Certificate of Higher Education in Health and Social Care

UCAS code: L511

Here's what Royal Holloway, University of London says about its Certificate of Higher Education in Health and Social Care course.

This CertHE Health and Social Care is a one-year introduction to the UKs health and social care sector. It will introduce you to health studies and social care, including knowledge and understanding of skills, theories, and workplace issues in the sector, which has seen many changes and ever evolving change of needs in the last few years.

Delivered jointly by health and social care academics from the School of Law and Social Sciences and our Department of Health Studies, you’ll be taught by experts who research and teach on what matters in today’s world.

The course is a mix of time spent in the classroom and a placement. You’ll be introduced to social care and the health workforce and how human behaviour and experiences are influenced by social and interactional experiences. You’ll gain competences relevant to the world beyond the theory through a 160-hours placement included in the course. This placement can be taken in any relevant setting such as working with adults, children, people with learning difficulties and mental health issues. This emphasis on employability skills prepares you for your future by giving you practical experience and transferable skills which can be used in a variety of careers.

Your course enables you to qualify as an Early Intervention Practitioner (HTQ). The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide intervention services early in identified cases to help prevent a complex solution needed later. Graduates will be able to apply for jobs across adult and children social care including family support worker, senior care worker, early help practitioner, residential care worker, social work assistant, reablement worker, mental health support worker and health and social care practitioner.

The course can also be the start of your undergraduate BSc degree if you wish to progress directly onto the second year of the BSc Health and Social Care after having finished your Cert HE Health and Social Care.

From time to time, we make changes to our courses to improve the student and learning experience. If we make a significant change to your chosen course, we’ll let you know as soon as we can.

Core Modules Introduction to Social Care This professionally oriented module addresses students’ employability skills with providing them with foundational level competences (knowledge, skills, values and agency) in social care. The emphasis within this module is empowering, holistic, person-centred, individual level care which will be contextualised from the perspectives of professional multi-agency practice, diversity and service user involvement. The aim is to help the students to engage both with the theories and practices of person-centred social care and develop their communicative, dialogic skills and ethical sensitivity. This module includes practice placement of 40 hours during term 2 coordinated by the Royal Holloway Volunteering Team. Students can opt to volunteer in diverse health care setting as well depending on their professional interests. Perspectives on People in Society This module will explore and examine how human behaviour and experience are influenced by social and interactional experiences and contexts across the lifespan. You will identify and critically analyse literature and research evidence on human experience and development to understand how life events and social contexts impact on people’s experiences. You will explore sociological, social psychological and ecological perspectives, focusing on understanding the person in their environment and will analyse and critique the intersections between developmental and life experiences, and the social contexts in which they occur. Own and others’ behaviours will furthermore be examined, reflecting on biases and assumptions in everyday life. Introduction to Human Science The aim of this module is to provide an understanding of the different health professional roles and how they play a vital role in treatment, rehabilitation and improving health and wellbeing in health and social care. You will explore codes of conduct, collaborate working, communication theories, team roles, conflict resolution, contemporary issues in health and social care, serious case reviews and inquiry reports, amongst others. Health Workforce The aim of this module is to provide an understanding of the different health professional roles and how they play a vital role in treatment, rehabilitation and improving health and wellbeing in health and social care. Academic Integrity This module will describe the key principles of academic integrity, focusing on university assignments. Plagiarism, collusion and commissioning will be described as activities that undermine academic integrity, and the possible consequences of engaging in such activities will be described. Activities, with feedback, will provide you with opportunities to reflect and develop your understanding of academic integrity principles. All modules are core

Teaching will be in smaller groups and will be mostly by means of lectures; seminars; tutorials; workshops; study groups; essay plan consultations; oral presentations and guided independent study. Assessment of knowledge and understanding is typically varied, including, for example, formal examinations, coursework, essays, and oral presentations.