Introduction to working with young people in practice
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| 8 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown.
Summary
This course develops the practical and analytical skills needed to work directly with young people – individually and in groups – and in particular the quality of the relationships you build with them. It’s the first of the work-based learning courses within the Foundation Degree and the Diploma of Higher Education in Working with Young People, and draws on knowledge developed in the course Introduction to working with young people (E131) – so you’ll need to have completed E131 before this course. You’ll also need to be able to undertake work-based learning, and be working with young people aged 13-19 in a suitable setting for at least five hours a week.
Course content
This is a work-based learning course that focuses on your own face-to-face work with young people. It will help you to develop the skills and understanding needed to work effectively with young people and support their informal learning. The course shows you how you can use your practical experiences and the knowledge you have gained from previous study to understand your current practice better and develop it further. It teaches you the necessary knowledge and skills to enable you to take a reflective approach towards your work and your continuing professional development.
The course focuses on three main themes which are central to supporting young people:
- developing relationships with young people
- supporting groups of young people
- developing community engagement with young people.
Within each of these themes you will be engaging in some small-scale practical work with young people that will become the focus for your learning. You will be addressing the ethical issues that arise from your work, including your approach to anti-oppressive practice and safeguarding young people. In reflecting on your practical work, you will be finding out about the different perspectives young people, colleagues and others have on your work.
You will learn
You’ll use examples from your own practical work with young people, and plan and undertake new (small-scale) work. You will be required to think about examples of past and current work, and you’ll be introduced to the processes involved in becoming a reflective practitioner. You’ll also learn how to evaluate your own practice, and present evidence of your professional competence for assessment. You’ll learn how to use online forums to support your own learning. You’ll also attend a compulsory face-to-face Day School which provides an opportunity for experiential learning on the topic of group work. There will be an Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) for those who are unable to attend, perhaps because of mobility problems, or geographical location. This alternative takes place online using online communication. Students who fail to attend either the Day School or to take part in the ALE will not be able to pass the course.
Vocational relevance
The course is a compulsory element in our Certificate in Working with Young People, Foundation Degree and Diploma of Higher Education in Working with Young People qualifications. These have received professional recognition and will provide you with valuable professional qualifications to enhance your career (see professional recognition). The foundation degree is recognised as a professional qualification for those wishing to be employed in youth work in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Open University is currently seeking professional youth work validation for the BA (Honours) Working with Young People (B55) in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
This course is for you if you are a practitioner currently working with young people to support their informal learning. The course defines ‘work with young people’ as professional interventions where participation is voluntary and the aims are to do with informal education. Such work can be within a voluntary or a statutory setting, but students must be attached to a suitable organisation (see Entry below).
For example, you might be involved in:
- running a youth club
- outreach work with young people in a housing estate
- a faith-based group that works with young people on personal development
- advising young people on health or careers
- supporting the informal learning of young people be that outside or within a formal education setting such as a school or college
- working with a group of scouts or guides.
Entry
Students are strongly advised to study the course Introduction to working with young people (E131) prior to starting on E118. The E118 materials refer back to aspects of the E131 materials. At the beginning of the course you will need to demonstrate that you have already gained six months experience of working with young people to support their informal learning. This must be six months working with young people, aged 13-19, for one session two to three times per week or the equivalent in an informal education setting during the last three years.
You must also be currently working with young people to support their informal learning and it is your current and future work that you will use in E118.
You will need to:
- be working within an organisation in a suitable setting
- have support from your employer for your participation in the course (see ‘Support from your workplace’ below)
- have successfully passed through recruitment and induction processes within your organisation
- meet the course ‘fit person’ criteria for working with young people, including having an up-to-date criminal records disclosure appropriate for the setting and country in which you are working
- have access to, or be able to obtain access to, the types of work required by the course. This work must enable you to develop relationships with young people; support groups of young people; and develop community engagement with young people
- secure a person, or persons to take on the roles of: confirming that your evidence is authentic; observing your practice on one occasion; and providing supportive professional supervision. Your observer/supervisor should be professionally qualified (JNC or equivalent) and must have at least two years’ post-qualifying experience. Your face-to-face work with young people must be for at least five hours per week. You also need an additional three hours per week planning and evaluating your work with young people. If you do not have the same contact time each week, this figure can be treated as an average. However, the contact must be on a regular rather than a sporadic basis i.e. 135 hours over the duration of the course, but a minimum of 17 hours each month.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Outside the UK
The course is only available in the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
Preparatory work
This course will assume you have knowledge of working with young people that is equivalent to successful study of Introduction to working with young people (E131). Before you start this course, you may find it helpful to collect together your E131 assignments and your work on significant activities which may be contained in your E131 notebook.
If you haven’t studied E131, then you will need to familiarise yourself with the E131 materials. Specific extracts from the E131 materials are referred to throughout this course. Therefore, students bypassing E131 and beginning their studies with this course will be required to purchase the E131 materials in pack format. Details of how to do this will be in the first mailing of materials for this course.
In addition, it would be helpful to ensure that you are confident using the internet and basic office applications such as word processing.
Qualifications
E118 is a compulsory course in our
- BA (Honours) Working with Young People (B55)
- Certificate in Working with Young People (C54)
- Foundation Degree in Working with Young People (G03)
- Diploma of Higher Education in Working with Young People (E38)
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is equally appropriate to a BA or BSc. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
You will need to make use of a personal computer and the internet. The course materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader. Other alternative formats of the course materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
Electronic text versions of the Study Guide materials will be available on the award website. It is readable with screen readers and in a form such that where tables within text are produced they can be enlarged. Print materials will be loose-leafed pages. The course Reader from E131 should be available on tape if required.
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 booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course 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.
Course materials
What's included
A printed study guide, printed supplementary materials, and a set of electronic course resources.
You will need
This course makes extensive use of the E131 materials. You will therefore also have to purchase or borrow the E131 course materials. You will need to play the E131 course DVD, using a standard DVD player or personal computer with a DVD drive.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will be allocated to a tutor who will give you advice and guidance on the course materials and will mark and comment on your written work. Your tutor is particularly concerned with helping you with your study methods and providing feedback on your assignments. You will be expected to communicate with your tutor and will have the opportunity to meet him/her at a number of face-to-face tutorials that you are strongly recommended to attend. Where tutorials are held depends on the distribution of students taking each course. You will also receive support from an award tutor who will support your learning in the workplace, including meeting with you and your employer and supervisor in your work setting. Your award tutor will contact you prior to the course starting to make sure that you have arrangements in place to support your workplace learning and ensure that you meet your learning objectives.
You will also be able to gain support from your fellow students through the moderated online course forums. You will have a tutor-group forum, moderated by your own tutor. There will also be a forum on professional issues where you can seek professional advice and discuss general issues relevant to the sector. In addition, the award website will give you the opportunity to benefit from updates about changes to relevant policy and/or the requirements for the different awards in Working with Young People.
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 must submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) on paper.
The first assignment requires you to complete a work-based learning support form, confirming that you have identified a suitable confirmer, observer, and professional supervisor to support you in your work-based studies. You will need to pass this assignment in order to proceed to the rest of the course. As part of your assignments, you will need to have one observation of your face-to-face work with a young person/people. If unsuccessful at the first attempt, there are two further opportunities to complete an observation. It is a requirement that, by the end of the course, you must have successfully passed an observation of your practice.
It is also a requirement that you attend either a face-to-face day school or take part in the online Alternative Learning Experience instead. You will not be able to pass the course without satisfying this requirement.
As part of your assignments, you will also be required to identify evidence from your practice to back up your reflections on your practice. You will be shown how to use evidence effectively and efficiently, avoiding excessive evidence gathering.
Work-based activity
Since this course is a work-based learning course, you will need the support of your workplace. In particular you will need:
- permission to use your work activities as part of the course
- an appropriate person to act as a supervisor to help you reflect on your work-based learning
- an appropriate person who can undertake one observation of your face-to-face work
- an appropriate person who can confirm that the evidence that you select from your workplace exists and relates to your work.
Details of just what these roles are and who is an ‘appropriate person’ to take them on are contained in our Work-based Learning (WBL) Handbook, which will be sent to you with your course materials. Note that your observer/supervisor should have a professional qualification (JNC or equivalent) and at least two years’ post-qualifying experience. This includes teachers who qualified prior to 1988 and who have extensive experience of youth work or similar roles.
You may find that one person within your organisation is able to take on all of these roles, simplifying your support network. Alternatively, if you are not able to find an appropriate person from within your own workplace to take on one or more of these roles, then you are encouraged to find an alternative from another organisation. Further guidance is available in the WBL Handbook and a list of employers who may be able to help you will be available on the award website.
It is important to check with your employer that this support is available in principle before you register.
Professional recognition
The Certificate in Working with Young People has been approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) for inclusion as a Level 4 qualification in the National Qualifications Framework. It is also recognised by the National Youth Agency as a Youth Support Worker qualification. Pre-professional recognition at Level 7 on the SCQF is being sought for the Certificate in Scotland.
The National Youth Agency (NYA), on behalf of the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC), recognises the Foundation Degree in Working with Young People as a professional qualification for those wishing to be employed in youth work in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. From August 2010 an honours degree will be required for professional youth work in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. To enable students to meet this requirement and to facilitate professional qualification within Scotland, The Open University is working towards validation for the BA (Honours) Working with Young People (B55) within England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in readiness for students registering for the 2009 presentation of E131.
The Foundation Degree in Working with Young People is recognised as a sector-endorsed qualification by the Children’s Workforce Development Council.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in October 2009. We expect it to be available once a year.
How to register
Unfortunately, we are unable to accept online registrations for this course. Instead, please read the Entry section of this course description and contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
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An undergraduate course in Childhood and Youth and Education.
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