Qualification Wales' review of qualifications in the Health and Social Care sector found that a number of changes should be made to make sure that the qualifications are fit for purpose and prepare learners for work and further study in a fast‐developing environment.

These new qualifications will be introduced from 1st September 2019.

If you are already studying for a qualification in Health, Social Care and/or Childcare before September 2019, you will not be affected by these changes. You will continue your learning until the completion of the qualification. We will provide information to help you to explore what progression opportunities may be available to you.

If you hold one of the qualifications currently required for your role e.g. listed on the Qualifications Framework for the Social Care Sector in Wales or the Required List of Qualifications for Early Years and Childcare in Wales, this will still be recognised and accepted for practice.

The range of qualifications will offer you a number of ways to build your knowledge, skills and competence to work, or continue your learning, in the sector. There are routes best suited to schools, colleges, work‐based learning or employment.

Yes. We have designed qualifications which can help you progress on to further study, such as college or university, through a range of different pathways. We are working with universities to ensure they are aware of the new qualifications’ content and assessment methods and will be working with UCAS to allocate tariff points for specific Level 3 qualifications. As the qualifications are developed, we will provide information that will help you explore what progression opportunities are available to you.

Yes. The new qualifications have been designed to prepare you more thoroughly for employment, The introduction of our new ‘core’ qualification will give you the key knowledge and understanding needed to start a career in Health, Social Care, and/or Childcare. If you are currently working within the sector, the new qualifications will support your progression further in employment.

Yes, all of the new qualifications will be available through the medium of Welsh. Please check with individual training providers and schools about the availability of the qualifications through the medium of Welsh. 

Through the reform of Health and Social Care, and Childcare qualifications, Qualifications Wales will be reducing the number of qualifications within the sector available for public funding from over 240 to just 19. Having a smaller more coherent suite of qualifications means that the new suite does not
offer a like for like replacement for all of the currently available qualifications. However, the suite
continues to offer learners the opportunity to access and progress through all currently available
routes to employment, further and higher‐level study. It also continues to allow learners at level 3
to access UCAS Tariff points.

The suite of new health and social care and childcare qualifications includes two level 3 qualifications
of 720 Guided Learning Hours (GLH) in size: one in Health and Social Care, and one in Children’s
Care, Play, Learning and Development. These qualifications are designed to be offered to learners
studying full‐time at an FE college, although they may also be of interest to other types of provider,
including schools.

The suite also includes an A level in Health and Social Care, and Childcare. This qualification
combines health and social care and childcare at AS, with a route of either health and social care or
childcare at A2. The A level is intended to complement either of the bigger qualifications to provide
a full 1080‐GLH programme of study similar in size to the extended diplomas that are currently
available.

The new qualifications will be approved by Qualifications Wales. This means that they will be eligible for public funding on programmes of learning for learners up to the age of 19. Some of the
qualifications in the new suite will be on apprenticeship frameworks for social care or children’s care, learning and development. These will be funded through Welsh Government apprenticeship schemes. Although funding will be available in different ways for each of the new qualifications,
learners and employers in certain circumstances may need to fund themselves or their employees in
order to complete the qualification.

During our stakeholder engagement we received mixed views in regard to a specific Level 1
qualification provision in Health and Social Care, and Childcare. As a result Qualifications Wales has
made the decision to give centres the choice of delivering either sector specific Level 1 qualifications
or more generic qualifications in Vocational Studies. The feedback from the sector suggested how
important it was to keep momentum in learners’ enthusiasm within the subject area and to support
those who may want to a consider a career in Health and Social Care, and Childcare. The full list of
affected qualifications can be found on the Qualifications Wales Website.