Participation and Children's Rights

The Participation and Children's Rights module (PGES11011) is designed for those who have worked or who are working with children in their early years.  Students will critically review and develop an understanding of the meaning and purposes of participation.  Despite its widespread usage, there remains considerable lack of clarity about what is actually meant by participation in the context of children’s rights.  The students will also investigate and critically analyse the adult role with regard to enabling the effective participation of young children, families and communities. 

In this module, the term participation, in line with the UNCRC, refers to children having the right to express their opinions, and have a role in decisions that affect them, and with adults taking account of these.  Students will develop detailed and critical knowledge and understanding about participation with regard to potential purposes, benefits, barriers, risks, achievements, methods and measurement.  

By referring to practice and research evidence, students will be able to reflect on and critically analyse their own and others’ roles and responsibilities in terms of how effective participation can inform quality improvement in early years settings and services, leading to better outcomes.

On successful completion of this module the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate critical understanding of the principal theories, concepts and principles associated with participation, in the context of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), including its purposes and importance for children in their early years
• Critical analyse the current participation landscape in Scotland in terms of its benefits, barriers, risks, achievements, methods and measurement by investigating the different methods to enable participation and inclusive practice
• Present reasoned arguments and express ideas in a clear, coherent, academic style drawing on academic literature relating to the themes explored during the module and relating these to their own professional experiences

This is an SCQF Level 11 module and upon successful completion, participants will be awarded 20 credits.

 

Delivery

The module runs over a period of twelve weeks but can be accessed and completed at any time suitable for relevant students. 

The module is split into 3 week blocks, each with a different key focus relating to Participation and Children's Rights. Students work through each of the weeks at a time that suits them, with an option to meet online with others to discuss and summarise at the end of each focus. The three blocks end with a final assessment support session. 

 

Course presenter

This module will be delivered by Lorraine Gilmour.

 

Funding

This course may be available on a fully funded basis to some delegates.  Further details, including regarding eligibility, are available under Funding Support.

If you have any questions, please contact us at cpd@uws.ac.uk

 

NOTE: This is a university module and upon approval of your application, you will be invited to register and then supported to complete enrolment. To enrol on the university system, the first step involves security set-up using the Microsoft Authenticator app; you will need to ensure that you have a compatible smartphone.

Further information is available at the Student Information Portal.

To access this module via the CPD route, individuals should be ordinarily resident in Scotland.  If you do not meet this criteria, please enquire here.

 

MEd Education Studies

In addition to being available on a CPD basis, this module is part of our MEd Education Studies.

Our MEd Education Studies is offered as a part-time, fully online programme taught over 3-6 years. It offers existing education practitioners the opportunity to study Education at Masters level where you can apply your learning to your professional context.

This Masters framework is focused on preparing students to make a difference in their professional educational/training setting and beyond. Teaching and learning is underpinned by cutting edge research, informed by a national and global perspective.

Modules available through the UWS CPD Centre include:

• Autism Spectrum 
• Critical Issues Across Education 
• Dyslexia 
• Early Language and Cognition 
• Educational Research 
• Expressive Arts Practice 
• Inclusive Practice 
• Leadership – ‘School’ Improvement 
• Leadership – Working with Teams 
• Mental Health in Education 
• Participation and Children's Rights 
• Stress Management in Education 

You can exit with a generic award of MEd Education Studies or you can complete one of the named specialisms available:

• MEd Education Studies
• MEd Education Studies (Creativity)
• MEd Education Studies (Curriculum Enhancement)
• MEd Education Studies (Early Years)
• MEd Education Studies (Inclusion)
• MEd Education Studies (Leadership)
• MEd Education Studies (Mental Health and Education)

For further information, please contact ask@uws.ac.uk