Apprenticeship training course

Community health and wellbeing worker (level 3)

To work in partnership with individuals and their communities to identify and address health and wellbeing needs, improve health, prevent ill-health and reduce inequalities.

• Qualification level: 3 ; Equivalent to A level.
• Typical duration: 12 months
• Apprenticeship category: Health and science
• Maximum funding: £7,000 ; Maximum amount government will fund ; for apprenticeship training.
• Also known as:
  • Care or Service Navigator
  • Community Connector
  • Community Health Champion
  • Health Trainer
  • Live Well Coach
  • Social Prescribing Link Worker
• Skills:
  Skills an apprentice will learn

  • recognise, and help others to also recognise, the factors that impact on a person’s health and wellbeing that they can or cannot control or influence.
  • assist individuals, groups and communities to recognise their needs, what is important to them, and their strengths in relation to their health and wellbeing.
  • help people, groups and communities to identify and address barriers that can be overcome to achieve better health and wellbeing.
  • work with people and communities to identify and access local resources and assets that support their health and wellbeing.
  • work with people and communities so that they continue to make changes and solve problems on their own.
  • build partnerships and connections with local people, groups and organisations to reach shared solutions to local needs or issues.
  • work with, support or supervise people working as volunteers whilst recognising the boundaries of their roles.
  • recognise whether non-statutory community and voluntary groups and services are safe and sustainable to support people’s health and wellbeing needs, and escalate any concerns.
  • identify where different organisations collaborate successfully or interface seamlessly and build on these strengths to extend provision.
  • identify and highlight competition or conflict between services where this does not work in the interests of the local community or works against the best use of local assets.
  • research local provision, including online, for a wide range of interventions, projects and services that can support individuals and communities who are seeking to better manage their health and wellbeing.
  • keep information on local and digital provision up to date.
  • identify barriers preventing individuals from accessing local services, including how services are promoted or communicated.
  • receive and manage referrals recognising situations where appropriate onward referral, escalation or signposting can be made within scope of practice.
  • manage people’s personal data safely and securely when completing and storing records or sharing data.
  • recognise when someone is in distress or crisis and how to ensure that the right support is available for them at the point of need.
  • develop relationships with local health and wellbeing service providers to ensure appropriate referrals or signposting can be made and the service offer is understood.
  • manage a caseload and potential waiting lists and be able to prioritise in line with service guidance within scope of own practice.
  • help people to identify the key issues impacting on their health and wellbeing, actively listening to a person’s story without judgement.
  • work with individuals or groups to navigate health-related and service-related information to make decisions about their health and wellbeing.
  • work with individuals and groups who want to make changes to their behaviours and lifestyle choices to improve their health and wellbeing.
  • use behaviour change tools and techniques to develop and agree a plan of action, or set goals with a person to help them to address the issues and priorities they have identified regarding their health and wellbeing.
  • help people to review and access services relevant to them and their needs to optimise access and choice, including services that can address wider issues (such as social, financial or environmental) affecting their health and wellbeing.
  • work with individuals to support self-care behaviours that will continue beyond the engagement of health and wellbeing services.
  • deliver interventions that meet the needs of local communities including the consideration of cultural and faith-based factors.
  • support local communities through the implementation of strategies and policies that improve health outcomes and address health inequalities.
  • facilitate access to and promote services delivered by a range of public and voluntary sector agencies in the community, and services that are accessible digitally or online.
  • apply the most recent evidence to improve the effectiveness of strategies, policies and interventions.
  • communicate complex public health messages to people in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them.
  • communicate with people from a wide range of backgrounds, including professionals from different sectors, and citizens of different cultures.
  • facilitate consistent and helpful communications for people to make local services easier to understand and access.
  • facilitate communication and collaboration between people, communities and service providers where better connections and networks would support easier access and better provision.
  • act in accordance with relevant legislation, local policies and protocols regarding information governance, data security, data sharing and record keeping when handling people’s personal data and information.
  • use different types of data and information to identify priorities and measure health outcomes.
  • use recognised tools and data so that changes to people’s health and wellbeing can be measured or monitored at an individual, group or community level.
  • seek people’s consent to record and use their data, explaining to people who use services how their data and information will be used, and how it will be stored safely.
  • contribute to service evaluation by using different types of data and information and different types of evaluation.
  • work in partnership with people and groups when implementing policies and protocols in their communities.
  • recognise when the support needs of people or communities are beyond the scope of the role, and escalate in a timely manner particularly if a person is ‘at risk’.
  • represent the interests of people when engaging with service providers, while managing expectations regarding service availability and access.
  • identify and apply ethical frameworks and guidance relevant to practice in public or population health.
  • keep a record of training and development opportunities that have been accessed and how these have informed their practice.
  • maintain high standards of professional and personal conduct, including duty of care for the safety and welfare of self and others.
  • engage with performance appraisal and reflective practice in line with organisational procedures and management processes.

Full information on Community health and wellbeing worker (level 3) is available from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

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