Undergraduate

An introduction to health and social care

On this page

• What you will study
• Entry
• If you have a disability or additional requirement
• Study materials
• Teaching and assessment
• Professional recognition
• Students also studied
• Future availability

We all depend on care services at some time in our lives – at home; in hospitals, clinics or GP surgeries; in community and residential settings. This key introductory Level 1 course provides an up-to-date, authoritative overview, with real-life case studies taking you deep into the experience of receiving care and working in care services. Whether you’re involved in care work (paid or unpaid), use services yourself, or simply have a general interest, this course will help you to build knowledge and understanding, develop practical skills, and prepare for further study. 

Course facts

Register for the course

This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.

What you will study

Care is constantly in the headlines because it involves such a huge workforce and huge budgets, and profoundly affects so many lives. And what makes it such a fascinating subject to study is the pace of change as society develops, technology advances and new forms of care evolve. This broad, practical course about the nature of modern caring is lively and accessible and for anyone with an interest in how our society provides care services.

If you work in the frontline of care this course will build your confidence and skills, and give your career a boost. The course takes you into the lives of care workers and care service users through in-depth case studies, using the latest techniques of an interactive DVD. The course books are written in clear, simple language and a friendly, thought-provoking style. It has frequent activities to set you thinking – drawing on your own ideas and experience to deepen your learning and help you understand the essentials of good practice. If you want to share your ideas, you can join online forums for dialogue with other students and your tutor. The course also teaches you, quickly and simply, how to use ICT to study from interactive DVD’s, search the internet and access online learning resources.

Block 1: Who cares? paints a broad picture of care in the UK, ranging from the caring within families, to primary health care, acute care in hospitals and social care in the community. You will explore the diversity and sensitivity of care situations, the wide variety of modern care services, the intricate interconnections between them and what it is like to care and to receive care.

Block 2: Working with life experience explores the impact of care needs and care services on people’s sense of identity and self-worth. Care can make deep inroads into personal lives and life narratives, so it is essential that care workers are sensitive to this and provide appropriate support. They need skills in communication and in ways of group working, so that lives are enhanced by care, rather than damaged.

Block 3: Diverse communities and resources for care asks how a community can respond to the needs of different groups of people. An in-depth case study of a neighbourhood renewal programme enables you to assess whether such schemes can improve people’s health and well-being. You will also examine the work of services, agencies and carers against a background of rapid and continuing social change across the UK.

Block 4: People and places: contexts of care explores the settings where care takes place and is managed. You visit a wide variety of care environments, from domestic homes, to residential and hospital settings, exploring their physical, social and psychological impact and the extent to which they are enabling or disabling. You also consider how people become attached to places and what happens when they have to leave them.

Block 5: Making care safer? examines how care can go wrong and what individuals can do to try to prevent this. You explore the crucial role of record keeping and the challenges of preserving confidentiality in a busy workplace. You consider the pressure on care workers to be accountable, and you explore the roles of research evidence and protocols in ensuring high standards of care.

Block 6: The shaping of care services in the UK examines care policies at the national level. It looks at the founding of the Welfare State and considers how health and social care services have developed and changed in subsequent decades. It also explores social trends and how care services might develop in the future.

You will learn

This course is a compulsory module of all OU professional programmes in health and social care. It is designed to provide a broad foundation of essential knowledge and skills for studies in the care field. It provides a thorough and supported programme to develop the skills of independent learning that all students require, particularly the skill of communicating effectively in writing.

Vocational relevance

If you pass the course you will be eligible for the Certificate in Health and Social Care, which is widely recognised by employers.

Depending on your location and job role, you may be interested in one of our new Level 3 vocational diplomas.

You will be able to gather evidence for your diploma alongside your K101 academic studies. This level of qualification is regarded as the ‘gold standard’ for carer competence. The programme enables you to reap a second harvest from the work you’ve done for K101 by providing much of the evidence required for your vocational diploma. There will be an additional cost for the diploma. To register for the diploma you must have successfully completed or be registered for K101 and you must be working in the sector, either in a paid or voluntarily capacity.

For further information about these diplomas visit our website or email and include K101 in your message header. Please note that Vocational Qualifications are not always recognised in nations outside of the UK.

Entry

This is a key introductory Level 1 course. Level 1 courses provide core subject knowledge and study skills needed for both higher education and distance learning, which help you to progress to courses at Level 2. 

This course is an ideal place to start your degree studies if you want to draw on your experience of caring, no matter how informal.

If you are new or a less confident learner, start with Understanding health (Y178). This is an Openings course, also at Level 1 but worth 15 credits. Designed with lots of support and no examination, it will give you a gentle introduction to this subject and to OU study. If you successfully complete this Openings course, you’ll be ready to study K101.

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service. They can also tell you about materials and courses that can help you to gain confidence and study skills before you start. The course itself will give you a lot of practice and support for your study skills.

Preparatory work

In your first course mailing you will receive guidance of how to get started online. This will provide you with information on using your computer for OU study and working with the Computing Guide. For example, it explains how to access and use your website and online discussion forums. If you have time before the course starts, you can work through this and explore all the online services available to you.

If you have a disability or additional requirement

Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. The printed study materials are available in the DAISY Digital Talking Book format. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting Your Needs.

You can also find information about accessible study materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.

Study materials

What's included

Course books, other printed materials, DVD-ROM and DVD.

You will have access to a website through which teaching and library resources are available. Electronic versions of most of the printed study materials are also provided on the website.

Computing requirements

This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.

You will need internet access and a computer with Microsoft Office installed. The software on this module has some advanced features that only work in the proprietary versions of Microsoft Office. If you don't already have Microsoft Office, you can take advantage of a special educational offer.

If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running Windows using Boot Camp or similar dual-boot system.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material. They will also mark and comment on your written work, and you can ask them for advice and guidance. Part of your tuition is delivered online so some of the contact with your tutor will be through email and online discussion forums, although phone communication may also be used. If you are new to the OU, you will find that your tutor is particularly concerned to help you with your study methods. We may also be able to offer day schools that you are encouraged to attend. Where these are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course. 

Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above. 

You will be expected to submit some of your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.

Professional recognition

This course is one of a set of modules that together constitute an approved programme that leads to the social work degrees in England, Wales or Scotland. If you would like to know more about these degrees, please download or order one of our Social Work prospectuses. In addition, as KYN101, it forms part of the programme leading to the professional qualification of Registered Nurse (Part 1: NMC). It may also help you to gain recognition from a professional body.

The NVQ competences within this course (see vocational relevance above) are clearly mapped to the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework.

Students also studied

Students who studied this course also studied at some time:

• Adult health, social care and wellbeing (K217)
• The law and social work in England and Wales (K270)
• Foundations for social work practice (K113)
• Working with children, young people and families (K218)
• Introducing the social sciences (DD101)

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2012 and February 2013. We expect it to be available twice a year.

Fees 2012

See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.

Study explained

Financial support

- find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.

Study explained

- all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.

Student Reviews

This was my first OU course and have to say I found it very enjoyable overall. My tutor was amazing! ...
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I found this course enjoyable and informative. Having worked in Health and Social Care for a number of years, I ...
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Your questions

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Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35

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