02 Mar 2021
Key Facts
Qualification purpose
Prepare for further learning or training and/or develop knowledge and/or skills in a subject area
Qualification Grading Type
Pass/Merit/Distinction
Assessment Methods
Why choose this qualification?
The Pre-Access Certificate in Preparing for Further Study in Health, Social Care and Social Work is intended to support progression to an Access to HE Diploma in a related area.
The Certificate will provide learners with a firm foundation in terms of knowledge, skills and understanding of health, social care or social work, while at the same time giving them the opportunity to develop and practise their study skills.Individuals will have the chance to practise producing written work in the format expected when progressing to an Access to HE Diploma and to experience the same approach to assessment, making the learner better prepared for further study.
Each of the pre-Access qualifications has a single mandatory, graded unit which requires learners to complete an extended project in their chosen sector or subject. Learners can then choose the remaining units from a range of optional ungraded units, selecting those that match their interests and best fit with their planned progression route. They may also select a unit in effective learning skills, if they need an additional focus on these skills.
The Certificate and Diploma in Further Study in Health, Social Care and Social Work will support progression to Access to HE Diplomas including Health and Social Care, Nursing, Midwifery and Health Studies, Psychology and Sociology and Social Work and Related Professions.
Rules of Combination
Learners must achieve a minimum of 25 credits with 6 credits taken from the Mandatory Group (M), and the remaining credits from the Optional Group (O).
Units
Learners must achieve the single mandatory unit totalling 6 credits.
Health, Social Care or Social Work Project
Learners must achieve a minimum of 19 credits from this group.
Communication in a Health, Social Care or Social Work Context
Diet and Nutrition
Effective Learning
Health Promotion
Healthcare Provision in England and Wales
Human Reproduction
Intellectual and Language Development of Children and Young People
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Social Work
Introduction to Sociology
Mental Health and Disorder
Person-centred Approaches in Health, Social Care and Social Work
Physical Development of Children and Young People
Planning a Career in Health, Social Care or Social Work
Professional Relationships with Children and Young People
Protection and Safeguarding in Health, Social Care and Social Work
Reflective Practice in Health, Social Care and Social Work
Science in Medicine
Social Care Provision in England and Wales
Social and Emotional Development of Children and Young People
Supporting New Parents
The Living Body
The Sociology of Health and Illness
The Sociology of the Family
Understanding Counselling Skills
Value of Play and Recreational Activity to Children and Young People
What is the purpose of this qualification?
The primary purpose of this qualification is to support learners to progress to a higher level vocational qualification, specifically an Access to Higher Education (HE) Diploma relating to health, social care or social work. This qualification is designed for adult learners who are aspiring to higher education, lack the necessary qualifications to apply for a degree course but are not yet ready to embark on a preparatory Level 3 qualification, such as an Access to HE Diploma.
What skills, knowledge, or understanding does this qualification develop?
This qualification includes one mandatory unit:
• Health, social care or social work project
Learners must then select further units from a list of optional units. These include knowledge, understanding and skills relevant to all the possible progression routes from the Certificate, e.g.
• Reflective practice in health, social care or social work
• Communication in a health, social care or social work context
• Person-centred approaches in health, social care and social work
Learners can also choose units which are specific to the particular pathway you are planning, e.g.
• Social care provision
• Human reproduction
• Introduction to social work.
Learners can also decide to take a unit, ‘Effective Learning’, which will give you the opportunity to focus explicitly on developing the study skills you will need to succeed on an Access to HE Diploma and on a degree course.
The minimum vocational content for this qualification is 84% (if you choose to include the unit ‘Effective Lear
How is this qualification different from other, similar qualifications?
The Certificate in Preparing for Further Study in Health, Social Care and Social Work is intended to support your progression to an Access to HE Diploma in a related area. The Certificate will provide learners with a firm foundation in terms of knowledge, skills and understanding of health, social care or social work, while at the same time giving you the opportunity to develop and practise your study skills. Learners will have the chance to practise producing written work in the format expected of learners when their progress to an Access to HE Diploma and to experience the same approach to assessment, making you better prepared for further study.
Depending on the combination of optional units that learners choose learner could progress to an Access to HE Diploma in any of the following areas:
• Health
• Health and Related Health Professions
• Health and Social Care
• Health Professions
• Health Professions and Social Sciences
• Midwifery
• Nursing
• Nursing and Midwifery
• Nurs
Which sector does this qualification support?
This qualification is not intended to support progression to employment.
What are the progression options?
There is a Level 2 Certificate and Diploma in Preparing for Further Study in Health, Social Care and Social Work. The Certificate will be appropriate for most learners preparing to progress to an Access to HE Diploma as it should give learner sufficient scope to build up the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding at Level 2 to support your progression.
The Diploma in Preparing for Further Study in Health, Social Care and Social Work is better suited to learners who need a significant period of time working at Level 2 before they are ready to progress, perhaps because they have been out of learning for a considerable time, are studying in English for the first time or are less certain about their progression options.
Progression & entry requirements
There are no specific entry requirements, in the form of prior qualifications or levels of attainment, for this qualification. However, if at the start of their course learners have not already achieved Level 2 English and maths (in the form of functional skills or GCSE), learners can expect to be offered the opportunity to include English and maths in their programme alongside the Certificate in Preparing for Further Study in Health, Social Care and Social Work. Learners must be aged 18 or over to take this qualification.Funding information
There are now two main sources for funding information, a straightforward ESFA Qualification Search and the more detailed Find a Learning Aim website.
The new Find a learning aim (FALA) service provides a search tool that you can use to check the funding status of any qualification, framework, unit, standard or T Level:
View this qualification on the ESFA’s Find a learning aim website
The Education and Skills Funding Agency search provides funding information on qualifications. It does not provide funding information for units, non-regulated activity and work placements, for this information please use Find a learning aim (FALA).
View this qualification on the ESFA Qualification Funding Search
How to find a learning aim
If you’re not sure how to use the new find a learning aim website, we’ve created a handy walkthrough to help you:
How to Use: Find a learning Aim
We have done our best to collate and summarise the key information, and wherever possible we alert our providers to changes in funding policy.
This funding information is provided in good faith and it is always advisable to check directly with the funding agencies before committing to delivery.
The following support materials will help you to deliver this qualification.
Special Considerations and Reasonable Adjustment Forms