Reading Lists for Social Care 2017/2018 available at the following link

Social Care course with an Introduction to Youth Work

Reflections Social Care - 2016/2017

I came in to the course not knowing what to expect. I met a lot of new people and I made friends for life, and I learned a lot about myself as a person and that I really want to have a future career in this sector. The tutors were great guiding us throughout the year and without them I would not have made it to the end of the year.  We were introduced to many different modules, as we would have never have learned deeply what they were about; they were all interesting in many different ways. Finishing the end of the year, and completing it is such an achievement, to get all assignments finished, finish presentations and prepare for exams. I really enjoyed the experience and the modules. My most favourite part of the course was my work experience placement. I learned so much that I hope I can pursue in my future career in the social care sector. My favourite modules were care of the older person and understanding mental health. They were so interesting and I would like to work in those sectors in the future. I would advise anyone interested in doing social care to do it. It is extremely beneficial to one who is really interested in that career.  Even though it is difficult as there is so much work to it, if you really want it and put hard work into the course it will pay off. I would recommend this course to any future students.
Emma Kelly

Overall the course was a huge benefit to each student. I felt each module linked in with each other which made it easier when doing assignments. It’s a great course for progressing onto college or working. The course has a lot of group work which I felt it benefits you for working in the area of social care as you have to have confidence and work as part of a team. One of my favourite modules I found was mental health as it has a huge impact on society today. There are so many assignments which are part of your end of year result. We have four exams at the end of the year. An example of the modules that take place are health and safety, human growth and development, social studies, communications, work experience, care of the older person, care skills, care support and working with young people. The course prepares you with a 3 week block placement of your choice in the social care area. Overall it was a great course, I would recommend it to anyone who doesn’t know what area they are interested in working and if they like working with people, as choosing what you want to do for the rest of your life can be quite stressful. This course has a broad area you can choose from when you receive your full award. 
Hayleigh Wheatley

The year was enjoyable. If you wanted to experience what social care is before actually entering a level 7/8 in a university or IT then I would recommend doing the level 5. A lot of practical work was involved such as first aid, patient handling moving, assisting with feeding and assisting with washing. I would say that you have to pay attention in all the modules as there is a lot of learning to take in and especially for exams at the end of the year. There are several modules. They range from Human Growth and Development to Understanding Mental Health. I think understanding mental health was the most enjoyable throughout the year because I have a big interest in it and most people enjoy it. Social studies includes a 50% project and a 50% exam. The project was enjoyable to find out information on ethnic minorities. I picked discrimination on the LGBT community. I found out a whole lot on it while completing this project. We visited the Midlands prison as part of the social studies projects as some people chose to research discrimination on prisoners. A lot of speakers came in to speak to us about different topics. Work placement gave us a good insight in the different areas. The whole year was great and I would definitely recommend it.
Tara Nolan..
 
My name is Clodagh and I completed a year in St.Conleth’s PLC studying Social Care. I found the year went incredibly quick and was most enjoyable. I learnt a lot of new skills and gained more confidence. There is a variety of core modules my favourite one being Social Studies. As part of our research project we went on a trip out to Midlands Prison. This helped me gain experience and knowledge to complete my project. The tutors were most helpful throughout the year. My most enjoyable experience in St.Conleths was my three week placement with Pathways Ireland. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for me as doing the PLC was my baseline for future studies.

At the start of the year I was very nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I thought I would struggle immensely with assignments and didn’t know what was ahead of me. Looking back now, I am delighted I did the course. My tutors helped me whenever I needed it and were of great assistance with assignments. There was a lot of work involved but my tutors guided me, which made the year so much easier. As part of the course we completed work experience, which was a great advantage as it gave me an insight into the social care area. I would highly recommend this course as I gained a lot of knowledge and practical skills, which will now help me progress to college.
Aoife McNamara


I really enjoyed my year in the PLC course. I found the assignments difficult at the beginning but once I got in the flow of doing them I found them a lot easier. The best thing to do is have your assignments done as soon as you receive them because if you let everything pile up you’re going to get stressed and won’t have assignments done to the best of your ability. I found the tutors extremely helpful with every aspect of the course and the class gelled as a group.  I would really recommend this course.
Tara Stacey


At the beginning of the year I didn’t know what to expect, I was feeling very nervous. I made new friendships and met up with old friends too, which was unexpected. The class group bonded really well together as we all got to know each other. I found the course really good and very interesting. The modules were great and they were delivered excellently. I struggled with the assignments at the beginning of the year for a while as it was all new to me along with referencing, but as the year went on the assignments got easier as I was getting used to having three or four assignments at the one time. It was normal to me by then and I learned to get on with it and get through them. I’m not saying the course was easy, but there was always help there from the tutors if it was needed. The good thing about doing the assignments was at the start of the year right through to the middle of the year we could hand up drafts which I found very helpful because we got an idea of how our assignment was coming along, the tutor would read through our assignment and correct it, then we would get it back and fix our mistakes and add more detail if it was needed. The work experience also benefits you as everything you have been learning gets put into practice and it makes it all more real. This course has benefited me as I can now go onto college or go straight into work; both options are there on completion of this course. 
​Social Care Student, Collette Craven.

Course Title: Social Care course with an Introduction to Youth Work

 Award Title:- Community Health Services

Code 5M4468

Level 5

Type Major Award

Domain: Education, Health and Welfare, Education/Training  Community Care and Social Work

•       This course may be used as a progression course to  Social Studies/Social Care, Youth and Community Studies, Social Science to degree level (7 & 8)

•       This course will qualify you to work in community care settings such as nursing homes, children's residential homes, addiction centres, youth and community settings, and to assist clients in their own homes

Modules  Studied

1.       Care Provision and Practice                            7.  Social studies

2.       Safety and Health at Work                              8. Youth studies

3.       Human Growth and Development                9. Occupational First Aid

4.       Communications                                              

5.       Work Experiences                                            10. Understanding Mental Health

6.       Care of the Older Person

WHEN TO APPLY:  NOW – ON LINE OR Contact: 045 431417

Interviews will be held in May 2015

Successful Candidates will commence in September 2015.

Georgina Finnegan – course coordinator