Key information

  1. Reference: ST0478
  2. Date updated: 21/12/2023
  3. Level: 2
  4. Route: Health and science
  5. Regulated occupation: No
Print occupational standard

Details of the occupational standard

Occupation summary

The Community Activator Coach Standard will underpin occupations such as an Activator, Sports Coach, Activity Leader, Community Worker or Outreach Officer. These roles are predominantly employed by sport for social change charities; SMEs who operate in the sport and physical activity sector; local authorities; sports clubs; leisure centres; youth work agencies; housing associations and outdoor education centres and are deployed to primarily work with inactive groups of people. The wider sport and activity sector plays an important role in improving the health and wellbeing of the nation and provides a positive environment which supports (especially young) people to grow and develop through sport and physical activity. The Community Activator Coach promotes, delivers and coaches fun, inclusive and engaging activities that help whole communities to change their behaviour, adopt and keep to a physically active lifestyle. Community Activator Coaches are more than activity and sports leaders – they understand communities and customers. They will be equipped with the specialist knowledge needed to effectively work with one customer group (such as inactive teenagers) but also be knowledgeable about other inactive customer groups whom they may be expected to work with on occasions. When competent they will be experienced working with a range of different communities and all kinds of customers who are likely to be defined as inactive, sedentary or not doing enough physical activity in their lives. They also know how to make communities and lives better through physical activity, organised play and sport. The Community Activator Coach will be a positive role model who builds good rapport with customers - especially those who are young, inactive, or from low-income and marginalised communities. The Community Activator Coach often works alongside youth workers, the police and community safety agencies to make neighbourhoods safer and works alongside health workers to make residents fitter and healthier. The role is a flexible one and individuals can expect to work varied and unsociable hours, including evenings, weekends and school holidays.

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Understand the benefits of physical activity and sport for individuals, families and communities, and know why adopting an active and healthy lifestyle is important. Back to Duty

K2: Understand the basic principles of behavioural change when applied to sport and physical activity, and know how to keep customers active. Back to Duty

K3: Know the importance of credible customer insight - listening to customers and understanding their motivations - to shape provision and leadership style. Back to Duty

K4: Know the importance of effective leadership and coaching in the delivery of a physical activity or sports sessions. Back to Duty

K5: Know the value of using informal spaces and ‘out of locality’ settings to encourage customers to develop the lifelong activity habit. Back to Duty

K6: Understand the role of the coach in developing effective motivational relationships, how to build rapport with customers and understand what good role models look like. Back to Duty

K7: Understand the tasks involved in delivering community level activation events and support their delivery, particularly in terms of providing equipment and activities. Back to Duty

K8: Know how to support customer welfare and where required, manage disruptive behaviours by individuals within the group setting. Back to Duty

K9: Know how to make best use of national and major events (for example the Commonwealth Games) to capture public imagination, raise activity levels and encourage community involvement in volunteering and social action. Back to Duty

K10: Know how to work with community organisations to run tailored neighbourhood events that make best use of local assets to bring people together. Back to Duty

K11: Understand the importance of accurate record keeping for monitoring and evaluation purposes; know about the tools available to help (e.g. Upshot, Views, Active Lives). Back to Duty

K12: Understand the importance of using appropriate social media and technology to deliver targeted messages to identified customer groups for example children; teenagers; adults and older adults. Back to Duty

K13: Understand fundamental principles of safeguarding, child protection, cultural awareness, first aid, mental wellbeing, inclusion and working with vulnerable adults. Back to Duty

K14: Understand the different needs and priorities of your customers (such as teenagers, families, the disabled or older adults) and the best way to manage their expectations, recognising and knowing how to adapt your style to be highly effective. Back to Duty

K15: Know how to coach and lead the key components of a successful activity sessions for specific audiences. Back to Duty

K16: Know customer motivations for participation and how to help people overcome personal and societal barriers to participation. Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Planning and adapting sessions and activities that respond to customer feedback and encourage customers to develop a lifelong activity habit. Back to Duty

S2: Coaching or leading pre-planned sport or physical activity sessions that are attractive to the target audience(s) and develop motivational relationships with customers. Back to Duty

S3: Promoting a physical activity offer, (including but not exclusively) organised play and sport in the community which supports individuals on their behaviour change journey. Back to Duty

S4: Working collaboratively with sports clubs and other community assets – including volunteers, public services, youth workers, the police and community champions. Back to Duty

S5: Supporting customers to co-produce rewarding volunteering opportunities. Back to Duty

S6: Supporting families to participate together in sport and physical activity. Back to Duty

S7: Working effectively with customer insight to overcome individual, community and societal barriers to participation in physical activity and sport. Back to Duty

S8: Contributing to the employer’s design of activities and services and practising the employer’s organisation’s values, policies and procedures. Back to Duty

S9: Contributing to teams that deliver community events and festivals. Back to Duty

S10: Supporting organisations to evaluate, develop and promote sessions and other opportunities such as outdoor group exercise and informal social play. Back to Duty

S11: Maintaining personal safety and wellbeing, as well as that of customers. Back to Duty

S12: Managing disruptive behaviours from individuals within the group setting. Back to Duty

S13: Encouraging customers to be regularly active – both formally and informally – within sports clubs or leisure facilities including open-space. Back to Duty

S14: Effectively using social media and technology, appropriately, to deliver targeted messages to identified customer groups for example children, teenagers, adults and older adults. Back to Duty

S15: Effectively monitor and evaluate activities, sessions and projects using technology platforms to maintain accurate records and produce timely reports. Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Honesty, sincerity and integrity by doing the right thing at the right time. Back to Duty

B2: A positive attitude to work, be approachable and model an active lifestyle. Back to Duty

B3: A concern for customer’s welfare and wellbeing. Back to Duty

B4: Show a willingness to ‘go the extra mile’. Back to Duty

B5: Enthusiasm to work as a member of a team and also to use his or her own initiative when leading or planning activities. Back to Duty

B6: Adaptable and confident in one’s own ability. Back to Duty

B7: Building meaningful and appropriate relationships. Back to Duty

B8: A willingness to learn and a desire to contribute to their own continuing professional development. Back to Duty


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