The following pages outline the standards and requirements for accreditation of Young Mothers Learning through OCN. These guidelines are based on the original submission to OCNCE by UK Youth.
Any deviation from these standards will need to be checked with OCN and agreed by UK Youth’s Youthwork Manager
The information in this section includes:
1. Programme title
2. Programme aims
3. Basic and key skills
4. Target group
5. Progression
6. Recruitment and admission
7. Programme management and delivery
8. Learner support
9. Quality assurance
10. Delivery and assessment
The standards and requirements for accreditation of 'Young Mothers Learning - a group programme' through OCN
1. Programme title
Young Mothers Learning – a group programme'. This is the title that you must register on a programme run and will appear on the credit certificate awarded to learners.
2. Programme aims
This programme is designed to offer appropriate and accessible accredited learning to young women normally aged 14 years – 25 years who are pregnant and/or responsible for children.
It approaches study skills via activities that are relevant to their lives. It aims to:
- Develop learner confidence
- Develop an understanding of the roles which mothers play and the expectations society has of them
- Develop strategies, skills and understanding of young mothers in particular
- Develop communication skills, specifically oral, written and reading skills
- Develop ICT confidence and basic skills
- Develop an awareness of progression possibilities
- Develop an awareness of cultural differences
3. Basic and Key Skills
This programme addresses Basic Skills by mapping the learning outcomes against the Adult Core Literacy Curriculum, where appropriate. For detailed information on this please contact UK Youth.
It offers portfolio building, which would contribute towards the evidence required for Key Skills: Communication; Working with Others and ICT.
4. Target group
The target group is young women normally aged 16-25 years with 14-15 year olds included where appropriate. The materials and outcomes of the programme are targeted at a specific age group. However, there may be circumstances where a tutor feels that an individual is especially suited to the programme, or where peer group friendships would be supported by the inclusion of an older student. The target group is young women who are pregnant, or have a child/children and who, as a consequence, have interrupted school/further education. They are likely to be dependent on benefits, or living with a low income.
5. Progression
This programme will prepare learners to progress to a range of provision within Further Education. The programme links them to two providers. The adult education partner, most likely to be the WEA, has a range of OCN accredited programmes, which vary from location to location, but which include Basic Skills provision, ICT programmes, parent and schools programmes and a nationally available pre-Access course.
Most youth work providers have access to or can provide referral to a variety of vocational programmes such as sports training, volunteer youth worker training, media training, and access to the Youth Achievement Awards scheme.
All learners will receive advice and guidance at the beginning and end of each programme run and information on courses at other local providers will be made available.
This programme is a partnership between two national organisations: UK Youth and the WEA. There are opportunities for progression within member organizations of UK Youth, in the form of ILM training; ASDAN programmes; other OCN programmes and qualifications such as the Youth Achievement Awards. Within the WEA there are opportunities for taking a number of OCN accredited programmes and for a variety of other qualifications e.g. First Aid.
6. Recruitment and admission
Recruitment will be central to the youth work strategy for this programme and will involve the youth worker in outreach via the youth service, health workers, formal education centres and any agencies likely to have contact with young mothers.
Prospective young women will meet individually, or in other groups they attend, with the youth worker, for informal discussion of the programme and to establish their support needs e.g. childcare, transport, study support.
If appropriate the youth worker may run a ‘pre-group’ whilst assembling sufficient young women to run the programme. They would meet for informal, group-building activities. Individual young women will be offered a ‘Welcome Pack’ to prepare them for the approach to study used on the programme. In addition, this is a tool for tutors to assess whether the student has Basic Skills support needs.
The first course meeting will include a one-to-one or paired meeting with the tutor to discuss the suitability of the programme for the learners’ needs.
7. Programme management and delivery
Programme Management
UK Youth is the originator of the programme and gives permission for organisations to deliver it as an OCN-accredited programme upon application to UK Youth. It is keen to receive any comments from delivery agencies and participants and will consider these at its next programme review. Whilst day-to-day management is in the hands of the delivery agency, overall national management of the programme is the responsibility of: UK Youth, Youth Work Manager
Staffing
Each run of the programme will be staffed by a minimum of two: usually a youth worker and an adult education tutor. The tutor is formally responsible for the programme’s delivery, for assessment and arranging for local administration of moderation where appropriate.
The youth worker is primarily responsible for recruitment and support roles, but will be available as a supplementary tutor, in sessions where one-to-one help may be appropriate i.e. use of ICT, in research and visit activities.
UK Youth will brief staff via the Programme Pack, and with creating opportunities for networking. Staff will be familiar with OCN procedures and processes or will be expected to attend local training. Staff meetings will take place locally, arranged by the lead agency, which may vary from location to location.
Tutor person specification
Tutors will be experienced female adult education tutors ideally, but not essentially, having had experience of working with young people.
They should be qualified at an appropriate level. They should have experience of assessment, course delivery and ideally experience of OCN.
They should have teaching experience in one or more of the following areas: Women’s Education, Basic Skills, Second Chance/Return to Learn, Health Education or Parenting Education.
Tutors will have basic ICT skills and confidence and the ability to use a scanner and digital camera, or prepared to be briefed on these tools.
Delivery
This is a part-time programme of 40 class contact hours to be delivered typically in blocks of 2-3 hours of class-based study per week. Each Unit consist of a minimum of 12 student contact hours, with the additional 4 hours designed to allow for a more gentle introduction to the programme in the first Unit, and to address individual assessment and support issues. The programme is intended to be studied as a whole, but allows for interrupted study, with units being picked up at a later stage, or for late starters to complete assessment evidence throughout the programme. There is the option of completing one unit in a residential setting over two days of 6 hours each or three days of 4 hours each. Learners will have home-based study activities appropriate to the level of credits they seek to achieve. The course will be delivered in community locations, convenient for childcare and near to where learners live (with the exception of the residential option).
Administration and record keeping
Each local run of the programme will be a partnership between two organisations: an adult education provider, typically, but not exclusively, the WEA, and a youth work agency, typically an organisation affiliated to UK Youth. The local adult education provider will appoint a person responsible for the administration of the programme and inform UK Youth of the named person. All OCN paperwork (learner registrations, certificates etc.) will be handled by the local adult education provider.
UK Youth will retain an overview of delivery via: student tracking; a separate UK Youth form for learners; liaison with the providers; and through support.
The local tutor will be responsible for keeping student and programme records and for monitoring and evaluating student progress and performance. These will be available for programme review purposes, where required.
Resource
The minimum resources necessary to deliver this programme are a room with appropriate flexible furniture in a community location near to where most participants live and near to the childcare location. The room should have access to facilities for making hot drinks.
Students/tutors must have access to the Programme Pack and work within its guidelines. The pack includes guidance on recruitment, setting up and running a group, guidance, accreditation, recording student learning, session plans and activity sheets, and can be purchased from UK Youth.
Any local provider delivering this programme must have suitable health and safety policies that can be implemented at the community location.
8. Learner support
Advice and guidance
The initial session of the taught course will involve an informal IAG session, with the offer of access to a specialist one-to-one careers/guidance session if required. The final course session will include a follow-up IAG session with youth worker monitoring of individual information needs.
The course does not formally include a routine tutorial element but learners will receive regular oral and written feedback on their work and there will be individual tutorials organised as appropriate, with youth worker support.
Personal support facilities
The responsibility for learner support in this programme is the primary responsibility of the Youth Workers, who are the first point of contact at the recruitment stage and are expected to maintain informal contact with learners throughout the programme. It is expected that issues around personal support, domestic difficulties, and the ways in which those impact on practical support issues will be addressed by the Youth Worker.
This programme requires the provision of free, professionally provided childcare or funding to pay for care for children in their own homes. Childcare needs to be available for the full period of course sessions and should allow for travel time, if ‘off site’.
Learners should be helped with transport arrangements, if the course is located more than ‘pram pushing’ distance from their home. This could involve the payment of bus or taxi fares. Providers should address the difficulties faced by young women in organising a young family and manoeuvring buggies and baby equipment on and off public transport.
Support for learners with disabilities should be appropriate and sufficient for their individual needs. Support needs will be assessed prior to the run of the programme. Other learner support needs, e.g. literacy needs, will be assessed prior to the programme run, and in the initial session, and appropriate support will be put in place.
Learner support
Learner support is offered through course materials, class meetings and individual support facilities as appropriate. Learners will have access to a range of resources (e.g. printing, laminating, craft/scrap materials, and magazines) for activities. They will have access at the course site to a telephone and postage to organize the group project.
The development of Basic Skills is integral to the programme. Where Basic Skills is an issue there will be strategies implemented to ensure that the course is accessible, there will be access to further support materials in addition to sign posting learners to other support available locally.
Groups should not be larger than 15, to allow for individual support and tutorials. It is to be expected that should a group of 15 start on the programme there will be some drop-out and a more likely final number would be 10-12.
Minimum ICT equipment
ICT is integrated into this programme and therefore there is a requirement that learners have high levels of access to equipment.
1. Learners will require access on site, or at an accessible location to a minimum of one computer per 3 learners. This should be available for at least 50% of the course, ideally at each session.
2. Access to a digital camera or ordinary camera and a scanner.
3. Printer.
4. Floppy discs and paper.
Equal opportunities
The programme will be anti-discriminating in ethos and methods. The course materials reflect diversity and encourage learners to consider and confront issues of discrimination. The programme reflects UK Youth equal opportunities policy .
9. Quality assurance
OCN internal moderation
Internal moderation arrangements will be confirmed by the Young Mothers Learning Programme Co-ordinator. Details of who is responsible, how it will be implemented, and sampling arrangements for external moderation will be reported to the Programme Manager. Internal moderators will be expected to see all student work and external moderators a sample of work, as specified by OCN regulations.
Moderation
Responsibility for local liaison and coordination between OCN external moderators and internal moderators will be agreed with UK Youth’s Young Mothers Learning Programme Co-ordinator.
The sample of evidence seen by external moderators will conform to the recommendations made within the Moderator Guidelines document.
The UK Youth Programme Manager will be responsible for ensuring that action is taken on issues raised by OCN External Moderator’s reports.
Monitoring, evaluation and review
The UK Youth Programme Co-ordinator will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation of the programme via:
- informal contact with tutors and youth workers
- receipt of copies of internal and external moderators’ reports
- co-ordinating networking of providers
- tutor/student evaluation record
- an annual review in the first instance, then a two yearly review process
Complaints and appeals
Appeals against assessment will conform to the standard appeals procedure of the local adult education provider.
10. Delivery and assessment
The curriculum content of the programme is contained within UK Youth 'Steps to the Future CD' pack. The Units address the position of young women and mothers in society today and the different perceptions of motherhood in different societies. The curriculum encourages the students to explore how they fit within these norms.
The programme covers information gathering and handling information, personal development, basic ICT and communication skills.
Delivery methods include the use of discussion, worksheets, activity sheets, project activity, research, presentation activities, group activities.
Resources include paper-based resources such as flip charts, pens, paper; computers, a scanner/digital camera; miscellaneous resources relating to specific project work.
