Maternity Support Worker FdSc
Subject and course type
- Nursing and Midwifery
- Foundation
- Undergraduate
Deliver hands-on care to women, birthing people and their families in this employment-based foundation degree programme.
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Deliver life-changing care
Develop your skills through a combination of theoretical and practice learning
Studying at Kingston University will equip you with the knowledge you need to deliver high-quality, person-focused care.
In this course, you’ll play a key part in the multi-disciplinary workforce needed to respond to maternity services.
Completing your studies alongside your role as a maternity health care support worker will give you the competencies and experience needed to excel.
You’ll work alongside midwives and other members of the maternity care team to develop a wide range of specialist and transferable clinical, care and interpersonal skills.
When you graduate, you’ll be qualified as a Maternity Support Worker up to band 4 – ready to progress your career within the health and social care sector.
This course is also available as an apprenticeship.
Please note: 2025/6 entry for this course starts in March 2026.
Why choose this course
The Maternity Support Worker FdSc will give you a solid foundation for a successful career in the industry.
Kingston University is ranked No.1 in London for Midwifery (Guardian University Guide 2025). We’re also ranked Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
This two-year, work-based learning foundation degree is the perfect opportunity to study for a qualification alongside your paid work. To apply for the course, you need to be employed as a health care support worker in a maternity service for a minimum of 23 hours per week.
As part of the course, you will complete a range of placements to support your learning and give you the depth and breadth of experience needed to succeed in your career.
You’ll graduate prepared for a job as a nursing associate or enhanced career in the health and social care sector. You might also be able to progress to a shortened nursing degree course.
Kingston University is ranked No.1 in London for Midwifery (Guardian University Guide 2025).
Course content
Year 1
Core Modules
30 credits
This module will introduce you to the socio-political influences shaping the changing context of maternity care provision. You will develop an understanding of feminist theory, psychology, sociology and public health as it applies to childbearing. This module aims to prepare you for the role of the Maternity Support Worker in improving and promoting public health, including sexual health.
30 credits
This module will enable you to develop and apply a range of skills to participate in the holistic assessment and care of people within maternity services, documenting progress and reporting outcomes. You will be introduced to the required skills and underpinning knowledge so that you can participate in ongoing assessment and recognise when it is necessary to escalate findings to other members of the multidisciplinary team for reassessment.
30 credits
This module explores the foundations of human anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology relevant to healthcare practice. You will cover the body's key systems and processes, the mechanisms for maintaining homeostasis and an introduction to human development across the lifespan including the childbearing continuum.
30 credits
This module introduces you to the concepts of being a maternity support worker. The contemporary role and scope of the Maternity Support Worker is identified and defined. The values and culture of maternity care will also be explored. This module will introduce you to Future Skills through engagement with Navigate.
Year 2
Core Modules
30 credits
This module focuses on deviations from normality in maternity care and links relevant theoretical knowledge to practice. You will learn how to contribute to and support a high standard of holistic care for women and birthing people, their babies and their families, inclusive of both physical, social and emotional needs within your role and scope.
You will gain an understanding of policies and guidelines that inform maternity care and learn how to establish and maintain effective communication with service users and the multi-disciplinary team in providing maternity care.
30 credits
This module is designed to build on your existing knowledge and skills to contribute to providing universal care for all women and birthing people, and their newborn infants, and additional care for those experiencing complexity and complications.
30 credits
This module builds upon Enhanced Skills for Maternity Support Worker module. The module provides the knowledge and skills which will allow the Maternity Support Worker to support the multidisciplinary team in caring for women and birthing people in the birth environment. This module will also cover the Maternity Support Worker's role in assessment and triage.
30 credits
This module focuses on the acquisition of knowledge and skills for promoting the delivery of high-quality person-focused care. The module will continue the development and consolidation of your academic practice skills and will support your professional growth. The content will include: leadership and management; supporting learning and assessment in practice; research, development and innovation; policies and frameworks that support effective care. This module will develop your Future Skills through engagement with Explore.
Future Skills and careers opportunities
Boost your employability
Every course at Kingston University teaches a range of Future Skills. From problem-solving and adaptability to digital competency, these are the attributes you’ll need to get the edge in the job market and a head start on your career.
After you graduate
Graduates from this course have gone on to have successful careers in the health and social care sector. Others have progressed to a shortened nursing degree course.
Visit NHS Careers for more information about the role of Nursing Associates in the NHS.
At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it
For more information on how Kingston prepares you for the future job market, visit our Future Skills page.
Teaching and assessment
Scheduled learning and teaching on this course includes timetabled activities including lectures, seminars and small group tutorials.
It may also include placements, project work, practical sessions, workshops, conferences and field trips.
Outside the scheduled learning and teaching hours, you will learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, preparing for and completing your work for assessments. Some independent study work may need to be completed on-campus, as you may need to access campus-based facilities such as studios and labs.
Our academic support team here at Kingston University provides help in a range of areas.
When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of academic staff who will provide academic guidance, support you throughout your time at Kingston and show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer at Kingston University.
A course is made up of modules, and each module is worth a number of credits. You must pass a given number of credits in order to achieve the award you registered on, for example 360 credits for a typical undergraduate course or 180 credits for a typical postgraduate course. The number of credits you need for your award is detailed in the programme specification which you can access from the link at the bottom of this page.
One credit equates to 10 hours of study. Therefore 120 credits across a year (typical for an undergraduate course) would equate to 1,200 notional hours. These hours are split into scheduled and guided. On this course, the percentage of that time that will be scheduled learning and teaching activities is shown below for each year of study. The remainder is made up of guided independent study.
- Year 1: 33% scheduled learning and teaching
- Year 2: 33% scheduled learning and teaching
The exact balance between scheduled learning and teaching and guided independent study will be informed by the modules you take.
Your course will primarily be delivered in person. It may include delivery of some activities online, either in real time or recorded.
There are a range of assessment types including examinations, coursework and practical assessments in both the Clinical Skills and Simulation Suite and the workplace. The assessments are staged throughout the academic year to ensure coherence and an even, manageable workload.
Practice is assessed through successful completion of the practice assessment document and objective structured clinical assessments (OSCAs), in conjunction with successful sign-off in practice by a practice assessor and an academic assessor at the end of Years 1 and 2. Students require a pass in both theory and practice to achieve their final award.
Types of assessment
- Year 1: Coursework 50%; practical 25%; exam 25%
- Year 2: Coursework 75%; practical 25%
Please note: the above breakdowns are a guide calculated on core modules only. If your course includes optional modules, this breakdown may change to reflect the modules chosen.
We aim to provide feedback to you on your assessments within 20 working days.
Your individualised timetable is normally available to students within 48 hours of enrolment. In Year 1, scheduled teaching will be on Thursdays; Year 2 will be on Wednesdays.
Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student friendly as possible, scheduled learning and teaching can take place between 9am and 6pm.
Fees and funding
| Fee Category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | £8,300* |
The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2025/26 the fees for this course are above.
Please visit the Fees and Funding page for more information.
* For full time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.
Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest-rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.
Additional course costs
Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.
Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.
Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:
Our libraries have an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as open-access computers and laptops available to rent. However, you may want to buy your own computer or personal copies of key textbooks. Textbooks may range from £50 to £250 per year. And a personal computer can range from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.
While most coursework is submitted online, some modules may require printed copies. You may want to allocate up to £100 per year for hard-copies of your coursework. It’s worth noting that 3D printing is never compulsory. So if you choose to use our 3D printers, you’ll need to pay for the material. This ranges from 3p per gram to 40p per gram.
Your tuition fees don’t cover travel costs. To save on travel costs, you can use our free intersite bus service. This route links the campuses and halls of residence with local train stations - Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, and Norbiton.
The University will pay for your application to be processed, but you’ll need to subscribe to the Update Service for £16 per year. This allows universities and potential employers to view any changes to your DBS.
We provide you with a uniform. You will need to purchase appropriate shoes (£20-£60) and a fob watch (£5-£20) for practice. Additional uniform items will be available for purchase if you want them.
Most required vaccinations should be free from your GP or via the NHS. Our Occupational Health Service will see you in the first two weeks of the course to make sure you have the necessary vaccinations. If you have missed any, you can get them then. Neither the Faculty nor Occupational Health can cover fees charged by your GP for vaccinations. If you’re being charged, it’s probably best to wait until the course starts, when you’ll be able to get the vaccination for free.
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Find out more about course changes
Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
Key information
The scrolling banner below displays some key factual data about this course (including different course combinations or delivery modes of this course where relevant).
