Currently delivering this programme with
What will you learn?
Level 2 Certificate in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
This programme enhances understanding of SEND conditions, inclusive practices, and legal frameworks. Upon completion, learners will achieve an accredited Level 2 TQUK qualification in SEND, further enhancing their expertise in Special Educational Needs.
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
A Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Residential) with a SEND pathway is a leadership role within residential childcare. You’ll oversee teams who support children and young people, often those living with complex needs or disabilities, to help them achieve positive outcomes in their daily lives. The role focuses on managing staff, ensuring high-quality care, and embedding safe, inclusive practices within a residential childcare setting and you will develop the leadership skills needed to manage residential services and support children and families effectively.
This apprenticeship is right for you if you are already working in residential childcare and want to progress into, or strengthen, a management role, especially if you are a deputy manager or managers looking to develop leadership skills and improve outcomes for children, young people and families. If you are passionate about leading teams, supporting children with SEND, and driving positive change in a residential setting, this programme can help you build the knowledge and confidence to take the next step in your career.
You should already be working in a residential childcare setting where you can apply the learning from the programme in your day-to-day role. The apprenticeship is designed for those in supervisory, deputy manager or manager positions who want to strengthen their leadership and management skills.
The apprenticeship typically lasts 18 months. During this time, you will take part in a mix of face-to-face and online learning to develop your skills, knowledge and behaviours and you will also complete at least six hours of off-the-job training each week. At the end of the programme, you’ll complete an end-point assessment to demonstrate the knowledge you have developed.
You will develop the skills needed to lead residential childcare services and support positive outcomes for children and families. This includes managing teams, safeguarding practices, health and safety, communication and partnership working, and supporting children’s development. The Level 2 Certificate in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is also an optional embedded certificate within the apprenticeship.
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 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Residential SEND Pathway) apprenticeship, you can continue to build your skills and progress your career into more senior leadership and management roles within residential childcare and wider social care settings.
A common next step for further academic and professional development is to progress onto a degree-level programme, such as a bachelor’s degree or degree apprenticeship in areas like social work, leadership and management, or children and young people’s services. Degree apprenticeships are typically delivered by universities and employers, and while we do not deliver these programmes directly, they are widely available across England through higher education providers.
This Level 5 programme prepares you with the leadership, knowledge and practical experience needed to take on senior roles and provides a strong foundation if you choose to pursue degree-level study in the future, helping you continue your progression within the sector.
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.
