STUDY

Undergraduate

FdA Social Welfare, Advice & Guidance Practice

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Institution code: S82
UCAS code: L500
Start date: September 2025
Duration: Two years full-time, attendance at the College is one day per week
Location: East Coast College (Great Yarmouth)
Typical Offer: 80 UCAS tariff points (or above)
Institution code: S82
UCAS code: L500
Start date: September 2025
Duration: Two years full-time, attendance at the College is one day per week
Location: East Coast College (Great Yarmouth)
Typical Offer: 80 UCAS tariff points (or above)

Overview

This exciting and dynamic course has been developed to meet the education and training requirements of a range of individuals employed within the statutory, voluntary and not-for-profit welfare, advice, guidance and social care sectors.

It offers you the opportunity to enhance your work-based skills and achieve a recognised academic qualification. The course has been developed in liaison with employers and employees in the social care sector, including agencies who deliver information, advice and guidance support and has been tailored to meet the specific training requirements of the sector. The you will study a range of modules in which you are able to shape and enhance your own practice and interests.

On successful completion of this course, you can continue to gain a full BA (Hons) degree on the one-year BA (Hons) Applied Care Practice [Progression Route] at University of Suffolk at East Coast College.

Course Modules

You will study a range of modules, the course has been developed to be flexible with delivery, and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of individual students and their work place. This flexibility could include twilight or evening teaching. The Learn Virtual Learning Environment will also be used so that you can discuss and learn with their peers whilst working in practice. You will be expected to undertake private study to meet the requirements of the course. 

Full downloadable information regarding all University of Suffolk courses, including Key Facts, Course Aims, Course Structure and Assessment, is available in the Definitive Course Record.  

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Everyone moves through a series of stages throughout their lives, a process usually referred to as the life cycle. This module gives you the opportunity to examine and explore how developmental processes, life stages, and human experience, affects individuals. An introduction to psychosocial perspectives will help you to frame your practice in supporting individuals at different life stages.

It is important that all practitioners recognise their professional roles, and responsibilities in protecting vulnerable people. This module adopts a multi-disciplinary and inter-agency perspective in relationship to the welfare and safeguarding of children and adults. You will critically examine key concepts and theoretical explanations of child/adult abuse as well as the short and long-term effects that abuse has on individuals.

This module aims to provide you with a sound foundation on which to develop key transferable skills including communication; information technology; problem solving; numeracy; working with others; and reflection. These skills will give you the confidence and raise your self-esteem enabling you to work and learn effectively within both the higher education and the workplace environments.

This module aims to give you an opportunity to develop basic skills in practice. You will explore Humanistic/Person-centred Counselling and Egan’s Skilled Helper model and focus on developing skills while in practice using self-reflection and peer reviews as well as assessments in practice by the module assessors.

This module aims to give you an opportunity to develop basic skills in practice. You will explore Advocacy & Negotiation and focus on developing skills while in practice using self-reflection. Advocacy is a fundamental part of the work of supporting clients across the spectrum of welfare, education, guidance and social care work and will be explored generally and through case studies. Negotiation is a skill of communication and persuasion supported by depth of knowledge and an ability to support with evidence.

The focus of this module is the impact of poverty, illness and disability. The module will provide you with the knowledge and understanding of government policies, guidelines and legislation which impact on the provision of services within the UK. You will be introduced to the key socio-economic factors that influence the wellbeing and support of individuals and groups. Application to your workplace will be made throughout the module, giving opportunities through reflection to gain insight and develop skills in practice

This module aims to explore the meanings of mental health and wellbeing as they impact upon the individual, family and society. There are varying definitions regarding mental health and illness, and you must have a developed understanding of these different definitions and the implications each has for the individual service user. This module will enable you to appreciate how different models of mental illness influence their role in any particular social or welfare context. The ethical, legal and regulatory framework has to be understood as a system bound by beliefs and values that are not static but change over time.

The Egan Skilled Helper Model is a popular and practical model of counselling for practitioners providing guidance or coaching and is used in many formal and informal counselling settings across the social welfare, advice and guidance sectors. This module provides you with a framework for navigating through a counselling or helping session or series of sessions and helps you to refine your skills at interacting with service users most effectively. This is a practitioner module and requires you to undertake a guidance role in sessions with service users which will be assessed by an experienced practitioner.

This module is designed to enable you to examine issues relating to integrated and collaborative working within their practice and in welfare, advice and guidance services generally. You will evaluate the role of collaboration, including related theoretical perspectives and will place collaboration and integrative working within current legislative and policy frameworks. You will be supported to develop the knowledge and skills required to promote a culture of integrated and collaborative practice within their workplace.

An understanding of the values which underpin social welfare organisations’ practice, and influence the knowledge and skills base of services, is necessary for all practitioners. This knowledge and these skills underpin all the work of the practitioner. In order to become competent and reflective, you will need to consciously recognise your own values and prejudices. You need to acquire a clear understanding of the dominant societal values, ideologies, competing value systems, and their own organisational values. You need to understand the nature of discrimination, disadvantage and oppression, and learn appropriate strategies to counter these in their practice.

You will critically analyse the sometimes-competing goals between different functions of supervision such as notions of surveillance and control versus development and support. You will be encouraged to practice supervision in the context of reflecting on and critically evaluating practice from the perspectives of the organisation, society and the professional values of their particular role. This will be linked to a review of the value of reflecting on and in practice.

The overall aim of this module is to extend your knowledge and appreciation of research issues, from an examination and understanding of methodology and means of application, to an understanding of research in the broad context of professional practice. A range of practice related topics will be utilised to explore the content of this module.

Entry Requirements

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Tuition Fee

£8,220

per year
UK Part-time Tuition Fee

£1,370*

per 20 credit module
International Full-time Tuition Fee

£15,090

per year

*Please contact Student Centre for further information on part-time fees

Further Information

At University of Suffolk, your tuition fees provide access to all the usual teaching and learning facilities that you would expect. However, there may be additional costs associated with you course that you will need to budget for.

UK fees and finance UK bursaries and scholarships International fees and scholarships
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Career Opportunities

This course is intended those working or seeking to work within welfare, advice, guidance and social care services with the ability to apply theory to practice within these areas, potential roles include;

  • Family Support Workers
  • Youth Workers
  • Guidance Advisers
  • Assistant Case Managers
  • Learning Disability Support Workers
  • Online Community Coordinators
  • Trainee Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners
  • Mental Health Support Workers, Management
  • Supervisory positions in voluntary, private and statutory sectors

How to Apply

To study this course on a full-time basis, you can apply through UCAS. As well as providing your academic qualifications, you’ll be able to showcase your skills, qualities and passion for the subject.

Apply Now Further Information on Applying
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