Delivery is flexible to suit the individual apprentice and their employer. The apprentice will have a minimum of one tutorial per month either in person in the workplace or remotely via an online meeting. Group sessions may be available on some programmes.

Candidates are required to hold a Level 2 Diploma in Care.

Apprentices must also undertake the Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service process and provide the result prior to starting.

• Tasks and responsibilities:
  • Know the tasks and responsibilities of the job role relevant to the context of the service in which they are working, for example, supporting with social activities, monitoring health and assisting with eating, mobility and personal care.
  • Know professional boundaries and limits of your training and expertise. Understand relevant statutory standards and codes of practice for your role, understand what the ‘duty of care’ is in practice.
  • Know how to contribute towards the development and creation of a care plan underpinned by the individuals preferences in regard to the way they want to be supported.
  • Be able to identify, respond to and escalate changes to physical, social, and emotional needs of individuals.
  • Understand how to access, follow and be compliant with regulations and organisational policies and procedures.
• Values and behaviours:
  • Know how to support and enable individuals to achieve their personal aims and goals.
  • Understand what dignity means and be able to work with individuals and others.
  • Understand the importance of respecting diversity and treating everyone equally.
• Communication:
  • Know the barriers to communication, the impact of non-verbal communication and the importance of active listening.
  • Understand how the way you communicate can affect others and know about different forms of communication, for example, signing and communication boards. 
  • Be able to find out the best way to communicate with the individual you are supporting and know how to make sure confidential information is kept safe.
• Safeguarding:
  • Know what abuse is, what to do if you have concerns that someone is being abused and the national and local strategies for safeguarding and protection from abuse.
  • Understand the importance and process of whistleblowing. Know how to handle comments and complaints.
  • Understand how to recognise unsafe practices in the workplace.
  • Know how to address any dilemmas you may face between a person’s rights and their safety.
• Promote health and wellbeing: 
  • Promote health and wellbeing for the individuals you support and your work colleagues.
  • Understand the health and safety responsibilities of yourself, employer and workers and know how to keep safe in the work environment.
  • Know what to do when there is an accident or sudden illness and how to reduce the spread of infection.
  • Be able to handle hazardous substances.
  • Promote fire safety, know what a risk assessment is and understand how it can be used to promote person-centred care safely.
• Professionalism: 
  • Know what a professional relationship is with the person being supported and colleagues.
  • Understand how to work together with other people and organisations in the interest of the person being supported, and be actively involved in their personal development plan.
  • Understand the importance of excellent core skills in writing, numbers and information technology.
  • Be able to develop, sustain and exhibit a positive attitude and personal resilience.
  • Know where and how to access specialist knowledge when needed to support performance of the job role.

• Tasks and responsibilities:
  • Support individuals you are working with according to their personal care/support plan.
  • Provide the person with information to enable them to have a choice about the way they are supported and encourage individuals to participate in the way their care and support is delivered.
  • Ensure the individual knows what they are agreeing to regarding the way in which they are supported.
  • Know to ask for help from an appropriate person when not confident or skilled in any aspect of your role.
  • Contribute to the ongoing development of care/support plans for the individual you support and support individuals with cognitive, physical or sensory impairments.
• Treating people with respect and dignity: 
  • Ensure dignity is at the centre of all work with the individuals you support, plus their families, carers and advocates.
  • Demonstrate that all work is person centred, accommodating the individual’s needs, wishes and preferences.
  • Demonstrate empathy for individuals you support and demonstrate courage in supporting people in ways that may challenge your personal/cultural beliefs.
• Communication: 
  • Speak clearly and exhibit positive non-verbal communication to individuals, families, carers and advocates.
  • Use the preferred methods of communication of the individual you support, according to their language, culture, sensory needs and their wishes.
  • Identify and take steps to reduce environmental barriers to communication.
  • Demonstrate you can check for understanding, write clearly and concisely in records and reports and keep information safe and confidential according to agreed ways of working.
• Safeguarding: 
  • Recognise the potential signs of different forms of abuse.
  • Respond to concerns of abuse according to agreed ways of working.
  • Recognise, report and challenge unsafe practices.
• Champion health and wellbeing:
  • Promote the health and wellbeing of the individual you support.
  • Move people and objects safely.
  • Demonstrate how to reduce the spread of infection, including use of best practice in hand hygiene.
  • Demonstrate the promotion of healthy eating and wellbeing by ensuring individuals have access to fluids, food and nutrition.
  • Show how to keep people, buildings and yourself safe and secure.
  • Carry out fire safety procedures when required and use risk assessments to support individuals.
  • Safely recognise symptoms of cognitive impairment, for example, Dementia, learning disabilities and mental health.
  • Monitor and report changes in health and wellbeing for individuals you support.
• Professionalism:
  • Work professionally and seek to develop your own professional development.
  • Reflect on your own work practices and demonstrate the development of your own skills and knowledge, including core skills in writing, numbers and information technology.
  • Demonstrate your contribution to your development plan.
  • Show the ability to work in partnership with others to support the individual.
  • Identify sources of support when conflicts arise with other people or organisations.
  • Demonstrate you can work within safe, clear professional boundaries and that you can access and apply any additional skills required to perform the specific job role competently.

• Care:
  • Caring consistently and enough about individuals to make a positive difference to their lives.
• Compassion:
  • Deliver care and support with kindness, consideration, dignity and respect.
• Courage:
  • Doing the right thing for people and speaking up if the individual you support is at risk.
• Communication:
  • Good communication is central to successful caring relationships and effective team working.
• Competence:
  • Applying knowledge and skills to provide high quality care and support.
• Commitment:
  • Committed to improving the experience of people who need care and support ensuring it is person centred.

As part of the induction training, the apprentice will meet the 15 standards as set out in the Care Certificate. This is an agreed set of qualities that define the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of specific job roles within the sector. 

The Care Quality Commission expects providers that employ healthcare assistants and social care support workers to follow these standards to make sure new staff are supported, skilled and assessed as competent to carry out their roles.

• Situational judgement test
• Professional discussion