News
- New Qualifications
- New childcare qualifications have been introduced in Autumn 2010. In a move to try to reduce the complexity and confusion surrounding qualifications for people working with children and young people, there will now just be one qualification for the sector.
There are two levels to the new qualification – a Level 2 Certificate and a Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People’s Workforce.
The Level 2 Certificate for the Children and Young People's Workforce is called a certificate to indicate its size under the new Qualifications and Credit Framework.
The certificate has been developed to be 35 credits in size and is a combination of knowledge and competence units. Credits are a combination of guided learning hours, private study and assessment. It is designed to be a generic qualification for the wider children's workforce and will be an excellent preparation for the Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce.
The Level 3 Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce will be the only Level 3 diploma for the workforce in England. It has been developed by the Children’s Workforce Development Council to fulfill its ambition of creating a respected children and young people's workforce who make a positive difference to children, young people and their families.
All existing Level 3 qualifications are considered equal to the new diploma so current Level 3 practitioners will not have to do another qualification. Within the diploma, learners will be able to choose the pathway that’s suitable for them. The pathways are:
- Early Years – suitable, for example, for day care settings practitioners
- Children’s Social Care – suitable, for example, for practitioners in residential care
- Learning Development and Support Services– suitable, for example, for Connexions staff and learning mentors.
The new Level 3 qualification is called a diploma to indicate its size of 65 credits. Credits are a combination of guided learning hours, private study and assessment.
More information on the new qualifications will be added here as soon as it is available. You can read about the Children’s Workforce Development Council’s vision for the new qualifications at www.cwdcouncil.org.uk
