Three years full-time. Part-time between four to six years.

The course will develop your personal and professional knowledge for a future career working in the wider children's workforce. The course is taught by a highly experienced multidisciplinary team with expertise in the fields of education, health, business and social care. It draws on external practitioners and experts to provide specialist input. There are opportunities to undertake placements and field work, enabling strong links between academic study and professional experience of the workplace. A feature of the course is an opportunity to visit a European country in stage two to study children and youth services provision in a different context.

Transforming children's services to create high quality, integrated services that are responsive to children and young people's needs is at the heart of the Government's agenda. These new and extended services will include out-of-school care, playwork, behaviour and attendance support. Also on the agenda are youth offending teams, school learning mentors and a wide variety of youth groups and activities under the banner of the Youth Matters Green Paper: 'Something to do, somewhere to go, someone to talk to'.

Stage one

Developing your personal and professional skills for work with children and young people will be an ongoing theme running through the course linked to a placement opportunity for future employment. You will gain a strong grounding in sociological theory and explore the concept of childhood and youth in contemporary society.

Stage two

Alongside the core modules that will embed and embrace the contemporary issues around working with children and young people, you can extend your particular interests from a range of optional modules, such as playwork and leisure, health and exercise or other choices. You will continue to develop your professional skills throughout this stage with a range of placement opportunities where the emphasis is on putting into practice what is taught in University.

Stage three

In the final stage, students will be required to produce a dissertation based on research or evaluation of practice in an area of their choice related to children and young people. You will be allocated a personal tutor to support this process. There will also be several core modules, a choice of optional modules and placements.

• Multi-disciplinary approach across education, health and social sciences
• Placement opportunities
• Optional European placement
• Fieldwork linked to research
• Career flexibility focusing on inter-agency professions working with children and young people aged eight to 18 years

• Development, Health and Learning
  
• Children and Young People in Society
• Safeguarding and Looked After Children
  
• Discovery through Research for Children and Young People
• Leadership and Management in Children's Services
• Mental Health of Children and Adolescents
• Playwork and Leisure
• Therapeutic and Creative Approaches
• The Child, Children's Services and the Law
• Transitions for Children and Young People
• Certificate in Effective Practice in Youth Justice
  

Assessment is primarily through course work. Methods include presentations and practical projects, online assessment as well as written and oral assignments.

Methods of study include lectures, seminars, workshops, guest speakers, group work and directed study.

Youth work, playwork, youth justice, teaching, social work and social care settings are examples of career paths available. Social work, youth justice and primary school teaching are examples of educational progression from the course.

Placements are integral to the course, embed understanding of the taught course and link to assessments. Placements are undertaken for one day a week (or the equivalent) in term time throughout the course. This provides students with invaluable experience, allows chosen interests to be pursued and enhances employment opportunities. Example placements are working with young parents, sports development, rights for looked after children, educational and behavioural difficulties schools, youth theatre, schools and groups for disabled children and young people and youth offending services.

In the second stage, students undertaking the Children in Society module can attend a visit to Sweden at an additional cost.

Can I progress into teaching from this course?

You can progress into primary school teaching but not secondary school. After your degree, you will need to undertake a postgraduate programme that on completion you gain your Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Other entry requirements for teacher training routes also apply. Please contact admissions for further details: admissions@northampton.ac.uk.