Course content

The course provides an introduction to strengths-based work with children and young people. A strengths-based approach means focusing on what works and on children’s and young people’s resources, coping abilities, and potential. Students learn about what promotes children’s and young people’s well-being, development, and learning, and how health can be strengthened through preventive work. The course addresses psychosocial aspects of children’s lives, the importance of secure relationships, and how protective factors within the child, the family, and the local environment can contribute to better coping. Furthermore, the course emphasizes children’s rights, particularly the right to be heard and to participate in matters that concern them. The course also provides knowledge about collaboration with parents, colleagues, and other services as an important part of strengths-based and health-promoting work with children and young people.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

The student has:

• knowledge of key health-promoting perspectives and fundamental conditions for promoting children’s and young people’s well-being, development, and learning
• in-depth knowledge of preventive work with children and young people
• knowledge of frameworks for psychosocial work and its priority areas
• knowledge of children’s rights and the importance of participation and involvement

Skills

The student can:

• identify areas and work in a health-promoting and preventive manner to strengthen children’s and young people’s coping abilities
• recognize and make use of protective factors and resources within the child and the local environment
• engage in collaboration with colleagues, organizations, and families on coping-related initiatives
• apply knowledge of children’s rights and the child’s right to participation and self-determination

General

Competence

The student:

• can apply, establish, and engage in health-promoting and coping-enhancing relationships
• can analyze various conditions that promote and further develop children’s and young people’s ability to cope with life challenges and psychosocial stressors

Learning methods and activities

The programme is delivered online and has no fixed teaching hours. This allows students to make use of digital learning resources at a time that suits them. It also enables students to remain in employment while studying.

Teaching and learning methods include videos, recorded presentations of theoretical subject matter, podcasts, exercises, quizzes, and independent study of the syllabus literature.

Opportunities will be provided for sharing experiences and real-life issues with fellow students. This will take place in small groups and will be organized and conducted digitally within the group.

Throughout the course, students will complete assignments and coursework requirements that must be submitted to the instructor. There are four compulsory coursework requirements that must be submitted as part of a portfolio. These coursework requirements, together with a final reflective assignment, constitute the portfolio assessment for the course.

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

Experience working with children and adolescents, preferably while employed in such work during the course of study.

Required previous knowledge

The student must have general university admission qualifications (GSK) and at least two years of experience in direct work with children and adolescents, for example from kindergarten, school, health or social services, institutions, voluntary work, or similar.

Course materials

Literature will be presented in Canvas at the start of the course.