EBPWB - GCSE Health and Social Care - Unit 2

including a best practice conference format by West Berkshire Education Business Partnership (WBEBP)

	The EBPs have developed a comprehensive knowledge of the working community, their skills, and, importantly, how to effectively link with the curriculum. It is in the light of this that West Berkshire Education Business Partnership has devised a series of conferences targeted specifically at students studying GCSE Health & Social Care. Access to Healthcare professionals can be limited, due to the very nature of their working environment. In order to maximise time with the Healthcare professionals, the Conference Format has been developed as an effective means for students, perhaps joining up with neighbouring schools, to come together to encounter the Healthcare professionals face to face. This minimises the demand on the Healthcare professionals to support all the schools individually.
THE CONFERENCE FORMAT
	The overarching aims of the conference format is to: develop a first hand knowledge and understanding of a range of services and organisations understand the roles and skills of people who provide healthcare develop understanding of the care values that underpin all care work provide the students with an overview of the sector actively experience the working ethos of health care professionals offer an alternative learning style, presented in a business like format help prepare students for progression to employment or further training in Health & Social Care and early years prevent Health & Social Care Professionals from being approached by many different schools to deliver the same information

	PHYSICAL ASPECTS OF HEALTH CONFERENCE Outlined below is a conference designed to support the Health & Social Care curriculum. Unit 2.

Preparation guidelines for a conference
	The following points are worth taking into consideration to develop a well focused conference (subject, of course to available funding).
1.	Close consultation with the teachers delivering the Health & Social Care GCSE Clarify the key areas of the curriculum that would benefit from the first hand knowledge from the Health Care Professionals. From this the speakers can be carefully targeted and briefed.
2.	Seek out the Health Care Professionals to support the conference See the outline details on each conference in the following pages (Unit 1 and 2) for suggested professionals to approach. A clear brief is essential for the speakers so that they understand their audience, the level at which the information needs to be pitched and a focus on the subject matter to be presented.
3.	Brief the speakers They will need to be assured of the level at which to pitch the talk (language), specific topic focus, length of talk, number of students being addressed, date, venue, and facilities (ie powerpoint, ohp, internet access). Hand outs for students/teachers may be taken from a powerpoint presentation. Plus support on how to make their presentation interactive (see below).
4.	Encourage and develop interactive activities with the speakers The workshops included in the resource pack in both Unit 1 and 2 have been devised for use in conjunction with the conference format. They offer ideas on an approach to discussion, group work and follow-up activities. These should be a valuable source of inspiration to help ease the speaker's passage through the event and be a more confident and effective speaker. Remember they are not teachers and may not be used to addressing a young audience and may lack the confidence to lead interactive activity.
5.	Promote the conferences to schools teaching Health & Social Care from across the region Encourage students from different schools to come together for this event. Each event could accommodate up to 50 students at one time (more depending on the venue and format). The students benefit from a different learning environment and the interaction with other students.
6.	Research and organise the venue and facilities needed to deliver an effective presentation space Consideration needs to be given to the size of room, possible break out rooms for workshops, access, facilities and cost.
7.	Prepare a programme and support material for the event A programme detailing the day's speakers and activities plus hand-outs from speakers are useful. Sponsors can be acknowledged in the programme.
8.	Evaluate the event This is an essential tool to develop future events and act as a justification for sponsors. (This is a prerequisite to any event organised by an EBP.)

	Outlined below is a conference that has proved extremely effective in supporting Unit 2 in the Health & Social Care curriculum.



TOPICS TO ADDRESS
	Understanding health and well being Factors positively influencing health & well being - balanced diet, regular exercise Indicators of physical health - physical measurements including blood pressure, peak flow, body mass index, resting pulse & recovery after exercise, factors affecting interpretation of measurements include age, gender, lifestyle Health promotion & improvement methds - physical health assessment

	The approach to this event is very `hands-on'. Professionals can be brought in to clarify methods of physical measurements, diet and exercise. A possible combination of potential speakers and participants is detailed below. Balanced diet Physical measurement Health monitoring Physical fitness Community health support group

1.	Balanced Diet POTENTIAL SPEAKER: A COMMUNITY DIETICIAN will give a simple explanation of what constitutes a balanced diet an unblanaced diet support material used to inform the general public

	www.foodlink.org.uk www.foodforum.org.uk - food education site aimed at parents and teachers

2.	Physical Measurements POTENTIAL SPEAKER: A NURSE OR HEALTH VISITOR can practically demonstrate the methods of body measurements, for instance Base line observations - pulse, temperature, blood pressure, peak flow measurement, body mass index What is normal? Right equipment for measurement Understanding how to use the equipment

	www.monitorbloodpressure.com www.lungusa.org - Peak flow, how it is measured www.nhlbi.support.com/bmi/ - Body mass index - tables and charts to calculate BMI

3.	Health Monitoring - Vaccination and Screening Programmes POTENTIAL SPEAKER: LOCAL PRACTITIONERS who deliver the vaccination programme to school children SCREENING PROGRAMME MANAGER - breast cancer, etc

4.	Physical Fitness and Fitness Assessment POTENTIAL SPEAKER: FITNESS SPECIALIST. Involve a local fitness centre to discuss physical assesment procedure and to lead a practical exercise session followed by measurements of pulse etc during recovery after exercise. This is a useful, practical exercise in understanding the benfits of exercise and the effect on the body.

5.	Community Health Support Groups Speakers to give an insight into the available services to support the community. Lifestyle factors over which people have choice and control such as tobacco smoking, misue of alcohol, drugs, solvents, lack of personal hygiene, lack of exercise, unprotected sex. (See reference list below).

	Alcohol support - think about drink - aimed at young people - www.wrecked.co.uk Drug support - www.trashed.co.uk Sexual Health support - www.playingsafely.co.uk Teacher reference material. Reports on smoking, drinking, drug use - www.doh.gov.uk Mind Body & Soul - health information for KS4 - www.mindbodysoul.gov.uk Alcoholics Anonymous - www.alcoholics-anonymous.org Youth & Community Worker - The Edge - drug awareness & Substance misuse National Youth Agency - www.nya.org.uk Community Hygiene - diseases caused by parasites or poor hygiene - www.chc.org 14:21 - a confidential counselling service - www.14-21timetotalk.freeserve.co.uk Youth Information Database - details of over 1000 national youth organisations to support young people - www.youthinformation.com