Safeguarding - Module / MSc / PgCert / PgDip
- Course Code: PT1058
- Level: Postgraduate Taught
- Starting: September 2021
- Study mode: Module - Part Time
MSc - Part Time
PgCert - Part Time
PgDip - Part Time - Location: City South
This exciting programme enables multi-agency professionals to learn in a lively and dynamic environment, to advance safeguarding knowledge and skills. The aim of this course is to bring real and positive change to the safeguarding of children, young people and adults, through developing personal, professional and organisational capacity to evaluate wide-ranging interventions in diverse contexts.
What's covered in the course?
On this course, you will gain in-depth knowledge and critical awareness of the legal, ethical, and practice issues which underpin safeguarding practice for children, young people and adults across the life-cycle. You will develop critical leadership and research skills, helping you to analyse and apply a range of safeguarding theories to protect and support people in diverse settings and contexts.
You will explore topics such as:
- The legal, ethical and professional practice issues surrounding safeguarding
- Contemporary themes and key issues within the current safeguarding agenda
- Vulnerabilities, thresholds and risk assessment within safeguarding vulnerable people including the ‘toxic trio’
- Complex multi-agency safeguarding casework and interventions including socio-economic influences, resilience, and the complexities of working with a culturally diverse community
- Findings and learning from research, serious case reviews, inquiries, reports and literature applied to theory and practice
- Theories, styles, principles and processes of leadership that impact upon safeguarding
Where will I learn?
Your lectures and seminars will be carried out at our City South Campus, located in Edgbaston – just five minutes outside Birmingham City Centre. You will have access to cutting-edge facilities and a stunning environment that will enhance your learning.
Why Choose Us?
- The first established Master’s programme in the West Midlands to equip/develop staff in multi-agency safeguarding context.
- We foster close partnership working with one of the largest community NHS Trusts and and with independent, charitable and other public sector service providers.
- The course is led by highly experienced academics and practitioners, who can help you to advance your professional goals.
- The course meets Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements to develop a multi-agency and a research-informed, skilled safeguarding workforce.
- Our graduates develop and sustain new safeguarding roles in health, education, criminal justice, and the independent sector.
- You will study in a cross-disciplinary manner, benefiting from our expertise in a range of areas - including health, education and social work.
- You will explore significant safeguarding issues identified and addressed by multi-agency experts in the region and beyond, showcasing lessons learned for best practice.
This course is not open to International students
New £10,906 postgraduate loans
You may be able to take advantage of the government’s plans to make loans of up to £10,906 available for postgraduate study.
Entry Requirements
UK students
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You will need evidence of successful completion of accredited Level 6 study (Degree) or evidence of recent Level 6 study. If you have not studied to level 6 but would benefit from the course and modules you may still apply, as individual applications will be considered on a case by case basis. You may also have completed complex studies equivalent to level 6 study. You may require your manager’s support and funding evidence before enrolment onto the course. You may need 'Recognition of Prior Learning'. (RPL) is the process through which students can be admitted with credit to BCU postgraduate courses through the formal recognition of prior certificated learning (RPCL) or prior experiential learning (RPEL). Students seeking admission with prior learning based on RPCL or RPEL should contact the course lead in advance. RPL only takes place prior to entry. |
- UK students
- International students
Award: Module
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- 9 months
- £800 per 20-credit module
Award: MSc
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- 3 years
- £800 per 20-credit module
Award: PgCert
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- 1 year
- £800 per 20-credit module
Award: PgDip
Starting: Sep 2021
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Part Time
- 2 years
- £800 per 20-credit module
Sorry, this course is not available to International students.
If you're unable to use the online form for any reason, you can complete our PDF application form and equal opportunities PDF form instead. The University reserves the right to increase fees in line with inflation based on the Retail Prices Index or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament up to a maximum of five per cent.
Personal statement
Students are required to submit a personal statement as part of their application for this course.
Your postgraduate personal statement is going to shine a light on your personal experience, academic success, personal skills and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
Here are the key areas you’ll need to address:
Your passion and motivations
Studying a postgraduate course usually means you want to specialise in something. So what’s driving you?
Why this course?
Show that you’ve researched the course offering. What is it about this particular course that appeals to you? Is it the lecturers? The modules? Etc.
What makes you a good postgraduate candidate?
Tutors want to know that you can handle postgraduate study, so show them how your undergraduate experiences or work life has equipped you for a more advanced level of study. Key areas to address are research and group work but this can vary depending on your chosen course.
Relevant academic or work experience
Add anything relevant that relates back to your chosen course and shows how your skills will contribute towards your learning. What extra-curricular activities have you taken part in? What awards have you won? What employment or voluntary experience do you have that has helped you develop transferable skills? How do these specifically relate to the course you are applying for?
You should also mention your future plans and how a postgraduate qualification fits in. Try to look beyond your postgraduate study – do you plan to jump straight into a specific career or follow your studies with a research degree? Lastly, use plain, professional English and, where possible, utilise the language of your chosen industry.
Get more information on writing personal statements.
Additional costs
We offer a wide range of professionally accredited and vocational courses that require the purchase of, among other things, uniforms, equipment, subscriptions, professional body memberships and DBS checks, and may require you to pay to attend conferences or participate in placements.
The link below provides our estimate of the possible costs associated with key activities on specific courses. Please bear in mind that these are only estimates of costs based on past student experience and feedback. The actual costs to you could vary considerably (either greater or lower than these estimates) depending on your choices as you progress through the course. We set out where we can, based on experience, where these indicative costs are for activities that are optional or compulsory.
All our students are provided with 100 free pages of printing each year to a maximum total value of £15.
Find additional costs for your course
Accommodation and living costs
The cost of accommodation and other living costs are not included within your course fees. More information on the cost of accommodation can be found in our accommodation pages.
PG Cert
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 60 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules. All core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only. |
PG Dip
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 120 credits): |
MSc
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 180 credits): |
Course aims
This course is designed for multi-disciplinary professionals from social care, health, police, education, voluntary and charitable organisations, private hospitals and other organisations with an interest in safeguarding children, young people and adults.
Safeguarding is a rapidly changing and multi-complex area of practice which attracts continual media interest and attention. It is underpinned by a plethora of legislation and guidance which can often leave professionals both bewildered and overwhelmed and is one of the main focus areas for the inspection of services and organisations. This programme aims to equip you with an up to date, in-depth knowledge, understanding and critical awareness of the legal, ethical, and practice issues which underpin practice in both adult, young people and child safeguarding, while critically analysing the wider safeguarding agendas with an emphasis on applying theory and learning in order to enhance professional practice.
The course aims to combine learning in adult, young people and child safeguarding in each of the modules in order for practitioners to understand the intricate links between the vulnerabilities and outcomes of all people who require safeguarding interventions.
It aims to:
- Equip you with critical insight and understanding of key legal, ethical and professional issues which underpin safeguarding practice when working with vulnerable people.
- Bring multi-disciplinary practitioners together to acquire and share in-depth learning, knowledge and critical awareness of contemporary safeguarding issues which attract high levels of media attention and apply learning from research, reports and enquiries to practice.
- Facilitate joint learning and appraisal of how agencies can work together to meet the needs of multi-complex vulnerable people across differing cultures and diversities.
- Build on knowledge and critique the complex multi-faceted aspects of vulnerability in order to risk assess, and apply best practice in safeguarding vulnerable people.
- Develop and apply key learning from research, literature, reports, enquiries and serious case reviews and apply critical knowledge to practice areas.
- Enable analysis of, and critically apply sound leadership and research skills in safeguarding with an over-riding emphasis on multi-disciplinary learning and working.
Assessment breakdown
The modules are assessed via non-invigilated written assignments and invigilated assessments.
Further study options
PhD study or Professional Doctorate in Education.
Advice and guidance is available at the Professional Development Department.
Course Specifications
Download the course specifications:
Teaching
Visiting lecturers and specialist practitioners will be invited to contribute to the course on each module.
Enhancing your employability
This programme would meet CPD requirements for many staff across all agencies and contribute to a better informed workforce and ‘fill a gap’ in the adult educational market.
The programme fosters inter-agency working – a key safeguarding priority as well as giving students a formal qualification in Safeguarding, enabling them to demonstrate an ability to study safeguarding at Masters level.
This course will contribute to your employability for roles with an emphasis on safeguarding, for example lead roles for safeguarding within organisations as well as meeting CPD requirements for staff.
OpportUNIty
OpportUNIty: Student Jobs on Campus ensures that our students are given a first opportunity to fill many part-time temporary positions within the University. This allows you to work while you study with us, fitting the job around your course commitments. By taking part in the scheme, you will gain valuable experiences and employability skills, enhancing your prospects in the job market.
It will also allow you to become more involved in University life by delivering, leading and supporting many aspects of the learning experience, from administration to research and mentoring roles.
Our Facilities
We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending £340 million on new learning facilities.
We boast up-to-date, innovative facilities that simulate the real situations that medical staff may come across.
These resources are essential in offering students a hands-on introduction to health and social care practice. Much of our teaching is carried out within our state-of-the-art, £30m Seacole Building, which houses cutting-edge facilities.
Take a virtual tour of our skills suites at Seacole
In a sector where new techniques are constantly being discovered, we work hard to ensure that students learn using the most up-to-date equipment available. These include the only mock operating theatre in an English university and a cutting-edge radiography virtual clinical training facility, virtual ward and virtual case creator.
Virtual Case Creator
For pre-registration midwives, Virtual Case Creator software contains a range of scenarios to let you experience birthing situations and decide on appropriate interventions in a safe environment.
Hospital Ward
Our mock wards enable you to get a feel of what a ward is really like before you head out for your first placement. They contain ‘Sim Men’, which are demonstration dummies that develop ailments, allowing you to treat them as you would a real patient and build your confidence in reacting to the changing needs of patients.
The Hospital Ward can be adapted from a low care to high dependency care environment with the necessary monitoring equipment.
Part of the package is our SIM baby, SIM man and Mega code kid. There are also nursing manikins for fundamental skills teaching and various equipment to support essential skills teaching, such as blood pressure monitoring venepuncture and cannulation equipment.
Skills Practice and Clinical Enhancement facility
The SPACE (Skills Practice And Clinical Enhancement) learning facility lets you further practice the skills taught in class, at your own pace and convenience.
It is fully stocked with the specialist items and equipment needed for procedures such as taking blood pressure, giving an injection, abdominal examination of a pregnant woman and caring for ill babies in an incubator.
Biomedical Laboratories
We have recently installed new laboratory facilities to help you explore understand the scientific principles underpinning many of our courses. The physiology laboratory is equipped to help you learn about the way the human body works by performing investigative experiments. The biomedical science laboratory is undergoing an upgrade over the summer and will allow you to learn about anatomy, cellular processes, immunology and enzymology in a hands-on way that links directly to day-to-day health care.
Simulation Mannequins
We have several Simulation men (SIM men) and Simulation babies (SIM babies) which are leading edge, anatomically correct mannequins used for teaching specific techniques such as advanced adult and paediatric life support skills, acute and high dependency clinical skills, first aid and communication skills.
The SIM men and SIM baby mannequins are complete with software, which is used to replicate real symptoms, and are enhanced by the manipulation of for example blood pressure, pulse and heart rate for extra realism. SIM Man can also “talk” to the students which adds another dimension to their use in teaching clinical skills and in simulation exercises.
Mary Seacole Library
The Seacole library, based at City South Campus, is one of the UK's largest specialist health education libraries. The state-of-the art facility offers an extensive range of range of information and reference materials set out in a relaxing environment, conducive to studying. There are comfortable seating areas, group study areas, a silent study area and private study rooms.
The Seacole building houses a large open access IT Suite which comprises of 96 PCs, full colour printers, photocopiers and scanners. Our PCs utilise the latest Intel i5 core technology, all with:
- Fast (unrestricted) internet connectivity
- Ability to save files to USB, DVD & CD
- Microsoft Office software
- Research and statistical software
- Storage space which can be accessed from any PC across the University and from home
Our PCs are also designed to support students who may have difficulties with reading and writing, featuring specialised software with zooming/magnification and screen reading capabilities, which may also be customised for individual student needs.
The IT Suite offers extended opening hours and is supported by a specialist Open Access Assistant during term time. In addition to the open access PCs within the IT Suite, there are 12 networked student PCs available within Seacole library.
Dr Maria Clark
Senior Lecturer in Safeguarding
Maria is a Senior Lecturer in Post-Qualifying Practice (Safeguarding) and Course Lead for the PGCert/PGDip/MSc Safeguarding. Maria’s teaching and research is mainly concerned with developing sustainable approaches to good health across the life-course, especially for diverse and minority populations.An experienced public health nurse/health visitor, midwife and nurse by background, her work focuses on health promotion and abuse prevention in multi-agency contexts.