Health and Social Care (last exam 2023)

Key Stage 4

What will students learn?

The Level 1/2 award in Health and Social Care is designed to encourage and inspire students into following a worthwhile qualification that provides insight into the health, social and early years sectors. It is designed to create independent students that can make informed decisions about further learning opportunities or continuing into related career choices.

This qualification is designed to enable students to build on transferable skills, such as communication and interpersonal skills, which will support their choice of vocation. It also offers an understanding into the legal requirements and values of care needed to work in the care industry. Its main focus is to understand human development throughout the life stages and factors that may affect each stage.

How will students be taught?

This award in Health and Social Care is designed for learners to gain the knowledge, understanding and skills required for independent learning and development, including:

a range of generic and transferable skills
the ability to solve problems
the skills of research
an understanding of the demands of working in the sectors
the ability to apply learning in related health and social care contexts

How will students be assessed?

To gain this qualification students are required to complete two mandatory units and two optional units.

Mandatory units:

R021: Essentials values of care for use in care settings (examination unit)
This mandatory unit focuses on the rights of individuals and will instill the values of care to be used when working in a health, social care or early years environment. All good practice is based on these values and enables those who use and work in care settings to apply quality practice. The unit also provides an overview of legislation and its impact on the care settings and covers the hygiene, safety and security matters that relate to promoting a healthy and safe environment.

R022: Communication and working with individuals in health, social care and early years setting (internally assessed, externally moderated)
This unit will provide students with the underpinning knowledge and understanding of how to communicate effectively and what personal qualities will contribute to the creation of a caring environment when working with individuals in a health, social care and early years setting. Effective communication is important to an individual’s well-being in everyday life. Practitioners need to communicate with and make connections with individuals using services all the time and it is their ability to utilise good communication skills and personal qualities that means they are able to communicate with and relate to those individuals effectively. Being able to communicate effectively and to employ personal qualities to relate to others can influence every aspect of a person’s life, providing a key foundation on which to grow. On completion of this unit students will be able to appreciate how the way you communicate and the personal qualities that you utilise when working with individuals in a health, social care or early years setting will have an impact on the care of those individuals.

Optional Units:

R025: Understanding life stages (internally assessed, externally moderated)
This unit will allow learners to investigate the main life processes that will occur with each life stage: to develop an awareness and understanding of the key events that may happen and the effects of these during the lifespan of an individual, helping to identify the need for additional support. A sensitive approach as to why progress through life stages may be different will allow thoughtful debate. On completion of this unit learners will be able to produce suitable support plans for individuals in different stages of life.

R031: Using basic first aid procedures (internally assessed, externally moderated)
This unit will provide learners with a knowledge and understanding of basic common first aid procedures that could be used within health and social care settings. Understanding and applying basic first aid procedures could potentially save lives. Basic knowledge of first aid could make a huge difference in any emergency situation. On completion of this unit, learners will be able to assess the scene of an accident in health, social care and early years settings for risks and continuing dangers.

Students will know what information is needed when contacting the emergency services. Learners will know and be able to perform a variety of basic first aid procedures that could occur in a range of health, social care and early years settings.

Examination board & course type

OCR - Cambridge National Level 1/2 (J811)

What can studying this subject lead to?

This Level 1/2 qualification in Health and Social Care has elements of psychology, social policy and sociology that complement studies in humanities and related subjects. The main purpose of the qualification is to support access to further education and training, such as: