NVQ Level 4 Care

This award is about enabling the development of services, organisational policy, joint working with other agencies, management skills and the improvement of the candidate's own knowledge, skills and practice. There is a focus on team development and the effective use of people and financial resources including the management of team and individual performance in the work setting. This award also provides standards for the recruitment and selection of volunteers/staff. The standards reflect both the provision of support and care, but also have a focus on the planning and monitoring of packages of care. There is a focus on the assessment of client's needs and in developing or agreeing service responses to meet assessed needs.

Candidates for this award may often be working as managers and supervisors of other workers or as managers of service responses within an organisation or within their own care provision. Candidates will have a degree of responsibility and autonomy, and will be required to make decisions within boundaries and limits agreed with senior management, agreed through relevant legislation or within the care team.

Structure

The award is structured so that a candidate will achieve eight mandatory units, plus six option units.

Mandatory units

• O2 Promote people's equality, diversity and rights.
• O3 Develop, maintain and evaluate systems and structures to promote the rights, responsibilities and diversity of people.

• CU7 Develop ones own knowledge and practice
• SC14 Establish, sustain and disengage from relationships with clients
• SC15 Develop and sustain arrangements for joint working with other workers and agencies.
• SC16 Assess clients' needs and circumstances
• SC17 Evaluate risk of abuse,failure to protect and harm to self and others
• SC18 Plan and agree with individual service responses to meet their identified needs and circumstances.

Option units

The selection of option units should be based on a discussion between the candidate and their manager about the candidate's present and future work role. The outcomes of this discussion can then be used to identify which of the option units are most suitable. The Care Level 4 award is designed to cover a wide range of different roles in the social and health care sector. The award includes a number of units related to management of a care service, the assessment of individuals' needs, their possible future role and possible future changes in the services that the organisation provides and the way that it provides them. The award has 17 option units which are as follows:

In deciding which units are most relevant, the best balance should be struck between the candidate's present role, their development needs, their possible future role and possible future changes in the services that the organisation provides and the way that they are provided.

Who is this award aimed at

This award is particularly relevant to roles such as:

Centre Manager

Deputy Manager

Social Worker

Social Work Assistant

Home Care Team Leader

Learning Disability Worker/Carer

Sensory Impairment Worker

Care Officer/Worker

Health Care Support Worker

Day Care Officer/Worker

Key Worker

Residential Community Care Worker

Residential Social Worker

Residential Worker

Relationships to other awards