Lead Adult Care Worker (Level 3)

Who is this Apprenticeship for?

This course is for any eligible candidates, who are in lead adult care role and wish to further their career in the adult care sector.

This course is for Lead Adult Care Workers, who have responsibility for providing supervision, frontline leadership, guidance and direction for others, or working autonomously, exercising judgement and accountability.

Typical job titles include Care Officer, Care Supervisor, Senior Care Worker, Supervising Care Worker, Senior Support Worker, Relief Team Leader, Social Work Assistant, Social Services Officer, Outreach Development Worker, Community Support Worker, Community Outreach Worker, Community Development Worker, Family Support Worker or Personal Assistant. These could all specialise in a variety of areas such as learning disability, mental health, drug and alcohol misuse, homecare, dementia and end-of-life care.

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 they may only work directly for one individual who needs support and/or care services, usually within their own home.

Are there any entry requirements?

Must be a UK citizen, or have the right of abode in the UK, or is a citizen of a country that is within the EEA and have been ordinarily resident in the UK, the EU or the EEA continuously for the previous three years before the start of learning.

Candidates will have achieved a minimum of GCSE Grade 9-4 (A*-C) or equivalent in English and Maths. We also offer Functional Skills English and maths at Level 1 and Level 2 for those needing to gain these qualifications prior to enrolment.

Apprentices must be employed, for a minimum of 30 hours, in a role that suits the skills requirements of this apprenticeship.

New applicants will be contacted by a vocational delivery tutor to determine suitability/eligibility prior, give information and advice on the next steps.

Shortlisted applicants will be sent to the employer, to then follow their recruitment procedure. Unsuitable applicants will be sign-posted to other areas of our service to develop transferable/employability skills, with a view to ensuring they are suitable for other apprenticeship positions in the future.

What is the curriculum intent of this Apprenticeship?

The structure and delivery of the course curriculum will enable you to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours to reflect the needs of local and regional employers, gain qualifications and be successful in this area.

The curriculum is planned and sequenced to enable learners with previous knowledge and experience to develop the new skills needed to progress to the next stage of their career, training, education or employment.

The curriculum is flexible and responsive to learner demands and can be tailored to suit individual needs, arising from any current and dynamic issues affecting their role, which can be addressed during workshop sessions.

As an apprentice you will need to be able to demonstrate knowledge and practical skills at the end of your apprenticeship training programme and understand how this reflects the needs of the local, regional and national economy.

What will the Apprenticeship cover?

The Lead Adult Care Worker Level 3 Apprenticeship will develop the knowledge and understanding of:

The job they have to do, their main tasks and responsibilities

Their job roles and other worker roles relevant to the context of the service in which they are working. This could include supporting with social activities, monitoring health, assisting with eating, mobility and personal care
Both their own and other workers professional boundaries and limits training and expertise
Relevant statutory Standards and Codes of Practice for their role
What the ‘Duty of Care’ is in practice
How to create and develop a care plan based on the person’s preferences in the way they want to be supported
How to monitor, plan, review a care plan in response to changing physical, social, and emotional needs of individuals
How to lead and support others to ensure compliance with regulations and organisational policies and procedures

The importance of having the right values and behaviours

How to ensure that dignity is at the centre of all work with individuals and their support circles
The importance of respecting diversity, the principles of inclusion and treating everyone fairly

The importance of communication

The barriers to communication and be able to both identify, and determine, the best solutions to achieve success when communicating with the individual they are supporting
How to communicate clearly both verbally and non-verbally and able to influence others to maximise the quality of interaction
The role of advocates and when they might be involved
Their own, and other workers’ responsibilities for ensuring confidential information is kept safe

How to support individuals to remain safe from harm (Safeguarding)

What abuse is and what to do when they have concerns someone is being abused
The national and local strategies for safeguarding and protection from abuse
What to do when receiving comments and complaints ensuring appropriate and timely actions takes place
How to recognise and prevent unsafe practices in the workplace
The importance and process of whistleblowing, being able to facilitate timely intervention
How to address and resolve any dilemmas they may face between a person’s rights and their safety

How to champion health and wellbeing for the individuals they support and work colleagues

The health and safety responsibilities of self, employer and workers
How to keep safe in the work environment
What to do when there is an accident or sudden illness and take appropriate action
What to do with hazardous substances
How to promote fire safety and how to support others to so
How to reduce the spread of infection and support others in infection prevention and control
How to use and promote with others where relevant, risk assessments to enable a person-centred approach to delivering care

How to work professionally, including their own professional development of those they support and work colleagues

What a professional relationship is with the person being supported and colleagues
How to work with other people and organisations in the interest of the person being supported
How to be actively involved in their own personal development plan and, where appropriate, other worker’s personal development plans
How to demonstrate the importance of excellent core skills in writing, numbers and information technology
How to develop and sustain a positive attitude and address signs and symptoms of stress in self and other colleagues
How to carry out research relevant to individuals’ support needs and share with others
How to access and apply good practice relating to their role
How to access and apply specialist knowledge when needed to support performance in the job role

Develop the skills and behaviours in:

The main tasks and responsibilities according to their job role

Support individuals they are working with according to their personal care/support plan
Take the initiative when working outside normal duties and responsibilities
Recognise and access help when not confident or skilled in any aspect of the role that they are undertaking
Implement/facilitate the specialist assessment of social, physical, emotional and spiritual needs of individuals with cognitive, sensory and physical impairments
Contribute to the development and ongoing review of care/support plans for the individuals they support
Provide individuals with information to enable them to exercise choice on how they are supported
Encourage individuals to actively participate in the way their care and support is delivered
Ensure that individuals know what they are agreeing to regarding the way in which they are supported
Lead and support colleagues to understand how to establish informed consent when providing care and support
Guide, mentor and contribute to the development of colleagues in the execution of their duties and responsibilities

Treat people with respect and dignity and honour their human rights

Demonstrate dignity in their working role with individuals they support, their families, carers and other professionals
Support others to understand the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in social care
Exhibit empathy for individuals they support, i.e. understanding and compassion
Exhibit courage in supporting individuals in ways that may challenge their own cultural and belief systems

Communicate clearly and responsibly

Demonstrate and promote to other workers excellent communication skills including confirmation of understanding to individuals, their families, carers and professionals
Use and facilitate methods of communication preferred by the individual they support according to the individual’s language, cultural and sensory needs, wishes and preferences
Take the initiative and reduce environmental barriers to communication
Demonstrate and ensure that records and reports are written clearly and concisely
Lead and support others to keep information safe, preserve confidentiality in accordance with agreed ways of working

Support individuals to remain safe from harm (Safeguarding)

Support others, to recognise and respond to potential signs of abuse according to agreed ways of working
Work in partnership with external agencies to respond to concerns of abuse
Lead and support others to address conflicts or dilemmas that may arise between an individual’s rights and duty of care
Recognise, report, respond to and record unsafe practices and encourage others to do so

Champion health and wellbeing for the individuals they support

Lead and mentor others where appropriate to promote the wellbeing of the individuals they support
Demonstrate the management of the reduction of infection, including use of best practice in hand hygiene
Promote healthy eating and wellbeing by supporting individuals to have access to fluids, food and nutrition
Carry out fire safety procedures and manage others to do so
Develop risk assessments and use in a person-centred way to support individuals safely including moving and assisting people and objects
Manage, monitor, report and respond to changes in the health and wellbeing of the individuals they support

Work professionally and seek to develop their own professional development

Take the initiative to identify and form professional relationships with other people and organisations
Demonstrate, manage and support self and others to work within safe, clear professional boundaries
Take the initiative to evaluate and improve own skills and knowledge through reflective practice, supervision, feedback and learning opportunities
Demonstrate continuous professional development
Carry out research relevant to individuals’ support needs and share with others
Demonstrate where necessary mentoring and supervision to others in the workplace
Demonstrate good team/partnership working skills
Demonstrate their contribution to robust recruitment and induction processes

On completion of the on-programme element of the apprenticeship you will enter gateway to the End Point Assessment, which is the final assessment. This will be conducted by an independent end point assessor who will grade the assessment.

End Point Assessment

To trigger the End Point Assessment, you must have:

Proof of English & maths GCSE minimum grade 4+ (C+) or equivalent level 2 qualification
Proof of completing the Diploma Care Certificate (part of the on-programme element)
Evidence of service user testimonies
Evidence of self-assessment

The End Point Assessment consists of:

Situational Judgement Test: An online knowledge test, consisting of 60 questions
Professional Discussion: A 45-minute structured discussion. The discussion will draw questions and amplifications from prior learning and experience including, where applicable, the candidate’s self-assessment and supporting evidence including testimony from users of services

This standard will be graded as Distinction, Pass or Fail

What could I do when I have finished this Apprenticeship?

Pursue a career as a lead health care assistant or supervisor/management. Careers within a variety of settings including NHS/care homes/mental health/learning disabilities/substance misuse/social care. Further education, such as Team Leader/ Supervisor Apprenticeship (Level 3), Degree or FE/HE courses in Health and Social Care, Nursing or Adult Care.

You will also be given information and guidance to continue onto other courses.

Where and when will I learn?

During the course you will be expected to attend work a minimum of 30 hours per week where you will learn the skills and knowledge required to continue through your qualification. This may include shift working, bank holiday working and weekend working. You will be supported in the workplace through regular visits with your tutor and you will also be expected to come into the training centre (Coleridge Centre, DL1 5AJ) for support sessions. These sessions will allow you to complete coursework, receive instant feedback and ensure you are ready for the End Point Assessment.

This course will typically take 18 months, but this is based on a vocational initial assessment to determine prior learning in this area and may be reduced.

How much will the Apprenticeship cost?

There are no fees for this apprenticeship.

What do I do next?

You can:

View our latest vacancies

Or you can:

Apply for this apprenticeship area to be entered into a 'pool of candidates'. When a relevant vacancy becomes available we will contact you.
If you are already employed in this area and wish to join the apprenticeship training, or have identified an employer wishing to start you as an apprentice in this area, please contact us