News release - 11 February 2011

Skills for Care is marking national Apprenticeships Week by reissuing its guidance to employers about workers aged under 18. The guidance now encourages employers to help young workers become apprentices.

The guidance, confirms that young practitioners can be employed in adult social care providing:

• they have completed or are undertaking an approved training programme in health and social care
• the registered manager or a delegated person assesses the competence and confidence of the young worker to carry out all the tasks required of them, including where necessary intimate personal care
• that appropriate support is offered to the young worker
• the consent of the person being supported and/or their advocate has been obtained
• inexperienced practitioners are not left in charge of a care setting or left to work on their own.

Assessing workers' competence, giving them appropriate support and obtaining the consent of those being supported are issues that apply to workers of all ages, but the guidance alerts employers that these might need particular attention in the case of young workers.

Approved training programmes are those recognised by Skills for Care as leading to qualifications that are included in the Qualifications and Credit Framework.

Skills for Care points out that such programmes are beyond those that are intended simply to meet the requirements of the Common Induction Standards, but it reminds employers too that those standards apply to workers of all ages who are new in post.

"We are pleased to re-issue our guidance for employers and inspectors that clarifies that adult social care workers aged 16 and 17 are allowed to undertake all work tasks suitable for their level of employment," said Skills for Care CEO Sharon Allen.

"We wanted to make it clear to employers that age isn't an issue in recruiting workers who are really motivated to develop long term careers in our sector - careers that will improve outcomes for people who use services.

 "Our advice to employers is that the most efficient way to ensure their young workers are on an approved training programme is to support them to enrol in a Health and Social Care apprenticeship."

Care Quality Commission (CQC) chief executive Cynthia Bower commented, "CQC supports the view of Skills for Care that 16 and 17 year olds can make a valuable contribution to the adult social care sector. It is vital that when working with this age group providers not only meet the essential standards of safety and quality but follow best practice guidelines and this guidance from Skills for Care is a welcome addition to that. This will help services to provide safe, quality care and deliver good outcomes for people."