Description
This qualification is only available until 31 December 2017.
To claim this qualification, you must complete the required 240 credits by this date.
If you have any questions about your eligibility for this qualification, please contact the Centre for Qualifications and Ceremonies on +44 (0)1908 653003 or by email.
Social care in Scotland is increasingly multidisciplinary and community focused – requiring a skilled, adaptable workforce to deliver high quality services. The Diploma of Higher Education in Social Care will deepen your insight of social care and social work, and develop the knowledge and skills you need to support vulnerable adults and children effectively in multiple settings. This diploma course places a strong emphasis on working across professional boundaries, with service users placed firmly at the centre. You’ll gain an up-to-date and authoritative overview of care services, drawing on real life case studies with children, older people, mental health communities and people with learning disabilities. You’ll explore key roles, standards and codes of practice – focusing in particular on areas relevant to your own role, such as work with children and families, vulnerable adults and people with mental health difficulties; and social work and the law.
Planning your studies
There are no formal entry requirements although it would be to your advantage to work within or have access to a social care agency, for example through voluntary work. For Foundations for social work practice (KYJ113) however it is a requirement that you organise and complete a period of 20 days preparation for practice which must involve shadowing a qualified social worker.
If you intend to seek entry to the BA (Hons) Social Work (Scotland) we recommend that you complete The law and social work in Scotland (K207) and Social work with children, young people and families in Scotland (K229) (now discontinued), as these are two of the compulsory modules for the social work degree.
Because of the demands that the modules in the diploma will make on you we recommend that you take only 60 credits at a time if you are in full-time employment.
Please be aware of the University’s unique study rule which requires that you gain one third of new credits for each new qualification claimed. For this diploma you must include at least 90 credits from OU modules that have not been counted in any other OU qualification you have been awarded.
Career relevance and employability
The modules that make up this diploma course also form part of the BA (Honours) Social Work (Scotland) – so if you’re considering a career in social work, The Diploma of Higher Education in Social Care provides an excellent introduction.
Please note, however, that this diploma course does not give automatic entry to the social work degree programme. You’ll need to meet specific entry requirements, including attending an interview and working in a social care setting. To find out more about entry to the degree, you can download the BA (Hons) Social Work (Scotland) prospectus, or request a copy from an adviser.
Careers and Employability Services have more information on how OU study can improve your employability.
Modules
For this 240-credit diploma you require:
120 credits from the following compulsory modules:
Level 1 compulsory modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Introduction to health and social care (K101)
|
60 |
|
- Or
-
|
- Introduction to health and social care (KYN101)
|
60 |
|
- And
-
|
- Foundations for social work practice (K113)
|
60 |
|
- Or
-
|
- Foundations for social work practice (KYJ113)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued module K100
And 120 credits from the following optional modules:
Level 2 optional modules |
Credits |
Next start |
- Adult health, social care and wellbeing (K217)
|
60 |
|
- Death and dying (K260)
|
30 |
|
- The law and social work in Scotland (K207)
|
60 |
|
Or, subject to the rules about excluded combinations, the discontinued modules K202, K204, K218, K222, K225, K229, K257, K268 or K272
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
If you have already completed some successful study at higher education level at another institution we may be able to give you credit for this study that you can count towards this Open University qualification. You can find out more on our Credit Transfer site. If you make a successful claim for transferred credit it may affect your choice of modules so you are advised to investigate this option as soon as possible.
On completion
On successful completion of the required modules you will be awarded a Diploma of Higher Education in Social Care (Scotland).
Regulations
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations 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