Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care

UNIT 48: SOCIAL POLICY FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL CAREEssential guidance for tutorsDeliveryThis unit needs to be delivered using active learning techniques, encouraging learnersto reflect on the issues raised. There are strong links with Unit 19: AppliedSociological Perspectives for Health and Social Care, and delivery could thereforereflect this.Learners need to understand both the structure of the government in their owncountry, and the influence of the European Union on the policy making in thatcountry. This could be achieved through a mixture of tutor input, small groupresearch and posters or presentations. A visit to a governmentorganisation/department could also be useful for learners.Learners need to develop awareness that the government’s responses to welfareissues will vary due to many influencing factors. Learners should already haveknowledge of legislation associated with equality, which could be further explored,alongside welfare reform. In addition, initiatives such as the New Deal, Sure Start(children/older people), Prince’s Trust, Connexions, neighbourhood/communityrenewal, mental health reform and support for carers could be avenues to exploredepending on the interests of the learning cohort. It is essential that learners haveaccurate knowledge and understanding of some of these reforms, particularly ashigher grade learners are required to be able to demonstrate skills of analysis toinvestigate the effectiveness of current government initiatives.The use of group discussion is recommended for this unit, as is providingopportunities for learners to research and explore topics such as current initiatives,legislation or the work of pressure groups. Guest speakers, from local government orpressure groups for example, could also be invited in to talk to learners.AssessmentEvidence for this unit should be mainly in the form of writing/essays, with records ofpresentations and/or class discussions, including audio and video tapes, being used tosupplement these.Fictional case studies extracted from books, textbooks, television programmes orcontemporary literature could be used to generate some of the evidence for this unitin relation, for example, to the potential impact of social policy. This could besupported by independent research using relevant sources such as newspapers,journals and the internet. It is of paramount importance that these sources areappropriately referenced.588BN018467 – Specification – Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care– Issue 1 – February 2007 © Edexcel Limited 2007