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

This programme provides an entry-level qualification for those working in the industry or interested in a career supporting people’s health and wellbeing, specifically in the area of mental health and addiction.

You will learn how building respectful relationships with tangata, 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.

Within each of the courses of this programme, you will attend placements that will provide valuable opportunities for you to observe and reflect on how clients are supported and/or have the opportunity to participate in guided activities within local communities. 

Across the programme, ākonga (students) are required to complete a total of 200 placement hours.

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.

Time at placement

10 hrs

In-work activity, including work experience, internship or practicum.

Study Time (Work Intergrated Learning)

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.

The programme comprises 120 credits.

Respectful Relationships (30 Credits) (including 50 placement hours)

Develop an understanding and acceptance of socio-cultural identity, experiences and self-knowledge, and apply this to build respectful relationships that provide people, family/whanau in a mental health and addiction setting with hope.

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 Tapa Whā models of health and wellbeing

Bi-Culturalism and Marae Protocols (15 Credits) (including 25 placement hours)

Gain an understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the history and context 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) (including 25 placement 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) (including 50 placement 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/whānau 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) (including 50 placement hours)

Learn to actively contribute to a culture of professionalism, safety and quality, and promote the autonomy of people, family/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)

Our nursing, medical imaging and healthcare ākonga will do some learning in Te Whaioranga, the purpose-built healthcare education centre for UCOL Manawatū. This state-of-the-art learning environment enables our nursing, medical imaging 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.

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 to obtain a background check from the New Zealand Police Licensing and Vetting Agency

• Attend an interview with the programme lecturer.
  

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.

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 is accredited to teach it.

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 one's own role to the aims of the wider health and wellbeing sector

• Foster hope, support recovery, and help build resilience in people

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, visit tahatu.govt.nz 

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

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

Work experience (Work Intergrated Learning)

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 is able to organise limited placements at the beginning of the academic year. Acceptance into these placements is conditional on a learner's completing a Statutory Declaration and the New Zealand Police Licensing and Vetting Agency to allow the release of any criminal history to UCOL, 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 will undertake a safety check of all students after enrolment to ensure UCOL meets the legislative requirements of the 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 will do this on behalf of the providers who host UCOL 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 are required to follow the mental health service provider’s policies and procedures and UCOL 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 learner 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 Academic Statute and other relevant 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

• 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).