Health and Social Care: Practice (Children and Young People)

Qualification overview

The qualification is practice-based and assesses learners’ knowledge and competence to practice in the work place. It provides the opportunity to enrich knowledge and skills using both mandatory content and optional units in settings focused on children and young people, such as domicillary or residential child care, residential family centres or foster care and community based healthcare settings. In particular, learners will be able to demonstrate that they:

• understand, and apply in practice, the principles and values which underpin health and social care
• understand, and apply in practice, child-centred approaches
• promote and support effective practice within health and Social Care
• are aware of key policies within the sector and understand how these affect service development and delivery
• work in partnership with children, their families/carers and a range of professionals apply a range of problem solving techniques
• reflect on practice to continuously improve
• use literacy, numeracy and digital competency skills as appropriate in their role.

This qualification cannot be completed on work placement. Learners must be providing support to children and young people in heath and social care or community healthcare settings.

It is suitable for:

• learners currently employed within settings such as domicillary or residential child care, residential family centres or foster care or community based healthcare settings
• learners who have successfully completed one of the following qualifications:
• Level 2 Diploma in Clinical Healthcare Support.
• Level 2 Health and Social Care: Core
• Level 2 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults)
• Level 2 Health and Social Care: Principles and Contexts
• Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Core
• Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice
• Level 2 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice and Theory
• GCSE Health and Social Care, and Childcare
• Level 3 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice.

It is highly recommended that learners have completed the core qualification prior to, or alongside the Level 3 Health and Social Care: Practice (Children and Young People) as this will be a requirement for practice set by Social Care Wales. It is also a feature of the Level 3 Apprenticeship in Health and Social Care (Wales).

The mandatory content of the qualification is aligned to the key themes of the All Wales Induction Framework for Health and Social Care and includes:

• principles and practice (children and young people)
• health and well-being (children and young people)
• professional practice
• safeguarding
• health and safety
• a range of practice areas such as working with families and carers or children who are looked after.

This qualification contains a single mandatory and a range of optional units that reflect the knowledge and skills needed when working with children and young people with complex needs and their families.

To achieve the Level 3 Health and Social Care: Practice (Children and Young People) qualification learners must achieve a minimum of 50 credits in total:

• 18 credits must be achieved from the mandatory unit
• A minimum of 32 credits wil be selected from the suite of optional units which include units that are about direct care and support and healthcare.

The learner must successfully complete:

• a portfolio of evidence that includes direct observation of practice
• externally set, internally assessed tasks.

Successful completion of this qualification enables learners to work in healthcare and social care as a qualified Level 3 worker with children and young people.

It will enable learners to apply for registration with Social Care Wales as a social care worker in residential child care or domiciliary care providing that they meet any additional registration requirements. For further information please visit: https://socialcare.wales/registration

The qualification provides the appropriate knowledge and competence to practice and prepares learners to progress to:

• Level 4 Professional Practice Health & Social Care
• Level 4 Preparing for Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care
• Certificates in Higher Education.

Other qualifications that may be of interest are:

• Level 3 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults)
• Advanced GCE and Advanced Subsidiary GCE in Health and Social Care, and Childcare
• Level 3 Certificate and Diploma in Health and Social Care: Principles and Contexts
• Level 3 Children’s Care, Play, Learning and Development: Practice and Theory.