Evidence of CRB disclosure relating to the supervised placement

Students must have secured a supervised placement on registering for this course. The placement must be able to offer them at least 30 hours experience during the teaching block in which the module is delivered.

Study packs will be provided by the tutor to all participants on this programme - with on line flexibility using Pebble Pad. These will be structured around each of the core areas. These study packs will include study material as well as a variety of exercises to be completed by participants and included in the assessed practice portfolio.

Students will have access to the Oasis College library for books and journals and IT facilities for internet research.

The teaching for this module will take place at Oasis College, 75 Westminster Bridge Road, London. SE1 7HS.

Hawtin, M. & Percy-Smith, J. (2007) Community Profiling: a practical guide. 2nd Edition. Buckingham: OU Press.
Henderson, P. & Thomas, N. (2005) Skills in Neighbourhood Work. Third Edition. Abingdon: Routledge.
Packham, C. (2008) Enabling Active Citizenship and Community Learning. Exeter: Learning Matters.

Department for Communities and Local Government: www.communities.gov.uk/communities/
Institute for Volunteering Research www.ivr.org.uk
Volunteering England www.volunteering.org.uk
National Council for Voluntary Organisations www.ncvo-vol.org.uk

The learning strategy is a combination of whole day workshops; at least 40 hours of community action; and independent study through engaging with reading and the on-line portfolio tasks. There will be three whole day workshops (6 hours each) over a teaching block and these will involve a range fo short lectures, seminars, groupwork and tutorials. Students will re required to record and evidence 40 hours of community action with support from a practice supervisor. Students will be inducted to then use of pebble-pad as an on-line learning tool and complete a series of tasks that meet the required learning outcomes and will combine to form their overall assessment. Students will have access to on line resources, e-support and e-groups during the module.

This module will explore the challenges and benefits of engaging in communities. It is focussed on the practice of community action and will support participants to reflect on their engagement in community life. It therefore requires participants to be active, or about to commece, in a community project or some other form of community action. The module will cover aspects of historical and contemporary ideas of community life, the impact of current social policy that affect community action and the profiling of local communities in the UK. It will involve some structured small scale research in to the characteristics of participants local communities and the identification of personal skills that can be used to enrich community life.

The Portfolio (1,500 words) will include a reflective learning diary, a skills analysis, a simple community profile and confirmation of at least 40 hours volunteering experience. [Learning Outcomes 1-4]