Course summary

Top up your foundation qualifications to degree level in one year – developing the skills, knowledge and confidence to work professionally with children, young people and families.

You need one from
• Foundation Degree Working with Children, Young People and Families from Sheffield Hallam University
• foundation degree in a relevant discipline or 240 credits in health or social care related studies

You also need at least 400 hours of relevant experience of working with children, young people or families in a paid, voluntary or caring capacity, and a reference from a current or recent employer or educational institution.

We will assess your previous qualification to confirm its comparability and suitability for entry to this course.

IELTS

If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or a recognised equivalent. If your level of English language is currently below IELTS 6.5 we recommend you consider an appropriate Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve the required level of English.

This course is only open to home or EU students. We are currently not accepting applications from international students.

Care experience

Before you apply for health courses, we require you to have gained some practical experience relating to your subject area. Download our applicant experience guidelines for information about the kinds of experience we expect you to have and the best places to gain it. Evidence of the experience gained, understanding of the profession and a genuine, reasoned commitment to studying a professional course must be explicit in your personal statement to be selected for interview.

Skill requirement

• a commitment to the values and ethics of social work/social care practice
• an awareness of the roles and responsibilities of those who work within the children's integrated workforce
• current knowledge and understanding of the needs and perspectives of children, young people and families
• the ability to communicate and engage effectively with children, young people and families
• a commitment to the principles of valuing equality and diversity and of promoting anti-oppressive practice
• the ability to undertake independent study at level 6
• use computers and technology associated with contemporary teaching, learning and assessment methods

Future careers

We work closely with Hallam’s careers service to provide integrated and timetabled employment support throughout the course. This covers a range of career opportunities with local, regional and national employers.

Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work in:

• Family support and early intervention (local authority and voluntary sector)
• Educational settings in schools, colleges and pupil referral units (PRUs)
• Social work/social care and health settings (local authority and voluntary sector)
• Community development and outreach
• Probation, police and legal settings

After graduating you’ll also be able to access a range of postgraduate courses. In the past these have included:

• PG Cert in Teaching (primary or secondary)
• MA Social Work
• MA Applied Human Rights
• MSc Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health
• MSc Adult Nursing
• MA Youth & Community Work

Apply for an undergraduate degree course

How to apply for a foundation, top-up or bachelors degree

For undergraduate degrees, UK applicants need to apply through UCAS, the University and College Admissions Service.

Undergraduate degrees include:

• Foundation degrees (FdA, FdEng, FdSc)
• Top-up degrees (BA, BSc, BENG, LLB)
• Bachelors degrees (BA, BSc, BENG, LLB)

Applications open in September for courses starting in October the following year.

International applicants

If you are from outside the UK, you can apply direct or through UCAS. To apply direct, please use the online application form.

Getting started with UCAS

The first step is to register in the UCAS Hub and start a new application. You can save your application as you go, so you can complete a little bit at a time if you want to.

We recommend reading UCAS's guide to filling in the application form.

Your statement and references

As part of your UCAS application, you'll need to write a personal statement. You might also need to give names and contact details for people who can give you a reference.

If you're not sure where to start, try our guides to writing a good statement and choosing the right referees.

Assessing your application

Our admissions tutors will:

• check the subjects you're studying
• check your grades
• read your personal statement
• read the references we've received.

Depending on your course and application, we might also:

• invite you an interview
• invite you to submit a portfolio.

If you are invited to one of these, we'll send you everything you need to know. But if you'd like to know more now, you can read our guides to preparing for an interview and preparing a portfolio.

Application decision

After assessing your application, we will contact you with a decision. We usually start to make offers from November through to March, depending on when you applied.