Postgraduate Certificate in Integrated Practice in Childhood and Youth
- On this page
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Certificate
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Code
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C97
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Level
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Postgraduate
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Made up of
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60
credits
Description
This postgraduate certificate course is designed for graduates coming from a background in childhood and youth studies, sociology, health and social care, anthropology, psychology or education. It would suit both those who already work with children and young people and who wish to enhance their knowledge as well as those who wish to enter this field. The postgraduate certificate requires you to study either one of the two 60-credit modules which are compulsory modules in both the Postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Practice in Childhood and Youth (E78) and the MA in Childhood and Youth (F55).
Planning your studies
You will require a bachelors degree (or equivalent) in any discipline relevant to children and young people to study for this qualification. Applicants who do not hold a degree (or equivalent), but have professional experience of at least three years may be eligible for consideration. You should include evidence of this experience in the supplementary information we ask you to provide when you register for your first module.
The research project option in E807 is only available if you are a UK resident as you will need to have successfully obtained an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service clearance check (or equivalent in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Students in Scotland will also need to ensure that they meet the requirements of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups Scheme. Further details can be found at www.pvgschemescotland.org. The criminal record check must be appropriate for the setting in which you intend to carry out your research. The DBS (or equivalent) must bear the same name as given in your post-registration agreement form. You also need permission from your employer to undertake this work. If these conditions cannot be fulfilled, and/or you live overseas, then you must choose the E807 literature review option.
Please note: it is a legal, rather than an Open University requirement, that you must obtain Enhanced DBS clearance in order to work with children on E807. This is the responsibility of you and your employer and not The Open University. If you are in doubt about your eligibility, or to find out more, you should contact the relevant agency in your region for more information.
You should note that the University’s unique study rule applies to this qualification. This means that you must include at least 20 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification that has previously been awarded to you.
Career relevance and employability
This qualification offers graduate professionals working with children and young people an opportunity to advance academically and professionally. It also enables those with a related degree but not currently working with children and young people to move into the profession and will help those people considering a move between professions within the sector. In addition this qualification serves the continuing professional development needs of senior members of the workforce and those in, or aspiring to, managerial and supervisory roles. This postgraduate certificate course is an opportunity to gain a qualification as you work towards your masters degree. The content of the qualification will be relevant to graduates working in early years provision, education, social work, nursing, healthcare, youth work, youth justice or the voluntary sector.
There is more information about how OU study can improve your employability in the OU’s Employability Statement from our Careers Advisory Service. You can also read or download our publication OU study and your career and look at our subject pages to find out about career opportunities.
Modules
For this postgraduate certificate you require:
60 credits from one of the following modules:
Learning outcomes
The learning outcomes of this qualification are described in four areas:
- Knowledge and understanding
- Cognitive skills
- Practical and professional skills
- Key skills
Read more detailed information about the learning outcomes, and how they are acquired through teaching, learning and assessment methods.
Credit for previous study elsewhere
For this qualification, we do not allow you to count credit for study you have already done elsewhere.
It is possible to claim credit transfer for the MA and if this is successfully awarded to you it will not be possible for you to claim the postgraduate diploma due to our unique study rule. However, it will still be possible for you to claim this postgraduate certificate.
On completion
On successful completion of the required modules you can be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Integrated Practice in Childhood and Youth entitling you to use the letters PG Cert IPCY (Open) after your name. Your postgraduate certificate will be awarded with distinction if you achieve this classification on your module (E807 or K802).
You may continue your studies to gain a Postgraduate Diploma in Integrated Practice in Childhood and Youth (E78) (with a further 60 credits) or an MA in Childhood and Youth (F55) (with a further 120 credits).
To claim all three qualifications you must study them in sequence (postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma and then the MA) and you can only gain all three if you do not use credit transfer towards the MA.
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the following regulations:
These regulations are also available on our Essential Documents website.
How to register
If you want to study for this qualification, read the description and check you meet any specific requirements (for example, some of our qualifications, require you to be working in a particular environment, or be sponsored by your employer). Then select the module you wish to study first and ensure it is suitable for you before following the registration procedure for that module. During the registration procedure you will be asked to declare which qualification you are studying towards.
See a full list of modules available for this qualification
