Hi,
I was just wondering, do I need to take HEALTH and social care in college to become a social worker? (I'm in Wales)
And for anyone who's studied this in college, what is covered in Health? Do they cover the human reproductive system, birth, sexual health, etc.? (For personal and religious reasons, studying these is not an option for me.)
It depends what other qualifications have you got, if you have nvq's 2, 3 in any social care environment then you may not have to do the health and social care. Is it a GNVQ that you will be studying? if so then maybe the things you have mentioned above may be an aspect of the qualification. I did mine over ten years ago so cannot remember for definate. You should get in touch with the college and the tutors who teach the subject they will be able to better advise you on what the course content entails.
i did an access to higer education course at college which enabled me to then go on and do a BA Social Work, so maybe you could look at the option.
good luck
Lucy: Hi, I was just wondering, do I need to take HEALTH and social care in college to become a social worker? (I'm in Wales) And for anyone who's studied this in college, what is covered in Health? Do they cover the human reproductive system, birth, sexual health, etc.? (For personal and religious reasons, studying these is not an option for me.)
If you are unable to stud such subjects how will you deal with these things when they ineviitably crop up in practice, you may well be able to avoid them in an academic setting but my experience of social work makes me think it would be difficult to avoid these subjects in the workplace.
Because I only have a problem with them within a school/study environment. I have no issues with them outside of school.
I'm asking questions here, not stating an opinion but here are the questions....
If you can't study certain issues how will you learn to deal with them?
If you take a job that your religion prevents you from learning will that not inevitably mean you will ultimately provide a substandard service to those who need you to know what you're doing in practice?
Your religion is your choice, of course, but do not service-users also have a right to expect professional people to understand the job they're paid to do?
How will you get around these issues?
My religious views (atheist) prevent me from becomiong a priest because I would not be able to perform the required functions. How is this situation different?
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I apologise if this sounds rude, but I'd very much appreciate it if any who replies to this simply answers my question rather than flaunting their opinions on my suitability for social work.
Religion, whilst it is part of the reason I cannot STUDY these things, is not the main reason.
The main reason is my business and mine alone.
Good for you Lucy, of course you would not take a job which you could not adequately perform.
As for the health and social care requirement, it was not even mentioned in my situation. I only made one application as I can't travel for uni due to family commitments. When we got there we were told that we had been selected via our personal statements and would be given an offer provided nothing went drastically wrong on the interview day. So you may find you have already got a place.
Good luck with getting a place, I'm sure you will be an asset to social work.
Lucy - my apologies.
I'd like to offer an explanation for the tone of my post - although I'm not making an excuse. It WAS inappropriate.
At the time that your post appeared I was in the middle of another thread on a nursing list about the practice of evangelising to vulnerable patients. The themes of that conversation coloured the way that I responded to your thread which of course was not appropriate. The other thread has nothing to do with you.
So I apologise.
Cheers,
Stuart
Thank you Francesca, that's very comforting. Was this a college or a university? And you're right, I most certainly wouldn't be considering social work as a career option unless I knew I could perform adequately in the job.
Stuart, I accept your apology, and I apologise if my last reply sounded rude. I was just a bit annoyed as this issue (the reason I can't the things I mentioned) has already affected my life and I hate being lectured on how it's going to affect my future when I know that it won't provided it's not brought up in a study environment. It's really extremely complicated; I'd explain it, but it'd take way too long. Let's just say, as well as being partially because of my religion, I can't study those things because of a mental health problem that basically started when I was forced back into a Human Biology lesson after I walked out...and I walked out because at the time, I was obsessed with being 'good', and my rather messed-up head told me that studying those things was sinning and that I'd burn in hell. And then it all went downhill. lol.
Hi Lucy,
No explanation is necessary.
Good luck.
"We speak, and the word goes out beyond us, to consequences and ends which we had not conceived of." - Gadamer
Lucy - comments about tone and apologies above noted - we often answer questions with more questions because something is said that makes us concerned that others are making the right decisions and there may be situations and questions you have not yet thought of. I appreciate that you are considering social work as a career option because you believe you can perform adequately in the job. But please try and get some help to deal with the 'mental health block' before you qualify (my recommendation would be with the help of a Human Givens practioner who will have the techniques to help with neutralising the trauma you experienced but the Human Givens philosophy (athiestic) may not sit comfortably with your religion so you will need to check that out first). I say this because even once you have qualified there will be ongoing training post-qualifying and any of that training can include sexual health issues. You may be able to deal with this at a uni level but I doubt you will find much sympathy in the workplace when you tell your manager you can't do certain types of training. As has been said above, you will find yourself dealing with these issues once working (whether in children's or adult's services) and so you will have to have found some way of 'learning' about them, even if that is not in a formal study environment.
On a separate note, there may be other aspects of the training that won't sit comfortably with your religion, especially psychology. From my own experience I know that for anyone coming from a strong faith background social work training will challenge your religion. There has been a discussion on another thread (about membership of the BNP) that considers the need to adhere to the professional codes of conduct and that these can conflict with personal and religious beliefs.
But you to remember that when you was at school you were a lot younger and less mature. But in GNVQS/BTECS and access courses it will come seconnd nature. my advice contact your college in Wales to look at the requirements.
"I see the skies, I see your eyes I see the cars all passing by I'm staying here, with you my dear"