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.

Job titles might include: Care Assistant, Care Worker, Support Worker, Personal Assistant, Relief Team Worker, Support Worker – Supported Living, Key Worker in Residential Settings, Key Worker in Domiciliary Services, Key Worker in Day Services, Home Care Support Worker, Substance Misuse Worker, Learning Disability Support Worker, Mental Health Support Worker, Mental Health Outreach Worker and Re-enablement Worker.

To work in care is to make a positive difference to someone’s life when they are faced with physical, practical, social, emotional or intellectual challenges. Adult Care Workers need to have the right values and behaviours developing competences and skills to provide high quality compassionate care and support. They 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 which is at the heart of person centred care. Job roles are varied and determined by and relevant to the type of the service being provided and the person supported. Adult Care Workers may work in residential or nursing homes, domiciliary care, day centres, a person’s own home or some clinical healthcare settings.

Duration:

12-18 months

Level:  

2

The mandatory section of the units is comprised of 6 core units that will be based on the information below. A person working as an Adult Care Worker must know and understand:

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

• The tasks and responsibilities of the job role 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
• Professional boundaries and limits of their training and expertise
• Relevant statutory standards and codes of practice for their role
• What the ‘duty of care’ is in practice
• 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
• How to identify, respond to and escalate changes to physical, social, and emotional needs of individuals
• How to access, follow and be compliant with regulations and organisational policies and procedures

The importance of having the right values and behaviours

• How to support and enable individuals to achieve their personal aims and goals
• What dignity means in how to work with individuals and others
• The importance of respecting diversity and treating everyone equally

The importance of communication

• The barriers to communication
• The impact of non-verbal communication
• The importance of active listening
• How the way they communicate can affect others
• About different forms of communication e.g. signing, communication boards
• How to find out the best way to communicate with the individual they are supporting
• How to make sure 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
• How to recognise unsafe practices in the workplace
• The importance and process of whistleblowing
• How to address any dilemmas they may face between a person’s rights and their safety

How to promote 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
• What to do with hazardous substances
• How to promote fire safety
• How to reduce the spread of infection
• What a risk assessment is and how it can be used to promote person-centred care safely

How to work professionally, including their own professional development

• What a professional relationship is with the person being supported and colleagues
• How to work together with other people and organisations in the interest of the person being supported
• How to be actively involved in their personal development plan
• The importance of excellent core skills in writing, numbers and information technology
• What to do to develop, sustain and exhibit a positive attitude and personal resilience
• Where and how to access specialist knowledge when needed to support performance of the job role

This qualification will primarily be delivered through 1-to-1 sessions with a member of our delivery team, using a mixture of face-to-face and remote learning sessions.

Upon enrolment, learners are also allocated an assessor. Throughout the qualification, the assessor will visit the learner either at their workplace or remotely (for example, via Microsoft Teams) on a monthly basis, to support progress, observe and set tasks

This apprenticeship provides an ideal entry into the occupation and supports progression within the sector. Individuals who complete this course can progress onto the Level 3 Lead Adult Care Worker qualification.

Some career opportunities that this course can provide are:

• Residential Care Support
• Domiciliary Care Support
• General Healthcare Assistant
• Supported Living Care & Support

To enrol onto the Adult Care Worker Level 2 in England, you need to be:

• Working in a care-based support role
• aged 16 or over (there is no upper age limit)
• living in Wales
• not in full-time education
• not accessing any other funding from the Welsh Government