Health & Social Care
This course gives you the opportunity to study how people grow and develop over the course of their lives, from infancy to old age, and the factors that may affect this such as major life changing events like marriage or parenthood. You will learn how people adapt to these changes, as well as the types of support available to help them.
Overview
You will also learn about the different health and social care services, and about ‘care values’ and their importance in making sure that the people who use these services get the care they need. You will be able to demonstrate these care values practically. You will develop skills in interpreting data about someone’s state of health in order to design a plan that will allow them to improve their health and wellbeing.
This new qualification is the same size and level as a GCSE, and is aimed at everyone who wants to find out more about health and social care. This course will give you the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and techniques, and to review your own performance in demonstrating ‘care values’.
There are 3 components of study – two internally assessed through controlled assessment, and one externally assessed through formal examination in Year 11.
BTEC Year 10
Health & Social Care students complete the first internally assessed component – Human Lifespan Development which comprises 30% of their final grade. This component centres on how we grow and develop through our lives. Students explore how individuals develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially, investigate the various factors that can impact development and discover how people can adapt to changing life events with the support of Health & Social Care services.
Students then begin the second component of study – Health & Social Care Services and Values which also comprises 30% of their final grade. This component provides students with an understanding of how the Health & Social Care sector works and the care values which underpin it. Students learn about what services are available, identify reasons why some people might need to access this care and discover the range of health and social care professionals involved in providing care.
BTEC Year 11
In Year 11, Health & Social Care students conclude their second component of study by exploring what might prevent individuals from accessing the care services they need, and consider the value of upholding the care values in ensuring that all service users have their needs met effectively. Finally, students finish their studies by completing the third component of study – Health & Wellbeing. Component 3 forms 40% of each student’s final grade and is assessed through external examination.
The aim of this component is to enable students to consider how health and social care professionals can improve the health and wellbeing of service users. They learn what ‘being healthy’ means, explore the different factors that influence health and learn how to identify key health indicators, and how to interpret them. The examination centres on students’ ability to create a health and wellbeing improvement plan which includes targets and recommendations of support services available. They must also be able to show they have reflected on the potential challenges the person may face when putting the plan into action.