BA (Hons) Young People, Family and Community with Foundation Year

The BA (Hons) Young People, Family and Community provides you with the knowledge and skills for a range of careers working with young people and families and the communities in which they live. There is an increasing need for graduates to work in the field of family support and community work as well as increasing opportunities to work directly with young people, this course is designed to prepare you for these roles. Our Foundation Year programme has been designed to prepare you for studying at undergraduate level and provide you with the required skills and knowledge to transition effectively into Level 4 study. During your Foundation Year you will develop skills appropriate to university such as finding and using information, working collaboratively with others, challenging, and debating ideas and expressing yourself with greater confidence. The foundation year helps you to become familiar with university life and to feel at home on campus.

The BA (Hons) Young People, Family and Community course offers a unique blend of theories and practices in relation to services that support families and is suitable for people new to this area or experienced people searching for career development. We value and promote your individual engagement, progression and success and recognise that each of you will have your own unique learning needs. Therefore, we aim to maximise your potential through our inclusive approaches to your teaching and learning experience, ensuring the curriculum is relatable to you. Our course does not include any exams and we work hard to make our assessments inclusive and relevant to your career goals. We usually teach in smaller classroom-based student groups, as opposed to larger lecture theatres, to give you a supportive and personalised learning experience and our staff work hard to help develop the confidence of our students.

As you progress through your degree you will develop your skills of critical thinking as you analyse how to tackle inequalities, broaden your perspectives on empowering young people and vulnerable adults and explore how to effectively engage with individuals and groups. In addition, you will focus on how communities can be supported and investigate issues relating to youth, culture and identity within society.

Placements are expected as part of the course at level 4-6 and these can be negotiated in a range of settings such as charitable organisations, family support teams and youth and community centres. Outside of placement hours, students are encouraged to actively seek volunteering opportunities.

The BA (Hons) Young People, Family and Community is four years full-time and can be studied PART-TIME which requires you to attend day-time sessions. However, if you would like to study more flexibly for example in the evening, our partner colleges offer part time Foundation Degrees in Supporting Children in Primary Education and Early Years Services

After completing your part time Foundation Degree, you can then progress onto a final year of a part- time BA degree course to gain a full honours degree.

The BA (Hons) Young People, Family and Community degree sits within an exciting range of Childhood and Family Studies courses we offer within the Institute of Education.