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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.

When you have completed this certificate you will be able to:

  • demonstrate your understanding of the broad development of UK health and social care services in the twentieth century
  • identify key factors which influence how care is experienced
  • draw on a range of theoretical models to explain policy and practice in health and social care
  • use guidelines to analyse care practice
  • locate information relevant to health and social care through reference to a range of sources
  • evaluate the reliability of different sources of evidence
  • identify ways in which social divisions can influence access to good-quality health and social care
  • read and interpret simple statistics in the form of charts and tables
  • evaluate approaches to improving the quality of health and social care services
  • evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a broad range of approaches to improving the quality of interpersonal relationships in health and social care contexts
  • appreciate key moral dilemmas in the provision, delivery and management of health and social care services
  • refer to research studies and user accounts in order to develop further understanding of care relationships and care needs
  • use a range of study skills appropriate to degree-level study
  • observe, describe and record accurately
  • describe how individuals might experience health and social care practice
  • give feedback on care practice.

Knowledge and understanding

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

  • the scale and variety of caring activity within the UK, the complexity and sensitivity of individual care situations, and the main health care and social care services through which care and support are provided
  • the impact of care needs and care services on people’s lives and on their sense of identity, and the importance of providing care and support in ways which take account of people’s life experience
  • the influence of care environments on the quality of care provision and on the experience of those receiving and providing care and support
  • the significance of the broader context of care in terms of the nature of local communities, diversity and change within society at large and developments in government care policy
  • the importance of systems and procedures which promote safe care practice, including keeping records, observing rules of confidentiality and being accountable.

Cognitive skills

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

  • describe care situations objectively, focussing on important points and leaving out unimportant details
  • analyse case studies of care situations, drawing out their relevance to concepts and ideas from the module
  • develop arguments in your own words, while drawing on concepts and ideas you have read about
  • back up arguments using evidence and quotations appropriately.

Practical and/or professional skills

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

  • identify aspects of care relationships which conform, or fail to conform, to principles of good care practice
  • anticipate communication difficulties in care situations and develop plans to address them
  • show awareness of problems of access to care services and suggest ways to overcome them
  • show awareness of health and safety issues in care situations and of appropriate measures to address them
  • apply rules of confidentiality to specific situations, identify protection issues, and outline appropriate measures.

Key skills

On completion of this certificate you will be able to:

  • communicate ideas and arguments in a logical and well-structured way
  • search for and evaluate online information relating to care needs, and find information relevant to your studies from OU websites
  • confidently use a computer and the internet for basic learning activities
  • read and interpret simple tables, charts and graphs
  • manage your studies better, learn more effectively, and do yourself justice in assessments
  • plan future studies relevant to your life and/or work.

Teaching, learning and assessment methods

This certificate is structured around four 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. 

You will be allocated to a tutor who will help you with the study materials and 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.