Overview of the Role

Guide and inspire teams to make positive differences to someone’s life when they are faced with physical, practical, social, emotional, psychological, or intellectual challenges

Details of standard

Occupation: Leader in Adult Care

The Leader in Adult Care will guide and inspire teams to make positive differences to someone’s life when they are faced with physical, practical, social, emotional, psychological, or intellectual challenges. They will be a leader of the care team and will develop and implement a values-based culture at a service or unit level. They may be responsible for business development, financial control, organisational resilience, and continuity as well as for managing risk and leading on organisational change.

A Leader in Adult Care has responsibility for managing community or residential based services. This role has a large element of leadership, whether with other care workers and networks or in leading the service itself. A successful apprentice will have met all the requirements. They have a responsibility to ensure the service is safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led. They may be a registered manager of a service, unit, deputy, or assistant manager. They will be responsible for ensuring regulatory compliance of the care given and the values and training of staff with established standards and regulations.

These are the personal attributes and behaviours expected of all Leaders in Adult Care carrying out their roles:

• Care – is caring consistently and enough about individuals to make a positive difference to their lives
• Compassion – is delivering care and support with kindness, consideration, dignity, empathy, and respect
• Courage – is doing the right thing for people and speaking up if the individual they support is at risk
• Communication – good communication is central to successful caring relationships and effective team working
• Competence – is applying knowledge and skills to provide high quality care and support

What the Leader in Adult Care on completion must know and understand:

• Statutory frameworks, standards, guidance, and Codes of Practice which underpin practice in relation to the safe delivery of services
• Systems and processes needed to ensure compliance with regulations and organisational policies and procedures including health and safety and risk management
• Principles of risk management, assessment, and outcome-based practice
• Principles and underpinning theories of change management including approaches, tools, and techniques that support the change process
• Legislative and regulatory frameworks which inform quality standards
• Theories and models that underpin performance and appraisal including disciplinary procedures
• Legislation and policy initiatives on the promotion of diversity, equality, and inclusion in services they lead
• Legal and ethical frameworks in relation to confidentiality and sharing information
• Range of tools and strategies to enhance communication including technology
• Legislation, national and local solutions for the safeguarding of adults and children including reporting requirements
• The elements needed to create a culture that supports whistleblowing in the organisation
• Models of monitoring, reporting, and responding to changes in health and wellbeing
• Principles of professional development
• Goals and aspirations that support own professional development and how to access available opportunities
• Elements needed to create a culture that values learning, professional development, reflective practice and evidence-based practice
• Systems and processes necessary to ensure professional development opportunities are identified, planned, sourced, evaluated and recorded for workers

Leadership

• Theories of management and leadership and their application to adult care
• Features of effective team performance
• Commitment – to improving the experience of people who need care and support ensuring it is person centred

Leaders in Adult Care may work in residential or nursing homes, domiciliary care, community day centres, a person’s own home or some clinical healthcare settings. The role of Leader in Adult Care in this standard also covers Personal Assistants who operate in a management role, but they may only work directly for one individual who needs support and/or care services.

Typical job titles include Registered, Assistant, Deputy, Unit or Service Manager.

Duration:

Typically 18-24 months

Level: 5

Qualifications

• Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care.
• Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to completion of their Apprenticeship.
• For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement the apprenticeships English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3 and British Sign Language qualification are an alternative to English qualifications for whom this is their primary language.

What Next?

Whatever the size of your business, contact Ensis to discuss your requirements.