SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND VULNERABLE ADULTS - 2022/3

Module code: NURM144

Module Overview

The module provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the complexities surrounding safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. The students will be empowered to play a pro-active role in the protection of vulnerable people.

Module provider

School of Health Sciences

Module Leader

ROBERTS Sarah (Health Sci.)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Overall student workload

Personal Tutorial Hours: 3

Lecture Hours: 34

Seminar Hours: 1

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content


  • Safeguarding in context; to include legislation and the historical and political drivers of current policy

  • Recognition and responding to abuse.

  • Roles and responsibilities.

  • ‘Working Together’ within and across agencies.

  • Holistic assessments and the assessment of risk.

  • The impact of abuse on children and young people and their families, including adult survivors of abuse.

  • The impact of abuse on vulnerable adults and their families and carers.

  • Managing diversity in safeguarding children.

  • Specific issues relating to practice, i.e. domestic violence, fabricated induced illness, self harm, anorexia, drug use, mental health issues

  • Communicating with children, young people and vulnerable adults and their families and carers.

  • The importance of multi-agency and multi professional communication and working in relation to safeguarding.

  • Strategies for working with complex families.

  • Discuss and debate legal and ethical issues.


Assessment pattern

Assessment type Unit of assessment Weighting
Coursework Poster presentation 100

Alternative Assessment

Not required.

Assessment Strategy

The student will present a poster analysing an actual or potential safeguarding issue for a child, young person or vulnerable adult. The poster will include:


  • key historical and current drivers that influence practice, policy and legislation in relation to safeguarding

  • Issues relating to equality and diversity in relation to safeguarding practice and partnership working

  • Ethical issues relating to safeguarding practice

  • Relevant categories of abuse

  • Presenting signs and symptoms and the possible long-term effects of abuse

  • Analysis and evaluation of a variety of assessment and risk assessment models

  • Application of these to practice

  • Critical evaluation of safeguarding practice, including partnership working,  related to the issue identified in the scenario

  • Critical evaluation of own accountability and practice

  • A proposal for  practice and service delivery developments to improve safeguarding practice

  • Appraisal and application of relevant concepts from literature and research



The students will upload their poster and a verbal 15 minute supporting critical discussion of key issues using their own voice. Students will also upload a reference list to support their work. (100%)

Formative assessment

Scenario based workshops will be used during the module to enable students to reflect on the evidence based knowledge they have gained and assist them in developing a clear rationale on how this may be applied in practice.

If there is either evidence of unsafe practice or any breach of confidentiality it will result in an automatic referral for the assessment of the module.

Module aims

  • This module aims to develop students' skills and knowledge related to safeguarding young people, children and vulnerable adults. Students will also be prepared to evaluate and support effective practice in their own area of practice and to reflect upon, debate and appraise current research in a multi-disciplinary environment.
  • The module provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the complexities surrounding safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults. The students will be empowered to play a pro-active role in the protection of children, young people and vulnerable people.

Learning outcomes

Attributes Developed
004 Raise awareness of equity and diversity issues within partnership working. KPT
006 Appraise and apply relevant concepts from current literature and research. CP
001 Critically analyse and debate historical and current drivers that influence practice, policy and legislation in relation to safeguarding KC
002 Extend, review and apply knowledge and understanding of the different categories of abuse KCP
003 Demonstrate an awareness of presenting signs and symptoms and the possible long-term effects of abuse KCP
005 Analyse and critically evaluate a variety of Assessment and Risk Assessment models and be able to apply these to practice taking into account relevant legislation and ethical considerations CPT
007 Critically evaluate current safeguarding practice and student’s own professional accountability KPT
008 Critically appraise their own practice and service delivery in relation to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults PT

Attributes Developed

C - Cognitive/analytical

K - Subject knowledge

T - Transferable skills

P - Professional/Practical skills

Methods of Teaching / Learning

Lecture / Debate / Group work / Student presentation / Self-directed learning / Experiential learning / Small group workshops / Action learning set / Discussion / Reflective learning / Tutorials / ‘Expert’ speakers.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: NURM144

Programmes this module appears in

Programme Semester Classification Qualifying conditions
Public Health Practice (SCPHN) (Health Visiting) MSc(YEAR LONG) Year-long Core Each unit of assessment must be passed at 50% to pass the module

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2022/3 academic year.