Changing Roles and Responsibilities in Adolescence
This element explores the transition in parent-child relationships as children enter adolescence, focusing on shifts in roles, responsibilities, and autonomy. Learners will examine the physical, emotional, and social changes adolescents experience, and the resultant pressures on family dynamics, including sources of conflict and power struggles. Practical application in health and care settings involves using this understanding to support families and young people effectively.
Assessment criteria
Topic Overview
The Open Awards Level 2 Diploma in Skills for Health and Care Professions (RQF) is a vocational qualification designed to prepare you for a career in health and social care. It covers essential knowledge and skills needed to work in settings such as hospitals, care homes, and community support services. The diploma is structured around core units that include communication, equality and inclusion, duty of care, and person-centred approaches, as well as optional units that allow you to specialise in areas like dementia care or supporting individuals with physical disabilities.
This qualification is important because it provides a solid foundation for further study or entry-level roles in the health and care sector. It aligns with the Care Certificate standards and helps you develop the professional behaviours and understanding required by employers. By studying this diploma, you will learn how to support individuals with their daily living activities, promote their rights and choices, and work effectively as part of a team. The practical focus of the course means you will be able to apply your learning directly to real-world situations, making you a valuable asset in any care environment.
Within the wider subject of Health and Social Care, this diploma sits as a Level 2 qualification, typically taken by those starting their career or returning to education. It bridges the gap between introductory courses and more advanced study, such as Level 3 diplomas or apprenticeships. The skills you gain here are transferable across many roles, from healthcare assistant to support worker, and are essential for anyone aiming to provide high-quality, compassionate care.
Key Concepts
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
- →Person-centred care: Tailoring support to the individual's needs, preferences, and values, ensuring they are at the centre of all decisions about their care.
- →Duty of care: The legal and professional obligation to act in the best interests of individuals, avoiding harm and ensuring their safety and wellbeing.
- →Equality and inclusion: Treating everyone fairly, respecting diversity, and removing barriers so that all individuals have equal access to care and opportunities.
- →Effective communication: Using verbal and non-verbal methods to build trust, understand needs, and share information accurately with individuals, families, and colleagues.
- →Safeguarding: Protecting vulnerable individuals from abuse, neglect, and harm by following policies, recognising signs of abuse, and reporting concerns appropriately.
Learning Objectives
What you need to know and understand
- Understand the changing roles and relationships of parents' with their child as they grow older., Know about the changes that a young person goes through during adolescence., Understand the pressure(s) that families with adolescents can experience., Understand issues that can cause conflict., Understand issues of power and authority.
Assessment Criteria
Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio
- Award credit for clearly describing how parental roles evolve from caregiver to guide as the child grows.
- Credit should be given for identifying specific physical, emotional, and social changes during adolescence.
- Assessors should look for examples of family pressures, such as disagreements over independence or peer relationships.
- Marks should be awarded for explaining common causes of conflict, like differing expectations over responsibilities.
- Look for analysis of power dynamics, including shifts in authority and negotiation between parents and adolescents.
Assessment Guidance
Guidance for achieving higher grades
- 💡Use case studies or personal experiences (anonymised) to illustrate the changing dynamics, ensuring you address all learning outcomes.
- 💡When discussing developmental changes, always link them to the impact on family relationships and potential pressures.
- 💡For conflict issues, provide balanced examples showing both parent and adolescent perspectives to demonstrate depth of understanding.
- 💡In exam or assignment responses, clearly define key terms such as 'roles', 'responsibilities', 'power', and 'authority' to show clarity.
- 💡Apply your knowledge to health and care contexts by suggesting how a support worker might mediate or advise families experiencing such challenges.
- 💡When answering questions about person-centred care, always give specific examples of how you would involve the individual in their care plan, such as asking about their preferred routine or involving family members with consent.
- 💡For questions on duty of care, explain the balance between promoting independence and ensuring safety. Use the phrase 'duty of care' explicitly and link it to policies like the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
- 💡In written assessments, use the correct terminology (e.g., 'individual' instead of 'patient' or 'client') and refer to relevant legislation (e.g., Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Care Act 2014) to show depth of knowledge.
Common Mistakes
Common errors to avoid in your coursework
- Overlooking that changes in roles and relationships are reciprocal, affecting both parents and young people.
- Focusing solely on physical development while neglecting emotional and social changes.
- Assuming all families experience increased conflict uniformly, without considering cultural or individual differences.
- Confusing issues of power and authority with simple disobedience, rather than understanding it as a negotiation of autonomy.
- Failing to connect the developmental changes of adolescence to the underlying reasons for family pressures and conflict.
- Misconception: Person-centred care means doing whatever the individual wants. Correction: It means involving the individual in decisions, but within the boundaries of safety, professional guidelines, and legal requirements.
- Misconception: Confidentiality is absolute and can never be broken. Correction: Confidentiality must be maintained, but there are exceptions when there is a risk of harm to the individual or others, or when required by law (e.g., safeguarding concerns).
- Misconception: Equality means treating everyone the same. Correction: Equality means ensuring everyone has fair access to care, which may require treating people differently to meet their specific needs (e.g., providing a translator for someone who doesn't speak English).
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions students ask about this topic
Pass / Merit / Distinction Evidence Checklist
How your portfolio evidence is graded for OPEN AWARDS Changing Roles and Responsibilities in Adolescence
Every vocational unit is marked against named criteria rather than an exam percentage. Your tutor's brief lists the exact codes for this unit — here is what each band is asking you to do.
Demonstrate baseline knowledge, accurate terminology, and core practical application.
Provide detailed analysis, structured explanations, and clear workplace reasoning.
Deliver thorough evaluation, original problem solving, and fully justified recommendations.
Before You Start
Prior knowledge that will help with this topic
- •Basic understanding of health and social care values, such as respect and dignity.
- •Familiarity with the concept of confidentiality and its importance in care settings.
- •Awareness of different care settings (e.g., residential, community, hospital) and the roles of care workers.
Coursework AI Review
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Key Terminology
Essential terms to know
- Understand the changing roles and relationships of parents' with their child as they grow older., Know about the changes that a young person goes through during adolescence., Understand the pressure(s) that families with adolescents can experience., Understand issues that can cause conflict., Understand issues of power and authority.
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