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

The Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Community Pathway) Apprenticeship is designed for professionals working in community-based children and young people’s services who want to develop advanced leadership and management skills.

This apprenticeship is ideal for deputy managers, managers, senior practitioners and team leaders working in areas such as:

• Family support services
• Early help and safeguarding
• Fostering and adoption services
• Youth support and outreach services
• SEND and inclusion services

Learners will develop the skills needed to lead teams, manage services, strengthen safeguarding practice and improve outcomes for children, young people and families within community settings.

To complete the apprenticeship, learners should already be working in a relevant role with leadership or management responsibilities so they can apply their learning in practice throughout the programme.

Upon successful completion, learners will achieve a nationally recognised Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager Apprenticeship and a Level 5 TQUK Diploma in Leadership and Management.

The Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Community Pathway) Apprenticeship typically takes around 18 months to complete and is delivered through a blend of online learning, workplace training and support alongside your job role.

Learners complete a minimum of six hours per week of off-the-job training, which may include digital learning, workplace activities, coaching and professional development. The programme concludes with an End-Point Assessment (EPA).

Throughout the apprenticeship, you will develop advanced leadership and management skills needed to lead community-based children and young people’s services. This includes:

• Leading and managing teams
• Safeguarding and multi-agency working
• Managing services and improving quality
• Supporting children, young people and families with complex needs
• Building professional partnerships
• Reflective practice and change management
• Promoting positive outcomes within community settings

The programme is designed to prepare learners for leadership roles across safeguarding, family support, early help and wider children’s 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.

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.

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

This may include collaboration between:

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

Throughout the apprenticeship, learners develop leadership skills needed to build strong professional partnerships, share information appropriately and coordinate support that improves outcomes for children, young people and families.

Person-centred practice focuses on understanding the individual needs, strengths and experiences of children, young people and families to provide tailored support and positive outcomes.

Throughout the apprenticeship, learners develop leadership approaches that promote:

• Inclusive practice
• Empowerment and participation
• Emotional wellbeing
• Collaborative support planning
• Respect for diversity and individual needs

This helps managers lead high-quality community services that place children, young people and families at the centre of decision-making and support planning.

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

Managers working within community services are responsible for embedding safeguarding practice, supporting staff teams and ensuring services follow safeguarding legislation, policies and professional standards.

Throughout the apprenticeship, learners develop advanced safeguarding leadership skills to help create safe, inclusive and supportive environments for children, young people and families.

During the apprenticeship, learners develop advanced leadership and management skills needed to lead community-based children and young people’s services effectively.

This includes:

• Team leadership and staff supervision
• Safeguarding leadership
• Service improvement and quality assurance
• Managing change and resources
• Communication and conflict management
• Reflective and evidence-based practice
• Multi-agency partnership working
• Supporting children, young people and families with complex needs

These skills help prepare learners for senior management and operational leadership roles across community and safeguarding services.

Learners should already be working in a relevant community-based role with responsibilities that involve supporting, supervising or managing others.

This apprenticeship is particularly suitable for deputy managers, senior practitioners, team leaders and existing managers working within children and young people’s services, safeguarding, family support, fostering, adoption or SEND services.

Having practical experience within community-based children’s services will help learners apply their knowledge directly within the workplace 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 aligned to the Community pathway.

Learners will also achieve a Level 5 TQUK Diploma in Leadership and Management, demonstrating advanced knowledge in safeguarding, leadership, multi-agency working and community-based children and young people’s services.

Once you’ve completed the Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Community Pathway) apprenticeship, you can continue to build your skills and progress your career into more senior leadership and management roles within adoption, fostering, social care and wider community-based services.

A common next step for further academic and professional development is to progress onto a degree-level programme, such as a bachelor’s degree or a 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 while we do not deliver these programmes directly, they are widely available across England through higher education providers.

This Level 5 programme equips you with the leadership, knowledge and practical experience needed to take on senior roles and provides a strong foundation if you choose to pursue degree-level study in the future, supporting your continued progression within the sector.

After completing the Level 5 Children, Young People and Families Manager (Community Pathway) Apprenticeship, learners can progress into senior leadership and management roles across children and young people’s services.

Potential job roles may include:

• Children and Families Manager
• Family Support Manager
• Early Help Manager
• Safeguarding Manager
• Youth Services Manager
• Community Services Manager
• Fostering or Adoption Team Leader
• SEND and Inclusion Manager

This apprenticeship supports progression into operational leadership, safeguarding and service management roles focused on improving outcomes for children, young people and families within community-based services.

Qualified managers can work across a wide range of community-based children and young people’s services, including:

• Family support services
• Early help and safeguarding teams
• Fostering and adoption services
• Youth support and outreach services
• SEND and inclusion services
• Local authority children’s services
• Community wellbeing services
• Education and pastoral support settings

This provides opportunities to lead services that support children, young people and families within safeguarding, education, social care and wider community environments.