CACHE

The following information was provided by the Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education
CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education

What is a child care and education worker?

A qualified child care and education worker understands the development of children from birth to seven years, 11 months and works with children and their families to promote the care and education of the child.

They are responsible for promoting the emotional, physical, intellectual, linguistic and social development of children in their care. They contribute formally and informally to the assessment of children’s particular needs and identify problems which need special attention. Their job may involve working with children with special needs such as learning difficulties and physical disabilities. They carry out activities with individual children and with groups.

Qualified child care and education workers work alone as well as in partnership with other professional staff such as teachers, health visitors, social worker, therapists, doctors, education advisers, etc. They also work closely with parents, carers and families and are often the main contact point with such groups.

What does a child care and education worker do?

They are trained to work with children in a wide range of settings, for example in nurseries, infant schools/classes, day nurseries, family centres and hospitals. The majority work in:

• Nursery, infant or special schools
• Day nurseries or family centres, as a nursery officer
• Hospitals
• Private homes
• Private nurseries

What is the CACHE Diploma in Child Care and Education?

The CACHE Diploma is a modular training course for anyone wishing to work with children. You gain the Diploma by completing 12 modules.

You will learn about children at different stages in their growth and development. You will also learn how to care for and educate children and how to work with parents, carers and other professionals in this field. Practical placements are an integral part of the course.

Do I have to study full-time?

The Diploma is suitable for anyone who is available to study either a two year

full-time course or the equivalent part-time length of study.

Candidates with the Level 2, National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Early Years Care and Education, or the Certificate in Child Care and Education – or equivalent – do not need to study all the modules to achieve the Diploma. Entry is at the discretion of the Course Tutor.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed in each module by either a national assignment or a short test. In addition, your practical skills will be assessed and recorded on a Practice Evidence Record.

How do I enrol?

A list of approved centres is available from CACHE. There are Study Centres throughout England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand. You should contact your nearest Study Centre for more information on registering as a candidate and information about fees.

Can I also be assessed for a Level 3, NVQ in Early Years Care and Education?

Candidates for the Diploma can also register for NVQs in Early Years Care and Education and so acquire some units of competence for the NVQ alongside their period of study. In addition to providing the underpinning knowledge and understanding for the Level 3, NVQ in Early Years Care and Education, the modular scheme includes study of the social and legal framework in early years care and education, and the early years curriculum.

What are the titles of the modules?

A Observation and Assessment

B Work with Young Children

C Induction Module

D Foundations to Caring

E The Developing Child

G Health and Community Care 1

H Play, Curriculum and Early Learning

L Work with Babies, 0-1 year

P The Nursery Nurse in Employment

Q Social and Legal Framework in the UK

R Equality of Opportunity

S Work with Parents

Also:

Additional Studies/Support Studies

Tutorial (personal and subject)

Practical Training.

Employment

More and more parents/guardians are continuing to work or are returning to work and this increases the demand for high quality child care and education. There are also opportunities for child care and education workers to become nursery managers or to set up their own nursery.

CACHE mission statement

‘The Council will strive throughout its work an enable professional workers in children’s care and education to gain access to training and assessment in order that they provide the highest quality service to children and families. The Council will also act as a focus for national standards in children’s care and education.’

A list of CACHE approved Study Centres for this award is available from CACHE

NVQs in Early Years Care and Education

What are NVQs?

NVQs are a system of awards that were introduced for people involved in vocational work – be it full-time or part-time, waged or unwaged. There is a series of NVQs specifically designed for those working in Early years Care and Education ie: work with children under eight years.

A candidate may be assessed for an NVQ without having gained any previous qualifications or undertaken any previous courses or forms of study. However they will have to show that they have the required underpinning knowledge and understanding of Early Years Care and Education in order to be assessed for the award. There are no examinations – NVQ candidates are assessed on their performance in the work setting against a set of national standards. Assessment is carried out by qualified assessors from the candidate’s workplace, or by assessors who work from the local NVQ Assessment Centre.

You do not have to be paid work e.g. you could be a student or volunteer working in a playgroup, day nursery, hospital, a voluntary agency, local authority or private organisation or you could be self-employed eg: a childminder – NVQs will benefit both you and the organisation where you work.

NVQs raise the quality of service provided by staff through the recognition of skills and experience gained through work and measured against the agreed national standards for employment. CACHE approved NVQ Assessment Centres offer NVQs in Early Years Care and Education at Levels 2 and 3.

Each of the two qualifications is a combination of mandatory and optional units. Mandatory units represent work carried out in a wide range of Early Years Care and Educational settings. The optional units represent more specialised areas of work. To achieve an NVQ at either level, a candidate must be assessed as competent in all of the mandatory units and in two optional units for Level 2 and three optional units at Level 3. The choice of optional units must reflect the candidate’s work setting. The mandatory and optional units are listed at the end of this section.

Benefits to employers

NVQs will enhance the quality of services provided by staff, by facilitating staff training and development. They will:

• Address the skills gaps of the workforce
• Provide a benchmark for good practice
• Help to address the training needs of the workplace
• Assist in the employment, appraisal and retention of staff

They are closely linked with Investors in People which is implemented by employers in partnership with Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs).

Benefits to employees

The awards allow people to become more competent and confident in their work and will increase their value in the employment market. They will also enable candidates to progress to further or higher education.

NVQs will provide nationally recognised qualifications for people who have previously had little or no access to qualifications. This is because the NVQ qualifications formally recognise their skills and experience and acknowledge their competent performance in the workplace.

How can organisations become involved with CACHE in the provision of NVQs?

Organisations can become a CACHE approved NVQ Assessment Centre. An NVQ Assessment Centre may consist of a consortium made up of any number of organisations of varying sizes operating in the public, private and/or voluntary sectors, working together co-operatively to provide NVQs. Or a single organisation as a stand alone centre.

As part of an NVQ Assessment Centre, the organisation will train work based assessors. Once the assessment systems are in place the focus can then be directed towards candidate support, training and development.

Where are NVQs available?

NVQs in Early Years Care and Education are available at approved NVQ Assessment Centres in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, they are called Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) in Early Years Care and Education. Assessment for SVQs is based on the same national standards as the rest of the UK.

Level 4 NVQ in Early Years Care and Education

The National Standards for Level 4 have just been written and will become available very shortly. Please contact CACHE for further information.

NB:

NVQs in Early Years Care and Education replaced NVQs in Child Care and Education from 1 February 1998 after a major revision and consultation process. Some applicants will hold the previously awarded NVQs in Child Care and Education which will continue to be valid in their own right. Such applicants should not believe that their qualification has been devalued by the revision to Early Years NVQs or that they need to register for the new award. Candidates who have commenced the NVQs in Child Care and Education have up to two years to complete Level 2 or three years to complete Level 3. Candidates wishing to transfer to the NVQ in EYCE should discuss this with their NVQ Assessment Centre.

LEVEL 2 MANDATORY UNITS

C1 Support children’s physical development needs

C4 Support children’s social and emotional development

C8 Implement planned activities for sensory and intellectual development

C9 Implement planned activities for the development of language and

Communication skills

E1 Maintain an attractive, stimulating and reassuring environment for children

E2 Maintain the safety and security of children

M3 Contribute to the achievement of organisational requirements

P1 Relate to parents

LEVEL 2 OPTIONAL UNITS

C12 Feed babies

C13 Provide for babies’ physical development needs

M1 Monitor, store and prepare materials and equipment

P9 Work with parents in a group

CU10 Contribute to the effectiveness of work teams.

LEVEL 3 MANDATORY UNITS

C2 Provide for children’s physical needs

C3 Promote the physical development of children

C5 Promote children’s social and emotional development

C7 Provide a framework for the management of behaviour

C10 Promote children’s sensory and intellectual development

C11 Promote children’s language and communication development

C15 Contribute to the protection of children from abuse

C16 Observe and assess the development and behaviour of children

E3 Plan and equip environments for children

M7 Plan, implement and evaluate learning activities and experiences

P2 Establish and maintain relationships with parents

LEVEL 3 OPTIONAL UNITS

C14 Care for and promote the development of babies

C17 Promote the care and education of children with special needs

C18 Develop structured programmes for children with special needs

M6 Work with other professionals

M8 Plan, implement and evaluate routines for children

M2 Manage admissions, finance and operating

M20 Inform and implement management committee policies and procedures

P4 Support parents in developing their parenting skills

P5 Involve parents in group activities

P7 Visit and support a family in their own home

P8 Establish and maintain a child care and education service

MC1C1 Manage yourself

MC1C4 Create effective working relationships

C24 Support the development of children’s literacy skills

C25 Support the development of children’s mathematical skills

October 1999

The following information has been provided by CACHE

How to choose your childcarer

Whilst experience is important, childcarers also need to know how to deal with the unexpected and how to support the development of your child. When selecting a childcarer, look for the following CACHE qualifications so that you know your child carer is competent:

• NVQ in Child Care and Education or in Early Years Care and Education (Level 3 means that they have been assessed for a higher level of responsibility than candidates with Level 2: A candidate with a level 2 award is trained to work as an assistant. A candidate with a level 3 has been trained to work in unsupervised settings or in classrooms).
• NVQ in Play Work. This qualification is for people working with children aged between 5 and 15.
• CACHE Certificate in Child Care and Education. This qualification is for nursery or playgroup assistants and mothers’ helps.
• CACHE Diploma in Nursery Nursing (NNEB). This qualification is for childminders, classroom assistants, nannies, nursery nurses, playgroup supervisors.
• CACHE Advanced Diploma in Child Care and Education. This qualification is for advanced practitioners, inspectors, managers, registration officers, and verifiers. It is a specialised award and should only be taken by candidates with a more general qualification such as the NNEB or the NVQ.
• CACHE Specialist Teacher Assistant Award for classroom assistants.

If you would like CACHE to verify that a CACHE diploma is genuine, fax details of the candidate and if possible a copy of the Diploma to Margaret Finn on 01727 867609.

Council for Awards in Children’s Care and Education

(Incorporating CEYA and NNEB)

8 Chequer Street

St Albans

Herts AL1 3XZ

Tel 01727 847636

Fax 01727 867609