Working with Children, Young People and Families with Foundation Year

Working with children, young people, and families is a degree with a strong commitment to social justice and equalities at its heart, preparing you to contribute to a changing society, particularly in services that work with or for vulnerable children, young people, and their families. It is a degree that takes seriously both the academic study of childhood, family, and social care and the professional formation needed to work effectively, ethically, and compassionately with some of the most vulnerable people in society.

At Birmingham City University, this four-year full-time programme includes a foundation year that provides an accessible entry point for those who would benefit from additional academic preparation before the main degree content begins. You will develop a range of teaching and learning experiences that build on your existing skills and motivation, engaging with child development, family dynamics, sociology of childhood and the family, safeguarding, social policy, youth work, community development, and the legal and ethical frameworks that govern professional practice with children and young people. The programme's strong commitment to social justice ensures that questions of inequality, diversity, and inclusion are central throughout.

With a typical entry tariff of 88 UCAS points, this degree is accessible to students motivated to make a positive difference in the lives of children and families. Graduates pursue careers as youth workers, family support workers, early years practitioners, learning mentors, teaching assistants, children's services workers, community development workers, and professionals in a wide range of organisations in the statutory and voluntary sectors that work with children and families. The degree also provides a foundation for further professional training in social work, teaching, educational psychology, counselling, and health visiting.