This qualification is practice-based and assesses learners’ knowledge and competence to practice. It develops the learner’s ability to practically support health and care needs of adults in a range of settings and will enable them to develop and demonstrate their knowledge, understanding, behaviours, skills and practice within a health and social care setting. In particular, learners will be able to demonstrate that they:

  • understand, and apply in practice, the principles and values which underpin health and social care
  • understand, and apply in practice, person-centred approaches
  • make a positive contribution to the health and social care sector though their own practice
  • reflect on practice to continuously improve
  • understand job roles and ways of working within the health and social care sector
  • use literacy, numeracy and digital competency skills as appropriate within their role.

Specific requirements

It is suitable for:

  • learners from 16 years of age who working in a support role with adults in the Healthcare and Social Care Sectors
  • learners who have completed the Level 2 Health and Social Care: Core qualification
  • learners already employed in the Healthcare and Social Care Sectors
  • learners returning to the work place after a career break looking to refresh their knowledge and skills
  • Learners who have completed the Level 2 Health and Social Care: Principles and Contexts (Adults) qualification.

It is strongly encouraged that learners have completed the core qualification prior to, or alongside the Level 2 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults) as this will be a requirement for practice set by Social Care Wales. It is also a feature of the Foundation Apprenticeship in Health and Social Care.

What will I study?

The mandatory content of the qualification is aligned to the key themes of the All Wales Induction Framework for Health and Social Care and includes:

  • professional practice
  • health and safety
  • safeguarding
  • legislation, national policy and codes of practice
  • health and well-being (adults)
  • a range of practice areas such as dementia or learning disability.

This qualification contains a single mandatory and a range of optional units that are linked to specific types of support or health and social care settings.

All underpinning knowledge units required for the Level 2 Practice award can be studied through the medium of Welsh.

To achieve the Level 2 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults) qualification learners must achieve a minimum of 35 credits in total:

  • 14 credits must be achieved from the mandatory unit
  • a minimum of 21 credits will be selected from the suite of optional units which include units
    that are about direct support and healthcare.

 

The learner must successfully complete:

  • a portfolio of evidence that includes direct observation of practice
  • externally set, internally assessed tasks.

Where does it lead?

Successful completion of the qualification enables learners to work as a qualified health and social care worker in Level 2 roles across the Healthcare and Social Care.

It will also enable learners to apply for registration with Social Care Wales as a domiciliary care worker providing that they meet any additional registration requirements.


The qualification supports learners to progress to:

  • Level 3 Health and Social Care: Practice (Adults)
  • Level 3 Health and Social Care: Practice (Children and Young People)
  • Advanced GCE and Advanced Subsidiary GCE in Heath and Social Care, and Childcare
  • Level 4 Preparing for Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care
  • Level 4 Professional Practice in Health and Social Care.

The Apprenticeship, Traineeship and Jobs Growth Wales Programmes, led by the Welsh Government, are supported by the European Social Fund.