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Certificate in Health and Social Care - Learning outcomes

Educational aims

This certificate offers a thorough and well-supported grounding in health and social care issues and is an ideal starting point for students working towards a degree. The certificate's aims are to:

  • contribute to improved practice in health and social care
  • enhance knowledge and understanding of health and social care across a wide range of settings and situations
  • encourage constructive reflection on care relationships
  • supply the knowledge base for progression to professionally recognised qualifications in health and social care
  • provide a learning framework that will equip students with the study skills necessary to progress to further study.

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes describe what you will be able to do once you have completed the certificate. This list of learning outcomes will be a useful reference point if you want to show someone, such as an employer, the value of your study.

Knowledge and understanding

On completion of this certificate, you will have knowledge and understanding of:

  • The contemporary ethical, cultural, political, legal and social context in which health and social care takes place.
  • The nature of professional care including the values, ethics and standards applied to care providers in a range of contexts.
  • The key theories, concepts and principles that underpin practice in health and social care, including the significance of service-user perspectives.
  • The influence and application of developing technologies on the delivery of care.

Cognitive skills

On completion of this certificate, you will be able to:

  • Review a range of situations in health and social care and assess the appropriateness of different interventions.
  • Reflect on the experiences of health, wellbeing and social care from your own and others' perspectives.
  • Recognise the social processes associated with the promotion of health and wellbeing, and the creation of inequalities.

Practical and/or professional skills

On completion of this certificate, you will be able to:

  • Show awareness of the diversity of values found within health and social care and their relevance to the conduct required of professional care workers.
  • Apply underpinning principles, concepts and theories in health and social care to inform and critique practice situation.

Key skills

On completion of this certificate you will be able to:

  • Manage your own learning through identifying learning needs, setting objectives, responding to feedback and monitoring progress through critical reflection.
  • Search for, synthesise, evaluate and apply relevant information from a range of sources.
  • Communicate with others in a clear and articulate manner, using appropriate styles for different audiences.

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

This certificate is structured around six study blocks of learning materials which are substantially supported and enhanced by online resources.

There are five tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) spaced through the academic year and one end-of-module assignment (EMA). 

You will be allocated to a tutor who will help you with the study materials. They will mark and comment on your written work. You may also be offered online group tutorials, which you are encouraged – but not obliged – to attend. There is also substantial tutor support in online forums, which is the primary mechanism for supporting learning and group interaction.