Working with Children, Young People and Families

Do you want to make a difference to the lives of children and their families? Working with Children, Young People and Families addresses the increasing demands faced by contemporary families, such as the effects of social media, poverty, social injustice, safeguarding issues and changing family structures.

In the UK today, research indicates that a high proportion of children live in circumstances of unmet needs. The financial cost of addressing these needs can be reduced if addressed preventatively. Equally, if parents are unsupported this can have a 'knock-on' impact for children and young people’s development and future outcomes. The importance of supporting the ‘whole’ family has clear implications for practitioners and the government alike.

This programme will equip you with the ability to understand what effective practice with families looks like and consider the difficulties and challenges of working with children and families, including recognising and challenging social injustices, valuing and respecting diversity and investigating the impact of social and family policy.

You’ll study aspects of child development, looking at how society understands the concept of family and the rights of children. You’ll also look at the complex issue of safeguarding children, considering as a practitioner the current law and policy initiatives to understand how we can protect children.

We’ll explore the range of problems that families can face while children are growing up, examining not only the approaches needed to support and empower families, but also the range of skills and therapeutic interventions needed for families.

Throughout your course, you’ll have the opportunity to visit professional practitioners in a range of settings to support your knowledge and understanding of concepts.

By the time you graduate, you’ll have developed the key professional skills needed for assessing and intervening in children’s lives and an understanding of the complexities of multi-agency working.

Professional work placements You’ll get the opportunity to explore your career options when you complete your professional work placements. Our students have worked as family support workers, learning mentors and teaching assistants in settings including children and youth centres, police domestic violence units, youth offending teams, special educational needs, schools, nurseries, social services and charities both in the UK and overseas.

Graduate opportunities Our graduates are working in areas including youth services, police domestic violence units, educational settings, charities, therapeutic services, childcare settings and on youth offending teams. You may choose to pursue a career as a family support worker or undertake postgraduate research. Graduates from this course have gone on to train as social workers by studying for an MA Social Work degree, or via a Social Work Apprenticeship or fast track social work route.