Case Study 1

New QCF Level 3 Diploma Health and Social Care (Adults)

Private Adult Residential Services

Work Based Assessors

Three candidates from Apex Care Homes based in Bedfordshire were amongst the very first in the country to complete the new Award.

Samuel Ogbuagu, Anna Chileshe and Daniel Chilese were ably assisted and mentored by their Work-based Assessor and Manager Dorothy Hamaimbo who has received her Qualified Assessor Award.

Quote from Anna “Thank you very much for all the support and encouragement you gave us doing our training. Thanks once again and God bless you”

Quote from Daniel “My thanks go to my work based assessor, Dorothy, who tirelessly worked and mentored my work. I would also like to thank Colin Raine, the Internal Verifier for NVQ Academy for having verified and passed my work. I stand ready to do any further training”.

Quote from Dorothy “I am  very pleased to be associated with the successes of the three candidates from Apex Care Home for the new Level 3 Diploma Award - especially so for being amongst the very first in the country to do so. I am proud that I was one of those involved in their successes assisting and mentoring them during their learning process.

I gained the skills needed for collecting and judging evidence of competence. My own learning process in assessing candidates was not plain sailing so to speak - it was challenging and at times frustrating - but it is one I would gladly do again. The sense of achievement I felt was immense. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone.

I would like to thank Colin -NVQ Academy for supporting me and also for their dedication to work, I would also like to thank the operations and training manager, Mr Ranjit Yogendra for Apex Care Homes Ltd for his guidance during the course of my work. I wish to extend my thanks to other members of staff for their enthusiasm and dedication who were always eager to help.

Ranjit Yogendra (Operations and Training Manager for Apex Care Homes) himself a Work-Based Assessor with NVQ Academy said “I am very proud of my candidates who have achieved this new award through their hard work and would like to thank NVQ Academy for the support the candidates and the Assessor received and I myself had a good relationship with the Internal Verifier throughout the course”.

Colin Raine (Internal Verifier for NVQ Academy said “I am delighted for Samuel, Anna, Daniel and Dorothy who have each gained a new and valuable National Award. They can be justifiably proud to be among the first in England to achieve the new Diploma”.

Case Study 2

NVQ Level 4 Health & Social Care (Children & Young People)

Local Authority Family Support Services

Work Based Assessors

The whole spectrum of their responsibilities, skill and knowledge requirements was considered - and it was agreed that the whole team of eleven should embark on The Health & Social Care Level 4 (Children & Young People) Award.

Each individual was consulted – and all subsequently consented and agreed to work towards the Award.

Due to the complexity of the role i.e. that each staff member often worked alone on specific cases and tasks in the client’s own home – it was agreed that the NVQ Academy approach of training and qualifying a senior member of staff within the Organisation as a work-based assessor would be ideal – and cause little or no disruption to everyday working practice.

Two Work Based Assessors were trained – each working with 5 and 6 candidates respectively – and evidence began to be gathered from many – often very difficult (both physical and emotional) situations.

Each candidate was given a personal opportunity to consider and analyse her/his practice with the Assessor in a way their work had not been evaluated before. The assessor was able to observe and assess work practice unobtrusively – and without disruption as they were an integral part of the working team and therefore not viewed up on as an outsider to the families concerned.

The learning process was seen as highly beneficial and motivating to the candidates – who were not only highly skilled but were made more aware of just how much of themselves they brought to the role.

Such confidence and self belief not only benefited them as individuals – but success and enlightenment is infectious as each began to learn and research more deeply and conscientiously – benefiting the team and the Service as a whole.

In such a highly-charged environment it was extremely important to ensure that the qualification process did not get in the way of the spontaneity of the service being provided – and that activities were seen as learning opportunities – not learning seen as an additional chore. To that goal – priority was given to the holistic approach to assessment ensuring enabling, analysis, development and evaluation – rather than a piece-meal approach of satisfying individual criteria. Quality was the key word (detail and focussed) – not quantities of paperwork produced serving little or no purpose.

Consequently the whole team – all eleven participants achieved their qualification in a six month period which was full of learning, mind/soul searching, job evaluation and most of all pride.

Case Study 3

NVQ Level 4 Health & Social Care (Adults)

Local Authority Adult Services

NVQ Academy Assessor

M is the manager of a large Residential Home for clients with multiple physical and/or learning disabilities.

He has been in post for a short while – and readily admits he is still in the process of making his mark on the Home – gaining the trust and respect of his staff and implementing popular and unpopular changes to ensure the Service is not just satisfactory – but one of excellence.

M already achieved a qualification in management – but was informed that he needed a Level 4 Health & Social Care qualification to meet registration requirements.

This – for a busy manager – was seen a “bit of an inconvenience” – but thankfully also as a unique opportunity to consider and evaluate his application and dedication to the Home.

From the outset – M and his assessor pledged that the qualification would not influence the job – but that the job would influence the qualification. At induction it was agreed that assessment would be planned around real work and fit in directly with his busy schedule – providing unique opportunities to analyse and consider the process and improvements either seen or planned to be made as a result of practice in the future.

M had difficulty at first in recognising particular practice which illustrated his unique skills and application – but with the help and skills of the assessor acting as mentor and confidante – he very quickly began to realise “learn” just how influential he had been on the lives of the users of his Service.

“Living Eggs” was a project which highlighted this perfectly. M had arranged for an Organisation to bring un-hatched fertilised eggs into the Home – which were then kept in an incubator – looked after and observed by staff and service users alike until the “birth of their babies”. The outcome was that all concerned would want to be there – day or night – at vital times in the process – particularly at the actual hatchings. The chickens stayed in the care of the home for a few weeks – and there are many pictures in the foyer of the home showing interaction between service used and the chicks.

M also expressed a wish – or plan – to involve several service users in a trip to the ice rink – not just to observe – but to get involved by taking their wheelchairs onto the ice. He doubted this would ever happen – but was encouraged by his assessor to “go against the grain” and turn fantasy into reality.
There was also a requirement to consider M’s style and application of management skills - and it was arranged that the assessor would observe – his interaction with his staff in meetings, interdisciplinary projects and staff management, support and development.

The outcome of these plans – and their inception – was that the whole process was extremely educational – but also (and crucially) fun.

There has always been a perception (ill conceived in my opinion) that learning – and teaching – is about paperwork. Some would say if there are not several ring-binders full of endless tick-sheets a candidate is failing to learn or be educated. In reality the last thing a busy manger wants or needs is more forms to add to his full and overflowing in and out tray. To ensure full engagement the assessor and candidate concentrated their efforts – and precious time) on real activities, real assessment and real genuine appraisal, learning and development oozing out of each piece of interaction (evidence).

Hopefully M would admit that he has learned and developed beyond all his expectations – and indeed earned a well deserved qualification.

The whole process included a themed celebration of the Royal Wedding and concluded with the dream turning into reality – a day out a Milton Keynes Ice Rink with two wheelchair users and two members of staff (including M) having a wonderful, educational and normal day out.