BA (Hons) Working with Children, Young People and Families Top-up

Develop your skills and knowledge to work professionally with children, young people and families on our top-up degree course highly sought after by employers. 

Develop skills and knowledge so to contribute to a changing society with services for children, young people and families. 

Learn in a positive and inclusive learning environment that encourages student participation. 

Prepare to be part of the global workforce by accessing opportunities for international voluntary experience. 

Our top-up course has a strong commitment to equality, inclusion and social justice, preparing you to make a real difference to children, young people and families. We will develop your knowledge and experience of the practice landscape and current research/policy, enabling you to work in a diverse range of settings such within; local authorities, voluntary sector agencies, schools/colleges, social care and youth services. 

Modules 

Safeguarding Children, Young People and Families through a Strength-Based Lens 

This module examines complex and contemporary safeguarding practice within a framework of strengths-based, person-focused approaches. You’ll explore the background, context and theory base of strength-based approaches to working with children, young people and families.  

You’ll study topics such as:  
Signs of safety   
Family group conferencing  
Culture and faith   
Online harms  
Contextual safeguarding  
Child safeguarding practice reviews 
Restorative approaches  
Trauma-informed practice 

Becoming a CYPF Practitioner 
This module enables you to develop a critical understanding of the children, young people and families professional landscape, as well as the skills to navigate it.  

You’ll study topics such as:  
Managing inter-professional and/or partnership working 
De-escalation techniques and diplomacy  
Chairing skills and knowledge  
Service user engagement and relationship building in challenging contexts  
Theories and concepts of power, influence and authority  
Professional accountability in practice situations 

Creative Research Skills with CYPF 
This module allows you to undertake a sustained, in-depth, topic-based project that’s relevant to working with children, young people and families.  

You’ll apply learning and skills such as:  
Choosing and justifying a CYPF topic  
Use of relevant media and/or IT  
Creative skills  
Knowledge sharing  
Research skills  
Planning and evaluating

Supporting Families with Multiple and Complex Needs 
This module develops your skills and knowledge in working with families experiencing?multiple and complex needs. You’ll learn to address disadvantage to promote better outcomes for children, young people and families.  

You’ll study topics such as:   
Origins and cycles of multiple and complex needs   
How poverty and disadvantage impacts housing, behaviour, education, employment and training  
Working with the whole family while keeping the child’s needs at the centre  
Successful engagement and relationship building   
Whole family assessment, planning, implementation and review processes  
Setting and achieving goals with strength-based approaches to support positive outcomes  
Co-ordinating successful multi-agency working and information sharing  
Evidence-based interventions  
Relevant government policies and guidance

The course is designed to give you the knowledge, skills, confidence, and readiness to secure and succeed on your placements.  

Guest lecturers will be used to enhance your experience and learning on the course. These experts compliment the knowledge and experience of course teaching staff through sharing context-specific examples of the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to succeed in the professional setting.

Field trips are an important way to support our approach to applied learning. These opportunities will help you understand the wider context of your learning and provide an insight into working practice. 

Volunteering during the course is greatly encouraged, this also provides you with networking opportunities.   

Graduates of this course have gone on to work in; 

• educational settings (nurseries, schools, colleges, Pupil Referral Units)
•  social care (local authority & voluntary sector)
•  family support and early intervention (local authority & voluntary sector)
•  community development and outreach (specialist domestic abuse, refugees, drug misuse, homelessness etc)
•  probation, police and legal settings 

On graduating from the BA (Hons) Top Up students are also able to access a range of post-graduate courses. 

Applicants who hold the Foundation Degree Working with Children, Young People and Families will automatically be eligible to apply to the BA (Hons) Working with Children, Young People and Families.  

Applicants who hold a Foundation Degree in a relevant discipline or who hold 240 credits in health or social care related studies will also be eligible to apply to the programme. 

Academic Qualifications: At UG level  

Foundation Degree Working with Children, Young People and Families. 

Foundation Degree in a relevant discipline e.g. social care. 

240 credits in health or social care related studies.  

Applicants should demonstrate that they have at least 400 hours of relevant experience in the field of working with children, young people and families.