This course is part of the Introduction to Social Care ExpertTrack
Introduction to Social Care: Understanding Informal Care
Learn about the importance of informal carers in the social care sector, including their role, rewards, challenges, and support.
Duration
4 weeksWeekly study
4 hours100% online
How it worksIncluded in an ExpertTrack
Course 3 of 3
Introduction to Social Care: Understanding Informal Care
Develop your understanding of unpaid informal carers and their responsibilities
What is informal care in social care and what’s the role of informal carers?
On this four-week course from The Open University, you’ll be introduced to the work of those who provide unpaid care to friends and family members in need.
You will learn what informal care is and how it is distinct from other forms of care, as well as what essential day-to-day activities informal carers perform and the issues of dependence, independence, and interdependence.
You’ll then investigate the societal patterns of caring across the UK to understand the diversity of the people who take on caring responsibilities and how these responsibilities shape their lives. You’ll reflect on the impact of caring on the carers’ wellbeing, their motivations, challenges, and rewards.
Discover what support is available for informal carers
You’ll discover what formal support and networks are available for informal carers, how eligibility is determined, how they can be accessed, and why so many people don’t receive this help. You’ll also consider the importance of declaring a caring status and why it is that some carers remain ‘hidden’.
Created by experts in social care at The Open University
You’ll learn from experts at The Open University who have delivered learning for the health and social care sector, working with employers, including the NHS, social services, and the voluntary sector for over 30 years.
What topics will you cover?
- What informal care is and why do it
- The essential day-to-day activities supported by informal carers
- The diversity of the people who take on caring responsibilities and how these responsibilities shape their lives
- The importance of declaring caring status and why some carers remain ‘hidden’
- What support is available to informal carers and how is eligibility determined
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Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Reflect on the central role of informal carers in providing day-to-day support for those with social care needs
- Explore the activities of daily living supported by carers and their relationship to dependence, independence and interdependence
- Reflect on the experiences of providing informal care to understand the impact on the carers’ experience and wellbeing
- Identify the support available to carers and why so many people do not receive this help
Who is the course for?
This course is for anyone interested in learning about social care. You don’t need any prior knowledge of social care to join. It will benefit:
- Anyone new to social care or those with a basic understanding who want to learn more
- Those considering working in social care who want to know more
- Social care service users, informal unpaid carers, or those who want to find out how to support others in our care system
Who will you learn with?
I've worked in health and education settings, and have researched workplace learning. I'm interested in how people maintain their health and wellbeing through life’s challenges.
Senior Lecturer in the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care with research interests focusing on the intersection of practice-based learning and care.
Who developed the course?
The Open University
As the UK’s largest university, The Open University (OU) supports thousands of students to achieve their goals and ambitions via supported distance learning, helping to fit learning around professional and personal life commitments.
Established
1969Location
Milton Keynes, UKWorld ranking
Top 510Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020
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