2026/27 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

LLLC1446 Applied Skills in Supporting Children & Families

20 Credits Class Size: 30

Module manager: Rebecca Thorley
Email: r.thorley@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2026/27

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

Students will develop their knowledge, skills, and understanding of a variety of informed interventions, encompassing direct engagement with children and families. The syllabus covers diverse intervention strategies and related theoretical approaches, encouraging students to establish clear connections between theory and practice, drawing on research from both national and international perspectives. Students are anticipated to exhibit effective communication skills, along with the capacity for critical reflection on their practice to develop their confidence, and future employability.

Objectives

1. Develop confidence in having a range of approaches at one’s disposal when attempting to support families with different needs
2. Distinguish between a range of theoretically informed approaches when communicating and engaging with families
3. Take a disciplined and systematic approach to applying specific assessment and planning skills in child and family contexts.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Assess and plan for the different and diverse needs of children and parents.
2. Evaluate the role of communication in successfully engaging with different children and parents
3. Apply a range of theoretically informed interventions towards supporting children and families with different needs.
4. Justify choices in practice skills from a range of interventions with children.

Skills Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
1. Work Ready: You will learn a range of theoretically informed professional approaches to communicating, engaging, assessing and planning in work with children and families.
2. Technical: You will learn how to apply systematic assessment and planning frameworks and tools, seen in the professional disciplines of supporting families.

Syllabus

This will be a ‘flipped’ class in line with the Child and Family Studies Programme suite of modules. Students are expected to learn from interactive online materials prior to attending seminars wherein this prior learning will be applied and formatively assessed. Alongside maintaining expected progress and learning within the structured online interactive resources, it is expected that students deepen, extend and enhance their learning by consulting with recommended and self-sourced academic texts on the subject.

Teaching Methods

Delivery type Number Length hours Student hours
Supervision 1 2 2
Lectures 10 1 10
seminars 1 5 5
Independent online learning hours 83
Private study hours 100
Total Contact hours 17
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) 200

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Student progress and engagement with online learning tasks will be monitored on a weekly basis, and formatively assessed by the tutor in weekly class discussions. There will be an opportunity for students to receive individual formative feedback on their draft work for each assignment.

Methods of Assessment

Coursework
Assessment type Notes % of formal assessment
Practical 1 x 10 minute participation in practical role play 60
Written Work 1 x written review of taking part in the practical role play 40
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) 100

Acknowledging that elements of direct family support with children and families are ‘performative’, which means in this context behaving in premeditated and controlled ‘presentation of the self’, students will be required to enact particular family support approaches within the context of a 1:1 or small group role-play. This enables students to experience applying informed communicative and interactive techniques within the context of an authentic but simulated ‘family support interaction’. In the second assignment, students are required to provide a written account of their planning for the role-play, decision-making ‘in action’, their performative behaviour and reflections upon the experience.

Reading List

Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list

Last updated: 30/04/2026

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