Working with Vulnerable People

The ability to identify and work positively with vulnerable people is a core requirement within the health and social care arena. Managing and understanding the concepts of abuse, risk and vulnerability within both a historical and practical context is therefore a requirement. There is a duty to assess and protect vulnerable service users. Recent significant cases in the adult and child sectors have highlighted a lack of skills in identifying, assessing and managing risk.

In this course, you will cover a wide range of concepts including vulnerability, safeguarding, disability, inequality, poverty, mental health and substance abuse. The course will also introduce you to the policy, legal and ethical perspectives surrounding vulnerability and teach you how to identify, assess and manage risk within frameworks and theories.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the course, you will be able to:

1. Critically evaluate multiple dimensions of risk and vulnerability.
2. Collaboratively analyse the interrelationship between social agencies and practitioners to establish a framework of risk management

Course content

• Political and social dimensions of abuse, neglect and violence
• Hidden/underreported forms of harm
• Familial violence
• Violence towards children and vulnerable adults, partner violence
• Ethnicity and cultural relativism
• Serious case reviews
• Recognition of signs and indicators of abuse (including antecedents and indirect indicators)
• Risks and vulnerabilities in context
• Models of assessment including risk assessment models and tools
• Working with complexity, fear and uncertainty
• Disability and barriers
• Poverty
• Fabricated and fictitious illness
• ‘Hidden’ contexts
• Institutional abuse
• Migrant and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
• Sexually exploited and trafficked children
• Best interests decisions
• Removal, reunification, rehabilitation
• Alternative care provision
• Development of plans that address risk and vulnerability and promote change
• Balancing benefits of different interventions
• Communicating across ages and building relationships
• Assessment of capacity
• The role and opportunities for therapeutic engagement.
• Inter-professional perspectives and referrals.
• Frameworks for action and planning
• Challenges of objectivity, managing personal and professional responses
• Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention strategies
• Power inequalities and why they arise
• Consequences of inequality
• Power differentials
• Law and Policy
• Oppression
• Stigma and stereotyping

Pace of study

For this short online course, we recommend about 20 hours of study per week to complete one 20-credit module over a 10-week trimester.

Assessment method

This course is assessed through 100% coursework with a range of methods, such as essays, research reports, presentations, group work and practical reports which will be handed in and assessed at the end of the 10 week trimester. There will be 1/2 virtual classrooms over the 10 week trimester and if you are unable to attend you will be able to download the session to view in your own time.

Offset course credits towards another qualification

Once you’ve completed this course you may be able to offset the 20 credits towards our online Integrative Health and Social Care BSc (Hons) Top-Up. This would reduce the number of modules you would need to study and the total cost of the course.

^‡2024/25 for new entrants

Starting between September 2024 and August 2025.

UK/EU fee: £875

International fee: £875

2025/26 for new entrants

Starting between September 2025 and August 2026.

UK/EU fee: £925

International fee: £925

About your fees

Prices are correct for the year of entry shown. These are subject to annual increase in subsequent academic years.

You will:

• Be able to provide evidence of previous study at Level 5 or above in a related subject area including but not limited to health and social care, social work, health promotion or youth work
• Be a health care professional with access to an environment where you will be able to apply your skills to achieve the individual course learning outcomes. This does not specifically need to be employment and could include voluntary work

English language qualification

You'll also normally require one of the following English language qualifications:

• GCE O level English Language C
• GCSE English C

If English is not your first language, or you have not successfully completed your highest level of qualification in English, you will need an English language qualification. For this course you will need at least one of the following:

• IELTS 7.0
• TOEFL: 600 (paper based), 250 (computer based) or 100 (internet based)
• Pearson Test of Academic English: 66
• Cambridge Advanced Certificate: Pass
• London Tests of English: we accept level 4 for undergraduate courses
• International GCE O Level English Language: Grade C
• International GCSE English/English as a Second Language: Grade C

We may accept other equivalent English Language qualifications with supporting evidence so please provide full details with your application.

Find out more about our English language requirements

Documents to support your application

You'll need to provide:

• Photo ID – this could be your passport or driving licence
• NMC PIN
• Written reference supplied on headed paper from either a manager, supervisor, tutor or teacher
• Copies of certificates and transcripts or a letter of testimony for previous qualifications*

*Documents not in English or Welsh must be accompanied by a certified translation by a professional translator/translation company. Each translation must contain:

• Confirmation from the translator that it is an accurate translation of the original document
• The date of the translation
• The full name and signature of the translator, or an authorised official of the company
• The translator’s contact details

A list of approved translators can be found on the UK Government website

Apply directly to the University.

Apply now

For support with completing your application, view our guide to the application process.

Contact us

If you want to find out more about studying a short course, please contact us and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

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