Working with Children and Young People

Children and young people occupy a unique and contested position in contemporary society. Understanding how they develop, how they experience the world, and how social structures and cultural expectations shape their lives requires drawing on a range of disciplines, from developmental psychology and sociology to social policy and education studies. Working with Children and Young People at Teesside University is a programme built around that interdisciplinary need, preparing you to engage critically with the theories and practices that underpin work in this field.

You will be introduced to key academic theories and models of children and young people's development, examining the physical, intellectual, linguistic, emotional, and social dimensions of growing up. Sociological and psychological perspectives on childhood and youth are central to the programme, and you will explore how these differing viewpoints produce interesting and sometimes contested understandings of what it means to be young. You will consider adolescent theory, subcultural and transitional perspectives, and the changing nature of transitions in contemporary UK society, developing a nuanced appreciation of the diversity of children's experiences and the structural factors that influence them.

The part-time structure of the programme allows you to combine your studies with other commitments, and the curriculum is consistently connected to the realities of professional practice in children's services, education, and community work.

Graduates from this programme go on to careers in early years education, youth work, social care, family support, community development, and a wide range of roles in the statutory and voluntary sectors that serve children and young people. The combination of theoretical grounding and applied understanding that the programme provides is valued by employers across these fields. Many graduates also continue to further professional training or postgraduate study in social work, education, or childhood and youth studies.