5B022E - Working with Children in Specialist Contexts 01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2032 | Version 0

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 5B022E
Module Title: Working with Children in Specialist Contexts
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Psychology and Therapeutic Interventions
Faculty Sub Group: Psychology
Module Leader: Victoria Markham
Module Team: Klara Price, Emily Groves
First Intended Intake: SEP 2026 Final Year of Intake: 2031
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 5
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100497 - psychology
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 0
Valid From 01 Sep 2026
Valid To 31 Aug 2032

Module Aims

The main aims of the module are:

  • Develop students’ understanding of specialist and alternative contexts in which children and young people are supported.

  • Critically analyse national policies and frameworks that guide professional practice in specialist contexts.

  • Build students’ professional skills in communication, collaboration, and reflective practice when working with children, families, and professionals.

Content Summary

What shapes a child’s learning journey when their needs do not fit neatly within the mainstream? Is it the expertise of the professionals who support them, the flexibility of the education system, or the wider policies that define what ‘support’ should look like? This module challenges you to explore the complexity of working with children in specialist contexts - where individuality, diversity, and professional collaboration intersect.

Building on prior learning about children’s development and environments, this module examines the specialist settings and professional practices that support children with additional or complex needs. You will explore how neurodiversity, disability, social and emotional challenges, and experiences of exclusion shape children’s participation in education and society. Drawing on theories of inclusion, rights, and wellbeing, you will also analyse how practice can be adapted to meet diverse needs effectively and ethically.

Through case studies, policy analysis, and reflective discussion, you will consider how alternative education settings, specialist services, and national frameworks shape the support children receive. Emphasis is placed on developing key professional skills, including communication, empathy, and reflective practice, to prepare you for effective and ethical engagement with children, families, and multi-agency teams.

This module encourages you to think critically about what it means to work inclusively, ethically, and collaboratively to enable every child - whatever their context - to thrive.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Scheduled Learning and Teaching 56
Guided Study 10.5
Summative Assessment and preparation 60
Independent self-directed learning 173.5
Total Hours Selected 116

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Analyse specialist and alternative contexts in which children and young people are supported, demonstrating an understanding of how national policies and frameworks shape professional practice.
LO2 Demonstrate developing professional skills in communication, collaboration, and reflective practice - supported by the evaluation and responsible use of GenAI tools - when working with children, families, and multi-agency professionals in specialist contexts.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Student Choice 1 Student Choice; Asynchronous Assessment; Student Choice 25 4000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Student Choice 1

Reading List

Florian, L. (Ed.). (2014). The SAGE handbook of special education (Second edition.). SAGE.

Best, M. (2025). Teaching within the “margins”: capturing the challenges, tensions, and rewards of alternative education. Teachers and Teaching, Theory and Practice, 31(7), 1114–1133. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2024.2439564

Youth Justice Charter

The Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales 2021

Children and Families Act 2014

Equality Act 2010

Niolaki, G., Carr-Fanning, K., & Terzopoulos, A. (Eds.). (2024). Psychology and educational inclusion: Identifying and supporting learners with SEN. Open University Press.

Sewell, A., Kennett, A., & Pugh, V. (2022). Universal Design for Learning as a theory of inclusive practice for use by educational psychologists. Educational Psychology in Practice, 38(4), 364–378. https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2022.2111677

Young People

Open University., Earle, R., Hester, R., & Taylor, W. (2013). Youth justice handbook: Theory, policy and practice. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315820064

Randall, R. (2020). Work psychology : understanding human behaviour in the workplace (Seventh edition.). Pearson.

Dobson, J., & Melrose, A. (2021). Working with Children, Families and Young People: Professional Dilemmas, Perspectives and Solutions (J. Dobson & A. Melrose, Eds.; 1st edition, Vol. 1). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429507397

Guidance for Students - Using GenAI