Professional Practice 1

Professional Practice is an integral component of all full-time programmes in social care. The objective of this module is to enable the student to begin the process of integrating theory and conceptual frameworks in Applied Social Care to actual social care practice.

There are three principal elements to this module.

Firstly, and in advance of commencing the experiential element of professional practice, the pre-placement training programme will equip students with a knowledge and understanding of safety and safeguarding issues in social care and enable students to demonstrate a set of practical skills relevant to the social care professional. Full attendance and achievement of the required standard of this programme is mandatory before the students can commence placement.

Secondly, the module will expose the student in a graduated and appropriate manner to practical social care settings, over a 12-week placement period totalling 370 hours, in order to facilitate the learning and application of the relevant standards of proficiency. As part of their placement, students will engage in ongoing reflection at an individual and group level through organised reflection and support sessions during and after the placement, which are a mandatory part of placement.

Thirdly, students will document their experiences in a portfolio that will require students to reflect on specific standards of proficiency and apply these to their practice on a weekly basis. They will also be required to plan, apply and reflect on an intervention that they have delivered utilising the skills they have gained in the Professional Practice Skills module in Year 1.

The allocation of placement takes account of a student’s interests and the achievements of the standards of proficiency and learning outcomes for the module.

This module maps to the CORU Standards of Proficiency below:

1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.18, 1.20, 1.21, 1.22, 1.23, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.11, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15, 2.17, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.10, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14, 3.15, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 5.3, 5.8, 5.12, 5.13, 5.14, 5.16, 5.18, 5.19

1. Demonstrate a basic knowledge and understanding of safety issues in the workplace including the concept and regulation of safety and good safety practice. (Proficiencies 1.1, 1.9, 1.20, 2.11, 2.17, 3.7, 3.10, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14, 5.12)

2. Demonstrate professional autonomy and development (Proficiencies 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8, 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, 1.18, 1.20, 1.21, 1.22, 1.23)

3. Demonstrate effective empowering communication with individuals and groups using a number of communication formats. (Proficiencies 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.11, 2.13, 2.14, 2.15 )

4. Conduct an intervention taking into account the needs and wishes of service users an/or needs of the placement provider within the context of providing quality health and social care services. (3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.15, 5.11)

5. Demonstrate evidence of responsibility for professional development 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4

6. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of social care concepts and theories and be able to apply these utilising the process of reflective practice (5.1, 5.3, 5.8, 5.12, 5.13, 5.14, 5.16, 5.18, 5.19)