Overview

As a Social Care practitioner, you will work in a wide variety of settings, providing professional care for people with mental or physical disability, the older person, children in residential care, or those dealing with substance use issues. Today’s Social Care sector is rapidly changing and you need to be motivated and flexible to succeed.

The hallmark of the BA (Hons) in Applied Social Care is to provide the necessary theoretical foundations and interpersonal skills allied to the practical skills training essential to working in a Social Care environment. Such skills include manual handling, hygiene control and first aid and this training is provided in our purpose-built Social Care practice facility at DBS. 

You will discover how practical, legal and social policy factors underpin the provision of service and you will also be challenged to think in a rigorous and critical way about management theory, social processes, institutions, policies and regulatory procedures, From the first to the final year of the programme there is a consistent emphasis on theory and practical skills that puts the client at the centre of all practice.  This degree offers you the opportunity to put theory into practice over the course of two 400-hour practice placements in Years 2 and 3. 

Aims & Objectives

The aims of the BA (Hons) in Applied Social Care are:

• To provide a programme which combines academic depth with appropriately rigorous skills training in the area of social care practice.

• To facilitate learner knowledge of professional social care practice and the management roles in the social care profession.

• Provide graduates with the underpinning academic knowledge to enhance their educational and employment opportunities and provide social care practice and  management skills that will be of lasting value to them.

Garda Vetting

The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012-2016 make it mandatory for people working unsupervised with children or vulnerable adults to be vetted by the Garda Siochana National Vetting Bureau.  Under the Acts, anyone whose work or activity involves unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults must be vetted.  Workers include staff, volunteers and those on student placements working for a relevant organisation where they have access to children and/or vulnerable adults. 

DBS offers a number of educational programmes that require students to undertake placements with external agencies, which will bring them into contact with the public and in which they will assume positions of trust.  It is for this reason that students on these type of programmes are required to undergo vetting prior to commencing placements (or visits).

New entrants on to these programmes will receive the relevant form and information in their orientation packs and will need to complete the process before their final registration on the course can be completed.   At the time of application, students will be required to declare as to any previous convictions.   Students can start on the course before their Garda clearance is completed but may be withdrawn if the vetting does not produce a satisfactory finding.

Where a vetting process identifies a previous conviction the case will be referred to an internal College Vetting Committee.   This committee will consider all relevant information in relation to a disclosure from the vetting process and make a determination on the case on behalf of the College.
If a student has started on the course and is withdrawn because of a conviction that was not declared at the time of application, any fees paid will not be refunded.

DBS will charge a fee of €25 to each student for the administration and costs of obtaining Garda clearance. This fee is payable at the commencement of the programme and is non refundable.