a2as Hsc Support 4578

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GCEAS/A2

In

Health and Social Care

T E A C H E R G U I D A N C E

Amended August 2012

For first teaching from September 2006For first AS certification in Spring 2007For first A2 certification in Spring 2008


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Updated: August 2012


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ContentsPage

Introduction 3

AS Unit 1 Promoting Positive Care 4

AS Unit 2 Communication in Care Settings 11

AS Unit 3 Health and Well-Being 15

AS Unit 4 Child Development 19

AS Unit 5 Adult Service Users 24

AS Unit 6 Holistic Therapies 28

AS Unit 14 Understanding Human Physiology 32

A2 Unit 7 Applied Research 37

A2 Unit 8 Monitoring Body Systems 42

A2 Unit 9 Providing Services 47

A2 Unit 10 Health Promotion 51

A2 Unit 11 Supporting the Family 57

A2 Unit 12 Understanding Human Behaviour 62

A2 Unit 15 Human Nutrition and Dietetics 68


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Updated: August 2012 4

AS UNIT 1 (A3H)

PROMOTING POSITIVE CARE

Assessment Guidance: This unit is internally assessed. Students will complete an assignmentadhering to the specified word count. The assignment must have the word total for eachstatement recorded on the candidate record sheet. Teachers will mark the assignment and itmust be internally standardised. A sample of assignments identified by CCEA will be submittedfor moderation.

Unit 1 is a compulsory unit. It is an excellent introductory unit. Students may find aspects of thisunit challenging so it is essential that they understand the content of the specification beforeattempting the assignment (assessment evidence) which requires them to apply their knowledgeto a care setting. A period of work placement in a care setting is desirable but if this is notpractical then planned and organised visits will provide students with the necessary information.It is imperative that students produce independent work to enable them to access mark bandfour.

The Care Value Base

This section requires students to understand the principles of the care value base. Studentsshould only focus on three of the five principles in the specification. Information is readilyavailable in all Health and Social Care textbooks but again ensure that the focus is on any threeof the five principles in the specification promote anti-discriminatory practice, maintainconfidential information, promote clients rights and choices, respect individuals identity andbeliefs and promote effective communication. A teacher led class discussion explaining the fiveprinciples and how they may be applied in care settings will be necessary.

Promote anti-discriminatory practice e.g. treating each client fairly and as an individual withunique needs/avoidance of stereotyping/staff recognising and dealing with their ownprejudice/providing equal opportunities/equal opportunity policies/stafftraining/challenging discrimination.

Maintain confidential information e.g. sharing information on a need to know basisonly/secure storage of information (passwords for computers)/not gossiping aboutclients/private facilities for confidential meetings/confidentiality policies.

Promote clients rights and choices e.g. the right to privacy, dignity, confidentiality/to bedifferent/to safety and security/the right to choice/to have their opinion taken into accountre treatment, options etc.

Respect individuals identity and beliefs e.g. cultural and religious beliefs/providingappropriate foods/practice of religious beliefs/celebration of religious and cultural events.

Promote effective communication between staff/clients/relatives/outside agencies/effectivecommunication skills/empathy/being genuine/awareness of barriers to communication.

This could be reinforced and understanding enhanced by a class discussion on how theprinciples of the care value base are applied by the staff at the school. Programmes such asHolby City or Casualty and media articles may be used to highlight good and bad practice.

Other useful approaches to ensure understanding may include role plays of situations wherethe principles of the care value base have/have not been applied by staff or group work wherestudents are given a different care setting and asked to discuss how staff apply the principles ofthe care value base and then report back to the group. Examples of settings may be a playgroup, hospital, health centre, day centre or care home. Students could also focus on a care


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setting that they use e.g. the dentist or health centre and consider how the staff apply theprinciples of the Care Value Base in their daily work. Other suitable activities include the drawingup of a check list e.g. You are going on work placement in a care home/nursery. Draw up a listof examples of good practice to follow to ensure you apply three of the principles of the Care

Value Base while on work placement. A talk by a health or social care professional such as anurse or social worker on how they apply the principles of the care value base would be valuable.

Legislation that promotes positive care

Students may find this section challenging. An initial class discussion before introducing thelegislation is essential to ensure students understand the terms rights and responsibilities andservice users and providers. It may be useful to explain these terms in a school context theservice users are the pupils and the providers are the teachers, management etc. The pupils havethe right to education in a safe healthy environment and it is the responsibility of themanagement and teachers to provide this. Although this explanation is basic it will help studentsunderstand these terms. The discussion can then be extended to care settings through classdiscussion or group work. A list of care settings e.g. health centres, care homes, crches couldbe drawn up and students asked to identify the service users and providers and their rights and

responsibilities. When students have a clear understanding of these terms then legislation may beintroduced.

A teacher led discussion on the term legislation may be useful especially for students who havenot studied Health and Social Care before. As students sometimes find the legislation difficult tounderstand it may be more beneficial for the teacher to provide a summary of each piece oflegislation which is then explained and discussed in class. Only the legislation in the specificationshould be considered. The Human Rights Act 1998 is a very lengthy piece of legislation and it isgood practice to choose three or four articles which apply to care settings e.g. Right to Life,Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience and Religion, Prohibition of Discrimination, Right toEducation, Right to Respect, Privacy and Family Life.

The Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 focuses on the right of the child to be listened toand have their views taken in account. It also upholds the rights of the parent to be consultedand the need to keep children safe. The Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 states thegrounds for sectioning clients with mental health problems and the right of appeal. The SpecialEducational Needs and Disability (Northern Ireland) Order 2005 is the extension of theDisability Discrimination Act 1995 to schools, strengthening the rights of children with specialneeds to be educated in a mainstream school. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 protectsthe rights of disabled service users and helps prevent discrimination on the grounds of access toservices etc. The Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (Northern Ireland) Order 2005aims to improve existing safeguards for children and vulnerable adults by preventing unsuitablepeople working with them.

Information on the legislation is available from various sources. The Equality Commission(www.equalityni.org) provides clear guidance on much of the legislation and will provide adviceto teachers and give talks to students if requested. The schools Special Needs Co-ordinator canprovide advice on SENDO. The designated teacher or a social worker can advise on TheChildren (NI) Order. The teacher who organises work experience may provide advice on TheProtection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (NI) Order. The websitewww.diycommittee.orgis also a sound source of information. Health and Social Care textbooks also provideinformation on legislation. While these texts focus on English legislation there is enoughsimilarity to provide guidance.


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Having explained and discussed the various pieces of legislation students now need to apply thelegislation to care settings. What are the implications of the legislation for service users andproviders? What rights does the legislation give the service users and what responsibilities doesit place on the service providers? A useful approach could be group work. Each group could begiven a different care setting to discuss and be provided with a table to complete. Example

Care Home A is a residential setting for elderly clients. Analyse how the Human Rights Act1998 relates to the rights and responsibilities of the service users and providers of this carehome. The table may have two different headings service users have the right to; and serviceproviders have the responsibility to; - e.g. Article 2: Right to Life.

Service users have the right to receive good quality care and treatment provided in a safeenvironment by trained staff

Service providers have the responsibility to ensure health and safety policies are in place and thatstaff are properly trained

Students need to be aware that not all legislation applies to all care settings e.g. The Mental

Health (NI) Order 1986 only applies to settings where service users are likely to be sectioned andit is The Special Educational Needs and Disability (NI) Order 2005 and not the DisabilityDiscrimination Act 1995 that applies to schools. It is essential that students have a soundunderstanding of this section.

Health and Safety

This section also requires considerable teacher input to ensure students understand the keyfeatures and implications of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, [including Control ofSubstances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) and Reporting of Injury, Disease and DangerousOccurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR)] in relation to a safe working environment for carersand service users in their chosen setting.

This legislation is of particular importance in care settings where clients may be young,vulnerable and unable to maintain their own health and safety. Applied AS Health and SocialCare published by Folens provides current, concise and applied information on the abovelegislation. Valuable information is also available onwww.hseni.gov.uk. It is not necessary toexplain in detail all the regulations which stem from this piece of legislation. Students need tounderstand that the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 sets requirements for both employersand employees.

Employers must ensure the health and safety of their employees and provide and maintainequipment and work systems which are safe. This aspect could then be discussed in relation tocare settings e.g. the manager of the care home must ensure that equipment is checked for safety

and serviced on a regular basis and staff are given training and information on how to operatethe equipment to ensure their own safety.

Employees must co-operate with their employers e.g. the staff in a nursery should attend trainingprovided and follow policies and procedures given by their employer. The implications of thisregulation can also be discussed in relation to the school e.g. overhead projectors, fireextinguishers and other equipment are checked annually students will be able to see thedate/record of check on the appliance. As with previous pieces of legislation, it will be necessaryto outline and explain the requirements of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health


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(COSHH) the keeping of an up to date COSHH file listing the details of all hazardoussubstances stored on the premises and COSHH assessments. The school caretaker/cleaningsupervisor and technical support staff in science and technology departments may also provide

valuable information on this aspect. A class discussion could then focus on the application ofCOSHH in care settings e.g. identification of hazardous substances, how they are stored andlabelled etc. The final piece of legislation is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous

Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Again students need to be aware of the implications ofthese regulations for care settings the reporting by employees of deaths, majorinjuries/accidents, diseases, dangerous occurrences and the recording of such occurrences. Thiscould also be applied to the school the completion of an accident form when a pupil is injuredor the reporting of an outbreak of mumps within the school. A class discussion on theapplication of the regulations within care settings can further enhance understanding e.g. anelderly client in a care home falls and fractures her hip/a child becomes ill after drinking cleaningfluid in a nursery or a cleaner develops dermatitis after wearing latex gloves required when usingcleaning materials. A visit to a care setting may be beneficial to gain first hand information andobserve the legislation in practice. The visit should be well planned. The manager of the caresetting should be aware that students are focusing on the application of the legislation in thesetting and students should already be aware of the content of the legislation and be prepared for

the visit e.g. a questionnaire. Students could also survey their own school setting and take noteof the good and bad practice in the application of the health and safety legislation.

The students are required to evaluate the importance of health and safety legislation in providingthe positive care of service users. They need to understand that discussion involves evaluativereflection.

Policies

The final section of this unit requires students to understand the strengths and limitations ofpolicies and procedures within care settings used to implement codes of practice and variouslaws and regulations. By following these policies and procedures staff help promote positive

care within the setting. Students also need to be aware that certain professionals such as nursesand social care workers also have codes of practice which include guidelines for these workers tofollow in their day to day care of service users. These are often included in the policies of caresettings and help promote positive care. It is not necessary to discuss Codes of Practice in detail

the main focus should be on policies within care settings. Students need to be aware of severalaspects regarding policies what they are, their purpose, how they are monitored within caresettings and their importance in promoting positive care, so they can evaluate their effectiveness.

A useful introduction to this section is to issue each student with a copy of a school policy e.g.The Emergency Evacuation Procedure Policy which can then be discussed. A class discussioncould then be used to evaluate the effectiveness of this policy in promoting the positive care ofthe students in the school. When students have a clear understanding of the importance of

policies in promoting positive care within the school environment they could then consider threepolicies in the chosen care setting. There are many policies within care settings confidentiality,health and safety, anti bullying, complaints, moving and handling etc. Model policies are availableon the internet and some care settings may be willing to provide examples of their policies whichcould be used for class discussion if this is the case then confidentiality should be maintainedby removing names from the policy.

To conclude, when delivering this section it is imperative to concentrate on the evaluation of theeffectiveness of three policies in promoting positive care in the chosen setting.


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Impact of poor practice

Students need to understand that, despite the care value base and legislation and policiespromoting positive care, poor practice persists across the sector. They may be introduced tosome examples of poor practice using newspaper reports, disciplinary outcomes on the NorthernIreland Social Care Council or Nursing and Midwifery Council websites, or television

programmes e.g. Panorama. They should also be encouraged to research examples of their ownwhich should be UK based.

Students also need to examine the impact/potential impact of poor practice on the well being ofservice users. They can also consider the impact on families, carers and service providers and the

wider community. Case studies and group work may be used to explore these themes.

Information on the effects of poor practice is available in all Health and Social Care textbooks.Mark schemes for AS Unit 3 (Health and Well Being) AS Unit 5 (Adult Service Users) and A2Unit 9 (Providing Services) which are available from CCEA provide valuable information.

Assessment Guidance

It is good practice to introduce the assignment (assessment evidence). The workload is moremanageable for candidates and teachers if it is completed statement by statement and marked assuch. A reasonable amount of time should be allocated for the completion of each statement.Candidates are required to produce a report on a health, social care or early years setting.Confidentiality must be maintained the name of the setting or staff must not be given.Candidates may refer to Playgroup A or Care Home X etc. Candidates should identify anddescribe briefly the care setting in the introduction.

Statement A(suggested length approx 400 words per principle)

The statement requires candidates to explain howthree of the five principles of the care value

base may be applied by care workers in the chosen care setting. Candidates should beencouraged to discuss in detail three or four ways the staff in the setting apply each of theprinciples chosen and how this impacts positively on service users.

The focus of the statement is on the application of the three values by the staff e.g. the staff inPlaygroup A maintain confidential information in several ways. Only senior members of staffknow the password to enable them to access the personal information of the children. In CareHome X staff always ensure they know the identity of the caller before passing on information.

All care plans are stored in a locked cabinet in the managers office etc. Candidates should beencouraged to complete each of the principles in similar detail and to discuss the impact onservice users e.g. service users develop trust in the staff, they feel respected. Candidates do notneed to explain the principles nor their background the focus of the statement is their

application by the care workers and the impact on the service users.

The total marks available for this statement are fifteen therefore each of the three principles maybe marked out of five and the total recorded on the Candidate Record Sheet. Again annotationcan assist accuracy of marking.


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Statement B(suggested length approx 500 words per law)

Candidates should focus on the command word when completing this statement they arerequired to describe how legislation impacts upon the chosen care setting. Candidates mustdescribe how two pieces of relevant legislation from the specification which impact on thesetting e.g. if a candidate has chosen a nursery they may consider The Children (Northern

Ireland) Order 1995 and The Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (Northern Ireland)Order 2005.

Candidates should not include irrelevant detail such as the history of the legislation - they shouldfocus on the aspects relevant to chosen care setting.

The total marks available for this statement is twenty so accuracy may be enhanced by allocatingten marks to each of the two pieces of legislation. Candidates should not be awarded mark bandfour unless an in depth description has been independently produced.

Statement C(suggested length approx 1500 words)

Candidates are required to discuss how The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, COSHH andRIDDOR are applied in the chosen care setting. Candidates should not discuss the backgroundof the legislation nor the contents the focus is on how the legislation is applied in the chosencare setting.

Examples of application may include under COSHH the manager of Care Home X carries outassessments to identify products that may be hazardous to health. In the home these productsmay be drugs, soiled linen cleaning substances etc.

RIDDOR requires employers to keep records of reportable injuries, diseases and dangerousoccurrences for three years from the date of the incident. The manager of Playgroup B has anaccident report book where all such incidences are recorded. The accident reports are detailed

including information such as the date, brief description of circumstances etc.

Candidates awarded mark band four must independently produce a detailed discussion of theapplication of health and safety legislation in the chosen care setting. Annotation can ensureaccuracy of marking e.g. app where legislation is clearly applied.


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Statement D(suggested length approx 1200 words)

Candidates should focus on the command word when completing this statement they arerequired to evaluate the effectiveness of three policies in promoting positive care in their chosencare setting. The evaluation should be succinct. Candidates need to consider how the threepolicies can promote positive care. Possible responses may read this policy/these policies help

reduce confusion among staff about expected behaviours e.g. the Confidentiality Policy informsstaff how to keep personal information about clients secure. This helps promote trust betweenthe service user and carer and encourages the service user to be honest etc.

Candidates also need to consider the possible drawbacks of the policies. Some points toconsider may be are the policies accessible to staff/are they user friendly/have staff beenallocated time during induction to study the policies/are the policies updated/are service usersaware of the policies etc? Annotation of the work can help ensure accurate marking. Candidatesare not required to explain the implementation of policies in the setting.

Statement E

E (i) (suggested length approximately 250 words each example)

In this statement each candidate is required to research two examples of poor practice in thehealth, social care and early year sectors. All examples should be UK based. The N.I Social CareCouncils website and the Nursing and Midwifery Councils website are good sources ofinformation, as disciplinary hearing procedures are published by these organisations. Both localand national newspapers will also have suitable examples and television programmes can also bea valuable source. Work in excess of 10% of the word limit for each statement cannot accessmark band 4.Candidates are expected to succinctly summarise each of the examples chosen in their own

words, highlighting the poor practice.

E (ii) (suggested length approximately 500 words each example)

For each example candidates must discuss the impact/potential impact of the poor practiceidentified.

The impact of poor practice could be short and/or long term. It may also affect other serviceusers than those identified in the case studies chosen. For example, in a case where an elderlyservice user has been neglected in a care home, it is probable that other service users have alsobeen affected e.g. worried or distressed. This may be considered in the discussion. The impacton families, carers and service providers and the wider community may also be considered, ifappropriate.

Conclusion

It is good practice to annotate work. At the end of each statement include a brief commentjustifying the mark band awarded. Work awarded mark band four should be succinct andindependently produced. A bibliography is essential.


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AS UNIT 2 (A3H2)

COMMUNICATION IN CARE SETTINGS

Assessment Guidance:This unit is internally assessed. Students will complete an assignmentadhering to the specified word count. The assignment must have the word total for eachstatement recorded on the candidate record sheet. Teachers will mark the assignment and itmust be internally standardised. A sample of assignments identified by CCEA will be submittedfor moderation.

Introduction

This unit requires candidates to identify a suitable health and social care or early years setting andover a period of time to observe and report on a variety of methods of communicationemployed in the chosen setting.

The unit is completed by planning, carrying out, and evaluating two interactions.The best results are obtained when the candidates report on communication techniques

witnessed while on work placements so that the outcome is independent and can, therefore,access the higher mark bands.

Types of Communication

Students need to recognise the different forms of communication used and their purpose. Thismight include formal interactions like interviews or meetings, explanation of procedures toservice users or relatives and exchange of information among professionals or more informalinteractions between service users and health professionals, colleagues or health professionalsand family members.

The techniques used in these differing situations as well as when in one to one and group

interactions should be recognised. Students should be able to identify the following types ofcommunication and their purposes:

Verbal; Non verbal which could include sign language and body language; Written, which could include reports, message boards, patient notes and charts, or the use of

Braille;

Multi media to include email, fax and text messages.An initial introduction to the terms and language used to describe communication techniquesusing AS Health and Social Care texts (Folens, Hodder, Heinman Collins, or Communicating in

Health and Social Care by Hilary Thompson) can be completed. Other delivery strategies mayinclude group work where students could role play to experience a range of communicationsituations.

Another successful strategy is to watch a variety of televised interviews to identify verbal skills,handling different points of view, voice levels and speed as well as non verbal messages such aseye contact, shrugging, posture and contact. The signing used to help interpret the news gives aninsight into the speed and precision needed to attempt this technique.


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The purpose of each method should be identified.

This could include:

to explain procedures to exchange information to promote relationships and offer support to get to know service users and their needs to promote interaction between group members to negotiate and liaise with service users, their family members, colleagues and other

professionals

For example, the purpose of using a letter in a school setting was to exchange information.Parents were made aware of the date, time and transport arrangements for the trip. The cost wasalso included and the parents were advised to send packed lunches with their children.

Factors Affecting the Effectiveness of Communication

Factors that can have a positive effect:

Environmental Factors e.g. ambient temperature, low noise levels, seating arrangements,dress codes.

Emotional Factors e.g. confidence building through assurance of confidentiality and respect,empathy and understanding, valuing another point of view, active listening, etc.

Social Factors e.g. showing respect for culture, ethnicity, age, ability, beliefs and usingappropriate language.

Skills e.g. the importance of tone, pace, pause, prompts, silence, posing questions, waiting forresponses, active listening, empathy, assertiveness and reflection, eye contact, gestures,personal space, facial expressions.

In any health and social care or early years setting there will be examples of communicationdifficulties experienced. The aim of this section is to identify these in the chosen setting. Thesecould include:

Disability - hearing, visual, learning or dysphasia as a result of brain injury or stroke. Illness or pain Physical environment e.g. noise, temperature, poorly planned facilities Speech impairment Mental health problems Culture or ethnicity Attitudes prejudice or discrimination Perceived statusSuggested strategies for overcoming communication difficulties may include any of thefollowing:

Using special equipment e.g. hearing aids, large print written material, Braille or signlanguage;

Services of a speech therapist, interpreter or advocate; Provision of a conducive environment;


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Empathy, trust and assurance of confidentiality; and Consideration of and preparation for individual needs.For example, a child in a primary school may have a visual impairment. The teacher overcamethis difficulty by seating the child at the front of the room so that he could see the whiteboardmore clearly. The pupil had a teaching assistant who checked the childs glasses were clean and

that the child was wearing them. The teaching assistant enlarged the worksheets to enable thechild to access the information and complete the activities in class.

The Importance of Communication when Working in Teams

In this section the focus is on working in teams. To complete it students are asked to study anidentified team or teams in their chosen setting.

Teams will vary from setting to setting but they will typically include management, professionals,care workers, classroom assistants, catering and clerical staff, cleaning staff etc. The teamscommunication techniques will be examined to highlight the way in which the team functions.

This will involve how a team/teams communicates to carry out tasks to meet the needs of the

service users. Formal meetings, exchange of information at handover of shifts, induction, inservice training, and company policies could be used as examples. More informal examplescould also be cited e.g. notice boards giving information on staff rotas and forthcoming events,telephone protocol, use of email to update staff etc, all of which can have a positive or negativeeffect on team dynamics and feelings of inclusion or exclusion which directly contributes to howthe team contributes to meeting service users needs.

The importance of communication to address all aspects of physical care will cover the physicalenvironment, recreational provision for exercise, looking after the body like choosing menus,feeding, washing, dressing etc, and can be applied from the very young to elderly service users.

The involvement of relatives will be important here so ways of communicating with them toimprove care can be included. Communication within the team is also important to provide

intellectual stimulation; this may involve staff in a range of diverse activities to meet serviceusers needs. Emotional needs are constantly met by care staff employing a variety ofcommunication techniques from verbal reassurance to non verbal methods like smiling, touchingetc. Social needs can be met by a range of interactions generated by a good team.

The application of observations and experiences during a visit or work placement is veryimportant to this section.

Statement A(suggested length 1200 words)

Candidates work is enhanced by providing a short introduction to the care setting used. Thesetting should remain confidential but some insight can be gained by describing the size of the

facility, the number of service users who avail of the service, the number and nature of the staffetc.

A (i) Requires candidates to describe examples of two different types of communication used intheir chosen setting. (700 words)

A (ii) Using the identified examples explain their purpose e.g. to give information, support etc.(500 words)


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Statement B(suggested length 1500 words)

B (i) Using examples from the setting describe the positive factors affecting communication.(900 words)B (ii) Explain how difficulties in communication can be overcome. (600 words)

It is important to focus only on those factors observed in the setting.

B (i) and (ii) should be written separately as per assessment criteria.

Statement C(suggested length 1000 words)

Candidates should analyse how effective communication in a team/teams contributes to meetingservice users needs within the setting.

It is important here to link the effectiveness of the communication observed to the quality ofcare delivered to service users in the chosen setting. A range of methods of communication

within a team/teams should be considered. In each case the way in which this communicationmeets service users needs should be discussed. Using PIES can help consider needs in full.

Statement D (i)

This is a crucial element within the unit. Both interactions should be well planned e.g. date, timelocation, those present, layout of room, model questions etc., chance encounters are notacceptable. One interaction must be undertaken in the setting. Interactions tend to be moresuccessful where a planned task has been carried out e.g. show and tell with a primary schoolchild (under 8). A well managed role play can be used for one of the interactions.

Equal attention should be given to each interaction and they should demonstrate the differenttechniques employed when interacting one to one and in a group e.g. eye contact, tone of voice,pace, taking turns etc. In group interactions there should be at least 3 people involved,candidates should plan interactions where all participants have the opportunity to contributerather than a talk or lecture where there is little need to respond. Work in excess of 10% of the

word limit for each statement cannot access mark band 4. Candidates must include clear recordsfor both interactions. Records may include a transcript, witness statements, self, peer andobserver assessments and questionnaires.

D (ii)(1000 words)

The evaluation should be detailed and critical to access the higher mark bands. All aspects ofeach interaction should be examined. The planning process should be compared with the actualevent. Candidates should be able to recognise their strengths and weaknesses in relation tocommunication skills, this could be supported with self and peer evaluation. Improvementsshould be suggested to complete the evaluation process.

(d) (i) and (ii) should be written separately as per assessment criteria.

Note: Tables, questionnaires, graphs and charts are notincluded in the word count.


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AS UNIT 3 (A3H3)

HEALTH AND WELL BEING

Concepts of health and well being

Students should start this unit by exploring the meaning of the seven concepts listed. They willbe familiar with most of the concepts from general knowledge but should be encouraged to usehealth and social care texts to gain precise and accurate definitions. Pair and share or group

work may be useful here followed by class discussion. Examples can be useful in helpingstudents to understand some of the concepts e.g. depression as an example of mental illness.Candidates should be encouraged to learn clear, concise definitions in preparation for theexamination.

Many students will be familiar with PIES (physical, intellectual, emotional and social) fromGCSE or their work in other AS units, but may well have studied PIES in the context ofdescribing development. Here the focus is on needs or basic human requirements e.g. physicalneeds include shelter, warmth and nutrition whilst intellectual needs include knowledge and

stimulation. Students should be able to list needs and also discuss how they may be met byworkers in health and social care and early years settings. As students can experience difficultiesin distinguishing the needs from the ways they can be met, it may be useful to work through anumber of examples in tabular form, listing the needs in one column and how they might be metin a particular setting in an adjoining column e.g. in a nursery school, a hospital or a residentialcare home.

Students are required to consider the impact of both good health and ill-health on an individualspsychological well being e.g. on their self esteem. This may be addressed through class discussion

where students might refer to real life examples of ill-health having an impact on thepsychological well being of someone they know. They should also consider the positive impactof good health on psychological well being. Students should, nevertheless, be encouraged to be

evaluative in their approach, recognizing that ill-health does not always have a negative impacte.g. they may know people who have demonstrated determination to make the best of theirsituation or who have felt emotionally supported by friends and family when suffering ill-health.Similarly people who are in good physical health may have emotional problems because physicalhealth is only one factor out of many that influences psychological well-being e.g. physicallyhealthy individuals may experience unhappiness and emotional upset due to family breakdown orstress at work. Case studies may be used to illustrate the complex relationship between physicalhealth and ill-health and psychological well-being.

In exploring the social effects of ill-health on individuals and their families, group work may beuseful, with each group considering the impact on one aspect of life- education, employment,income, leisure activities and relationships. Again case studies are a useful tool so that students

are encouraged to think about the impact of ill-health on individuals at different stages of lifeand on their families e.g. if a child is ill, how might this impact on the leisure activities of othermembers of the family?

Factors affecting health and well being

Students should be encouraged to learn the factors in each category as this will be a useful aidememoire for extended answers in the examination e.g. if asked to discuss or analyse theenvironmental factors that can affect health and well-being, candidates will be expected to


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include the three factors listed here- geographical location, pollution and occupational hazards.Students need to consider how each factor in turn can affect all three aspects of health and wellbeing- physical, social and psychological. As there are a range of factors to consider, candidatesmay benefit from individual or small group research and from sharing the notes they produce.

There are many sources, both health and social care texts and internet resources, which canprovide evidence of the influence of a range of factors. Good examples include reports by the

World Health Organization, the Department of Health or the DHSSPSNI or the Public HealthAgency. Students are encouraged to use such resources to explore the evidence for links betweenthe factors listed and the three aspects of health- physical, social and psychological. They mayalso come up with points from their own knowledge and experience, but they do not need tolearn details of research or statistical evidence.

Health Promotion

Students will be familiar with a range of health promotion campaigns or activities from themedia and from their educational experience. When introducing the five health promotionapproaches it may be useful to provide candidates with a hand-out explaining what is meant byeach approach and ask them to relate these to examples of campaigns or activities they are aware

of or that they research on the Public Health Agencys website. Students are also expected to beable to evaluate the different approaches by discussing at least three advantages and threelimitations of each approach. It should be noted that the evaluative points must be specific toeach particular approach to health promotion, rather than more generally applicable to anyhealth promotion campaign or activity e.g. a weakness of any health promotion campaign oractivity is that people may ignore it, whilst a weakness specific to the educational approach is thatpeople may ignore it because they are switched off by the detailed explanation and statisticalresearch evidence that the educational approach is likely to include. Ewles and Simnetts text is auseful teacher resource for the different approaches to health promotion.Having examined the different approaches students should go on to research in some detail ahealth promotion campaign or activity focused on a current health issue relevant to NorthernIreland. They should become familiar with the various ways it delivers health promotion

messages to the public e.g. through statistics, posters, leaflets, television, radio, group activitiesetc. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is through the website of the Public Health Agency(http://www.publichealth.hscni.net) which provides information on health promotioncampaigns and links to campaign specific websites where a whole range of health promotionmaterials can be viewed. This has replaced the Health Promotion Agencys site(www.healthpromotionagency.org.uk) which is no longer updated but is still active and socontinues to be an excellent source of health promotion material. Another excellent resource isinviting a health promotion professional as a visiting speaker or a teacher who has coordinated ahealth promotion activity in school e.g. a healthy eating week as this may also contribute to thestudents understanding of how health promotion works. Students should be familiar with thecampaign details including the objectives of the campaign studied- they are expected to be ableto identify three objectives. Road safety campaigns should not be used.

The last part of this section of the course requires students to focus on the ways that individualscan take responsibility for their own health and well-being through their own actions andbehaviour. First they should explore positive lifestyle choices such as healthy diet and exercise.

They should also look at accessing health and social care services e.g. taking advantage ofservices such as smoking cessation clinics. Finally they should become familiar with the conceptof self-advocacy where individuals are proactive in speaking up for themselves with regard totheir own health and well-being e.g. by requesting a referral to a specialist or by asking for asecond opinion.


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Organizations responsible for health promotion and disease prevention

Students should explore the work of the organizations listed to develop an understanding of howeach contributes to the health and well being of the population or of individuals. Students shouldunderstand how the different organizations fit into the different sectors- statutory, voluntary andprivate- and that the World Health Organisation (WHO) does not fit into any of these

categories. The websites of the organisations are a good starting point as there will be a sectionon role or function or about us which highlights what the organization does. Students willneed to spend time reading the information and putting it into points which they can learn forexamination purposes. They also need to be careful to pick out points which highlight thespecific role of the organization they are examining rather than more general phrases whichmight apply to a number of organizations e.g. works to improve the health of the populationcould describe the work of any of these organizations, whilst records the spread of disease on aglobal basis e.g. the SARS virus makes it clear that this is the work of WHO (www.who.int/en).Students are advised to explore the roles of three or four voluntary organizations that contributeto health promotion and disease prevention to give them a feel for the range of functionsperformed by the voluntary sector. Examination candidates are not required to answer questionson what any particular voluntary organization actually does, but may be asked to give an example

or to consider how a voluntary organization might contribute to the well being of a client in ascenario. With regard to commercial and private organizations, candidates should explore therole of at least two organizations with different roles in health promotion and disease preventione.g. a retailer such as Boots (www.boots.com) and a drugs company such as Glaxo Smith Kline(www.gsk.com) or a private clinic such as Framar Health (www.framarhealth.com).

Discrimination and anti-discriminatory practice

Students need to understand what is meant by the terms prejudice and discrimination and beable to give examples in health, social care and early years settings. Examples of bothdiscriminatory practice and anti-discriminatory practice in health and social care settings shouldbe used to explore the impact on the health and well being of service users. This is best done

through short case studies and there are good examples in health and social care texts. Studentsalso need to understand how anti-discriminatory practice can be promoted in health, social careand early years settings. They may benefit from class discussions about what they have observedduring their work placements. Examples might include staff training in anti-discriminatorypractice and having policies such as a complaints policy and a whistle blowing policy, makingsure staff and service users know about charters of rights, having forums for discussion for staff,supervising inexperienced staff to help them apply anti- discriminatory practice in their day today interactions with service users, promoting the care value base, dealing robustly withcomplaints, using disciplinary procedures to deal with staff who engage in discriminatory practice

where necessary, managers setting a good example in their own practice, directly challenging staffand patients when incidents occur and making sure resources reflect a range of cultures e.g.reading materials and recognising and celebrating religious festivals from a variety of religions.

Assessment Guidance

The external examination will require candidates to demonstrate a range of knowledge and skillsrelated to the health and well being of individuals and service users. The examination will requirecandidates, at a basic level, to describe various concepts and issues related to the health and wellbeing of individuals and service users. In some sections of the examination candidates will beexpected to demonstrate the ability to analyse concepts and issues in order to justify awarding ofhigher grades, for example they may be required to analyse the social effects of an individuals ill-


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health on his family. Questions which challenge candidates to demonstrate skills of evaluationwill allow for the awarding of higher marks e.g. candidates may be asked to evaluate one of theapproaches to health promotion.

Resources

Students should have access to a range of sources pitched at AS/National Diploma level.Examples are listed below.

Texts

Ewles, L. and Simnett, I. (2003) Promoting Health A Practical Guide, Bailliere Tindall Moore, S. (2002) Social Welfare Alive! 3rd edition Cheltenham, Stanley Thornes Miller, Janet, (2004) Social Care Practice, Hodder & Stoughton Moonie, N. (2005) Health & Social Care, Heinemann Smithson, R. (2006) Health & Social Care, Philip Allan Stretch, B. (ed) (2006) GCE AS Level Health and Social Care, Heinemann

Richards, J. (2003) Complete A-Z Health and Social Care Handbook, Hodder and Stoughton Tossell, D. & Webb, R. (1994) Inside the Caring Services, Arnold Hodder Walsh, M., Chaloner, R., Stephens,P., (2005) Health and Social Care, Collins

Websiteswww.actioncancer.orgwww.boots.comwww.dhsspsni.gov.uk(Department of Health and Social Services and Public safety for NorthernIreland- publications of particular interest are A Healthier Future, A Twenty Year Vision forHealth and Well being (2004) and Investing for Health (2002))

www.doh.gov.uk(Department of Health)

www.framarhealth.comwww.gsk.com(Glaxo Smith Kline)www.helptheaged.org.ukwww.mariecurie.org.ukwww.mencap.org.ukwww.nhs.uk(National Health Service)www.nisra.gov.ukNorthern Ireland Statistics and Research Agencywww.publichealth.hscni.netwww.praxis.org.ukwww.who.int/en(World Health Organization)

Broadsheet and online newspapers can be used to highlight factors affecting health and well-being and examples of discriminatory practice


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AS UNIT 4 (A3H4)

CHILD DEVELOPMENT


Introduction

The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the techniques required to carry out anindividual case study of a child aged between 5 and 8 years by using primary research in the formof observations and a questionnaire or interview and applying appropriate secondary sourcematerial. To comply with current child protection issues and the ethical requirements of allresearch, written permission from a parent should be sought and documented and he or she orsomeone in loco-parentis should be present during the observations. To ensure that complete

confidentiality is maintained and to preserve the anonymity of the chosen child, names, locationsor photographs should not appear in the report. The development of the child at his or her

presentage should be investigated.

Key aspects of growth and development

The focus here is the chosen child, however, since comparisons have to be made with expectednorms it is advisable, before students embark on their child study that they research expectednorms of development using secondary sources. Another useful resource would be the schoolnurse who could provide information on how growth is measured and development assessed.

It is important to consider all aspects of growth and development physical, intellectual,

emotional and social (P.I.E.S)

Physical growth such as height and weight related to age can be measured and compared withage appropriate centile charts. Physical development might include hand eye co-ordination andthe ability to perform gross and fine motor skills, at the childs current age.

Intellectual development should include language development, numeracy and literacy skills,artistic or musical skills etc.

Emotional development will include for example attachments, the development of selfawareness, empathy for others etc.

Social development includes social skills such as forming friendships, communication skills andappropriate behaviour for different situations etc.

As students explore PIES it should become clear that aspects of development are inter-dependent e.g. piano playing is linked to both intellectual ability to read music and the physicalspan of the hand to reach notes.

Factors affecting development


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A range of factors will have an effect on the development of a child these may include any of thefollowing:

Opportunities for play - this may be location a rural area, proximity to amenities and friends,provision of toys or equipment, support of family etc.

Disease/illness - this may affect physical development in a variety of ways depending on thespecific condition, social development by restricting the network of friends available or theopportunities for interaction at youth organisations, clubs or societies, intellectualdevelopment by interrupting education, or emotional development by imposing periods ofseparation in hospital and having a direct effect on self esteem.

Diet and nutrition is an important topic including healthy eating, early eating habits, schoolmeals, junk food and obesity, which can impact on physical growth and development as wellas other factors such as ability to concentrate and social and emotional health and well being.

Education - the availability of early and formal education as well as parental input, accessingbooks, libraries and computers etc. could be investigated here.

Housing - the effect of housing on all areas of development can be explored e.g.environmental factors like heating, ventilation, pollution and all health and safety aspects.

Culture could focus on diet, dress, religious practices, language, traditions, sport. Relationships this may include relationships between children and between children and

adults both within and outside their families.

Theories Relating to Development

This area of the unit requires teacher led input before students attempt to relate one theory totheir individual child. It is important to introduce a number of perspectives using human growthand development and psychology textbooks. It is important to focus on the theory and itsapplication to development of the chosen child rather than a biography of the theorist. Thetheories to be studied focus on different areas of development and include:

Chomsky in relation to language development. Piagets cognitive perspective linked to the development of childrens thought processes. Vygotskys social constructivism also from the cognitive perspective. Skinners theory of operant conditioning from the behaviourist perspective. Banduras social learning theory focussing on learning from role models. Eriksons psychosocial stage theory of how early experiences impact on emotional and

personality development through the lifespan.

Bowlbys theory of attachment, also in the psychoanalytical tradition.


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Research Methods

There are a variety of methods of gathering information regarding a childs development

Observation is one form of primary source. Observations can be carried out in the followingways:

Check Lists - these are prepared by the observer taking into account skills that are expectedand the way in which they are carried out e.g. can colour a picture, always staying withinlines, using appropriate colours, levels of concentration etc.

Written Records - these are in the form of a narrative relating what happened during aspecific activity.

Time Sampling - in this case time sampling can realistically happen only over short timeframes when the student observes a task over a period of minutes and records results e.g. agame where preparation, actual activity, interaction with others and result could be observed.

A maximum of one hour is suggested with evenly spaced intervals.

Event sampling is usually a series of short observations to confirm a childs behaviourpatterns over a period of days or weeks e.g. leaving carers.

The other primary source used will be a questionnaire or interview. Questions need to becarefully constructed to elicit the required information and so should cover the PIESdevelopment of the child, the four factors affecting development and questions relevant to thechosen theory.

Other useful sources of information may include current measurements of height and weight. Itis important to spend adequate time on preparation of primary research materials, validity andreliability of the different methods employed.

As evaluation of methodology is required, students will benefit from making notes on thestrengths and weaknesses of each method used e.g. at the end of each observation.

The Case Study

It is good practice to include a short succinct introduction of about half a page which wouldprovide a profile of the child being studied. Although confidentiality should be a primaryconsideration it is helpful to know the childs age, position in the family, siblings, significantother extended family members, location, be it rural or urban, health status etc.

It is advisable to choose a child known to the observer or spend some time getting to know thechild before carrying out this task.

Statement A

This statement focuses on the research tools produced to access the information required tocomplete the assignment.

The production of three observations using different techniques and demonstrating clearplanning for each activity, e.g.

Check list carried out by the student during a planned visit. A narrative piece describing a planned activity.


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Time sampling (this should be restricted to short periods of time e.g. 15, 20 or 30minutes to a maximum of 1 hour depending on the childs age and concentration levels).

Event sampling e.g. a series of short observations to confirm a childs behaviourpatterns over a period of time.

To design, test and carry out a questionnaire or interview with a parent. It should address the

following criteria in detail as the information obtained is crucial to the completion of tasksrequired in later statements. Candidates should endeavour to identify the approximate age at

which each milestone was achieved.

PIES development at current age compared to developmental norms. Four factors which affect development. The application of one theory to the childs development this may necessitate including

questions about the childs earlier development.

The completed research tools should be included in this statement.

Statement B (i)

Candidates are to use the information they have gathered to describe all areas of PIESdevelopment at the childs current age. This can be clearly presented in a table.

Statement B (ii)(suggested length 1200 words)

Candidates are asked to compare the child in their study with developmental norms for childrenof a comparable age. To access the higher mark bands an in depth comparison is required whichshould draw conclusions about the childs overall current development. It is important here torecognise ethical considerations associated with research and to remain objective avoidingjudgmental statements. This statement should not be tabulated.

Statement C(suggested length 1600 words)

This statement requires students to choose four factors which contribute to development fromthe specification and apply them to the studied child. The skill required here is in choosingappropriate factors relevant to the chosen child, supplying the evidence of their impact on thechosen child. Detailed work is expected to access the top mark bands.

Statement D(suggested length 1200 words)

Candidates are required to select one relevant psychological theory of development and apply itto the child studied. The perspective of the theory chosen should be identified and explored.Evidence from the research tools used in statement A should be employed to complete this taskby applying the theory to the child. The higher mark bands can only be accessed by producingevidence of analysis of the ways in which the theory chosen can be applied to the developmentof the child.

Within a centre is would be expected that a range of theories should be investigated by thecandidates as evidence of independence and application to the child studied.

Statement E(suggested word length 1000 words)


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Evaluation is the focus of this statement. Candidates are asked to evaluate their researchmethods used at statement A. A critical summary of the strengths and weaknesses of theirresearch tools with supporting evidence is required as well as realistic suggestions forimprovements. Candidates should be encouraged to identify mistakes as these do not detractfrom the work but demonstrate understanding and maturity.

Note: Tables, questionnaires, graphs and charts are notincluded in the word count.

Work in excess of 10% of the words limit for any statement cannot access mark band 4.


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AS UNIT 5 (A3H5)

ADULT SERVICE USERS

Concepts Relevant to Adult Service Users

Students need to develop an understanding of the concepts. Students should be encouraged tolearn clear, concise definitions and it is recommended that they should demonstrate theirunderstanding by using examples.

Identifying and Meeting the Needs of Service Users

When examining the physical needs, intellectual needs, emotional needs, social needs (PIES) andcommunication needs it can be useful for teachers to encourage students to work in small groups

with each group looking at the needs of a different service user. Each group can develop a chartwith the range of needs identified and provide examples of how they can be met for each of theservice user groups as well as the importance of meeting those needs. Students can beencouraged to share their examples to broaden and deepen their understanding of needs. Visiting

experts or adult service users may also provide useful support. Students may also be able to alsoreflect on the needs of the service users with whom they worked while on placement. It shouldbe noted that service user confidentiality must be maintained.

It is vital that students understand the role of practitioners and how service users can benefitfrom their intervention. It is very important that students know what each practitioners jobentails; e.g. rather than referring simply to assessment. They must be able to say what thepractitioner assesses, e.g. physiotherapists assess a service users mobility and may provide them

with walking aids. Teachers can encourage students to become independent learners by askingthem to work in pairs to research a practitioner in terms of their role and how they contribute tothe care of adult service users. Each group can make a presentation to the class and provide atyped or written copy of their presentation. The teacher can then collect all the presentations and

have them photocopied as a booklet for each student. This gives students responsibility for theirlearning and encourages their confidence in the learning process. Visiting experts, the use ofYou Tube or documentaries may also be helpful in enabling students to clearly understand therole of the range of practitioners.

Planning and Providing for Adult Service Users

Students need to understand the six stages in the care planning cycle: - assessment, planning,implementation, monitoring, evaluating and modifying. Students can be encouraged to draw upassessments, care plans, and asked to review and modify their plans. Students can be encouragedto share with others in the class the type of plans that are used in their placement setting as this

will help them see the care planning process as an active and essential aspect in health and social

care settings. In Social Care Practice by Janet Miller there is a good chapter and exercises whichstudents may find useful to help them understand the care planning cycle.

As part of understanding the basis on which health and social care is provided for adult serviceusers students need to develop their knowledge of legislation. Students should have a detailedunderstanding of the impact the legislation on services provides and service users. The legislationcan be accessed at www.legislation.gov.uk and it is important for teachers to clarify andsummarise the legislation.


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The Law Centre (NI) web site provides an introduction to the main legislationresponsible for the provision of community care in Northern Ireland.

The following extract taken from the site provides a basic over view:

1.1 Health and Personal Social Services (NI) 1972

The Health and Personal Social Services (NI) Order 1972 (HPSS72) as amended by the Healthand Personal Social Services (NI) Order 1991 (HPSS91), the Health and Personal Social services(NI) Order 1994 (HPSS94) and the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (NI) 2009 (HSCR09)are the key pieces of legislation governing the provision of health and social services care inNorthern Ireland.

The order imposes a number of duties including:

Article 7 (1),a duty to make arrangements, to such an extent as the DHSSPS considersnecessary, for the prevention of illness and the care and after-care of a person sufferingfrom illness;

Article 15 (1),a duty to make available advice, guidance and assistance, to such extent asthe DHSSPS considers necessary, and to make such arrangements and provide or securethe provision of such facilities as it considers suitable and adequate in order for it todischarge its duty under Section 2(1)(b) of the HSCR09;

Article 15 (4), a power to recover such charges (if any) as the DHSSPS considersappropriate, in respect of any assistance, help or facilities provided under Article 15;

Article 56, a duty on the Regional Board to make arrangements for the provision ofpersonal medical services.

1.2 The Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (NI) 2009

The Act came into operation in April 2009. It restructured the provision of health and socialcare (see below) and amended the HPSS72 Order.

Section 2 sets out the overriding duty of the DHSSPS in relation to the Health andSocial Care system in broadly the same way as Article 4 of the 1972 Order (nowrepealed). However, it goes further in detailing a number of specific areas where astatutory duty is being placed on the DHSSPS. As a consequence, article 4 of the 1972Order was repealed.

Under Section 2, the DHSSPS has a duty to provide an integrated system of health and socialcare designed to improve the physical and mental health and social well being of people inNorthern Ireland. Among other things, the DHSSPS also has a duty to develop policies toreduce health inequalities between the people in Northern Ireland.

Section 3 sets out the DHSSPS general power and sets out that it may provide or securethe provision of such health and social care as it considers appropriate to the dischargeof its duty.

Section 21 places a duty on each Health and Social Care Trust (HSCT) to exercise itsfunctions to improve the health and social well being of and reduce health inequalitiesbetween those for whom it provides or may provide health and social care.


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http://www.lawcentreni.org/EoR/community-care/introduction-to-community-care.html#1.THELEGAL FRAMEWORK

Teachers will also need to go to the main legislative web site to help students to research thesepieces of legislation and become familiar with their impact on care provision in the community

Health and Personal Social Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1972http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1972/1265

Health and Social care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2009/1

Information on the Carers and Direct Payments Act (Northern Ireland) 2002 is also available onthe aforementioned website and a number of voluntary organisations have also produced user friendly guides to this piece of legislation for their service users.

All health and social care settings have a range of policies that staff must abide by in providing

care for adult service users. This is an area where students can complete work in small studygroups to increase independent learning, with each group taking one policy and examining howthe policy impacts on the standard of care for adult service users.

Students need to have an in depth knowledge of the five aspects of the care value base and beable to explain how each aspect helps to promote high standards of care for adult service users.

All nurses and social care workers are required to adhere to the standards set out in their codesof conduct. The nursing and social care codes can be accessed from the websites:-

www.nsicc.infoandwww.nmc-uk.org. Students should understand how the standards within thecode guide and inform practice when working with adult service users.

Students need to understand the four different sectors within the mixed economy of care statutory, private, voluntary and informal. They should be able to investigate the range ofservices provided by each of the four sectors through internet research, perhaps with a focus ontheir local area. They should be able to understand funding arrangements for each of the sectors,information which is readily available in text books and on the internet. Students also need tounderstand the strengths and weaknesses of each of the four sectors of the mixed economy ofcare, they also need to understand the concept of community care and its strength and

weaknesses. Case studies may be useful for this and media resources.

The role of informal carers in providing care to all adult service users is an essential componentof effective care. Students often have their own or family experience which they can draw on tohelp understand the vital role of informal carers, in enabling many adult service users to be cared

for within their own homes. Media resources are particularly useful for this topic.

Assessment Guidance

The external examination will require candidates to demonstrate a range of knowledge and skillsrelated to specific adult service users. The examination will require candidates, at a basic level, todescribe a range of concepts related to adult service users. Candidates will be expected to applythe knowledge which they have learned to brief case studies which will allow them todemonstrate their understanding of key issues. In some sections of the examination candidates


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will be expected to demonstrate the ability to analyse concepts and issues in order to justifyawarding of higher grades, for example candidates may be required to analyse the contribution ofinformal carers or to evaluate the contribution of the sectors within the mixed economy of carein providing services for adult service users. Questions which challenge the candidate todemonstrate skills of evaluation will allow for the awarding of higher marks.

Resources

Students should have access to a range of sources pitched at AS/A2 level. A range of resourcesis listed below but it is not exhaustive.

Both broad sheet and online newspapers provide valuable and can be used with students tohighlight relevant health and social care issues; these can be both local and nationalnewspapers

Moore, S. (2002) Social Welfare Alive! 3rd edition Cheltenham Stanley Thornes Richards, J. (1999) Caring for People: A lifespan Approach Cheltenham Stanley Thornes Walsh, Mark et al (2000) Social Policy and Welfare Cheltenham Stanley Thornes Miller, Janet, (2004) Social Care Practice Hodder & Stoughton

Moonie, N. (2005) Health & Social Care Heinemann Jones, L. J. (1994) the Social Context of Health and Healthwork Basingstoke Palgrave Tossell, D. & Webb, R. (1994) Inside the Caring Services Arnold Hodder Headline GroupUseful Websites

www.doh.gov.ukwww.northernireland.gov.ukwww.open.gov.uk/doh/dhhome.htmwww.nhsdirect.nhs/main.jhtmlwww.niscc.infowww.nmc-uk.orgwww.ccea.org

www.dhsspsni.gov.ukwww.legislation.gov.ukwww.publichealth.hscni.netwww.scie.org.uk


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AS UNIT 6 (A3H6)

HOLISTIC THERAPIES


This unit does not require a work placement but a visit to a care setting which offers holistictherapies or visiting speakers who work in the field is recommended.

Therapies

This section can be introduced through a class discussion by giving students the opportunity totalk about what they think holistic therapies are and their experiences of them. A useful strategyis to encourage students to prepare a presentation (power point or oral) for the group on a

chosen therapy focusing on a brief history, uses of the therapy, what the therapy involves andsafety aspects. Students will need to be guided to research their work thoroughly. Possiblesources of information are library books on holistic/complementary therapies ( e.g. The NursesHandbook of Complementary Therapies), information provided by care settings ( e.g. MarieCurie Cancer Care provide leaflets on reflexology, massage, aromatherapy etc). Websites e.g.

www.bupa.co.ukhave health fact sheets on homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicines etc andchemists and private practices often have leaflets. Students can also use a search engine, e.g.Google to research information but they should be encouraged to use UK websites and notobtain all their information from the first site accessed.

Management and Treatment of Medical Conditions

Medical conditions are listed in the specification. Many students may have prior knowledge ofsome of these conditions either through personal experience or that of family members. Itshould be recognised that holistic therapies are not particularly suitable for use in themanagement of some conditions e.g. diabetes. Students do not need to know the causes of,symptoms, diagnostic tests or effects of the medical conditions. It is important that studentsunderstand the difference between orthodox treatments such as medication, surgery orphysiotherapy and holistic therapies which tend to focus on the individual restoring the bodysbalance. Lifestyle changes may be an important aspect to management of some conditions.Information is available from a wide range of sources and students should be encouraged toinvestigate thoroughly e.g. local pharmacies can provide up to date and accurate information.Family medical books and websites such aswww.bupa.co.uk(click on health information) or

www.medicdirect.co.ukorwww.nhsdirect.nhs.ukmay also provide relevant information.

Students may have a family member with the chosen condition, which may also be a usefulprimary source.

Comparing Holistic Therapies with Traditional/Orthodox Treatments

Students should investigate and compare the cost, side effects, availability and duration ofmaximum of three holistic therapies with traditional/orthodox treatments, for one chosenmedical condition.


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Trends and Opinions

Students are also required to investigate current trends and opinions. A useful starting pointwhen considering trends is a discussion on the practices offering holistic therapies in their localarea. Secondary sources should be used to evidence the trends identified e.g. the increasing useof holistic therapies in care settings care homes, maternity units and hospices.

Occasionally programmes on television also feature holistic therapies. A programme on LoughShore School in Belfast provided evidence of the trend of using holistic therapies to help in themanagement of children with behavioural problems. Get Well NI which was screened in Spring2008 also focused on the use of holistic therapies in a health centre in Belfast more evidence ofan emerging trend. Websites are also useful but should be UK based.

When considering opinions, candidates should be encouraged to access a wide range of sourcesin primary research. The candidates should design their own questionnaire which should clearlybe focused on opinions. Both primary and secondary research is required to access the highestmark band.

Use of Holistic Therapies in Health, Social Care and Early Years Settings

Students need to investigate the use of holistic therapies in a care setting. This investigation canbe carried out individually or information may be obtained if a class visit is organised, or aspeaker invited in. Such visits need to be arranged well in advance and it is sound practice toexplain exactly what information is required by the students prior to the visit.

Most hospices offer holistic therapies not only to clients but also to their families. The RegionalCancer Unit at Belfast City Hospital offer a range of therapies and most maternity units haveintroduced reflexology and aromatherapy. The use of holistic therapies is increasing in carehomes for the elderly and units for service users with mental health problems and learningdifficulties. Many schools for children with special needs are also introducing holistic therapies.

The focus of this part of the unit is on the use of holistic therapies in a care setting, not adescription of the therapies used in the setting.

Assessment Evidence

It is good practice to introduce the assignment (assessment evidence). The workload is moremanageable for candidates and teachers if the assignment is completed statement by statementand marked as such. A reasonable amount of time should be allocated for the completion ofeach statement.

Statement A(suggested length approx 2000 words - 500 words for each therapy)

In this statement candidates need to describe four holistic therapies. They should focus only onproviding a brief history, use, description and safety aspects of the therapy. Any otherinformation provided on the therapies is irrelevant and should not be allocated marks. Thehistory should be concise and it is acceptable to produce a list of the uses. The description ofthe treatment should be concise but detailed e.g. if considering aromatherapy the variousmethods of administering the therapy should be included e.g. massage, compresses, baths etcand some of the common oils and their uses should be included. A foot map should be includedin a description of reflexology. The safety aspects of the therapy should be well researched as


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many candidates fail to complete this well. Candidates should be encouraged to workindependently and the entire class should not describe the same four therapies.Candidates can use a variety of presentation methods to produce their work leaflets, powerpoints, booklets etc but it is important that the content of the work and not the ICT skills aremarked.

The total marks available for this statement are twenty four. It may be useful to allocate sixmarks to each of the four therapies. Work should be annotated and mark band four should notbe awarded unless the candidate has worked independently. Encourage candidates to note theirinformation sources and complete the bibliography as an on going process. Candidates shouldnot cut and paste from websites, they should extract the relevant information and summariseappropriately.

Statement B (1000 words)

The successful completion of this statement requires candidates to choose an appropriatemedical condition from the specification and describe the management using bothtraditional/orthodox treatments and holistic therapies. For the traditional/orthodox treatments,

students should research the most appropriate medical treatments used, a maximum of threeholistic therapies should be described. It may be useful to advise your students to carry out theirresearch for statements Band C simultaneously. Candidates achieving in Mark Band 4 shouldresearch a wide range of orthodox treatments (if applicable) e.g. over the counter andprescription drugs, surgery, physiotherapy, lifestyle changes or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Statement C(suggested length approx 800 words)

Candidates need to compare four aspects of the treatments- cost, side effects, availability andduration. For cost they should consider the cost to the service user e.g. of over the counter drugsor private prescription/operations. In terms of availability they should consider local servicesand rationing. With regards to duration, candidates should consider that treatments can be

short-term, long-term or life long. Candidates should consider the potential side effects of thetherapies and treatments selected.

Statement D(suggested length approx 1200 words)

Candidates are required to produce a discussion of current local and/or national trends andopinions on holistic therapies. It is good practice to address trends and opinions separately. Thetotal marks available for the statement is twenty ten marks can be allocated for each. It isimperative that candidates use a wide range of sources to achieve a mark in bands three or fourand primary sources e.g. interviews or questions must be used to achieve the top band. Forexample, a questionnaire could be used to research opinions of service users which should beconcise and independently produced by the candidate. It is only necessary to include one blank

copy in the appendix of the work and candidates are not required to produce bar charts/graphsof the results. A wide range of opinions should be sought service users, practitioners, medicalprofessionals using for example articles in magazines, newspapers or websites as well as theprimary research. Candidates may obtain substantial information from websites which should bediscussed and not plagiarised and sources should not be more than five years old. All sourcesshould be clearly referenced and included in the bibliography.


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Statement E(suggested length approx 500 words)

This statement requires candidates to describe the use of holistic therapies in a care setting.Candidates should include the following information:

brief description of the health, social care or early years setting, its purpose, number ofservice users etc and

a description of the use of holistic therapies in the setting who they are available to, whereand how they are administered etc.

Candidates should not discuss the orthodox treatments on offer in the care settings nor describein detail the nature of holistic therapies themselves, rather how they are used in the particularsetting.

Statement F(suggested length approx 500 words)

Candidates are required to analyse the benefits of the holistic therapies offered to the serviceusers in the setting which was discussed in statement E. The focus of this statement is on the

word analyse e.g. if a candidate states that aromatherapy helps a service user better, then the

benefits of sleeping better should be analysed.

Work in excess of 10% of the word limit for any statement cannot access mark band 4.


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AS UNIT 14 (A3H8)

UNDERSTANDING HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY

Cells and Tissues:Students need to be able to recognise and state the function of each of the major organelles in a

typical human cell.

These can be taught using appropriate diagrams as found in A level Biology textbooks suchas Physiology and Anatomy Clancy and McVicar, Arnold or Introduction to AdvancedBiology C.J. Clegg, Hodder Murray. There are also clear diagrams and good descriptions offunction on websites such aswww.biologymad.com; however it is important to emphasise tostudents if they are using these sites for independent study to revise only the organellesdetailed on the specification (and not include plant details).

Students may find it useful to summarise their information in a simple organelle name/function table. Sites such as www.s-cool.co.uk/alevel/biology.html may also provideadditional revision notes.

Students also need to be able to appreciate cell specialisation. They should be able torecognise each of the specialised cells/ tissues in the specification, describe their functionand be able to explain how the specialisation aids function.

A good starting point for this could be use of light microscopes to look at prepared slides.Diagrams will also be found in A level textbooks as before. Care needs to be taken to ensure,particularly when studying blood, that language appropriate to AS level is used e.g.erythrocytes not red blood cells.

There are also a number of powerpoint presentations available. These need to be tailored tosuit the demands of this unit.

Body Systems:Students must be able to recognise each of the body systems on the specifications from a simplediagram of the structure. They should also be able to explain the function of each of the parts onthese diagrams and be able to explain the functioning of the system as a whole.DVDs/videos such as The Virtual Body and The Human Body in Action seriesprovide astarting point for each of the systems. It may also be worthwhile havingwall charts of eachsystem on display and using models to emphasise structure. Websites such as

www.biologymad.comcan provide useful diagrams. It is worth emphasising that students mustknow these diagrams as a significant proportion of each paper assesses this knowledge.In addition for each of the systems to be studied students need to understand how namedmedical conditions affect the individuals life. Students need to ensure that they very specificallyunderstand how each condition will impact upon the individual. They need to take care not tolearn a series of general points that could be true of any disease at any time.

The Nervous System:The structure and functioning of this system is comprehensively covered in A level biologytextbooks such as Physiology and Anatomy Clancy and McVicar Arnold or Introduction to

Advanced Biology C.J. Clegg Hodder Murray. It should be noted that this tends to be an A2Biology topic so that whilst preparing students for this exam teachers must be careful tomaintain AS depth and give an overview of function rather than the in-depth knowledgerequired for A2. Students must be able to describe the nervous pathway involved in both a voluntary and a

reflex action.


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A class activity could consist of labelling diagrams of each action using the interactive whiteboard; commercial products such as Boardworksmay be of benefit.

Potential practical work could consist of demonstrations of knee/elbow reflex and ofresponse rate by dropping a ruler. The later activity would allow comparison of class results

via graph work.

Students should be able to identify the major areas of the brain and explain their functione.g. cerebellum, cerebrum, thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, medulla oblongata. Careneeds to

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