This apprenticeship has been retired
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Leading frontline care for vulnerable adults within their own homes, day care centres, residential and nursing homes and other healthcare settings.
Lead Adult Care Worker
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.
These are the personal attributes and behaviours expected of all Adult Care Workers carrying out their roles:
12-24 months
3
A. The job they have to do, their main tasks and responsibilities
1. Their job roles and other worker roles 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
2. Both their own and other workers professional boundaries and limits training and expertise
3. Relevant statutory Standards and Codes of Practice for their role
4. What the ‘Duty of Care’ is in practice
5. How to create and develop a care plan based on the person’s preferences in the way they want to be supported
6. How to monitor, plan, review a care plan in response to changing physical, social, and emotional needs of individuals
7. How to lead and support others to ensure compliance with regulations and organisational policies and procedures
The importance of having the right values and behaviours
8. How to ensure that dignity is at the centre of all work with individuals and their support circles
9. The importance of respecting diversity, the principles of inclusion and treating everyone fairly
The importance of communication
10. The barriers to communication and be able to both identify, and determine, the best solutions to achieve success when communicating with the individual they are supporting
11. How to communicate clearly both verbally and non-verbally and able to influence others to maximise the quality of interaction
12. The role of advocates and when they might be involved
13. Their own, and other workers’ responsibilities for ensuring confidential information is kept safe
How to support individuals to remain safe from harm (Safeguarding)
14. What abuse is and what to do when they have concerns someone is being abused
15. The national and local strategies for safeguarding and protection from abuse
16. What to do when receiving comments and complaints ensuring appropriate and timely actions takes place
17. How to recognise and prevent unsafe practices in the workplace
18. The importance and process of whistleblowing, being able to facilitate timely intervention
19. How to address and resolve any dilemmas they may face between a person’s rights and their safety
How to champion health and wellbeing for the individuals they support and work colleagues
20. The health and safety responsibilities of self, employer and workers
21. How to keep safe in the work environment
22. What to do when there is an accident or sudden illness and take appropriate action
23. What to do with hazardous substances
24. How to promote fire safety and how to support others to so
25. How to reduce the spread of infection and support others in infection prevention and control
26. How to use and promote with others where relevant, risk assessments to enable a person centred approach to delivering care
How to work professionally, including their own professional development of those they support and work colleagues
27. What a professional relationship is with the person being supported and colleagues
28. How to work with other people and organisations in the interest of the person being supported
29. How to be actively involved in their own personal development plan and, where appropriate, other worker’s personal development plans
30. How to demonstrate the importance of excellent core skills in writing, numbers and information technology
31. How to develop and sustain a positive attitude and address signs and symptoms of stress in self and other colleagues
32. How to carry out research relevant to individuals’ support needs and share with others
33. How to access and apply good practice relating to their role
34. How to access and apply specialist knowledge when needed to support performance in the job role
A. The main tasks and responsibilities according to their job role
1. Support individuals they are working with according to their personal care/support plan
2. Take the initiative when working outside normal duties and responsibilities
3. Recognise and access help when not confident or skilled in any aspect of the role that they are undertaking
4. Implement/facilitate the specialist assessment of social, physical, emotional and spiritual needs of individuals with cognitive, sensory and physical impairments
5. Contribute to the development and ongoing review of care/support plans for the individuals they support
6. Provide individuals with information to enable them to exercise choice on how they are supported
7. Encourage individuals to actively participate in the way their care and support is delivered
8. Ensure that individuals know what they are agreeing to regarding the way in which they are supported
9. Lead and support colleagues to understand how to establish informed consent when providing care and support
10. Guide, mentor and contribute to the development of colleagues in the execution of their duties and responsibilities
Treat people with respect and dignity and honour their human rights
11. Demonstrate dignity in their working role with individuals they support, their families, carers and other professionals
12. Support others to understand the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in social care
13. Exhibit empathy for individuals they support, i.e. understanding and compassion
14. Exhibit courage in supporting individuals in ways that may challenge their own cultural and belief systems
Communicate clearly and responsibly
15. Demonstrate and promote to other workers excellent communication skills including confirmation of understanding to individuals, their families, carers and professionals
16. Use and facilitate methods of communication preferred by the individual they support according to the individual’s language,
cultural and sensory needs, wishes and preferences
17. Take the initiative and reduce environmental barriers to communication
18. Demonstrate and ensure that records and reports are written clearly and concisely
19. Lead and support others to keep information safe, preserve confidentiality in accordance with agreed ways of working
Support individuals to remain safe from harm (Safeguarding)
20. Support others, to recognise and respond to potential signs of abuse according to agreed ways of working
21. Work in partnership with external agencies to respond to concerns of abuse
22. Lead and support others to address conflicts or dilemmas that may arise between an individual’s rights and duty of care
23. Recognise, report, respond to and record unsafe practices and encourage others to do so
Champion health and wellbeing for the individuals they support
24. Lead and mentor others where appropriate to promote the wellbeing of the individuals they support
25. Demonstrate the management of the reduction of infection, including use of best practice in hand hygiene
26. Promote healthy eating and wellbeing by supporting individuals to have access to fluids, food and nutrition
27. Carry out fire safety procedures and manage others to do so
28. Develop risk assessments and use in a person centred way to support individuals safely including moving and assisting people and objects
29. Manage, monitor, report and respond to changes in the health and wellbeing of the individuals they support
Work professionally and seek to develop their own professional development
30. Take the initiative to identify and form professional relationships with other people and organisations
31. Demonstrate, manage and support self and others to work within safe, clear professional boundaries
32. Take the initiative to evaluate and improve own skills and knowledge through reflective practice, supervision, feedback and learning opportunities
33. Demonstrate continuous professional development
34. Carry out research relevant to individuals’ support needs and share with others
35. Demonstrate where necessary mentoring and supervision to others in the workplace
36. Demonstrate good team/partnership working skills
37. Demonstrate their contribution to robust recruitment and induction processes
Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Adults) for England (QCF). This is the qualification that is promoted and valued by employers.
Undertake the Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service process and provide the result prior to starting. The Care Certificate must be achieved as part of the Apprenticeship Standard.
September 2017
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| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | Funding band revised. | 26/06/2023 | Not set |
| 1.1 | Standard and end-point assessment plan revised. The funding band for this standard has been reviewed and remains at £3000 (Dec-2018) | 05/02/2018 | 25/06/2023 |
| 1.0 | Retired | 21/07/2016 | 04/02/2018 |