Health & Social Care

Course Overview

To work in care is to make a positive difference to someone’s life when they are faced with physical, practical, social, emotional or intellectual challenges. Adult Care Workers need to have the right values and behaviours developing competencies and skills to provide high-quality compassionate care and support. They are the frontline staff who help adults with care and support needs to achieve their personal goals and live as independently and safely as possible, enabling them to have control and choice in their lives which is at the heart of person-centred care. Job roles are varied and determined by and relevant to the type of service being provided and the person supported. Adult Care Workers may work in residential or nursing homes, domiciliary care, day centres, a person’s own home or some clinical healthcare settings.

Entry Requirements

Undertake the Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service process and provide the result prior to starting. The Care Certificate must be achieved as part of the Apprenticeship Standard. Individual employers set the selection criteria, but this is likely to include 4 GCSEs, including Maths and English, although some employers will accept other relevant qualifications and experience, including a relevant Level 2 qualification. Apprentices without English or Maths at Level 2 must achieve this prior to taking the end-point assessment.

Topics Covered

The course covers the following knowledge and skills:

• The importance of having the right values and behaviours
• The importance of communication
• How to support individuals to remain safe from harm (Safeguarding)
• How to promote health and wellbeing for the individuals they support and work colleagues

How to work professionally, including their own professional development. These are the personal attributes and behaviours expected of all Adult Care Workers carrying out their roles:

Care – is caring consistently and enough about individuals to make a positive difference in their lives.

Compassion – is delivering care and support with kindness, consideration, dignity and respect.

Courage – is doing the right thing for people and speaking up if the individual they support is at risk.

Communication – good communication is central to successful caring relationships and effective team working.

Competence – is applying knowledge and skills to provide high-quality care and support.

Commitment – to improving the experience of people who need care and support ensuring it is person-centred.

Delivery

You will attend college approx. once every 2 weeks and receive visits from the trainer throughout your employment. Additional time for Functional Skills studies if required.

Assessment

This qualification is assessed through a Portfolio of Evidence. This portfolio is made up of evidence gathered during the course to include direct observation of the learner’s performance by their assessor, questioning, products of work, personal statements, etc. Apprentices will complete the mandatory qualification Level 2 Diploma in Adult Care whilst studying for the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviour as detailed in the Apprenticeship Standard. Apprentices will have achieved a minimum level 2 English and maths if not already achieved.

End Point Assessment (EPA) includes:

• Situational judgement test

Professional discussion As part of the apprenticeship framework, reviews are completed every 12 weeks by the assessor where progress is discussed by the apprentice, assessor and employer.

Start Date

Various

Duration

14 to 18 months

Course Overview

As a Lead Adult Care Worker, you will make a positive difference to someone’s life when they are faced with physical, practical, social, emotional or intellectual challenges. You will be expected to exercise judgement and take appropriate action to support individuals to maintain their independence, dignity and control. By providing leadership, guidance and direction at the frontline of care delivery you will be instrumental in improving the health and wellbeing of those receiving care and support.

Lead Adult Care Workers will in some circumstances have delegated responsibility for the standard of care provided and may supervise the work of other care workers. This exercising of autonomy and accountability means leading and supporting others to comply with expected standards and behaviours.

Lead Adult Care Workers may work in residential or nursing homes, domiciliary care, day centres or some clinical healthcare settings. As well as covering Lead Adult Care Workers this standard also covers Lead Personal Assistants who can work at this senior level but may only work directly for one individual who needs support and/or care services, usually within their own home.

Entry Requirements

Undertake the Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service process and provide the result prior to starting. The Care Certificate must be achieved as part of the Apprenticeship Standard. individual employers set the selection criteria, but this is likely to include 5 GCSEs, including Maths and English, although some employers will accept other relevant qualifications and experience, including a relevant Level 2 qualification. Apprentices without English or Maths at Level 2 must achieve this prior to taking the end-point assessment.

Topics Covered

The course covers the following knowledge:

• The importance of having the right values and behaviours
• The importance of communication
• How to support individuals to remain safe from harm (Safeguarding)
• How to champion health and wellbeing for the individuals they support and work colleagues
• How to work professionally, including their own professional development of those they support and work colleagues.

These are the personal attributes and behaviours expected of all Adult Care Workers carrying out their roles:

Care – is caring consistently and enough about individuals to make a positive difference in their lives.

Compassion – is delivering care and support with kindness, consideration, dignity, empathy and respect.

Courage – is doing the right thing for people and speaking up if the individual they support is at risk.

Communication – good communication is central to successful caring relationships and effective team working.

Competence – is applying knowledge and skills to provide high-quality care and support.

Commitment – to improving the experience of people who need care and support ensuring it is person-centred.

Delivery

You will attend college approx. one day every 2 weeks and receive visits from the trainer throughout your employment. Additional time for Functional Skills studies if required.

Assessment

This qualification is assessed through a Portfolio of Evidence. This portfolio is made up of evidence gathered during the course to include direct observation of the learner’s performance by their assessor, questioning, products of work, personal statements, etc. Apprentices will complete the mandatory qualification Level 3 Diploma in Lead Adult Care Work whilst studying for the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviour as detailed in the Apprenticeship Standard. Apprentices will have achieved a minimum level 2 English and maths if not already achieved.

End Point Assessment (EPA) includes:

• Situational judgement test
• Professional discussion

As part of the apprenticeship framework, reviews are completed every 12 weeks by the assessor where progress is discussed by the apprentice, assessor and employer. Learners must also achieve the 12 standards as set out by the CQC in the Care Certificate.

Start Date

Throughout the year

Duration

18 to 24 months

Course Overview

The Lead Practitioner in Adult Care will guide and inspire team members to make positive differences in someone’s life when they are faced with physical, practical, social, emotional, psychological or intellectual challenges. They will have achieved a level of self-development to be recognised as a lead practitioner within the care team, contributing to, promoting and sustaining a values-based culture at an operational level.

A Lead Practitioner has a greater depth of knowledge and expertise of particular conditions being experienced by the user of services. They will have specialist skills and knowledge in their area of responsibilities which will allow them to lead in areas such as care needs assessment, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and enablement, telecare and assistive technology. They will be a coach and mentor to others and will have a role in assessing performance and quality of care delivery.

Lead Practitioners in Adult Care may work in residential or nursing homes, domiciliary care, day centres, a person’s own home or some clinical healthcare settings. As well as covering Lead Practitioners in Adult Care this standard also covers Lead Personal Assistants who can work at this senior level but they may only work directly for one individual who needs support and/or care services, usually within their own home.

Entry Requirements

Undertake the Disclosure and Barring Service process and provide the result. In order to register for this qualification, it is expected that learners will have qualifications and/or experience, including skills and knowledge in a specialised area of health and social care equivalent to level 3. Apprentices without Level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to completion of their Apprenticeship.

Training

Knowledge

What the Lead Practitioner on completion must know and understand:

• Tasks and responsibilities
• Statutory frameworks, standards, guidance and Codes of Practice which underpin practice in relation to the safe delivery of services
• Theories underpinning own practice and competence relevant to the job role
• Principles of assessment and outcome-based practice
• Principles of risk management
• Dignity and human rights
• How to contribute to, promote and maintain a culture that ensures dignity is at the centre of practice

Communication

• Effective communication and solutions to overcoming barriers
• Legal and ethical frameworks in relation to confidentiality and sharing information
• Range of technologies to enhance communication

Safeguarding

• Legislation, national and local solutions for the safeguarding of adults and children including reporting requirements
• Health and wellbeing
• Models of monitoring, reporting and responding to changes in health and wellbeing
• Range of holistic solutions to promote and maintain health and wellbeing using person-centred approaches
• Importance of effective partnerships, inter-agency, joint and integrated working

Professional development

• Goals and aspirations that support own professional development and how to access available opportunities

Skills

What the Lead Practitioner on completion must be able to do:

• Tasks and responsibilities
• Apply professional judgement, standards and codes of practice relevant to the role
• Develop and sustain professional relationships with others
• Identify and access specialist help required to carry out the role
• Lead the specialist assessment of social, physical, emotional and spiritual needs of individuals with cognitive, sensory and physical impairments
• Mentor colleagues to encourage individuals to actively participate in the way their care and support is delivered
• Contribute to the implementation of processes to implement and review support plans
• Provide leadership and mentoring to others for whom they are responsible
• Apply risk management policies
• Contribute to the quality assurance of the service provided

Dignity and human rights

• Implement a culture that actively promotes dignity and respects diversity and inclusion
• Model high levels of empathy, understanding and compassion

Communication

• Model effective communication skills
• Identify and address barriers to communication using appropriate resources
• Apply organisational processes to record, maintain, store and share information
• Provide meaningful information to support people to make informed choices

Safeguarding

• Apply and support others to adhere to safeguarding procedures
• Work in partnership with external agencies to respond to safeguarding concerns

Health and wellbeing

• Apply person-centred approaches to promote health and wellbeing
• Collaborate with external partners to achieve the best outcomes in health and wellbeing

Professional development

• Evaluate own practice and access identified development opportunities
• Evaluate the effectiveness of own leadership, mentoring and supervision skills and take steps to enhance performance
• Value individuals to develop effective teams in order to achieve the best outcomes
• Contribute to the development of an effective learning culture
• Lead robust, values-based recruitment and selection processes
• Contribute to the induction process by developing the knowledge of individuals within their role

Lead and support others in professional development through personal development plans, supervision, reflective practice, research, evidence-based practice and access to learning and development opportunities. Behaviours- Care – is caring consistently and enough about individuals to make a positive difference in their lives

Compassion – is delivering care and support with kindness, consideration, dignity, empathy and respect

Courage – is doing the right thing for people and speaking up if the individual they support is at risk

Communication – good communication is central to successful caring relationships and effective team working

Competence – is applying knowledge and skills to provide high-quality care and support

Commitment – to improving the experience of people who need care and support ensuring it is person-centred

Delivery

You will attend college approx. one day every 2 weeks and receive visits from the trainer throughout your employment. Additional time for Functional Skills studies if required.

Assessment

This qualification is assessed through a Portfolio of Evidence. This portfolio is made up of evidence gathered during the course to include direct observation of the learner’s performance by their assessor, questioning, products of work, personal statements, etc. Apprentices will complete the mandatory qualification Level 4 Diploma in Lead Practioner in Adult care whilst studying for the Knowledge, Skills and Behaviour as detailed in the Apprenticeship Standard. Apprentices will have achieved a minimum level 2 English and maths if not already achieved. End Point Assessment (EPA) includes Observation of Practice, Professional discussion which underpins the portfolio. As part of the apprenticeship framework, reviews are completed every 12 weeks by the assessor where progress is discussed by the apprentice, assessor and employer.

Start Date

Various

Duration

18 to 24 months

Information coming soon!