Lead Practitioner in Adult Care L4

Occupation Profile

As a Lead Practitioner in Adult Care you will guide and inspire team members to make positive differences to someone’s life when they are faced with physical, practical, social, emotional, psychological or intellectual challenges.

As a Lead Practitioner you will have a greater depth of knowledge and expertise of particular conditions experienced by service users along with specialist skills and knowledge in your area of responsibilities which will allow you to lead in areas such as care needs assessment, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and enablement, telecare and assistive technology.

You be a coach and mentor to others and will have a role in assessing performance and quality of care delivery. As a Lead Practitioner you may work in residential or nursing homes, domiciliary care, day centres, a person’s own home or some clinical healthcare settings.

This standard also covers Lead Personal Assistants who can work at this senior level but may only work directly for one individual who needs support and/or care services, usually within their own home.

Entry Requirements

This role is subject to the Disclosure and Barring Service process.

Programme qualifications & requirements

Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care
Level 2 English and maths if not already held
20% off the job training
End Point Assessment

Details of Programme

You will be allocated a Skills & Development Coach who will support and guide you for the duration of your apprenticeship.

Your apprenticeship programme will be delivered as blended learning. Blended learning is a combination of both online and face to face delivery. You will need to have good internet access and a suitable device such as a smartphone, laptop, or tablet to work on. Microsoft Teams is used for coaching sessions and ZOOM is currently used for taught sessions. You will need to check with your employer that access to ZOOM and Microsoft Teams is available and permitted If using a work device to complete your training.

It typically takes 18 months to complete this apprenticeship during which you will participate in:

Induction which is specific to your workplace
Study days and training courses
Mentoring/buddy support
Completion of a portfolio through which you gather evidence of your progress Completing 20% off the job training
Structured one to one reviews of your progress

On completion of your apprenticeship you will have gained a knowledge and understanding in:

Tasks and responsibilities

Statutory frameworks, standards, guidance and Codes of Practice which underpin practice in relation
to the safe delivery of services
Theories underpinning own practice and competence relevant to the job role
Principles of assessment and outcome based practice
Principles of risk management

Safeguarding

Legislation, national and local solutions for the safeguarding of adults and children including reporting requirements

Health and wellbeing

Models of monitoring, reporting and responding to changes in health and wellbeing
Range of holistic solutions to promote and maintain health and wellbeing using person centred approaches
Importance of effective partnerships, inter-agency, joint and integrated working

Dignity and Human Rights

How to contribute to, promote and maintain a culture which ensures dignity is at the centre of practice

Communication

Effective communication and solutions to overcoming barriers
Legal and ethical frameworks in relation to confidentiality and sharing information
Range of technologies to enhance communication

Professional Development

Goals and aspirations that support own professional development and how to access available opportunities

On completion of this apprenticeship you will have gained skills in the following areas:

Tasks and Responsibilities

Applying professional judgement, standards and codes of practice relevant to the role
Developing and sustaining professional relationships with others
Identifying and accessing specialist help required to carry out the role
Lead the specialist assessment of social, physical, emotional and spiritual needs of individuals with cognitive, sensory and physical impairments
Mentoring colleagues to encourage them to actively participate in the way their care and support is delivered
Contribute to the implementation of processes to implement and review support plans
Providing leadership and mentoring to others for whom you are responsible
Applying risk management policies
Contributing to the quality assurance of the service provided

Dignity and Human Rights

Implementing a culture that actively promotes dignity and respects diversity and inclusion
Model high levels of empathy, understanding and compassion

Communication

Model effective communication skills
Identifying and addressing barriers to communication using appropriate resources
Applying organisational processes to record, maintain,store and share information
Providing meaningful information to support people to make informed choices

Safeguarding

Applying and supporting others to adhere to safeguarding procedures
Working in partnership with external agencies to respond to safeguarding concerns

Health and Wellbeing

Applying person centred approaches to promote health and wellbeing
Collaborating with external partners to achieve best outcomes in health and wellbeing

Professional Development

Evaluating own practice and accessing identified development opportunities
Evaluating the effectiveness of own leadership, mentoring and supervision skills and taking steps to enhance performance
Valuing individuals to develop effective teams in order to achieve best outcomes
Contributing to the development of an effective learning culture
Leading robust, values-based recruitment and selection processes
Contributing to the induction process by developing the knowledge of individuals within their role
Leading and supporting others in professional development through personal development plans, supervision, reflective practice, research, evidence based practice and access to learning and development opportunities

Assessment Gateway

Your employer will make the decision that you are ready to go forward to End Point Assessment when:

You are consistently working at or above the level required of a Leader Practitioner in Adult Care
You have successfully completed the Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care
You have achieved Level 2 English and maths if not held
You have achieved 20% off the job training
You have submitted a portfolio to underpin the professional discussion

End Point Assessment

The End Point Assessment (EPA) is undertaken by an Independent Assessment Organisation within three months of achieving Gateway and is chosen by your employer. The Independent Assessment Organisation is responsible for the final decision and grading of either Fail / Pass / Distinction.

The End Point assessment methods are: