Level 4 Children, Young People and Families Practitioner (Community) Apprenticeship

The Level 4 Children, Young People and Families Practitioner (Community) Apprenticeship is designed for individuals working in community-based services who support children, young people and families to achieve positive outcomes and improve wellbeing.

This apprenticeship develops the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to work effectively across education, youth services, early years, family support, safeguarding and community support settings. Learners will develop professional practice in areas such as safeguarding, child development, multi-agency working, communication, wellbeing support and person-centred approaches.

The programme is suitable for learners already working in relevant community-based roles, including:

• Family Support Worker
• Youth Worker
• Pastoral Support roles
• Early Help Practitioner
• Education and wellbeing support roles
• SEND and inclusion support roles

Learners must be employed in a suitable setting where they can apply their learning in practice throughout the apprenticeship.

This apprenticeship is ideal for those passionate about supporting children, young people and families, helping individuals access the right services and making a positive difference within community settings.

Upon successful completion, learners will also achieve a Level 4 Certificate in Higher Education in Working with Children, Young People and Families, supporting future progression into specialist, safeguarding and leadership pathways within children’s services.

The apprenticeship typically lasts around 18 months. During this time, you’ll complete a mix of face-to-face and online learning alongside your job role. Apprentices must also complete a minimum of six hours per week of off-the-job training, which may include online teaching, digital resources, workplace assessments and one-to-one support.

During the Level 4 Children, Young People and Families Practitioner (Community) Apprenticeship, learners develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to support children, young people and families within community-based services.

Topics covered throughout the programme may include:

• Safeguarding and child protection
• Early intervention and early help
• Child and adolescent development
• Multi-agency working and partnership collaboration
• Communication and relationship building
• Trauma-informed practice
• Behaviour and emotional wellbeing support
• Assessment, intervention planning and reflective practice
• Equality, diversity and inclusive practice

Learners will develop the confidence to support individuals and families, promote wellbeing and help achieve positive long-term outcomes within community settings.

Learners are usually expected to be working in a relevant role supporting children, young people or families within community-based services.

Previous experience in areas such as family support, youth work, wellbeing, safeguarding, education support or SEND can be beneficial, but the apprenticeship is designed to help learners further develop their professional knowledge and practical skills.

You will need to be employed in a suitable role where you can apply your learning throughout the programme and complete workplace-based activities linked to the apprenticeship standard.

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.

As part of this industry-leading apprenticeship programme, learners will complete a Level 4 Certificate in Higher Education in Working with Children, Young People and Families, delivered in partnership with De Montfort University Leicester (DMU).

This university-endorsed qualification combines academic study with practical workplace experience, helping learners develop advanced professional knowledge alongside their day-to-day role supporting children, young people and families within community-based services. The Higher Education Certificate is delivered through 32 online workshops led by industry experts alongside the apprenticeship programme and employer-supported off-the-job training.

Learners will complete four modules focused on key areas of children and young people’s services:

• Lifespan (0–18 years)
• Safe Practice, Safe Spaces
• Child Study
• Professional Practice

Topics covered throughout the programme include:

• Human growth and development
• Safeguarding and child protection
• Multi-agency working
• Early intervention and information sharing
• Child observation and assessment
• Equality, diversity and anti-discriminatory practice
• Reflective and evidence-based practice
• Emotional wellbeing and professional ethics

The programme helps learners strengthen their understanding of safeguarding, child development and professional practice while building the academic and practical skills needed to support positive outcomes for children, young people and families.

Upon successful completion, learners will achieve a Level 4 Higher Education Certificate endorsed by De Montfort University, providing a strong foundation for future progression into specialist roles, leadership pathways and degree-level study within children’s services, education and social care.

Multi-agency working involves professionals from different services and organisations working together to support children, young people and families more effectively.

This may include collaboration between:

• Schools and education providers
• Social care services
• Health professionals
• Safeguarding teams
• Youth and community services
• SEND and wellbeing support services

The aim of multi-agency working is to identify needs early, share appropriate information and provide coordinated support that improves outcomes and helps prevent challenges from escalating.

Throughout the apprenticeship, learners develop an understanding of how effective partnership working supports safeguarding, wellbeing and positive outcomes for children and families.

Early Intervention Practitioners focus on providing early support to children, young people and families before challenges escalate and require more intensive intervention.

They work across community, education, wellbeing and family support services to help improve outcomes through early help, safeguarding awareness and multi-agency working.

Social workers are more likely to manage statutory interventions, higher-risk safeguarding concerns and legal responsibilities linked to child protection and social care legislation.

Both roles support children and families, but Early Intervention Practitioners focus more heavily on prevention, wellbeing and early support strategies within community settings.

Trauma-informed practice is an approach used within children and young people’s services to understand how trauma and adverse childhood experiences can affect behaviour, emotional wellbeing and development.

Practitioners use trauma-informed approaches to build positive relationships, create safe environments and support children, young people and families with empathy, consistency and understanding.

This approach recognises that behaviour can often be a response to previous experiences and focuses on promoting emotional wellbeing, resilience and positive long-term outcomes through supportive, person-centred practice.

If you are aged 16–18 and do not have a Level 2 qualification or equivalent (GCSE grade 4/C) in Maths and English, 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 4 Children, Young People and Families Practitioner Apprenticeship aligned to the Community pathway standard.

Learners will also achieve a Level 4 Certificate in Higher Education in Working with Children, Young People and Families, delivered in partnership with De Montfort University.

This university-endorsed qualification combines academic study with workplace learning and supports future progression into leadership roles, specialist support services and degree-level study within children’s services, education and social care.

After completing the Level 4 Children, Young People and Families Practitioner (Community) Apprenticeship, learners can progress into a range of community support, safeguarding and early intervention roles within children and young people’s services.

Potential job roles may include:

• Early Help Practitioner
• Family Support Worker
• Youth Worker
• Pastoral Support Practitioner
• Community Support Worker
• Wellbeing Practitioner
• SEND and Inclusion Support roles
• Safeguarding Support roles

This apprenticeship also supports progression into leadership, safeguarding and specialist support pathways across education, social care, youth services and community-based organisations.

Qualified practitioners can work across a wide range of community-based and support settings, including:

• Schools and colleges
• Family support and early help services
• Youth services and outreach programmes
• Community and wellbeing organisations
• Local authority children’s services
• Safeguarding and inclusion teams
• SEND and specialist support services
• Early years and family hubs

This provides opportunities to support children, young people and families across a variety of educational, safeguarding and community environments.

After completing the Level 4 Children, Young People and Families Practitioner (Community) Apprenticeship, learners can progress into a range of specialist, safeguarding and leadership roles within children and young people’s services.

Many learners continue their professional development within:

• Early help and safeguarding services
• Family support and wellbeing teams
• Youth justice and outreach services
• SEND and inclusion services
• Education and pastoral support roles

The apprenticeship also supports progression onto higher-level qualifications and leadership pathways within safeguarding, community support, education and social care services.

A natural next step is progression onto our Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Community Pathway) Apprenticeship, designed for deputy managers, managers and senior practitioners working within community-based services.

This programme helps learners develop advanced leadership, management and professional practice skills needed to lead teams, support families, improve service delivery and manage community-based provision effectively. It is particularly suited to those working in areas such as fostering, adoption, early help, safeguarding and family support services.

Upon successful completion, learners will achieve a Level 5 leadership and management qualification, supporting progression into senior management and strategic leadership roles across children, young people and family services.