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# Introduction

If you work with children or young people, whether as a professional or in a voluntary or supporting role, then you will be aware that the contexts in which that work takes place are increasingly diverse in many ways. A ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is no longer appropriate, if indeed it ever was. But working with diversity presents a number of challenges, as well as some undoubted rewards. Practitioners need a good understanding of the diverse identities and experiences of the children and young people they work with and how best to respond to them. In this free course, Working with diversity in services for children and young people, you’ll be exploring the impact of diverse social identities on children’s and young people’s experiences of the services designed for them, and some practical strategies for working effectively with diverse groups and communities.

The course is designed primarily for those working with children or young people, for example in childcare, education, healthcare, social work or youth work settings. However, you will also find it of value if you are planning to work in one of these fields, or if you simply wish to improve your understanding of services for children and young people.

The course is structured around a series of activities which invite you to read an academic text, watch videos of a practice setting and an academic presentation, and reflect on your own experience of working with or supporting children and young people. Since there are no ‘right’ answers to most of the questions in the activities, and because this free course offers a taste of advanced study, in which students are expected to be relatively independent learners, feedback comments have not been included for all the activities.

This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course E809 Frameworks for critical practice with children and young people.

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OpenLearn - Working with diversity in services for children and young people
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