Child Care Law and Practice

Entry requirements

Applicants should normally have a first degree with first or second-class honours or equivalent and/or relevant professional qualifications. Candidates who do not meet the standard criteria will, however, be considered. Applications are welcomed from appropriately qualified and experienced professionals from areas including, but not limited to, social welfare, law, criminal justice and healthcare.

Months of entry

October

Course content

The course offers you the opportunity to delve into the complexities of law and social policy regarding children, predominately focusing upon the legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. However, you will also gain insights into both international and regional law and the legal and policy frameworks adopted to address children, the role of families, their rights and the global challenges connected thereto.

The aims of this programme are to introduce key principles of interdisciplinary socio-legal research methods and scholarship, facilitate the development of higher-level critical analysis, and develop the students’ capacity for original thinking in relation to the complex issues arising in socio-legal scholarship. It also aims to promote anti-discriminatory practice, inter-agency understanding and interdisciplinary working.

More specifically, the programme aims to:

• Develop a practical and theoretical understanding of childcare law, policy and practice.
• Encourage interdisciplinarity through the student experience – utilising the expertise of staff to provide a critical and collegiate learning and teaching environment.
• Develop a critical perspective in the assessment and evaluation of research, law scholarship, policy, and practice in childcare law.
• Develop the ability of our students to work independently in a coherent, efficient, and focused manner.
• Provide an opportunity for practitioners to further develop and critically reflect upon their skills as applied to a variety of areas and settings in work with children.

Our MA is suitable for those who wish to pursue a postgraduate qualification after the completion of their undergraduate studies and to a range of professionals working with either children or adults who wish to improve their skills and knowledge base or wish to study for continuing professional development. The teaching takes places in blocks of study, providing the flexibility for those in employment to study for the MA on a full or part time basis. Due to the nature of this course, we operate a strict start date. The exact start date will be communicated to successful applicants within the offer letter which is sent via email. We are unable to accept any late starts for this course.

Information for international students

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ENTRY REQUIREMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

IELTS 6.5

Applicants for whom English is not a first language must provide evidence of a qualification in English language, unless they hold a previous degree that was taught and examined in English. The minimum score for entry to the LL.M. is academic IELTS 6.5 (with no subtest below 5.5) or equivalent.

The University also accepts a range of internationally recognised English tests.

If you do not meet the English language requirements, the University offers a range of English language preparation programmes.

During your degree programme you can study additional English language courses. This means you can continue to improve your English language skills and gain a higher level of English.

Fees and funding

For information related to fees and funding, please visit the individual course page on the Keele University website.