods module and allow you to focus on your dissertation only, in the final 5 weeks.
Contemporary Discourse(20 credits)
Weeks 1-25 / Critical Reflection of Practice
(20 credits)
Weeks 1-20 / Specialist Provision in Social Care
(20 credits)
Weeks 1-25
Research Methods
(20 credits)
Weeks 1-10 / Dissertation
(40 credits)
Weeks 10-30
2.5 How will I learn?
A mixture of lectures, tutorials and seminars will be used. The lecture programme will impart the necessary principles and concepts. The seminars will be a mixture of student and tutor led sessions considering practical examples of the principles and concepts. The tutorials will take the form of individual support and feedback for students by tutors or other students. Tutor led sessions will be held to provide an opportunity for students to work on examples and case studies in the areas covered by the lectures.
Student-led tutorials will consist of action learning activities, discussion groups and report-back sessions which allow you to develop your research, communication and teamwork skills.
Your work related learning will enable you to demonstrate, and develop your employability skills throughout your course. You will be able to reflect on these skills and plan to further enhance your skills in the adult and community social care sector.
You need to be an independent learner and carry out research to ensure you have a comprehensive knowledge of the subjects studied. This will provide you with a starting point for your own independent research for your dissertation.
The BA (Hons) Social Care (Adult and Community) course is Higher Education and you must make your own notes. You need to write enough to ensure you have a good understanding of the subject, as a starting point for further reading and research and as a basis for your assignment work. A good set of notes, built up week by week, is the most valuable learning resource of all.
2.6 How will I be assessed?
For each module, you will complete one or two assessments which may contain a number of tasks. In addition, tutors may set ungraded or
formative assessments as part of the learning process. These formative assessments are important as they give you a chance to obtain feedback on your performance before your summative assessments. At the end of the module, a mark is awarded based on the evidence of the summative assessments.
Students will reflect upon their learning within their work experience and relate theory to their practice and action plan for their future progression and development.
You will have opportunities to engage in a range of activities in addition to your studies during your time at Leeds City College including volunteering, student societies, playing in College sports teams and being a student academic representative.
3 Student Support System
3.1 Who is going to teach me?
Your module lecturers are the members of the College staff who you will have most contact with. Their job is to manage and deliver their part (module) of your programme of study, assess and grade your work, and also give you continuous feedback on how you’re doing.
Lecturers aim to develop adult, professional relationships with students. You are encouraged to voice any concerns that you might have about your work with the lecturer concerned.
Our job is to do all we can to help you succeed but we can’t do this unless you talk to us about anything that is worrying you.
You will be allocated a personal tutor whose job it is to deal with any problems that can’t be settled at lecturer level, plus more general concerns that you might have, for example any problems you might have which may be affecting your work or work experience.
The Head of Higher Education, Health, Social Care and Childcare has overall responsibility for the running of the degree and the well-being of the students.
The Head of Higher Education, Health, Social Care and Childcare
for the course is Linda Cawthorne and the Award Leader is Pam Grieve.
Your BA (Hons) Social Care (Adult and Community) management team can be contacted:-
Telephone number: 0113 3087903 (Linda)
0113 2162446 (Pam)
E-mail address:
Or
Linda Cawthorne
Linda is the Head of Department for Higher Education for the Health and Caring Services. Linda has substantial experience of managing the training of childcare and social care professionals on a wide range of vocational courses at Leeds City College. Linda has specialised in working with children, young people and their families in social disadvantage and has studied a Masters in this field of work. She is interested in action research and how this can influence workplace practices.
Pam Grieve
Pam is the Award Leader for the Foundation Degree and BA (Hons) Social Care (Adult and Community). Pam is currently teaching on FdA Social Care (Adult and Community). Pam has a BA in Technology and is from a health background and was a practicing nurse. Pam keeps up to date with new approaches to counselling and supporting those experiencing difficult times.
Asam Siddiq
Asam has an Undergraduate degree in Law with Sociology and a Masters degree in Social Work. He is a qualified teacher (PGCE) and has been lecturing in the field of Health and Social Care since 2005. Asam has substantial experience of supporting young people in residential care and with adults with substance misuse issues. He is currently delivering several modules on the Foundation Degree and BA (Hons) in Adult Social Care programmes. Asam’s specific interest is in legal aspects of social policy and how these present themselves in practice.