About Social Care Work (ba) in Cork Institute of Technology

Course summary

Social Care Workers are professional practitioners engaged in the practice of social care work. Social care work is a relationship based approach to the purposeful planning and provision of care, protection, psychosocial support and advocacy in partnership with vulnerable individuals and groups who experience marginalisation, disadvantage or special needs. Principles of social justice and human rights are central to the practice of Social Care Workers.

What kind of person are you?
As an intending student, you should have abilities and aptitudes for working with and caring for people. You should discuss this with guidance counsellors, teachers and other advisors. The qualities needed include leadership and an even temperament. It is also advisable to obtain some practical work experience in one of the job settings mentioned below and to discuss what is involved in such work with those already employed in the field.

About the Course
The course aims to strike a balance between theory and practice. Material from various disciplines is organised and presented in ways which enable students to see its relevance to the objectives of the course, to the placement settings and their own supervised practice. The student will be given the opportunity of acquiring some practical skills needed in this type of work, such as creative food preparation, and sport and leisure.

Career

Graduates are prepared for work as a Social Care Worker. The applied and practical aspect of the work is very important.

The Social Care Workers Registration Board is currently preparing for the registration of the profession (CORU). It is anticipated that the Social Care Workers Registration Board will open in 2022, at the earliest. CORU's work, in the meantime, includes the approval of education courses and requirements for registration including the code of Professional Conduct and Ethics. CORU will be assessing social care courses across Ireland for approval.

NB: In the case of CIT securing approval, graduates from this Level 7 degree programme would hold the minimum requirement for Social Care Worker registration with CORU.  The minimum requirement for entry to the Register is Level 7.

Potential Areas of Employment
 

• Residential Care Centres
   
• Disability (Intellectual and Physical) Support Services
   
• Addiction Services
   
• Community Projects
   
• Family Casework
   
• Probation and Welfare Agencies
   
• Hostels for Adolescents
   
• Centres for Asylum Seekers
   
• Youth Centres

Academic qualification equivalents

• Class 12 passed students from a recognized board including CBSE, CISCE or a state board
• All India Senior School Certificate or Higher Secondary Certificate/Standard 12 or Indian School Certificate (Year 12) as recognized qualifications

English language requirements (one of the below):

• IELTS 6.5 overall (6.0 for Business programmes)
• IELTS 5.5 in all four components (listening, reading, speaking and writing)
• PTE 60 (63 for integrated programmes)
• PTE 55 in all four components (listening, reading, speaking and writing)