Foundation Degree in Health & Social Care

This course is suitable for anyone with an interest in health and social care. You may already be employed within the sector and looking for a new challenge or starting out in a career in health & social care. It is suitable for those with level 3 qualifications or industry experience. You will be expected to undertake paid or voluntary work experience in a related health care setting throughout the duration of the course. A work experience placement will be dependent upon satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service clearance.

72 UCAS points made up of the following:

Level 3 qualification such as BTEC Extended Diploma in Health & Social Care
A levels in related subjects
Access to HE
Vocational qualifications/ experience
English GCSE

This is a two year programme of study commencing in September, delivered over 2 days per week. The Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care (FdSc) offers you the opportunity to develop core transferable skills and knowledge relevant to health care, social care and public health to enable you to gain employment in an area of your choice.

The award is clearly mapped to the 15 standards of the Care Certificate which you may be required to complete when working within health and social care sectors. You will look at many aspects of health and social care including life development from birth to older adult and will consider how external factors such as the environment and policy influence this development. You will develop core skills which are relevant to all health and social care areas, such as record keeping, safeguarding, and how you can affect the communication of others.

Level 4 (Year 1)

• Using Communication Skills in Health and Social Care (20 credits)
• Introduction to Academic Study and Employability Skills in Health and Social Care (20 credits)
• Human Growth and Development through a bio-psycho-social lens (20 credits)
• The Context of Health and Social Care (20 credits)
• Professional Issues In Health & Social Care (20 credits)
• Introduction to Safeguarding Children and Adults (20 credits)

Level 5 (Year 2)

• The Employable Graduate
• Research Skills for Health and Social Care
• Understanding Health & Social Care Organisations
• Introduction to Public Health and Health Promotion
  
  

With the option to choose additional modules such as Counselling, Dementia, Mental Health or Supporting Individuals, Families and Households.

This course does not contain traditional exams and wide range of assessment types is employed ensuring all students from any background, academic or vocational, have the opportunity to succeed, focusing on their strengths and developing new skills.

Respect for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion: students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives are well served by this course, in that students' learning needs is addressed both in and out of the classroom, and abundant support is provided in both individual and classroom basis; the diversity that students bring to this class be regarded as a resource, strength and benefit.

Health & social care is one of the largest employers locally and nationally, with around 350 different career opportunities. This Foundation Degree offers the opportunity to gain higher level qualifications with the benefit of studying locally. Students graduating from the Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care (FdSc) may be eligible to progress onto a relevant top up degree such as the BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care programme which is the designated degree top-up award with Staffordshire University.

As a graduate of Shrewsbury Colleges Group and awarding body Staffordshire University, you’ll gain employability skills and professional attributes that will help you to get ahead in the job market. There are also post graduate schemes within the sector linked to the allied health professions.