BA (Hons) Childhood (Health and Wellbeing)

Culture, Diversity and Overcoming Prejudice

This module aims for you to develop cultural awareness, promote respect for diversity and develop an understanding of the roots of prejudice. Through discussion and activities, it will encourage you to reflect on personal attitudes and unconscious bias.

You will consider the impact of cultural heritage, poverty and diversity on education and lived experience and will make clear links to the Sustainable Development Goals.  

Child Development 

This module introduces you to the nature of developmental psychology and encourages a critical understanding of psychological theories in relation to children’s development. Implications for practice within Early Years curriculums and policy will be explored. 

The relationships between different domains, such as biological, social, emotional and cognitive will be investigated. The idea that development is not fixed at ages and stages, but instead is influenced by social and historical contexts will be introduced.

Links between theories of child development and how they under pin and inform practice within the Early Years sector will be explored.  

Introduction to Children’s Health and Wellbeing 

This module aims to introduce you to the concept of health and wellbeing, as well as the various factors that influence a child’s health. You will explore different perspectives on the definitions of health and wellbeing, gaining a deeper understanding of the holistic aspects of health. 

There will be a focus on children’s developmental understanding of health and wellbeing, alongside an examination of the impact of both short-term illnesses and long-term conditions. 

The module will also examine the overall health of children within the nation, identifying key areas of concern. You will explore health inequalities and the factors contributing to the decline or improvements in children’s health. Both the short-term and long-term consequences of children not achieving optimal health and wellbeing will be discussed. 

You will be introduced to the roles of the multidisciplinary teams in the health and education sectors, focusing on how they support children’s health and wellbeing. Additionally, you will explore the connection between these practices and the health frameworks in both sectors, along with their alignment to government policies and initiatives. 

By the end of the module, you will have developed a solid foundation of knowledge to support children’s health and wellbeing across education, social care, and health settings. 

Introduction to Academic and Professional Skills 

The aim of this module is to develop your understanding of professional and academic skills, including academic writing, reasoning, argument, and critical thinking.   

You will be introduced to a range of literature and study a range of different approaches to topics that are covered within your subject areas. You will develop digital literacy skills to support professional readiness, including CV writing and employability skills.  

Play and Creativity 

This module will explore the role of play and creativity in child development. This will include definitions and characteristics of play as well as different types of play.

You will examine the theoretical perspectives and research that underpin the study of play in childhood. There will be guidance and encouragement to foster an awareness of how cultural, social, and historical contexts shape the nature and value of play and creativity. 

Areas explored in the module will include the influence of technology on traditional play and the role of play in education, including the impact of play-based learning on academic achievement. You will discuss barriers to play and the impact of over-scheduling and the decline of play in modern society. 

Play as a right will be explored using the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sustainable Development Goals. You should also explore your professional role in advocating for the value of play in communities and the education system. 

Safeguarding and Integrated Practice 

The aims for this module are to enable you to develop your knowledge and understanding of the child safeguarding agenda and underpinning legislation.

You will be introduced to current debates around children’s rights within the current and relevant political frameworks. The complex inter-relationships between protection and rights will also be explored.

You will develop a clear understanding of your duty to safeguard and the reporting responsibilities that accompany this in practice.  This module will consider the history and development of safeguarding legislation, policy and practice for children and young people, including those who are most vulnerable, set within the context of the spectrum between conception and the age of eighteen. 

Your own values will be challenged, and the impact your own beliefs can have on your working practice will be addressed. The module content will place the notion of safeguarding the child within the context of need and risk and will explore key concepts that impact this.

You will explore signs and symptoms of abuse, issues of disclosure and confidentiality, and the appropriate referral process if you are worried about a child. The notion of Safeguarding Children will be placed within the context of Children’s Rights, and debates surrounding children and concepts of childhood in our society.  

Childhood, Poverty and Sustainability

This module introduces you to the interrelated and interconnected themes of childhood, poverty and sustainability. The contemporary nature of poverty including definitions, measurements, causes, impact and solutions will be explored in connection to children. 

Sustainability in its various forms (with reference to the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals) will be investigated, including inter-connections with Childhood and poverty. Key theories, concepts and debates will be introduced and discussed.   

How to Research 

The module aims to promote an understanding of research in the field of Childhood and to develop awareness of ‘research mindedness’, i.e., qualitative, quantitative and mixed research approaches.

The module will help prepare you to conduct primary research for your independent project. It will introduce skills such as planning, using a range of research methods, collecting and evaluating empirical material, and opportunities to analyse, interpret and synthesise data.

Controversies over different research approaches will be debated, as well as the suitability of different methods for different research questions, including concepts such as objectivity, subjectivity, and validity in researching the social world. It will include questions about research ethics and issues around reflexivity.

Understanding Children's Behaviour

This module will enable you to develop knowledge and critical understanding of the differing theoretical perspectives on children’s behaviour.

Factors relating to children’s specific needs, family, Early Years settings, wider society and culture will be critically analysed, including concepts and principles of inclusion.

You will have the opportunity to explore theories, significant and emerging, relating to the psychology of children’s behaviour and how to support them.  

You will also explore a range of factors relating to children’s behaviour. Other influences, including our own values and belief systems, will be reflected on.

You will explore through case studies how to provide for and support children’s behaviour and emotions within settings, working with and in partnership with others.

The Resilient Child 

The module will make links to current theory and practice and discuss and evaluate concepts of resilience. It will explore strategies that can be used by professionals to support the development of resilience in children. Key themes will include: ACEs, theories of containment, emotional safety, trauma informed practice, and promoting resilience. 

You will experience a variety of learning and teaching opportunities during the module. Formal lectures will be complemented by appropriate activities to embed learning. Process groups will be facilitated by a group leader and will provide a safe forum to consider how personal experience and opinions may influence professional practice in relation to emotional wellbeing and resilience.  

The module relies upon your participation to maximise learning opportunities. Indicative reading will be circulated for specific topics to form the basis of group work, debate, and exploration of issues. Visiting speakers will be used when available. 

Working with Families 

The aims for this module are to enable you to develop your knowledge, understanding, and skills of working empathically with families facing adversity.  You will consider the impact of family circumstances on the developing child and begin to explore the practitioner role in building an alliance and working with resistance. 

Often the children and young people that we are working with will have shared adverse experiences, and family factors may have played a significant role. This module will help to prepare you to work with children and young people by first recognising the importance of respect, understanding, and compassion when building relationships with the child’s support network, holding in mind that these family members may be facing their own personal difficulties which may impact their level of support or availability for the child or young person. 

You will use a recorded medium to demonstrate your growing skills in building the therapeutic alliance or parent-setting relationship. You will use this opportunity to utilise peer review and develop your skills as reflective, holistic practitioners. 

Promoting Children’s Health 

The aim of this module is to introduce you to the concept of promoting children’s health and wellbeing. You will explore the evolution of children’s health over the decades, identifying key drivers and factors that influence their health. The module will cover the principles of health promotion, including theoretical concepts, models, and ethical considerations. 

You will examine various ways to promote health, focusing on the roles of families, parenting, communities, children’s practitioners, and national health promotion initiatives. 

Health promotion strategies will be explored within the context of legislation, policy, and national agendas. Special attention will be given to key national health promotion initiatives, including immunisation, accident prevention, and oral health. 

The module will also address some of the most significant childhood health concerns, analysing and evaluating the impact of health promotion efforts on improving health outcomes for children and young people. 

Throughout the module, you will learn about the role of various health professionals and the strategies and initiatives in place to support and promote the health and wellbeing of children. 

Children’s Mental Health 

The aim of this module is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of children’s mental health, focusing on the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children as well as the psychological disorders that may arise in childhood and adolescence. 

Students will develop an understanding of key theoretical frameworks, common mental health issues in childhood and the principles and practices of assessment and intervention. 

The module will examine both the risk factors and protective factors that impact children’s mental health and wellbeing and provide students with practical knowledge regarding early support, treatment options and the roles of professionals in supporting children’s well-being and mental health. 

Throughout the module, students will learn about the role of various health professionals and the strategies and initiatives in place to support and promote the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. 

Independent Project 

Childhood is a multidisciplinary subject; the final independent project allows you to use conventions from a broad range of disciplines.

The independent project is designed to engage you in a longer-term and analytical piece of research on a topic relevant to the aspect of Childhood you are studying. This might include research that fits into either a qualitative and/or a quantitative framework. 

Special Educational Needs and Disability 

The central aim of this module is to develop a critical understanding of the issues that surround special educational needs and disability (SEND) in society and Early Years settings, with reference to government policy initiatives and legislation.

The history, economic and social dimensions of issues relating to special educational needs and disability will be explored, along with an analysis of the impact upon children, families and working practices. The origins and meanings of related terminology will be explored and debated. Students will be encouraged to analyse and reflect on their experiences of working with children in education and/or care settings. 

Therapeutic Play 

This module aims to explore and critically analyse the centrality of play in enabling children to make sense of the world around them and their own place within that world, especially when experiencing trauma.  It will analyse the role of the adult in understanding a child’s experiences through a therapeutic perspective of play. 

The module will critically reflect upon different therapeutic modalities. A range of focused interventions which benefit children will be experienced and analysed. It will also consider the relevance and importance of the theoretical underpinning of the field of Play Therapy.  

Children, Stories and the Media 

Students will use children’s stories and the media to explore current and past constructs of childhood.  Specific examples of stories and media are used to consider the wider social, cultural, and educational issues that surround their production and consumption.

The module analyses the ways in which children engage with these areas and explores a range of theories from different disciplines that seek to understand the nature of this engagemen