Health and Social Care
Why study Health and Social Care?
The course covers some of the fundamental aspects of health and social care, including growth and development, health and social care services and values, and health and wellbeing, giving students a broad introduction to a sector that transects a wide range of careers from social care and social work to many different branches of healthcare
How will I study Health and Social Care?
Using realistic vocational contexts, students will acquire sector-specific knowledge and technical skills, exploring a range of healthcare conditions and social care needs and considering how the different healthcare and social services available can help meet individuals’ needs as well as the common barriers to access and obstacles to care. They will learn about physical, lifestyle, social, cultural, economic and environmental factors affecting health and wellbeing and how to make recommendations for improvement using person-centred approach.
The course combines theory with plenty of practical application, giving students the opportunity to develop key skills relevant to the health and social care sector such as research techniques and measuring physical health, as well as developing their written communication skills as they create health and wellbeing plans. Through the two internally assessed components, students complete realistic tasks and activities that allow them to fully connect knowledge to practice and evidence core knowledge, understanding and skills.
What will I study at Key Stage 4?
Topics included within the 2 year course include:
- Maintaining individual rights in care settings
- How care values are applied
- Communication
- Public health
- Healthy lifestyles
Assessment at Key Stage 4
| Component 1: Human Lifespan Development |
30% Internal assessment Externally moderated 6 hours of supervised sessions |
Development of core knowledge and understanding of human growth and development, how people deal with major life events, health and social care services Development and application of skills such as: practical demonstration of care values, together with the ability to reflect on own performance Reflective practice through the development of skills and techniques that allow learners to respond to feedback and identify areas for improvement using relevant presentation techniques, for example a logbook |
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Component 2: Health and Social Care Services and Values |
30% Internal assessment Externally moderated 6 hours of supervised sessions |
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| Component 3: Health and Wellbeing |
40% External assessment 2 hours
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Apply performances skills and techniques in response to a brief and stimulus developing group performance workshop for a selected audience |
Enrichment
Weekly intervention and revision classes after school.
Careers
The health and social care field is broad and this subject will give students the opportunity to progress to further education or careers in the following areas:
- Nursing/medicine
- Social worker
- Occupational therapist
- Counsellor
- Care manager
- Care worker
- Public health specialist
- Healthcare administrator