BTEC First Diploma/Certificate in Public Services
2006 Specification
Unit 4: Citizenship, the Individual and Society
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Name: _______________________________
Assignment Manager: Mrs Pellow
Hand out date:
This assignment has four tasks.
The overall deadline for the whole assignment to be complete and handed in is:
Friday
The following guidelines should be used when completing your assignment:
- You must refer to the criteria banner and the content of the unit throughout the assignment.
- You should make sure you do detailed research and have a good understanding of the subject you are researching. Keep a note of the resources you use as you go along.
- Before handing in you must:
- Check that you have completed all tasks
- Label work appropriately
- Present tasks in the correct order
- That your name appears clearly in the header of each page and the page number appears in the footer of each page.
For further details refer to the ‘Student Guidelines’ that were issued to you at the start of your course.
To achieve this unit you need to:
- The terms citizen, citizenship, individual rights and human rights
- The relationship between individuals, society and the public services
- The importance of equal opportunities in society and the public services
- The different roles of statutory and non-statutory public services to the citizen and to a changing society
Public Service work is carried out by citizens for citizens. You work for a Public Service (of your choice) as part of the recruitment team. You feel it is important for all potential applicants and employees to understand the importance of ‘Citizenship, the Individual and Society’.
You decide to put together various information leaflets that can be put in the applicants pack highlighting these areas and their importance in relation to the public service.
Task 1: (P1 & P2)
Write a leaflet, to be put into the applicant’s pack for a Public Service, describing the qualities a good citizen is required to have to enter a public service. (P2)
Your leaflet should include;
- Definitions of the terms ‘citizen’, ‘citizenship’, ‘individual rights’ and ‘human rights’. You should refer to the content of the assignment. (P1)
To achieve MI you must analyse how ethnic identity and culture can affect community life.
To achieve D1 you must evaluate how the ethnic and cultural diversity of a community affects the public services.
You must consider the following:
Know what is meant by the terms citizen, citizenship, individual rights and human rights
Citizen: definition in the public services — a member of a political community or state; how you become a citizen — place of birth, family, residence, taxpayer, voter, worker, learner; community activity; member of an organisation
Citizenship: legal and political status; legal rights and responsibilities; public life and affairs; behaviour and actions; social and moral; responsibility to others; personal management; honesty; attitude; neighbour; qualities of good citizenship and entry into public services; expectations of self and others; levels of authority and different age groups; use of suitable language; equal opportunities; fairness; respect; discipline; empathy
Rights: principles of legal and human rights; topical events e.g. implication of Human Rights Act 1998; current national/international/global situation — political, religious, social and moral issues; role and operation of criminal and civil justice system; outline of Official Secrets Act 1989; drugs monitoring within public services; rights of service users and customers, employers, employees; economic structure/systems; respect for democracy; participation in democratic and electoral process
Task 2:
Produce a two-sided handout that describes how the public services, citizens and society work together. You should include a flow chart showing at least one public service interaction with individuals and society. (P3)
You must consider the following:
Understand the relationship between individuals, society and the public services
Public services: function and role of public services in society; reason for public services; how public services serve society and how they work with individuals
The individual: the role of the individual in local, national and international society as a member of a society; the role of the individual in public services; importance of the individual; how the individual is affected by society; society’s relationship with individuals
Society: what is society; how does society work; structure of society; democratic society; relationship with individuals and services; the multi-cultural society
Task 3: (P4)
You have decided it is important for employees to understand the laws surrounding equal opportunities and decided to include a leaflet on this. You must include the following;
- What is equality and why is it important in relation to the public services. You must refer to at least one case study.
- Produce a table with the main legislative documents associated with equal opportunities.
To achieve M2 you should explain and compare how two public services address the main issues associated with equal opportunities.
To achieve D2 you must evaluate the approaches used by the public services to address the main issues of equal opportunities.
You must consider the following:
Understand the importance of equal opportunities in society and the public services
In society: what is equality; why is it important in society; education and equality; current UK and EU Equal Opportunities legislation — Sex Discrimination Act 1997, Equal Pay Act 1970, Human Rights Act 1998, Race Relations Act 1992, Public Order Act 1986, Disability Discrimination Act 1996, Freedom of Information Act 2000 and any amendments and new legislation/directives/measures to eliminate inequalities
In the public services: what is equal opportunity in relation to public services; attitudes to equality in public services; consequences and implications of Acts of Parliament on public service recruitment; training; interaction with individuals and wider society; implications for uniformed services e.g. Lawrence Inquiry, institutional racism
Task 4: (P5, P6)
The Public services have a huge influence on us, both as individuals and as a society. You feel it is important to outline this in the applicants pack and include a written report containing the following;
Outline the different ways in which public services have affected society.
Outline the different ways in which public services have supported society.
To achieve M3 you must explain the different ways in which public services have supported society.
To achieve D3 you must analyse the different ways in which public services have supported society.
You must consider the following:
Understand the different roles of statutory and non-statutory public services to the citizen and to a changing society
Services: difference between statutory and non-statutory public services; role of services; need for services; role of court; monarchy, work of Parliament, cabinet, ministers, central and local government affecting law; relationship of public services with central and local government and monarchy
Public services and changing society: how society is changing — family, crime, influence of religion, youth, elderly, music, politics; how the services are affecting and supporting society; impact of government action on individual lives — taxation, housing, employment; voluntary services eg Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), statutory services eg Ombudsman, Office of Fair Trading; role and influence of media and pressure group
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