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Lead Practitioner in Adult Care Higher Apprenticeship

The Lead Practitioner in Adult Care will guide and inspire team members to make positive differences to 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.

Course Info

How to Apply

Overview of the role

Managing teams of frontline carers to look after vulnerable adults with care needs.

Examples of job roles include: Dementia Lead, Re-ablement Worker, Physiotherapy Assistant, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Public Health Associate Worker, Keeping in Contact Worker, Community Care/Support Officer, Social Care Assessor, Care Assessment Officer, Social Services Officer, Brokerage Worker, Rehabilitation and Reablement Assistant, Independence Support Assistant, Reablement Support Workers/Officer, Telecare Assistant and Assistive Technology Co-ordinator/Officer.

Role Profile

Occupations: Lead Practitioner in Adult Care

Role Profile (what the successful candidate should be able to do at the end of the Apprenticeship)

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.

Care – is caring consistently and enough about individuals to make a positive difference to 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

Knowledge and Skills

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 which 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 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 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 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

Assessment

How is the Lead Practitioner apprentice assessed?

This section sets out the requirements for end-point assessment (EPA) for the Leader in Adult Care apprenticeship standard. It is written for end-point assessment organisations who need to know how EPA for this apprenticeship must operate.

Full-time apprentices will typically spend 18 months on-programme working towards the apprenticeship standard, with a minimum of 20% off-the-job training. The EPA should only start once the employer is satisfied that the apprentice is consistently working at or above the level set out in the standard, the pre-requisite gateway requirements for EPA have been met and that they can be evidenced to an EPA organisation.

As a gateway requirement, apprentices must complete the level 4 Diploma in Adult Care prior to taking their EPA. Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the end-point assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3 and British Sign Language qualifications are an alternative to English qualifications for whom this is their primary language.

The EPA must be completed over a maximum total assessment time of two days, within a three month period, after the apprentice has met the EPA gateway requirements. EPA must be conducted by an organisation approved to offer services against this standard, as selected by the employer, from the Education & Skills Funding Agency’s Register of End Point Assessment Organisations.

The EPA consists of two distinct assessment methods:

• Observation of Practice
• Professional discussion

It is a requirement for the learner to be able to demonstrate in both end point assessment methods, that throughout the course of the Apprenticeship, they have achieved the required knowledge but have also been able to put this into practice through the evidence of the skills and behaviours. Apprentices should demonstrate this through giving authentic examples of how they have applied these skills. Performance in the EPA will determine the apprenticeship grade of fail, pass or distinction.

Information for Applicants

What qualifications will I achieve?

Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care.

What are the entry requirements?

Applicants must be employed in a care management role and have passed GCSE English and Maths at Grade C/4 or above or achieved Level 2 functional skills in both English and Maths.

Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to completion of their Apprenticeship.

For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement the apprenticeships English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3 and British Sign Language qualification are an alternative to English qualifications for whom this is their primary language.

Industry-specific requirements.

Undertake the Disclosure and Barring Service process and provide the result.

Information for Employers

How is my business going to benefit from an apprentice?

Apprenticeships are a means of developing a skilled, motivated and qualified workforce, resulting in increased flexibility of the workforce and increased organisational efficiency. Recruiting apprentices helps you to ‘grow your own’ future talent, enabling individuals without the relevant qualifications to progress their career.

What will this cost my business?

The introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017 has changed the way that government funds apprenticeships in England. All businesses operating within the UK with a wage bill of over £3million are required to contribute to the Apprenticeship Levy.

If the levy applies to your business you will be required to pay 0.5% of your entire wage bill into the levy. This will be offset against a levy allowance worth £15,000 for each tax year.

You will only be able to use your levy payment for government backed apprenticeships.

Levy payments will expire after 18 months.

Speak to an advisor at CI Business Solutions on 01206 712727 to make your levy payments work for you.

Non-levy paying employers will need to contribute 5% of the maximum funding band as published by the Skills Funding Agency for the delivery of training and assessment for their apprenticeship.

Levy paying employers will pay the full cost of the agreed funding band using their Digital Apprenticeship account.

Employers with less than 50 employees who are recruiting an apprentice aged 16-18 years old will not be required to pay the contribution fee.

Any associated cost to the individual will be made clear at the interview.

Speak to an Advisor at CI Business Solutions on 01206 712727 to make your levy payments work for you.

Does the apprentice have to attend college?

This Apprenticeship programme is delivered in the workplace, so that apprentices can gain experience and skills from you in conjunction with further online learning. Day-release study days may be required, and will be planned individually with you as an employer. Apprentice attendance at college may be required for interviews, Functional Skills exams and end-point assessment exams.

What about support in the workplace?

Our occupationally competent and highly experienced assessors will work closely with your staff to support your apprentice as they complete work-based tasks and assignments.

Our staff will deliver high-quality training, regular support, progress reports, workplace observations and action plans to support your apprentice from entry through to the gateway for end-point assessment.

Our flexible and bespoke courses are designed to meet your business needs with tailored delivery methods, including:

E-Portfolio, E-Functional Skills, Regular Communication, Online Learning Resources.

Why should I choose Colchester Institute to support my recruitment and retention?

Colchester Institute is the largest college provider of apprenticeships in Greater Essex. We are experts at connecting the right people, to the right training, to the right business – and when it comes to Apprenticeships, our Apprenticeship Advisors can support your business every step of the way.

As part of our service we can support your business with:

Advertising the Apprenticeship vacancy
Manage the applications received in line with your individual requirements
Match prospective candidates already known to us
Conduct initial pre-screening for candidates
Carry out visits to your premises alongside regular reviews to support you, your staff and your apprentice
Advice on any grants or funding where available

Our team will provide:

A fee free recruitment service.
Personal 1:1 Apprenticeship Levy advice and guidance.
A dedicated Account Manager.
Industry experienced, professional, technical trainers.
Bespoke programmes available upon request.
An Essex priority skills focus.
Free employer events.

***Joint Applications for full-time courses and apprenticeships for learners aged 15-18 are now closed.***

What are my options?

There are a number of options available to you at this stage of the application cycle. If you are interested in an Apprenticeship and have a contract offer of employment in place then please choose the option for your age from the below:

Aged under 19: Complete Our Late Application Form

19 years or older: Please click the ’19+ Years – How to Apply’ button located further down this course page in the section below, where you will be taken to the application form.

What if I don’t have an employer?

If you do not have a contract offer of employment from an employer in place then there a number of options still available to you:

Apply for a live Apprenticeship Vacancy: We have apprenticeship vacancies available throughout the year in a variety of industries.

View our live vacancies

Join Our Talent Pool: All you have to do is complete and submit our Talent Pool application form, attend a pre-screening assessment/interview and be available when contacted. We will then send your details along with your profile to employers looking for an apprentice, inform you if you are selected and send your guidance to prepare you for interview.

Join our Talent Pool

If you are unsure about any of the above and would like to speak to our apprenticeships team directly then please contact us using the below:

01206 712043 – Applicant Enquiries or email ci.apprenticeships@colchester.ac.uk

Lead Practitioner in Adult Care Apprenticeship

Course Outline: Managing teams of frontline carers to look after vulnerable adults with care needs.

Starting employment as an apprentice can occur throughout the year however the start-date for attending college for training, where required, might vary depending on the type of apprenticeship and will be communicated post-employment and sign-up.

Level	Level 4
Location	Colchester
Duration	Typically 18 Months
Campus / Adult Skills Centre	Colchester Campus
Apprenticeship Funding Band (Levy paying employers)	£7,000
Employer Contribution Fee (Non-levy paying employers)	£350

19+ Years – How To Apply Apprenticeship Enquiry Line: 01206 712 043 Open Event Updates Latest Apprenticeship Vacancies

What will this cost my Business?

Non-levy paying employers will need to contribute 5% of the maximum funding band as published by the Skills Funding Agency for the delivery of training and assessment for their apprenticeship. Levy paying employers will pay the full cost of the agreed funding band using their Digital Apprenticeship account.

Apprenticeship Funding Bands

Apprenticeship Funding Bands
Employers with less than 50 employees who are recruiting an apprentice aged 16-18 years old will not be required to pay the contribution fee. Any associated cost to the individual will be made clear at the interview.

Disclaimer

All fees, prices and funding information shown on this page are for courses starting in the 2022-23 academic year unless stated otherwise, and are correct at the time of entering/printing information, however these may be subject to change due to factors outside of our control. The College cannot accept legal or financial liability as a result of any such changes.

Courses fees are generally not confirmed for September until June / July due to the above factors.

The course information describes programmes offered by Colchester Institute. The College takes all reasonable steps to provide courses as described, but cannot guarantee provision. The information is for guidance and does not form any part of a contract.

The College reserves the right to update and amend information as and when necessary. Colchester Institute will do its best to provide the courses shown, but may have to modify or withdraw a course depending on customer demand and other factors.