University College Plymouth St Mark & St John

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Community and Youth Studies
Youth and Community Work is about the personal and social processes which condition or determine people's well being, their perceptions of self-worth and social justice, and about processes which challenge and address inequality and oppression.

Youth and Community Work can and should include a variety of approaches and ways of working which are each rooted in distinct and separate ideological and value bases.  The values we work from determine practice, and it is, therefore, essential that we are clear about our personal and professional values.

This is a period of considerable change in the social professions, driven by the Every Child Matters agenda.  A number of new programmes have been developed to meet the new agenda.  Central to all the programmes in this subject group is the centrality of education, welfare, anti-oppressive practice and values.  The course recognises that:

• social professionals are involved in an educational process to bring about change;
• communities and individuals have the ability to change themselves through independent and collective action;
• the professional task is to facilitate enable and empower through practice which raises consciousness and challenges the existing social order and which also enhances ability and willingness to understand social conditions and situations and work for their transformation when these are considered unfair;
• is it important to develop collaborative and partnership working relationships;
• it is necessary to recognise and confront inequality and discrimination and  respect diversity and difference.

The programmes are:

• BA Youth and Community Work (Single Honours with professional qualification)
• BA Community Work (Single Honours)
• BA Children, Welfare and Society (Single Honours)
• BA Community Practice (Combined Honours)
• BA Working with Children and Young People (Single Honours)
• BA Education Studies (Single/Combined Honours)
• MA Youth & Community Work (includes professional qualification)
• MA Professional Practice: Developing Children and Young People's Services
• MA Professional Practice: Counselling, Guidance and Support
• MA Professional Practice: Critical Issues for Practice Development

Although not all provide a professional qualification, all of these courses are vocationally relevant, responding to the changing professional landscape.

Professional Practice: Youth and Community Work
The fieldwork component of the professional qualification in Youth and Community Work takes the form of professional practice placements with appropriate agencies throughout the full-time course.    Placements are a central, crucial and integral part of the course and the aim is that through this experience students will be able to develop professional skills, reflect on practice and practice issues, relate theory to practice, and identify and develop key/transferable skills. A programme of pre-placement workshops and an assigned UCP Marjon Tutor directly supports placements.  Students are supervised by professional practitioners during their fieldwork practice.

There are three pieces of fieldwork practice.  In year one, the Level 1 placement (266 hours) runs alongside UCP Marjon based teaching in Semesters A and B and represents 40 credits.  In the second year, the Level 2 placement runs for 444 hours on a full-time basis in the second semester and represents 60 credits.  In year three, the Level 3 placement (180 hours) runs alongside UCP Marjon based teaching in Semester A and represents 20 credits.

Placement Learning: Community Practice, Education Studies, Children, Welfare and Society and Children and Young People
A module, Community Practice Placement (COSDP3), is offered in year 2 for these programmes.  This module provides three placement briefings to include: 

• setting up a work-based placement;
• contracting for a piece of work;
• planning, delivering and evaluating placement experience. 

This module will require students to find their own community practice placements.   Students will undertake supervised work experience in a relevant agency or partnership setting with a community practice focus.

Career Prospects
The programme has established a strong reputation both locally and nationally.  A very high percentage of students find employment in community and youth work, with youth offending teams, in schools or colleges and a variety of voluntary sector organisations.  Our graduates are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the communities in which they work, knowledge of the social context including government and local government policies and an ability to give leadership.  Analysis, organisation and planning, team working and an ability to communicate are key skills that are transferable in the wide range of community and youth work settings.

Last modified on Mon, 10 May 2010 10:10:39 BST by mhead