HomeProgrammesHealth & WellbeingNew Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Social and Community Services)

New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Social and Community Services)

Level 4

Develop the knowledge and skills to support people with mental health and addiction issues with the UCOL Te Pūkenga NZ Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Social and Community Services) (Level 4) with strand in Mental Health and Addiction Support.

A UCOL Te Pūkenga learner attends to a patient.
Quick info

Level: 4

Locations: UCOL Te Pūkenga Manawatū in Palmerston North,  UCOL Te Pūkenga Whanganui,  UCOL Te Pūkenga Wairarapa in Masterton

Duration: 1 Year full-time (41 weeks)
Part-time option available.
(See Course Hours & Duration for details)

Dates:
Palmerston North
26 Feb 2024 - 06 Dec 2024

Whanganui
26 Feb 2024 - 06 Dec 2024

Masterton
26 Feb 2024 - 06 Dec 2024

Domestic Fees: *
$6,231.00

Scholarship info

International Fees:*
$25,000.00 + Student Services Levy $591.00

Additional Fees
Compulsory course costs may apply.

* Fees are indicative only, and are inclusive of the student services levy and GST (goods and services tax). The fee shown is for one year of study.

If you’re working in the industry or are interested in a career supporting the health and well-being of people, the UCOL Te Pūkenga New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Social and Community Services) (Level 4) with strand in Mental Health and Addiction Support will provide you with an entry-level qualification.

You will learn how building respectful relationships with people, family or whānau in a mental health and addiction setting can change lives. You will apply values, knowledge and skills that foster hope and build resilience. 


 Course Hours & Duration

This programme runs for 41 weeks each year, including 7 holiday weeks.

Per week, your learning will include approximately:

Class Time
9.5 hrs

Lectures,tutorials and/or online recordings.
Work Time
10 hrs

In-work activity including work experience,internship or practicum.
Study Time
17.5 hrs

Study in your own time.

You can also choose to study part-time, or possibly by paper. Talk to us about your options with this programme.

 Career & Study Outcomes

Graduates of the New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Social and Community Services) will be able to:

  • Respect people's socio-cultural identity, experiences and self-knowledge
  • Relate the history of Māori as tangata whenua and knowledge of person-whānau interconnectedness to one's own role in a health and wellbeing setting
  • Display self-awareness, reflective practice and personal leadership
  • Actively contribute to a culture of professionalism, safety and quality in the workplace
  • Relate the purpose and impact of own role to the aims of the wider health and wellbeing sector
  • Foster hope, support recovery and build resistance
Career options include:
  • Disability support
  • Diversional therapy
  • Housing and budget support
  • Tamariki ora support
  • Field officer
  • Health and wellbeing coach
  • Community health worker
  • Mental health and addiction support
  • Social justice advocate
  • Refugee support
  • Community development

To find out more about possible job prospects and salaries, see careers.govt.nz

 Course Information

Note: As a subsidiary of Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, UCOL Te Pūkenga is committed to providing the best learning outcome for you. As part of this, all programmes are currently being reviewed to make them portable, consistent, and closely aligned with the needs of the industry. When published, this course information is correct, but the courses offered may change over time. If you have any questions call an Enrolment Advisor on 0800 468 265.

The programme consists of 120 credits.

Respectful Relationships (30 Credits) (50 work experience hours)
Develop an understanding and acceptance of socio-cultural identity, experiences and self-knowledge, and apply this to build respectful relationships with people, family and/or whanau in a mental health and addiction setting. The course covers:

  • Listening skills
  • Respectful relationships
  • Consent processes, protocols and workplace practice
  • The needs and vulnerability of children
  • Pasifica cultural values
  • Falefono and Whare Tapawha models of health and wellbeing

Bi-Culturalism and Marae Protocols (15 Credits) (25 work experience hours)
Gain an understanding of the history of Māori as Tangata Whenua, and knowledge of person-whanau interconnectedness to enable you to relate this to your own role in a health and wellbeing setting.

Role Clarification (15 Credits) (25 work experience hours)
Gain the knowledge and skills to relate the purpose and impact of your own role as a support worker to the aims of the wider health and wellbeing sector. The course covers:

  • Biological, psychological, sociological, holistic and alternative approaches to mental health and addiction
  • Values, attitudes, skills and core competencies for support work
  • Professional boundaries
  • Human rights
  • Consumer rights and workplace responsibilities
  • Stigma, discrimination and social exclusion

Self Awareness (30 Credits) (50 work experience hours)
Develop self-awareness through the application of a reflective practice that enables you to develop effective strategies and apply these to help build the resilience of people, family and/or whanau in a mental health and addiction setting. The course covers:

  • Theory and practice of self-awareness
  • Personal risk identification and management
  • Reflective journaling
  • Self-care strategies
  • Theories and practices of resilience building
  • Capabilities of children

Professional Development (30 Credits) (50 work experience hours)
Learn to actively contribute to a culture of professionalism, safety and quality, and promote the autonomy of people, family and/or whanau in a mental health and addiction setting by using tools and strategies that support people's recovery. The course covers:

  • Health and Safety legislation, including workplace reporting
  • Principles and practices of supervision
  • Principles and practices of networking
  • Information, education and advocacy in mental health and addiction support
  • Recovery concepts and practices in mental health and addiction support work, including those related to children
  • Developing a recovery plan


Previous Related Programmes

The New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Social and Community Services) supersedes and takes the best from the following programme of study, which is no longer offered:

  • National Certificate in Mental Health (Mental Health Support Work)

 Industry Connections

UCOL Te Pūkenga has relationships with a wide range of mental health and addiction service providers across the Whanganui, Manawatū and Wairarapa regions.

 Learning Facilities

From 2023 our nursing, medical imaging, social services, and healthcare ākonga will be learning in Te Whaioranga, the purpose-built healthcare education centre for UCOL Te Pūkenga Manawatū. This state-of-the-art learning environment enables our nursing, medical imaging, social services and healthcare ākonga to learn across disciplines and functions, familiarising them with real-world practices and ensuring they become ‘workforce ready’ graduates.

Wairarapa and Whanganui provide comfortable learning environments with many opportunities to learn from our industry partners. This will prepare ākonga for real-world practices and ensuring they become ‘workforce ready’ graduates.

 Domestic Entry Requirements

Academic Requirements
NCEA level 2 or equivalent.  
  
Additional Requirements
All applicants are required to:
  • Declare any previous criminal convictions prior to admission being confirmed. Convictions of any offence may not necessarily exclude applicants from enrolment; the decision is at the discretion of the Academic Portfolio Manager
  • Authorise UCOL Te Pūkenga to obtain a background check from the New Zealand Police Licensing and Vetting Agency
  • Attend an interview with the Programme Lecturer. 

English language proficiency
If English is not your first language, you must also demonstrate English language skills equivalent to an IELTS overall band score (academic) of 5.5 with no band score less than 5 (or equivalent including TOEFL). IELTS scores used must be taken from a single IELTS Test Report Form (i.e. combining scores from more than one test is not permissible).

 

For more information about NCEA Credits see the UCOL Te Pūkenga NCEA explained page.

 International Entry Requirements

In addition to the Domestic Entry Requirements, the following applies to international student applicants.

English language proficiency
International student applicants whose first language is not English must have an IELTS Academic score of 5.5 with no band score lower than 5 (or equivalent including TOEFL). IELTS scores used must be taken from a single IELTS Test Report Form (i.e. combining scores from more than one test is not permissible).

Under 20 years of age
In addition to this, international applicants under 20 years of age must have NCEA equivalency.

 Advice & Guidance

This qualification is not associated with professional registration or a clinical scope of practice.

Work experience
There are 200 work experience hours in the programme. It is strongly recommended that all students wanting to do the programme seek advice from the Programme Lecturer.

UCOL Te Pūkenga is able to organise limited work placements at the beginning of the academic year. Acceptance into these placements is conditional on a learner's completing a Statutory Declaration and the Department of Courts Criminal Record Check to allow the release of any criminal history to UCOL Te Pūkenga, and on the results being satisfactory. Convictions are not necessarily a barrier to entry, but may affect a learner's ability to complete workplace requirements and therefore gain the qualification.
 
UCOL Te Pūkenga will undertake a safety check of all students after enrolment to ensure UCOL Te Pūkenga meets the legislative requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act, 2014.  If the learner has a practicum/placement with services for health or disability where there are clients under 18 years of age, UCOL Te Pūkenga will do this on behalf of the providers who host UCOL Te Pūkenga students.  The safety check involves confirming the learner's work history, verifying their suitability to work with children with a trusted referee, and completing New Zealand Police vetting.
 
All learners in placements organised by UCOL Te Pūkenga are required to follow the mental health service provider’s policies and procedures and UCOL Te Pūkenga’s learners workplace protocols.
  
Learning resources
Required and recommended reading material will be specified in the course outline provided by the lecturer at the beginning of the semester. Students may use texts and other books, journals, on-line databases, and the Internet to increase their awareness and knowledge of the subject material.
 

Recognition of prior learning
Applications for Recognition of Prior Learning, including Cross Credit, Credit Transfer and Assessment of Prior Learning may be made on the Recognition of Prior Learning Form where a student believes all learning outcomes for a course have already been met. Applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the UCOL Te Pūkenga Academic Statute and other relavant policies and procedures.

Application checklist
It will make the process easier if you prepare the following before you apply:

  • National Student Number (NSN) (If you don't have a NSN, you may request one from NZQA, or you can supply a verified copy of your birth certificate, passport or Whakapapa statement.)
  • Evidence of your highest level of academic achievement (and evidence of prior learning, if applicable)
  • Evidence that you meet the entry requirements of the programme
  • A completed Police Declaration Form
  • A completed Health Declaration Form
  • Check if you're eligible for additional support or a scholarship. If you're 19 years or younger, you may be eligible to enrol in one of our free Youth Transition programmes.

Note that you will need to provide any verified documents in person, via post or email (not via the online application form).

 Accreditation

The programme is approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority under the provisions of the Education and Training Act 2020, and Universal College of Learning Limited, a subsidiary of Te Pūkenga is accredited to teach it.

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