NVQ in Leadership and Management for Care Services

... if you're taking these qualifications

• What sorts of things do they cover?

  Depending on the options you choose, you'll cover things like:

  • motivating people to work well in teams
  • communicating with managers and professionals across teams
  • setting up management information systems
  • making sure that care homes and day care centres are safe environments to live and work in.
• How will I learn and be assessed?

  To gain an NVQ, you need to show you've got a particular set of skills. You usually work with your training provider to review your current skills and find the best way to gain new ones - perhaps by trying new things at work, or by studying.

  NVQs are assessed at work or in a simulated workplace. For each unit your assessor watches and asks questions as you perform a task, or looks at a portfolio of work that you've built as formal evidence of your learning. Then they confirm you've got the skills to do the job well.

  For a Leadership and Management for Care Services NVQ you'll be assessed at your place of work. You'll be observed as you do your job, make decisions, demonstrate your knowledge and leadership skills in team meetings and case study reviews. There will also be one-to-one discussions.

• Which level is right for me?

  This qualification is only available at level 4. You'll be working in a management role in a care home, nursing home or day care centre, or be responsible for planning services, measuring performance and delivering continuous improvement in care services.

• How long do they take?

  The Leadership and Management for Care Services Level 4 NVQ usually takes:

  • 1 year full time
  • 2 years part time.

  This is a rough guide - each centre decides its own timescales and you can often learn at your own pace.

• What jobs could they lead to?

  A Leadership and Management for Care Services NVQ could take your career in a new direction within adult or children's care services. It will confirm that you have the necessary competence to run a care centre or nursing home.

  Depending on your interests and the options you choose, you could get involved in:

  • developing services for people with special learning needs
  • planning the level of resources needed
  • organising how budgets are used
  • setting up new ways of caring for vulnerable adults, children and young people.

  To step up to a role as a senior manager or broaden your skills and knowledge within care services, you might want to think about these other qualifications too:

  • Counselling (4458) - the skills to work one-to-one with individuals and groups, and continue your self-development
  • Inspecting Learning Disability Services (4456) - the skills to check that people with learning difficulties have every opportunity to reach their full potential
  • Community Development (4463) - the skills to develop policy and practice in community development work
  • Health and Well-being (4462) - the knowledge and skills to step up to a senior practitioner role within the healthcare sector
  • N/SVQ Health and Social Care (3172/3175) - the skills to support people who face physical or emotional challenges in their daily lives.

  To develop your career as a leader and manager within Care Services, take a look at all the leadership and management qualifications we offer through our sister organisation ILM.