Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Residential) Apprenticeship

The Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Residential) Apprenticeship is designed for professionals working in residential childcare and children’s services who are responsible for leading teams, managing services and supporting positive outcomes for children, young people and families.

This leadership and management apprenticeship develops advanced knowledge and skills in:

• Residential childcare leadership
• Safeguarding and child protection
• Trauma-informed practice
• Team management and service improvement
• Behaviour support and wellbeing
• Multi-agency working and professional practice

The programme is suitable for Deputy Managers, Residential Managers, Team Leaders and Senior Practitioners working across residential childcare, safeguarding, SEND, youth justice, fostering and family support services.

Learners must be employed in a suitable residential childcare or children’s services role where they can apply leadership and management learning throughout the apprenticeship.

Upon successful completion of the programme and End-Point Assessment (EPA), learners will achieve a nationally recognised Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager Apprenticeship and a Level 5 TQUK Diploma in Residential Management.

This Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Residential) Apprenticeship usually takes around 18 months to complete. Learning is delivered through a blend of workplace learning, online study and support from your development coach alongside your job role.

Apprentices must complete a minimum of six hours per week of off-the-job training, which may include online teaching sessions, workplace learning, digital resources, coaching and assessments. The programme is completed with an End-Point Assessment (EPA).

Throughout the apprenticeship, you will develop the leadership and management skills needed to support children, young people and families in residential childcare settings. You will learn how to:

• Lead and manage residential childcare teams
• Develop effective leadership and management styles
• Embed safeguarding legislation and best practice
• Manage resources and understand operational responsibilities
• Work effectively with multi-agency partners
• Communicate professionally and manage complex situations
• Reflect on practice and lead positive change in services

This apprenticeship is designed to help you improve service delivery and outcomes for children and young people while developing the skills needed for leadership roles within residential childcare and wider social care services.

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.

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.

Safeguarding in residential childcare management involves protecting children and young people from harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation while promoting their wellbeing, safety and positive development.

Residential managers are responsible for leading safeguarding practice, supporting staff, managing risk and ensuring residential childcare services meet safeguarding legislation, policies and regulatory requirements.

Throughout the apprenticeship, learners develop advanced safeguarding knowledge and leadership skills needed to help create safe, supportive and nurturing residential care environments.

Ofsted is responsible for inspecting and regulating residential childcare services in England to help ensure children and young people receive safe, high-quality care and support.

Residential childcare managers play an important role in maintaining compliance with safeguarding requirements, quality standards and regulatory frameworks set by Ofsted.

The apprenticeship helps learners understand inspection readiness, leadership responsibilities, quality assurance and how to promote positive outcomes within residential childcare settings.

Trauma-informed practice is an approach used within residential childcare to understand how trauma and adverse childhood experiences can affect a child or young person’s emotions, behaviour and development.

Residential childcare managers play an important role in creating nurturing, safe and supportive environments that help children build trust, regulate emotions and achieve positive outcomes.

This approach supports leaders in developing services that prioritise emotional wellbeing, therapeutic support, safeguarding and relationship-based care within residential childcare settings.

If you are aged 16 to 18 and do not have a Level 2 qualification or equivalent (GCSE grade 4/C), you will be required to work towards achieving these qualifications as part of your apprenticeship.

For those aged 19 and above, completing Maths and English (Functional Skills) is optional and not mandatory to complete your apprenticeship. However, this needs to be discussed and agreed upon with your Employer.

Functional Skills are nationally recognised qualifications in Maths and English that help learners develop practical skills used in the workplace and everyday life. These qualifications support areas such as communication, problem-solving, reading, writing and numeracy.

The Childcare Company understands that completing Functional Skills in Maths and English alongside your apprenticeship can feel daunting at first, as well as time consuming. That’s why we provide enhanced support to make the process as straightforward and efficient as possible.

We’ve partnered with Pass Functional Skills (PASS) to give you access to a new, improved online learning platform designed to help you achieve your qualifications more quickly and with greater confidence.

Through this platform, you’ll benefit from a clear and structured learning journey, including a diagnostic assessment to identify your starting point, personalised learning pathways, and high-quality interactive resources. You’ll also have access to bite-sized learning modules, practice questions, mock assessments, and progress tracking tools to help you stay on track.

Alongside this, you will continue to receive support from your tutor or development coach throughout your apprenticeship, ensuring you have guidance, feedback and encouragement at every stage of your Functional Skills journey.

Upon successful completion of the programme and End-Point Assessment (EPA), learners will achieve a nationally recognised Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager Apprenticeship aligned to the Residential pathway standard.

Learners will also achieve a Level 5 TQUK Diploma in Residential Management, demonstrating advanced leadership, safeguarding and residential childcare management knowledge.

This qualification supports progression into senior residential childcare leadership, safeguarding and management roles across children’s services.

After completing the Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Residential) Apprenticeship, learners can progress into a range of senior leadership and management roles within residential childcare and children’s services.

Potential job roles may include:

• Residential Childcare Manager
• Registered Manager
• Deputy Manager
• Senior Residential Practitioner
• Safeguarding Lead
• Residential Service Manager
• Therapeutic Residential Care Manager
• Behaviour and Wellbeing Lead

This apprenticeship supports progression into leadership positions responsible for managing teams, improving residential childcare services and supporting positive outcomes for children, young people and families.

After completing the Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Residential) Apprenticeship, learners can progress into more senior leadership, operational management and strategic roles within residential childcare and wider children’s services.

Many learners continue their professional development within:

• Residential childcare leadership
• Safeguarding and compliance management
• Therapeutic residential care services
• SEND and specialist support services
• Service improvement and operational management

This apprenticeship provides a strong foundation for progression into degree-level study, 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 are widely available across England through higher education providers.

This Level 5 programme equips learners with advanced leadership, safeguarding and residential childcare management skills, preparing them for senior roles and supporting long-term career progression within residential childcare and wider social care services.

During the apprenticeship, learners develop advanced leadership and management skills needed to lead residential childcare teams effectively and deliver high-quality support for children, young people and families.

Skills developed may include:

• Team leadership and supervision
• Safeguarding leadership
• Managing behaviour and wellbeing support
• Multi-agency working and partnership collaboration
• Quality assurance and service improvement
• Communication and conflict management
• Reflective and evidence-based practice
• Managing change, resources and professional development

These leadership skills help managers support safe, inclusive and effective residential childcare services.

Qualified managers can work across a variety of residential childcare and social care settings, including:

• Residential children’s homes
• Therapeutic residential care services
• Residential SEND settings
• Supported accommodation services
• Safeguarding and family support services
• Local authority residential services
• Residential schools and specialist provisions
• Youth justice and wellbeing services

This provides opportunities to lead teams and manage high-quality care provision across a wide range of residential childcare environments.