Health & Social Care
Health and Social Care empowers students to become compassionate, skilled, and confident professionals who make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Through practical learning, real‑world experience, and a deep understanding of care values, students are inspired to shape healthier, safer, and more inclusive communities for the future.
BTEC Health and Social Care at Key Stage 4
Health and social care is part of the optional curriclum at Key Stage 4.
Aims of the Course
Through studying Health and Social Care students develop an understanding of the different ways people grow and develop across their lifespan.
Students will complete THREE units of work (components). During component one, students are expected to be able to describe and explain the patterns of physical growth and change, and the physical, social, intellectual, and emotional development that typically take place in each life stage. In addition to this, students will student life events such as long-term illnesses, injury, trauma and explain the impact of these life events on health and wellbeing of individuals. Students will gain a large proportion of this understanding by exploring well known celebrities and their life experiences.
In component two, students will explore care values and careers involved in the caring industry. Students will investigate job roles and the requirements of these positions. As part of this unit, students will be required to develop their own cases studies by interviewing family and friends. The final component is an externally assessed unit of work (examination), students will be required to build on their existing knowledge from components 1 and 2 to analyse a case study and provide recommendations of how humans can have a positive impact on their life choices and the impacts of negative choices.
Course Content:
• The stages and patterns of human growth and development
• The different factors that can affect human growth and development
• The development of self-concept and personal relationships
• Major life changes and how people manage the effects of these
• The role of relationships in personal development
• The range of care needs of major client groups
• How health, social and early years care services are accessed and the barriers to these services
• Care values which underpin service provider interaction
Assessment:
The course is made up of three components: two internally assessed and one that is externally assessed. The three-block structure, explore, develop, and apply, has been developed to allow students to build on and embed their knowledge. This allows them to grow in confidence and then put into practice what they have learned. The assessment structure is also designed so that students can build on what they learn, and develop their assignment skills, as they move through the course.
Beyond BTEC Health and Social Care
This course is ideal for progression to a more detailed study of Health and Social Care and Early Years at A Level or a vocational qualification or working/training in a specialised area. It will be useful for students who wish to pursue a career in nursing, childcare, mental health or work with the elderly.
Further Information
The awarding body for this qualification is Pearson. Futher details about this qualifications can be found on the Pearson website here: BTEC Health and Social Care.