Lead Adult Care Worker

Level 3 Apprenticeship

Leading frontline care for vulnerable adults within their own homes, day care centres, residential and nursing homes and other healthcare settings.

Minimum duration to gateway:

18 months + 6 months EPA

Qualifications:

Upon successful completion of this apprenticeship, the apprentice will be awarded the following:

• Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care

• Lead Adult Care Worker Standards

• Functional Skills in Maths and English Level 2 (if applicable)

Details of standard:

Lead Adult Care Workers 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. In addition, Lead Adult Care Workers have responsibility for providing supervision, frontline leadership, guidance and direction for others, or working autonomously, exercising judgement and accountability.

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.

What is covered in the course?

The apprentice will be expected to complete the 10 mandatory diploma units below:

• Safeguarding and protection in care settings
• Responsibilities of a care worker
• Promote personal development in care settings
• Promote health, safety and wellbeing in care settings
• Supporting infection prevention and control in adult care
• Promote effective handling of information in care settings
• Duty of care in care settings
• Promote equality and inclusion in care settings
• Promote person-centred approaches in care settings
• Promote communication in care settings

Job titles might 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.

Entry requirements:

The apprentice must be aged 16 years or over, living in England and not in a full-time education. The apprentice will be required to undertake a DBS check, must be employed and working more than 16 hours per week.

Off-The-Job Training:

It is compulsory for the apprentice to spent 20% of their normal working hours on training. The training can happen every week, every month or in a separate block of time. The training can take place at the workplace, training provider or online.

Government guidance: How employers and training providers should meet the 20% off-the-job training requirement for apprentices, with some best practice examples. Click HERE.

Fundings:

Employers who do not pay levy: For apprenticeships that start from 1 April 2021, the rate of co-investment is 5% of the total price of the apprentice’s training, with the government covering the remaining 95% of the cost, up to the funding band maximum.

Employers with fewer than 50 people working for them are able to train, at no cost, apprentices aged 16-18 or aged 19-24 who have previously been in care or who have a Local Authority Education, Health and Care plan. These employers are not required to contribute the 5% co-investment; instead, the government will pay 100% of the training costs for these individuals up to the
funding band maximum.

Employers who pay levy: All funds that appear in the apprenticeship service accounts of employers who pay the levy expire 24 months after they appear in the account, if not already spent. Please contact us to discuss your apprenticeship strategies.

Policy paper for Apprenticeship funding can be found here.

Learner Loan: Qualifications higher than Level 2 can also be funded via the Government Advanced Learner Loan.

How to apply?

You can apply for this apprenticeship at any time of the year provided you meet the entry requirements.

Employers can claim money towards the cost of care staff apprenticeship programme through the Workforce Development Fund. Need advice on apprenticeship? Drop us a message today!