Apprenticeships Available in Wales

Level 2 Children's Care, Play, Learning & Development : CORE

Who is the qualification for?

The Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Core qualification has been designed for post-16 learners in Wales, working or seeking to work, in:

regulated childcare settings with families and children under the age of 8
NHS children's services for those working with families and children 0-19. This includes child health settings.

This qualification is suitable for learners who have achieved a Level 1 qualification or who have no previous knowledge of the children's care, play, learning and development sectors.

what will the qualification cover?

The qualification covers the fundamental knowledge and understanding of the new All Wales Induction Framework for Early Years and Childcare and reflects a range of different roles and ages.
Completing this qualification enables learners to:

develop their knowledge and understanding of the core principles and values which underpin children's care, play, learning and development practice
develop their knowledge and understanding of ways of working in the children's care, play, learning and development sectors
develop knowledge and understanding which informs effective practice within children's care, play, learning and development
have the core knowledge and understanding to support progression on to further study or employment within children's care, play, learning and development.

qualification structure

The Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Core qualification is a linear qualification. To achieve the qualification, learners must achieve the following five mandatory units:

Unit / Unit/ Title Assessment
1/ Principles and Values of Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development (0-19 years of age) / Internal and External
2/ Health, Well-Being, Learning and Development/ Internal and External
3/ Professional Practice as an Early Years and Childcare Worker /Internal and External
4/ Safeguarding Children/ Internal and External
5/ Health and Safety in Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development/ External

assessment

The Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice and Theory qualification is assessed through a combination of internal and external assessment. Candidates must successfully complete:

three externally set, internal scenario-based assessments; and
one externally set, externally marked multiple-choice test.

what could the qualification lead to?

This qualification supports learners to progress to further qualifications including the following qualifications within the suite of Health and Social Care, and Childcare qualifications for Wales:

Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice
Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice and Theory
Level 3 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice
Level 3 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice and Theory.

The qualification also supports opportunities into employment. However, it should be noted:
It is a requirement that Social Care Wales host a list of required qualifications that an individual working within the children’s care, learning and development sector will need. It will be a requirement of this list that those working within children’s care, learning and development sector will require both the Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Core qualification and a practice qualification relevant to the role. For more information on requirements to work within the Children's Care, Play, Learning and Development sector, please refer to Social Care Wales' qualification framework for social care and regulated childcare in Wales (https://socialcare.wales/qualification-framework).
Those working in regulated childcare settings with children aged 8-12 years will also need to complete an additional play work qualification identified by Skills Active to meet regulatory requirements.

Level 2 Children's Care, Play, Learning & Development : Practice

who is the qualification for?

Qualification overviewThe qualification is practice based and assesses learners’ knowledge and competence to practice in employment.
This qualification is primarily for those working in regulated childcare settings with families and children under the age of 8 and NHS children’s services for those working with families and children aged 0-19.
It is designed for learners in work based learning. The qualification will assess learners’ knowledge and practice through their work and will be able to demonstrate that they:

understand, and apply in practice, the principles and values which underpin children’s care, play, learning and development
understand, and apply in practice, child-centred approaches to care, play, learning and development
make a positive contribution to the children’s care, play, learning and development sector through their own practice
reflect on practice to continuously improve
understand job roles and functions within the children’s care, play, learning and development sector
use literacy, numeracy and digital competency skills as appropriate within their role.

what will the qualfication cover?

It is suitable for:

learners from 16 years of age who are working in a support role in the childcare sector
learners have completed Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Core
learners already in work and undertaking Level 2 roles and responsibilities
learners returning to the workforce after a career break looking to refresh their knowledge and skills in the childcare sector.

Learners are strongly recommended to complete the Level 2 Childcare, Play, Learning and Development: Core qualification before, or alongside this qualification as this will be a requirement for practice set by Social Care Wales. It is also a feature of the Foundation Apprenticeship in Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development (Wales).

qualification structure

The qualification contains both mandatory and optional units. The mandatory units provide the essential knowledge, understanding and skills needed to be able to respond to the needs of children up to the age of 8yrs.
The optional units enable the learner to focus their learing and skills develop on key areas of interest relating to the children’s needs, including language immersion and positive approaches to behavioural support.
A range of healthcare units have been included to reflect the complex needs of some children who are accessing community based services.
To achieve the Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice qualification learners must achieve a minimum of 35 credits in total:

25 credits must be achieved from the mandatory group
A minimum of 10 credits must be selected from the suite of optional units

assessment

Learners must successfully complete:

an externally set, internally marked set of tasks
a portfolio of evidence
a discussion with their assessor

what could the qualification lead to?

Completion of the Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice qualification enables learners to work as a qualified Level 2 childcare worker in a supervised capacity. The qualification also prepares learners to progress to:

further education
Level 3 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice
Level 3 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice and Theory
Level 3 Health and Social Care:Practice (Children & Young People)
Level 4 Preparing for Leadership and Management in Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development.
Level 4 Professional Practice in Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development

Learners will need to fulfil additional age and experience related requirements before being able to progress to some leadership roles in the sector.

Level 3 Children's Care, Play, Learning & Development : Practice

who is the qualification for?

It is suitable for:

learners working in a childcare setting undertaking Level 3 roles and responsibilities
learners who have achieved the Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Core or Practice qualification
those working in Flying Start, and those delivering the curriculum for 3 to 7-year-olds in Wales
learners who hold a Level 2 legacy qualification as listed in the Qualifications Framework for Social Care and Regulated Childcare in Wales.

It is strongly encouraged that learners will have completed the core qualification prior to, or alongside Level 3 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice as this will be a requirement for practice set by Social Care Wales.
It is also a feature of the Level 3 Apprenticeship in Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development (Wales).

what will the qualification cover?

The mandatory content of the qualification is aligned to the All Wales Induction Framework for Early Years and Childcare with a specific practical focus on children under the age of 8yrs supported by knowledge and understanding of child development up to the age of 18yrs. Learners. The following topics are featured as mandatory:

principles and values
health, well-being, learning and development
professional practice
safeguarding children
health and safety
child development
speech, language and communication
supporting children (nutrition and hydration).

qualifcation structure

principles and values
health, well-being, learning and development
professional practice
safeguarding children
health and safety
child development
speech, language and communication
supporting children (nutrition and hydration).

assessment

Learners must successfully complete:

an externally set, internally marked set of tasks
a portfolio of evidence
a professional discussion.

what could the qualification lead to?

Completion of the Level 3 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice qualification enables learners to work as a qualified Level 3 childcare worker in an unsupervised capacity and, in many work settings, in a leadership role.
The qualification prepares learners to progress to:

Level 4 Professional Practice Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development
Level 4 Preparing for Leadership and Management in Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development.

Opportunities for further study and professional training are being explored with universities across Wales, including Certificates in Higher Education.
Learners may also be interested, and want to progress to:

Level 3 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice and Theory
Level 3 Health and Social Care: Practice (Children and Young People)
Advanced GCE and Advanced Subsidiary GCE in Health and Social Care, and Childcare

Learners must meet additional age and experience related requirements before progressing to some leadership roles in this sector.

Level 2 Health and Social Care: Core (Adults/Children and Young People)

Qualifcation Overview

The qualification has been developed for individuals working in, or intending to work, in the Healthcare and Social care sectors. It is targeted at learner in work-based learning, further education, and school 6th forms. It will enable learners to apply for registration with social care Wales as a Social Care Worker in Domiciliary Care or Residential Child Care providing that they meet and additional registration requirements. For more information, please visit: HTTPS://SOCIALCARE.WALES/REGISTRATION

Who is the Qualification for?

It is suitable for:

learners aged 16+ currently working in or intending to work in the health and social care sector
social care worker (adults)
social care worker (children and young people)
healthcare support worker
healthcare assistant.

It is strongly recommended that learners have completed the core qualification prior to, or alongside other qualifications within the suite as this will be a requirement for practice set by Social Care Wales. It will also be feature of the new Foundation Apprenticeship in Health and Social Care.

What will the qualification cover?

The qualification will provide a thorough introduction to the principles, values and knowledge needed to work in the healthcare and social care sectors with adults and children and young people.
The content for this qualification supports learners to develop their knowledge and understanding of:

the core principles and values which underpin health and social care practice
ways of working in the health and social care sectors
effective practice within health and social care
progression routes to further study or employment within Health and Social Care safeguarding.

The qualification has three pathways:

Level 2 Health and Social Care: Core (Adults)
Level 2 Health and Social Care: Core (Children and Young People)
Level 2 Health and Social Care: Core (Adults & Children and Young People).

Learners can choose to complete qualification pathways separately to suit their career aspirations or they can choose to complete a combined qualification that includes content relevant to both adult and children & young people services.

Qualification structure

The qualification contains both mandatory and optional units. The mandatory units provide the essential knowledge, understanding and skills needed to be able to respond to the needs of children up to the age of 8yrs.
The optional units enable the learner to focus their learning and skills develop on key areas of interest relating to the children’s needs, including language immersion and positive approaches to behavioural support.
A range of healthcare units have been included to reflect the complex needs of some children who are accessing community based services.
To achieve the Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice qualification learners must achieve a minimum of 35 credits in total:

25 credits must be achieved from the mandatory group
A minimum of 10 credits must be selected from the suite of optional units

Qualification Assessment

Learners must successfully complete:

an externally set, internally marked set of tasks
a portfolio of evidence
a discussion with their assessor

WHAT WILL THE QUALIFICATION LEAD TO?

On completion, the qualification will provide a broad foundation of knowledge across health and social care. The Level 2 Health and Social Care: Core qualification provides the knowledge to progress on to:

Level 2 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults)
Level 3 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults)
Level 3 Health and Social Care: Practice (Children and Young People)
Level 2 Health and Social Care Principles and Contexts
Level 3 Health and Social Care Principles and Contexts (Adults/Children & Young People)
Advanced GCE and Advanced Subsidiary GCE in Health and Social Care, and Childcare.

Level 2 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults/Children and Young People)

qualification overview

The qualification is practice-based and assesses learners’ knowledge and competence to practice. It develops the learner’s ability to practically support health and care needs of adults/children and young people in a range of settings and will enable them to develop and demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, behaviours, skills and practice within a health and social care setting. In particular, learners will be able to demonstrate that they:

understand, and apply in practice, the principles and values which underpin health and social care
understand, and apply in practice, person-centred approaches
make a positive contribution to the health and social care sector though their own practice
reflect on practice to continuously improve
understand job roles and ways of working within the health and social care sector
use literacy, numeracy and digital competency skills as appropriate within their role.

who is the qualification for?

It is suitable for:

learners from 16 years of age who working in a support role with adults in the Healthcare and Social Care Sectors
learners who have completed the Level 2 Health and Social Care: Core qualification
learners already employed in the Healthcare and Social Care Sectors
learners returning to the work place after a career break looking to refresh their knowledge and skills
Learners who have completed the Level 2 Health and Social Care: Principles and Contexts (Adults) qualification.

It is strongly encouraged that learners have completed the core qualification prior to, or alongside the Level 2 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults) as this will be a requirement for practice set by Social Care Wales. It is also a feature of the Foundation Apprenticeship in Health and Social Care.

What will the qualification cover?

The mandatory content of the qualification is aligned to the key themes of the All Wales Induction Framework for Health and Social Care and includes:

professional practice
health and safety
safeguarding
legislation, national policy and codes of practice
health and well-being (adults/ Children and Young People)
a range of practice areas such as dementia or learning disability.

Qualification structure

This qualification contains a single mandatory and a range of optional units that are linked to
specific types of support or health and social care settings.
To achieve the Level 2 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults/Children and Young People) qualification learners must achieve a minimum of 35 credits in total:

14 credits must be achieved from the mandatory unit
a minimum of 21 credits will be selected from the suite of optional units which include units
that are about direct support and healthcare.

qualification Assessment

The learner must successfully complete:

a portfolio of evidence that includes direct observation of practice
externally set, internally assessed tasks.

WHAT WILL THE QUALIFICATION LEAD TO?

Successful completion of the qualification enables learners to work as a qualified health and social care worker in Level 2 roles across the Healthcare and Social Care.
It will also enable learners to apply for registration with Social Care Wales as a domiciliary care worker providing that they meet any additional registration requirements. For further
information please visit: https://socialcare.wales/registration

Level 3 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults/Children and Young People)

Qualification Overview

The qualification is practice-based and assesses learners’ knowledge and competence to practice in employment. It provides the opportunity to enrich knowledge and skills using both mandatory content and optional units. It will be of interest to learners working in domiciliary support services, residential care, learning disability provision including community based healthcare services. In particular, learners will be able to demonstrate that they:

understand, and apply in practice, the principles and values which underpin health and social care
understand, and apply in practice, person-centred approaches
promote and support effective practice within Health and Social Care
are aware of key policies within the sector and understand how these affect service development and delivery
work in partnership with individuals, their families, carers and a range of professionals
apply a range of problem solving techniques reflect on practice to continuously improve use literacy, numeracy and digital competency skills as appropriate within their role.

Who is the qualification for?

This qualification is for individuals that are currently employed in a Health and Social Care adult/Children and Young People focused setting and can be delivered through work-based learning or a further education college. It is expected that learners have a degree of autonomy in their role and are supporting others to deliver high quality care.
It is suitable for:

learners who have successfully completed the Level 2 Health and Social Care: Core qualification
learners who have successfully completed the Level 2 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults) qualification
learners who have completed appropriate legacy qualifications included in the Social Care Wales - Qualifications Framework for Social Care and Regulated Childcare in Wales.

Note: This qualification cannot be taken whilst on a work placement.

What will the qualification cover?

The mandatory content of the qualification is aligned to the key themes of the All Wales Induction Framework for Health and Social Care and includes:

principles and practice
safeguarding
health and safety
health and well-being
professional practice.

Qualification Structure

This qualification contains a single mandatory and a range of optional units that are linked to specific types of support or health and social care settings.
To achieve the Level 3 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults) qualification learners must achieve a minimum of 50 credits in total:

18 credits must be achieved from the mandatory unit
A minimum of 32 credits will be selected from the suite of optional units which include
units that are about direct support and healthcare.

qualification assessment

The learning must successfully complete;

a portfolio that includes direct observation of practice
externally set, internally assessed tasks.

What could the Qualification Lead to?

Successful completion of this qualification will enable learners to work with more autonomy and responsibility as a qualified Level 3 Health and Social Care Senior Care Worker, with a focus on adults who are vulnerable or in need.
It will also help learners who need to apply for registration with Social Care Wales as a Senior Care Worker, although other registration requirements will also need to be met. For further information please visit: https://socialcare.wales/registration
The qualification provides the appropriate knowledge and competence to practice and support learners to progress to:

Level 4 Professional Practice in Health and Social Care
Level 4 Preparing for Leadership and Management of Health and Social Care.

Other qualifications that may be of interest are:

Level 3 Health and Social Care: Practice (Children and Young People)
Advanced GCE and Advanced Subsidiary GCE in Health and Social Care, and Childcare
Level 3 Certificate and Diploma in Health and Social Care: Principles and Contexts
(Adults, Children and Young People).

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