Careers and Training
Autumn 2011: On the road
Level 2 Qualifications in Early Years Education and Childcare
LEVEL 2 CERTIFICATE FOR THE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE'S WORKFORCE
Offered by: CACHE, Edexcel, City & Guilds, NCFE, OCR, EDI and ABC
This Level 2 Certificate for the Children and Young People's Workforce is called a certificate to indicate its size under the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).
It confers occupational competence to work under supervision and enables practitioners to count in the ratio at Level 2 identified in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Credits: To achieve the certificate a minimum of 35 credits are required, this is made up of both knowledge and competence units.
The qualification has 13 mandatory, 3 Level 2 core units that are shared across Skills for Care and Development partners and 10 other mandatory units at Level 2 which are generic across the Children and Young People's Workforce.
Some units in the optional unit bank are shared with the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) and Skills for Health (SfH).
Units: The optional unit bank contains Level 2 and Level 3 units in order to facilitate progression to the Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce. It is anticipated that many learners will use this opportunity to gain credit for their Level 3.
Component parts of the qualification comprise:
Skills for Care and Development Core Mandatory (these units are mandatory for all SfCD qualifications).
- Introduction to Communication in Health, Social Care or Children and Young People's Settings
Introducing the importance of communication in such settings and exploring ways to overcome barriers to meet individual needs, wishes and preferences in communication.
- Introduction to Equality and Inclusion in Health, Social Care or Children and Young People's Settings
Introducing the concepts of equality, diversion and inclusion, and stressing their importance in challenging discrimination in a way that promotes change.
- Introduction to Personal Development in Health, Social Care or Children and Young People's Settings
Introducing the concepts of personal development and reflective practice, and exploring ways of implementing them.
Children and Young People core units
These units are mandatory units:
- Support Child and Young Person Development
Applying knowledge and understanding to supporting child and young person development and positive behaviour. Explaining how to give support to children and young people experiencing transitions.
- Support Children and Young People's Health and Safety
Familiarising learners with health and safety procedures and risk management, and assessment both onand off-site. Covering how to deal with accidents, incidents, emergencies and illnesses, and how to prevent of the spread of infection.
- Support Positive Environments for Children and Young People
Highlighting the importance of a positive environment for children and young people, and discussing how to create and support one. Explaining the need to support personal care routines as well as nutritional and dietary needs.
- Understand Partnership Working in Services for Children and Young People
Exploring the importance of partnership working, communication and information sharing, particularly with carers.
- Paediatric Emergency First Aid Units 1 and 2
Providing practical skills and knowledge to deal with a range of paediatric emergency first aid situations including foreign body airway obstructions, bleeding and shock, concussion, burns and febrile convulsions.
- Child and Young Person Development (TDA)
- Safeguard the Welfare of Children and Young People (TDA)
- Support Children and Young People's Positive Behaviour (TDA)
- Maintain and Support Relationships with Children and Young People (TDA)
Optional units
Level 2 units:
- Support Children and Young People with Disabilities and SEN (TDA)
- Support Children and Young People's Play and Leisure (TDA)
- Support Children and Young People at Meal and Snack Times (TDA)
- Contribute to the Support of Children's Communication, Language and Literacy
- Contribute to the Support of Children's Creative Development
Level 3 units:
- Understand Child and Young Person Development
- Promote Child and Young Person Development
- Understand How to Safeguard the Wellbeing of Children and Young People
- Support Children and Young People's Health and Safety
- Develop Positive Relationships with Children, Young People and Others Involved in their Care
- Working Together for the Benefit of Children and Young People
- Understand How to Support Positive Outcomes for Children and Young People
- Support the Creativity of Children and Young People
- Understand the Speech, Language and Communication Needs of Children and Young People with Behavioural, Social and Emotional Difficulties
- Understand the Needs of Children who are Vulnerable and are Experiencing Poverty and Disadvantage
CACHE LEVEL 2 AWARD/CERTIFICATE/DIPLOMA IN CHILDCARE AND EDUCATION
Available for registration until 31 December 2012
These courses prepare learners to work in a supervised capacity with children from 0-16 and their families in a variety of settings within children's services.
Course content: Units 1 and 2 are required for the Award, which offer an introduction to working with children and the developing child.
Units 1-5 are required for the Certificate. These look at safe, healthy and nurturing environments for children, children and play, and professional communication within the workplace.
For the Diploma, candidates must achieve units 1-6 plus one optional unit from a choice of five. Unit 6 is a practical unit in which learners will get the opportunity to work with children, carry out planned play activities and observe professional practice.
EDEXCEL LEVEL 2 BTEC FIRST DIPLOMA IN CHILDREN'S CARE, LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
(Enrolment to December 2011)
A vocational qualification related to the National Occupation Standards in Children's Care Learning and Development.
Course content: Core units comprise: values and interpersonal skills, physical, social and emotional development and good practice in childcare settings. Specialist units: children's activities and play, care for babies, postnatal care and working in partnerships with parents.
CITY & GUILDS LEVEL 2 AWARD IN WORK WITH PARENTS
City & Guilds has developed a new suite of qualifications (Levels 2-4) that have been accredited for the QCF. Level 2 provides 12 credits, and requires the learner to complete one mandatory and two optional units.
It aims to:
- Provide learners with essential skills and knowledge to enable them to support parents in their parenting role.
- Provide experienced practitioners with recognition for their experience, knowledge and skills.
- Provide 'top-up' training and continuous professional development opportunities for staff working in the sector.
CACHE LEVEL 2 INTRODUCING CARING FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
CACHE LEVEL 2 AWARD IN BABYSITTING (QCF)
CACHE Level 2 Award in PREPARATION FOR THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARENTING
CACHE has developed this nested group of qualifications which enable learners to gain the introductory knowledge surrounding these three subject areas. These qualifications are suitable for 16 to 18 year old learners in schools and colleges; they cover healthy lifestyles, child development and accident prevention. They prepare learners for future learning and training and the units are shared which means credits and learning can be transferred across the qualifications.
- Level 2 Certificate Introducing Caring for Children and Young People
This qualification will give learners a basic understanding of childcare and education, parenting and babysitting. It will also help them to make an informed choice about working with children and young people. All the units are optional giving greater flexibility to learners and tutors when deciding on a programme of study - maximising learner achievement. On completion learners can progress to the CACHE Level 2 Certificate for the Children and Young People’s Workforce qualification.
- Level 2 Award in Babysitting
This qualification provides learners with an understanding of the skills needed when babysitting. It includes their responsibilities to children they care for, their responsibilities to the parent(s), and accident prevention and fire safety.
- Level 2 Award in Preparation for the Responsibilities of Parenting
This qualification introduces learners to the responsibilities of being a parent. It covers the welfare and care of babies and young children and the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
TEACHING ASSISTANTS
CACHE LEVEL 2 AWARD IN PREPARING TO SUPPORT LEARNING
This award covers key issues relating to learning support practice including the main responsibilities of a learning support practitioner, individual learner needs and the values and principles which underpin learning support practice. It can be taken at Level 2 or Level 3.
Credits: 6
LEVEL 2 AWARD IN SUPPORT WORK IN SCHOOLS
Available from CACHE, City and Guilds, Edexcel
The level 2 award in support work in schools has been designed to be accessible to those not yet working in school as well as replacing the non-accredited induction training for those new to working in schools. The qualification sets out the knowledge and understanding required to work in a school regardless of role or level and covers the Common Core of skills and knowledge in a way that is meaningful for those whose role does not necessarily bring them into regular and sustained contact with pupils (e.g. administrative staff) but who still need to understand how schools work as organisations; their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding; how to communicate appropriately with children, their parents and other staff; expectations regarding confidentiality etc. To gain the qualification learners will need to achieve 12 credits, with 9 credits coming from the mandatory units and a minimum of 3 credits from the optional units.
Course content: Units include:
- Child and Young Person Development
- Safeguarding the Welfare of Children and Young People
- Communication and Professional Relationships with Children, Young People and Adults
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Work with Children and Young People
- Schools as Organisations
LEVEL 2 CERTIFICATE IN SUPPORTING TEACHING AND LEARNING IN SCHOOLS
Available from CACHE, City and Guilds, Edexcel
This qualification is for those members of the school workforce who directly support the teaching and learning of pupils.
Mandatory units include:
- Support Children and Young People's Health and Safety
- Support Learning Activities
Maintain and Support Relationships with Children and Young People
- Help Improve Own and Team Practice in Schools
Optional units include:
- Support the Use of ICT for Teaching and Learning
- Support Children and Young People's Play and Leisure
- Contributing to Supporting Bilingual Learners
- Support Children and Young People at Meal or Snack Times
- Support Children and Young People with Disabilities or Special Educational Needs
PLAYWORK
LEVEL 2 AWARD/CERTIFICATE/DIPLOMA IN PLAYWORK
Available from CACHE
These three qualifications have been developed in order to give learners the opportunity to study in bite-sized chunks. The Award is an introduction to the playwork sector, the Certificate enables entry to work and contains the content of the Award plus additional units, and the Diploma confers competence and contains the units from the Award and Certificate plus additional units from the optional bank.
There are no formal entry requirements, although learners will need to be at least 16 years of age.
The Level 2 Award in Playwork is 10 credits, the Certificate is 25 credits (including those from the Award) and the full Diploma is a minimum of 61 credits, depending on the options chosen.
The Award comprises the following units:
- Playwork Principles
- Working within a Play Environment with Children and Young People
- Supporting Children and Young People's Play
The Certificate contains the above units and the following:
- Relationships to the Play Environment
- Health and Safety in the Play Environment
- The Safeguarding and Welfare of Children and Young People in the Play Environment
- Reflective Playwork Practice
- Developing own Playwork and Team Practice
The Diploma contains all of the above eight units, plus the following mandatory units:
- Support Relationships in the Play Environment
- Work with Children and Young People to Create Play Spaces and Support Freely Chosen, Self-Directed Play
- Contribute to the Health, Safety, Security and Welfare of the Children and Young People Using the Play Environment
- Help to Improve Own Practice and the Work of the Playwork Team
Optional unit bank includes:
- Contribute to Providing Food and Drink in the Play Environment
- Facilitate a Specific Play Opportunity at Children or Young People's Request
- Support the Development of Playwork Opportunities in the Community
- Contribute to Supporting Disabled Children and Young People in the Play Environment
- Support Work with Parents and Carers in the Play Environment
- Support the Travel of Children and Young People outside the Play Environment
Assessment for these qualifications will cover a range of different methods and, for the Diploma, assessment of practice in the workplace.
UNDERSTANDING QUALIFICATIONS CHANGE
The Statutory Framework for the EYFS sets out the requirements for staff:child ratios and the qualification levels that practitioners must hold. CWDC defines 'full and relevant' qualifications that practitioners included in the specified ratios must hold.
The Early Years Qualifications List is a searchable tool designed to help those delivering the EYFS to identify which qualifications are considered full and relevant. It also lists qualifications that, together with accredited additional learning, could enable a practitioner's package of accredited learning to be viewed as 'full and relevant'.
Since 2010, early years qualifications have been migrating from the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) to the new Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF). According to regulator Ofqual, the QCF is a new way of recognising skills and qualifications, by awarding credit for qualifications and units (small steps of learning).
QCF qualifications fall into three categories:
Award - 1-12 credits
Certificate - 13-36 credits
Diploma - 37+ credits
Registration on some NQF qualifications has been extended and for up-to-date information it is important to refer to CWDC's Qualifications List.
Go to http://qualificationslist.cwdcouncil.org.uk or call the helpline on 0300 123 1033.
APPRENTICESHIPS
Apprenticeships are an integrated programme of on and off-the-job learning which enable learners (aged 16 and above) to gain and apply the skills, knowledge and understanding required by employers in a particular sector.
They aim to give learners the opportunity to:
- Achieve nationally recognised, work-based qualifications.
- Learn the required knowledge and skills for their chosen job, whilst earning a wage.
- Gain valuable experience, working alongside experienced staff.
Apprenticeship programmes are an important route for new recruits to develop skills for employment. They are government-funded programmes of structured on and off-the-job training that enable employers to develop appropriately skilled staff.
Apprenticeships are available at 3 levels:
- Intermediate Level Apprenticeships – these will include core qualifications at Level 2, plus additional qualifications such as Functional/Key Skills, etc. They can support progression towards Advanced Apprenticeships
- Advanced Level Apprenticeships – these will include core qualifications at Level 3, plus additional qualifications such as Functional/Key Skills, etc. They can support progression towards learning at higher levels, including Higher Apprenticeships.
- Higher Level Apprenticeships – these will include core qualifications at Level 4 and above, in some cases Foundation Degrees.
From April 2011, new requirements for Apprenticeships came into effect. These webpages have been amended to reflect these changes and make things easier to find. The new framework and relevant information is contained on the SASE compliant Framework http://www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/qualifications/apprenticeships/sase-framework
Pages and information and resources for past frameworks can be found in the other pages under the appropriate date ranges.
For more information on Apprenticeships, please visit the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) website. www.apprenticeships.org.uk
