HND in Social and Community Work (Community Development)

The purpose of the Pearson BTEC Higher National in Social and Community Work is to develop
students as professional, self-reflecting individuals able to meet the demands of employers in the
social and community work sector and adapt to a constantly changing world. The qualifications aim
to widen access to higher education and enhance the career prospects of those who undertake
them.

The objectives of the Pearson BTEC Higher National in Social and Community Work are as follows:

• To equip students with social and community work skills and the knowledge and
  understanding necessary to achieve high performance in the global health and social care
  environment
• To provide education and training for a range of careers in social and community work,
  including: family support work roles, resource officer and personal assistant roles,
  community development work, public health and community support work, care planning
  roles, advocacy, social services supervisory or lower management roles, counseling and
  rehabilitation support roles
• To provide insight and understanding into the diversity of roles within the social and
  community work sector, recognizing the importance of collaboration at all levels
• To equip students with knowledge and understanding of culturally diverse organizations,
  cross-cultural issues, diversity, and values
• To provide opportunities for students to enter or progress in employment in social or
  community work, or progress to higher education qualifications such as an Honours degree
  in Social Work, Youth and Community Work, Childhood Studies, Public Health, Social Policy
  or a related area
• To provide opportunities for students to develop the skills, techniques, and personal
  attributes essential for successful working lives
• To support students to understand the local, regional and global context of social and
  community work, management, and community development and, for those students with a
  global outlook, to aspire to international career pathways
• To provide students with opportunities to address contemporary social care issues facing the
  sector, and society at large; with particular emphasis on integrated and compassionate care,
  and person-centered approaches to providing social care interventions and support to
  individuals across the lifespan
• To provide opportunities for students to achieve a nationally-recognized professional
  qualification within their chosen area of specialization

To offer students the chance of career progression in their chosen field, with particular emphasis on
achieving management-level positions, professional recognition, and beyond

• To allow flexibility of study and to meet local or specialist needs
• To offer a balance between employability skills and the knowledge essential for students
  with entrepreneurial, employment, or academic aspirations
• To provide students with opportunities to engage in an industry-recognized apprenticeship
  scheme that aligns with their employer’s needs and their own career aspirations
• To provide students with the context in which to consider professional ethics and their
  relation to personal, professional, and statutory responsibilities within the industry

We meet these objectives by:

• Providing a thorough grounding in social and community work principles and a degree of
  specialism at Level 4 that leads the student to a range of Specialist progression pathways at
  Level 5 relating to individual professions within the social and community work sector
• Equipping individuals with sector-relevant acumen, understanding, and social and
  community work skills for success in a range of the social care, community work, care
  navigation and supervisory or lower management roles in social services
• Enabling progression to a university degree by supporting the development of appropriate
  academic study skills.