Care Practitioner Review

I am a senior care practitioner. I work within a residential home specialising in learning disabilities. We are a three bed home for looked after chidren and currently are at max capacity with two boys and one girl. All are mid to late teens. We provide residential accommodation for children on full care orders

I have learned a lot about child development theories. This has helped me to make connections with the young people. I've also developed parenting skills and how to work therapeutically rather than behaviourally ( having come from the education sector it was difficult to unlearn the concept of consequence and punishment)

It is okay. Mid level enjoyment. I prefer to work much more quickly than I have been able to. There's been a fair amount of waiting to get started, then waiting to get going. I'm sure it suits some people that way but i have found it drags.

It is perfectly well structured, with sequential units which take a segment of required knowledge and has a range of questions which test academic knowledge and also work based practice. There is space for observations, and witness testimonies to further exhibit competence in the unit. It seems to cover resi care in good depth.

My employer have been very supportive over the duration of the full course. I have had opportunities to speak with managers about anything if which I am unsure, and they are have been always prompt and wiling to observe and write witness statements for me to use to evidence practice.

My tutor has been of great support to me. She understands my frustration with the slow start and has said she will feed this back to her managers. She emails me often with units of work for me to get started with, which I have found really helpful. She always calls be back if she misses my call and is always happy to chat me through things.

I think the qualification has led me to be more aware of how young people behave and how I can best help them to achieve a much more positive outcome for life. I think I understand the role in a much more profound and deeper level than I did previously.

There are no extra curricular activities to get involved in. There would be very little time to do so even if there were. Residential childcare recruitment and retention is very low, so existing staff are stretched very thin covering hours. This leaves no time and very little inclination for a friendly netball match.

Yes

It's not on me to recommend this provider or this provision. I think it is perfectly serviceable and will churn out some decent care pracs. However, it is heavily weighted to the academic and very time consuming which would, i know from others on the same course, put people off completing it.

Be prepared for a long wait to get going. Then be prepared for a 13 page unit to only progress you 1%. Be ready to feel that working on something for over ten hours should really bump you up more than 1! Be ready to do a lot of the work in your own time/ unpaid