What You’ll Gain As An Learner
Through expert teaching, quality resources and ongoing support from industry professionals, you will gain the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to work with children, young people and their families in residential settings. You will also learn how to support children and young people with additional needs, like Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). With nearly 20 years of training expertise and a 99% learner success rate, we are your trusted partner in supporting your career growth and helping you empower young lives.
What You’ll Gain As An Employer
We provide expert teaching through quality resources and ongoing support to take your staff to the next level as they progress in their childcare career and learn how to support children and young people living with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and other additional needs, as well as their families. With nearly 20 years of training expertise and a 99% learner success rate, leave the teaching to us as we support the next generation of teaching professionals on their journey to empowering the lives of children and young people.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Level 4 Children, Young People and Families Practitioner – Residential (SEND Pathway) apprenticeship prepares you to support children and young people living in residential care, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). You will learn how to provide person-centred care, support wellbeing and work with families and professionals to deliver effective support in residential childcare settings.
This apprenticeship is ideal if you work in residential childcare or a similar support role and want to develop specialist knowledge in supporting children and young people with SEND. If you’re passionate about helping young people overcome challenges, develop confidence and reach their potential, this programme can help you take the next step in your career. It’s designed for those who want to build their expertise and make a meaningful difference in residential care environments.
Yes, you’ll usually need to be working in a relevant residential childcare role, such as a residential care worker or support worker. This ensures you can apply your learning in practice and meet the programme requirements through your job responsibilities. Having experience working with children and young people will help you build on your existing skills while developing more advanced knowledge in residential care and SEND support.
The apprenticeship lasts around 18 months, when you’ll complete a combination of face-to-face and online learning alongside your job role. Apprentices must also dedicate a minimum of six hours per week to off-the-job training, which may include digital learning, workplace assessments and one-to-one support. The programme finishes with an end-point assessment to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours you’ve developed.
You’ll learn how to support children and young people in residential care, including those with SEND, to achieve positive outcomes and develop independence. You will learn how to create and review person-centred care plans and support families whilst covering safeguarding, communication, health and wellbeing, child development and multi-agency working.
In addition, at Month 9 of the apprenticeship, learners will complete a Level 2 Certificate in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). This 12-week programme enhances understanding of SEND conditions, inclusive practices, and legal frameworks. Apprentices will develop the skills to support individuals with SEND, provide guidance to families, and promote inclusive learning environments. Upon completion, learners will achieve an accredited Level 2 TQUK qualification in SEND, further enhancing their expertise in early years education.
Off-the-job training is structured learning that takes place during your paid working hours but is separate from your normal day-to-day duties. You’re required to complete a minimum of six hours per week of this training to develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for your apprenticeship. Activities can include online learning, workshops, research, mentoring and other development tasks relevant to your role.
You can also use our Learner Enrichment Calendar to help plan and log suitable off-the-job activities that count towards your training hours, giving you a variety of ways to grow your skills throughout the programme.
All off-the-job training hours must be recorded on your e-portfolio system, Aptem, to ensure your progress is tracked throughout your apprenticeship.
Once you’ve completed the Level 4 apprenticeship, you can continue to build your skills and progress your career within residential childcare settings. A natural next step is to advance onto our Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Residential SEND Pathway) apprenticeship.
This programme is designed for those looking to move into deputy manager or manager roles, developing the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to lead teams and support children, young people and families to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes.
On completion, you will also gain a Level 5 TQUK Diploma in Residential Management, helping you progress into leadership positions and take on greater responsibility within residential childcare environments.
For the learner, there is no cost.
For employers, the cost depends on whether you pay the apprenticeship levy:
- Levy-paying employers: You can use your apprenticeship levy funds to cover the full cost of the programme. These funds are accessed through your digital apprenticeship service account.
- Non-levy employers: The government will fund 95% of the training cost, meaning you only pay the remaining 5%. Based on the £6,000 funding band, this equates to just £300.
This makes apprenticeships a highly cost-effective way to develop your workforce, with the majority of training costs covered through government support.