Youth Work Practice (Wales)

Agored Cymru is a Welsh awarding body specialising in meeting the distinct needs of learners, employers and communities.

We exist to create flexible learning opportunities and reward achievement to help people of every age and level achieve their full potential.

All our units and qualifications are flexible enough to meet the needs of learners in any setting – from schools to FE and from offender learning to training in the workplace.

With over 20 years experience in designing inclusive learning, our team of specialists provides support in developing an accessible and quality assured curriculum.

We are a charity and social enterprise: we work collaboratively with partners to maximise the impact of learning in meeting the diverse needs of communities and employers in Wales.

Because we work exclusively in Wales, we are ideally placed to respond to the demands of our learners and centres. Our qualifications are uniquely tailored to the needs and priorities of individuals, communities, employers and the aims of a modern Wales.

We work for the benefit of Wales: our dedicated team of specialists is committed to promoting the Welsh language by encouraging assessment through the medium of Welsh.

We offer our recognised centres the opportunity to deliver effective lifelong learning, widen opportunity and enable progression within current education and training frameworks.

At all times, we are committed to providing a high quality, responsive service to all our centres and learners.

Agored Cymru Qualifications:

• are available through the medium of Welsh, including certification;
• enable accreditation of component units to recognise continuing professional development (CPD), where full qualifications are not required;
• meet the needs of learners in Wales by developing qualifications that respond directly to the Welsh agenda;
• provide a range of flexible and responsive provision, designed to help learners achieve their potential;
• are designed to suit the needs and priorities of individuals, communities, employers and the national aims of a modern Wales.

Agored Cymru Level 2 Award in Youth Work Practice (Wales) - 601/5393/3

The Level 2 Award in Youth Work Practice prepares you to begin working with young people in a range of youth work settings. Youth work helps young people learn about themselves, others and society, through informal educational activities which combine enjoyment, challenge and learning. Youth workers work typically with young people aged between 11 and 25. Their work seeks to promote young people’s personal and social development and enable them to have a voice, influence and place in their communities and society as a whole.

The Level 2 Award in Youth Work Practice is suitable if you are a new Youth Work practitioner who is working in a role that provides or needs some support from a qualified practitioner. The Level 2 Award is a mandatory qualification for those wishing to progress on to either the JNC recognised Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice or the Level 3 Certificate/ Diploma in Youth Work Practice.

Guided learning hours (GLH): 73 hours

Total qualification time (TQT): 110 hours

Agored Cymru Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice (Wales) - 601/5394/5

The Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice prepares you to assist in work with young people in a range of youth work settings. Youth work helps young people learn about themselves, others and society, through informal educational activities which combine enjoyment, challenge and learning. Youth workers work typically with young people aged between 11 and 25. Their work seeks to promote young people’s personal and social development and enable them to have a voice, influence and place in their communities and society as a whole.

The Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice is suitable if you need some support and is the minimum qualification required for those wishing to work as a JNC1 qualified Youth Support Worker Assistant. This is for employees who assist in the delivery of operational youth work and who undertake duties under direction, where initiative and independent action is limited.

Example of key duties include:

• Working directly with young people to develop their social education by providing programmes of activities, services and facilities;
• Establishing contact with and guiding young people as part of local programmes;
• Assisting in the provision of advice and support to local community groups and agencies;
• Assisting in the motivation, retention, developing and support of staff and volunteers;
• Assisting with service development by contributing to planning, delivery and monitoring of local provisions;
• Day to day administration to ensure smooth running of services;
• Implementing equality and diversity policies.

Who is this qualification for?

The Level 2 Certificate is suitable for you if you wish to develop your skills for assisting in work with young people in a youth work setting.

It is suitable for you if you:

• need some support with your learning;
• are not yet ready for study at Level 3;
• have no formal qualification;
• wish to return to learning;
• would like to assist in the delivery of work with young people;
• are aged 16 and over.

What does this qualification cover?

The qualification is made up of 26 Credits so you will need to study for about 260 hours to achieve the Certificate. Eleven of these credits form the Level 2 Award in in Youth Work Practice, which must be completed successfully before you can progress onto the Level 2 Certificate.

You will learn:

• Key purpose, principles and values of youth work;
• Where youth work takes place;
• How to safeguard young people in youth work;
• How young people develop;
• The role of youth work in supporting young people’s development to adulthood;
• Understanding rights;
• Engaging and communicating with young people;
• Strategies for assisting with effective group work;
• How to recognise conflict and challenging behaviour by young people;
• How to assist with work based practice under supervision;
• How to reflect on your practice;
• Specific youth work related topics according to options selected.

Practice Placement

The learner must complete a minimum practice placement of 60 hours.

Who supports this Qualification?

The Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice is endorsed by the ETS Committee England and ETS Wales on behalf of the JNC. The award is supported by a wide range of local authority and voluntary Youth Service organisations and is recognised as the industry standards qualification for Youth Work at this level.

Who is this qualification for?

The Level 2 Award is suitable for you if you wish to develop some skills for working with young people in a youth work setting in the future.

It is suitable for you if you:

• wish to progress to the Level 2 or Level 3 Certificate/ Diploma;
• need some support with your learning;
• have no formal qualification;
• wish to return to learning;
• would like to work with young people in the future;
• are aged 16 and over.

What does this qualification cover?

The qualification is made up of 11 Credits so you will need to study for about 110 hours to achieve the Award.

You will learn:

• Key purpose of youth work;
• Key principles and values of youth work;
• Where youth work takes place;
• How to safeguard young people in youth work;
• How young people develop;
• The role of youth work in supporting young people’s development to adulthood;
• Understanding rights;
• Engaging and communicating with young people.

Practice Placement

The learner must complete a minimum practice placement of 20 hours.

Who supports this Qualification?

The Award forms part of the wider Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice and Level 3 Certificate/ Diploma in Youth Work Practice which are endorsed by the ETS Committee England and ETS Wales on behalf of the JNC. The award is supported by a wide range of local authority and voluntary Youth Service organisations.

Guided learning hours (GLH): 141 hours

Total qualification time (TQT): 260 hours

Agored Cymru Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice (Wales) - 601/5449/4

The Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice prepares you to lead work with young people in a range of youth work settings. Youth work helps young people learn about themselves, others and society, through informal educational activities which combine enjoyment, challenge and learning. Youth workers work typically with young people aged between 11 and 25. Their work seeks to promote young people’s personal and social development and enable them to have a voice, influence and place in their communities and society as a whole.

The Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice is suitable if you need minimal support and is the qualification required for those wishing to work as a JNC1 qualified Youth Support Worker. This is for employees who deliver operational youth work and who undertake duties on their own initiative or who carry supervisory responsibility for small projects, such as one night a week clubs. Workers with these responsibilities will receive leadership and operational guidance from professionally qualified youth workers.

Example of key duties include:

• Working directly with young people to develop their social education by providing programmes of activities, services and facilities;
• Establishing contact with and guiding young people as part of local programmes;
• Providing advice and support to local community groups and agencies;
• Assisting in the motivation, retention, developing and support of staff and volunteers;
• Contributing to service development by planning, delivering and monitoring of local provisions; 
• Implementing equality and diversity policies.
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with young people and community groups;
• Maintaining quality of service provision including giving directions to other workers;
• First line management responsibility for workers and volunteers, including recruiting, developing and initial disciplining of staff;
• Initiating and monitoring developments of services, particularly with other agencies;
• Performing and ensuring the discharge of administrative duties (including budget control, records keeping and health and safety).

Who is this qualification for?

The Level 3 Certificate is suitable for you if you wish to develop your skills for leading work with young people in a youth work setting.

It is suitable for you if you:

• need minimal support with your learning;
• are not yet ready or have insufficient relevant experience and practice for study at university Higher Education level;
• wish to access a Higher Education youth work programme;
• have no formal qualification;
• wish to return to learning;
• would like to lead in the delivery of work with young people;
• are aged 18 and over.

What does this qualification cover?

The qualification is made up of 27 Credits so you will need to study for about 270 hours to achieve the Certificate. Sixteen of these credits are at Level 3 while 11 are at Level 2, forming the Level 2 Award in Youth Work Practice. The Level 2 Award must be completed successfully before you can progress onto the Level 3 Certificate.

You will learn:

• Key purpose, principles and values of youth work;
• Where youth work takes place;
• How to safeguard young people in youth work;
• How young people develop;
• The role of youth work in supporting young people’s development to adulthood;
• Understanding rights;
• Engaging and communicating with young people;
• Strategies for leading effective group work;
• How to work with young people to manage conflict and challenging behaviour;
• How to lead work based practice under supervision;
• How to reflect on your practice at an appropriate level;
• Specific youth work related topics according to options selected.

Practice Placement

The learner must complete a minimum practice placement of 60 hours.

Who supports this Qualification?

The Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice is endorsed by the ETS Committee England and ETS Wales on behalf of the JNC. The award is supported by a wide range of local authority, Voluntary Youth Service organisations, Higher Education Institutes and is recognised as the industry standards qualification for Youth Work at this level.

Guided learning hours (GLH): 194 hours

Total qualification time (TQT): 370 hours

Agored Cymru Level 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice (Wales) - 601/5450/0

The Level 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice prepares you to lead work with young people in a range of youth work settings and specialise in subjects that are particularly relevant to you or your work. Youth work helps young people learn about themselves, others and society, through informal educational activities which combine enjoyment, challenge and learning. Youth workers work typically with young people aged between 11 and 25. Their work seeks to promote young people’s personal and social development and enable them to have a voice, influence and place in their communities and society as a whole.

The Level 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice is suitable if you have completed the Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice (which is required for those wishing to work as a JNC1 qualified Youth Support Worker) and wish to extend your knowledge of and skills in specialist subject areas. This is for employees who deliver operational youth work and who undertake duties on their own initiative or who carry supervisory responsibility for small projects, such as one night a week clubs. Workers with these responsibilities will receive leadership and operational guidance from professionally qualified youth workers.

Example of key duties include:

• Working directly with young people to develop their social education by providing programmes of activities, services and facilities;
• Establishing contact with and guiding young people as part of local programmes;
• Providing advice and support to local community groups and agencies;
• Assisting in the motivation, retention, developing and support of staff and volunteers;
• Contributing to service development by planning, delivering and monitoring of local provisions;
• Implementing equality and diversity policies;
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with young people and community groups;
• Maintaining quality of service provision including giving directions to other workers;
• First line management responsibility for workers and volunteers, including recruiting, developing and initial disciplining of staff;
• Initiating and monitoring developments of services, particularly with other agencies;
• Performing and ensuring the discharge of administrative duties (including budget control, records keeping and health and safety).

Who is this qualification for?

The Level 3 Diploma is suitable for you if you wish to develop your skills for leading work with young people in a youth work setting specialising in a particular area of work.

It is suitable for you if you:

• need minimal support with your learning;
• are not yet ready for study or have insufficient relevant experience and practice for study at university Higher Education level;
• wish to access a Higher Education youth work programme;
• have no formal qualification;
• wish to return to learning;
• would like to lead in the delivery of work with young people and specialise in certain areas;
• are aged 18 and over

What does this qualification cover?

The qualification is made up of 37 Credits so you will need to study for about 370 hours to achieve the Diploma. 26 of these credits are at Level 3 while 11 are at Level 2, forming the Level 2 Award in Youth Work Practice. The Level 2 Award and Level 3 Certificate must be completed successfully before you can progress onto the Level 3 Diploma.

You will learn:

• Key purpose, principles and values of youth work;
• Where youth work takes place;
• How to safeguard young people in youth work;
• How young people develop;
• The role of youth work in supporting young people’s development to adulthood;
• Understanding rights;
• Engaging and communicating with young people;
• Strategies for leading effective group work;
• How to work with young people to manage conflict and challenging behaviour;
• How to lead work based practice under supervision;
• How to reflect on your practice at an appropriate level;
• Specific youth work related topics according to options selected;
• Additional specific topics according to your interests and employment needs.

Practice Placement

The learner must have completed the 60 placement hours that are required within the Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice (Wales). Additional practice hours may be required depending on the units used to construct the Diploma.

Who supports this Qualification?

The Level 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice is endorsed by the ETS Committee England and ETS Wales on behalf of the JNC. The award is supported by a wide range of local authority and voluntary Youth Service organisations and is recognised as the industry standards qualification for Youth Work at this level.

Guided learning hours (GLH): 140 hours

Total qualification time (TQT): 270 hours

Learners must be at least 16 years of age to achieve the Level 2 qualifications and at least 18 to achieve the Level 3 qualifications.

This qualification is available in English and Welsh. If this qualification is required in other languages, please contact a Centre Manager at Agored Cymru.

If you are an Agored Cymru recognised centre and would like more information about offering these Agored Cymru qualifications, please contact your Centre Manager.

Units from the qualification must be added to your framework – this can be done by logging onto the Agored Cymru website. For guidance on how to add units / qualifications to your framework, please click here.

If you are interested in offering this Agored Cymru qualification but are not currently an Agored Cymru recognised centre, please contact a Centre Manager for guidance on how to become a recognised centre with us.

This qualification is only available through Agored Cymru recognised centres. If you would like to find out more about either becoming a recognised centre or working in partnership with a recognised centre, please access the ‘Centre’ area of the website or contact a Centre Manager for more information.

It is the responsibility of the centre to have systems in place to ensure that the person registered on a qualification or unit and taking an assessment is indeed the person they are claiming to be. All centres are therefore required to ensure that each learner’s identification is checked before they undertake the qualification, unit and assessment. Agored Cymru recommends the following as proof of a learner’s identity:

• a valid passport (any nationality)
• a signed UK photocard driving licence
• a valid warrant card issued by HM forces or the police
• another photographic ID card, e.g. employee ID card, student ID card, travel card etc.

If a learner is unable to produce any of the forms of photographic identification listed above, a centre may accept another form of identification containing a signature, for example, a credit card. Identification by a third-party representative, such as a line manager, human resources manager or invigilator, could also be accepted.

The Level 2 Award is the first step on a qualification ladder for learners who want to become JNC qualified Youth Support Workers at either Certificate Level 2 or Certificate or Diploma Level 3.

The Level 2 Certificate is the first step on a qualification ladder for learners who want to become JNC qualified Youth Support Worker Assistants at Certificate Level 2.

The Level 3 Certificate is the minimum qualification for JNC Youth Support Worker and can also be used as an access route to study a BA (Hons) Higher Education Youth Work programme leading to JNC Professionally Qualified status.

The Level 3 Certificate is the minimum qualification for JNC Youth Support Worker, the Diploma is widely recognised as the access route to the BA (Hons) Higher Education programmes leading to JNC Professionally Youth Work Qualified status. Whilst JNC have identified the minimum qualification appropriate, employers are strongly encouraged to also offer CPD to employees within this range, specifically utilising the available Level 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice. CPD applied in this way can support those employees wishing to pursue a career pathway in youth work and facilitate transition to professional qualification programmes provided through Higher Education. The Diploma supports Youth Work practitioners who are employed to work in related specialist services, for example, Education, Health, Social Care, Youth Justice and Housing.

Steps on the ladder:

• Level 2 Award in Youth Work Practice (Wales)
• Level 2 Certificate in Youth Work Practice (Wales) and/or Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work Practice (Wales)
• Level 3 Diploma in Youth Work Practice (Wales) (for those holding Level 3 Certificate)
• Level 6 Bachelor of Honours Degree in Youth & Community Work (incorporating Level 4 Certificate in Higher Education and Level 5 Diploma in Higher Education)
• Level 6 Graduate Diploma in Youth Work (available in England only)
• Level 7 Masters Degree (incorporating Level 7 Post-Graduate Diploma in Youth & Community Work).

Agored Cymru is committed to the embedding of ESDGC within learning in Wales. ESDGC recognises that everyone’s actions are interlinked: the decisions and lifestyles of learners impact on the lives of other people throughout the world.

By integrating ESDGC within the curriculum, Learning and Development practitioners can present impartial and practical views that allow learners to make informed choices. ESDGC is not an ‘additional subject’: it should be integrated into all areas of the curriculum wherever possible.

There are seven interconnected key themes that have been identified within ESDGC: further information can be found on the Welsh Government website.

Each unit includes suggestions for embedding the different ESDGC themes. Please note that this is for guidance only and is not intended to restrict the ways in which ESDGC can be incorporated.

Current funding information is available on Qualifications in Wales (QiW).

For further information regarding discounted charges and incentives please contact a Centre Manager.

RPL is an assessment method leading to the award of credit. Assessors must consider if RPL can be applied for any learners. RPL is a method of assessment that considers whether learners can demonstrate that they can meet the assessment requirements for a unit / part of a unit and / or qualification through knowledge, understanding or skills that they already possess and so do not need to develop through a course of learning.

Please click here to view the Recognition of Prior Learning policy for further guidance.

Centres must register all learners promptly, within a timely manner, appropriate to the duration of the course start date. For guidance on registering learners, please click here.

Delivery

Centres must ensure that qualifications are delivered effectively and efficiently. Well considered and detailed course planning is a critical feature of effective delivery. Centres must have, and be able to demonstrate, a robust documented internal process for coherent course design, development and delivery.

A key feature of many of our qualifications is the flexibility they offer centres to contextualise them to meet the specific needs of their learners. This flexibility promotes strong learner engagement and meaningful learning experiences.

Centres should ensure that detailed schemes of work and session plans are in place which consider all aspects of the qualification specification. These should include details of strategies and resources required for teaching and assessment that meet learners’ needs.

Teaching and learning approaches must be consistent with the context, level and stipulations of the qualification and be designed to engage, stimulate and motivate learners.

Assessment

Centre devised assessments must meet the qualification specification. Assessments must enable the assessor to differentiate accurately and consistently between the levels of attainment demonstrated by learners. Assessment must only include content that is drawn from the knowledge, skills and understanding in the specification and that the level of demand must be consistent.

Assessment must:

• make it possible for learners to demonstrate the extent to which they have the knowledge, skills and understanding required by the qualification
• allow the specified level of attainment to be reached by a learner who has attained the required level of knowledge, skills and understanding
• be fit for purpose, valid and appropriate to the knowledge, skills and understanding being measured
• effectively differentiate between learners (on the basis of the knowledge, skills and understanding being assessed)
• accurately measure the knowledge, skills and understanding that it is intended to measure

Centres are required to ensure that centre devised assessments are kept under review, amending them where necessary, to ensure they remain fit for purpose, for example by reflecting new requirements, good practice or legislation.

Some qualifications and their units will prescribe the assessment methods that must be used. These prescribed methods will be highlighted within individual units.

Where the methods are not prescribed, centres should use a variety of assessment methods to assess learners as this will allow learners to demonstrate their knowledge and/or skills competency. The most important factor is that the assessment methods are appropriate for the intended outcome.

Centres must adhere to Agored Cymru’s assessment requirements when delivering qualifications, a unit or units.

For guidance on assessment, please refer to the Agored Cymru Guide to Assessment.

Assessors must:

• have current and/or relevant experience in assessing;
• have undertaken relevant training if new to assessing (Agored Cymru Introduction to Assessment courses);
• have good knowledge and understanding of Agored Cymru assessment requirements;
• be familiar with the level of the qualification and its unit(s);
• have good subject knowledge and understanding and/or experience of the unit(s)/qualification(s) being assessed.

Assessors do not currently need to have a formal assessment qualification* to assess Agored Cymru units and / or qualifications, unless stated in the qualification guide or unit specification. However, Agored Cymru strongly recommends that assessors work towards formal accreditation (e.g. Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement). In addition, Agored Cymru strongly recommends that assessors attend Agored Cymru’s Introduction to Assessment training.

Specific Assessor Requirements

Deliverers must:

• for the delivery of Theory of Youth Work and Work Based Practice units, be a JNC Professionally Qualified Youth Work practitioner, having undertaken a recognised  professional qualification in youth work as identified by NYA or ETS Wales;
• for the delivery of Youth Work Theory and Work Based Practice units, have a minimum of three years practice experience. The remaining units should be delivered by experienced practitioners with expertise in the subject area;
• have a sound understanding of National Occupational Standards for Youth Work;
• have a sound understanding of the requirements for assessment within Ofqual/Qualifications Wales;
• be able to evidence continued professional development, including fieldwork activities, within the last 3 years;
• hold a recognised learning delivery/teaching qualification and/or have experience of delivering learning; 
• be registered with the Education Workforce Council as a tutor, trainer or lecturer in the FE Sector where relevant.

Assessors must:

• for the assessment of Theory of Youth Work and Work Based Practice units, hold a recognised Youth Work (JNC) professional qualification with a minimum of three years’ practice experience, with field work experience in the context of youth work, community work, community education or the voluntary community sector, and have relevant  experience across the youth and community sector in a capacity recognised by the JNC/ETS within the last 3 years
• for qualification assessment excluding assessment of Theory of Youth Work and Work Based Practice units, hold a Level 3 in Youth Work Practice (JNC) qualification with a minimum of three years’ practice experience, with field work experience in the context of youth work, community work, community education or the voluntary community sector  and/or have broader relevant experience across the youth and community sector in a capacity recognised by the JNC/ETS within the last 3 years;
• have a sound understanding of the National Occupational Standards for Youth Work;
• have a sound understanding of the requirements for assessment within Ofqual/Qualifications Wales; 
• hold or be working towards a recognised assessor qualification (i.e. D32/33, A1)
  • Individuals that do not hold a recognised qualification will be expected to obtain one within 24 months of approval.
  • Individuals that do not hold a recognised qualification must have their assessment/verification decisions countersigned by a qualified member of staff.
• be committed to, and able to evidence, further training and development

Centres must implement and maintain an effective internal quality assurance system. Internal verification is an essential part of a quality assurance system, particularly when there is no external summative (end of course) assessment such as an exam or online test.

Agored Cymru do not impose a particular internal verification process on centres, however, centres are required to implement effective internal verification checks to confirm that the assessment process (i.e. from pre-course planning to the award of credit) is fit for purpose and is implemented accurately, fairly and consistently and to the required standards.

Centres must adhere to Agored Cymru’s quality assurance requirements when carrying out internal verification on any unit(s) from qualifications.

Internal quality assurers must:

• have current and/or relevant experience in assessing and internal verification;
• have undertaken relevant training if new to internal quality assurance (see website for Agored Cymru Introduction to Internal Verification courses);
• have good knowledge and understanding of Agored Cymru internal verification requirements.
• Have good knowledge and understanding of Agored Cymru units and qualification in their chosen sector(s).
• be familiar with the level of the unit(s)/qualification(s) being delivered;

Internal verifiers do not currently need to have a formal internal verification qualification to internally verify Agored Cymru units and / or qualification, unless stated in the qualification guide or unit criteria*. However, Agored Cymru strongly recommends that internal verifiers work towards formal accreditation (e.g Level 4 Certificate on Leading the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice). In addition, Agored Cymru strongly recommends that assessors attend Agored Cymru’s Introduction to Assessment training. Dates of when training events are held can be found here.

Internal verifiers cannot internally verify their own assessment materials, tasks or assessment decisions. Consequently, it is recommended that the internal verification skills of a whole team are developed. This gives the centre more flexibility and avoids over-reliance on any one person.

* Some qualifications have particular requirements that must be met to enable tutors / assessors to deliver and assess the qualification. Please refer to the relevant qualification guide to confirm your tutors / assessors are able to meet these requirements. In some cases, evidence of a tutor / assessors experience / qualification must be submitted to Agored Cymru prior to delivery.

Centres must adhere to Agored Cymru’s assessment requirements when delivering qualifications, or any unit(s) from qualifications.

For guidance on internal verification please click here for the Agored Cymru Guide to Internal Verification.

Internal quality assurers must:

• hold a youth work or related qualification and/or three years experience of working in this area, recognised by ETS Wales;
• must be working in the occupational area they are assessing and have a minimum of three years experience in the role of Youth Support Worker or above;
• have a sound understanding of the current National Occupational Standards (NOS) for Youth Work;
• have direct or related relevant experience in assessment and verification.

This approach forms part of Agored Cymru’s CASS strategy which ensures that sufficient controls are in place where an assessment is marked by a centre (Condition H2).

Agored Cymru ‘risk bands’ all of its qualifications. Risk bandings of qualifications feed into the risk management system which is ‘weighted’ accordingly.

When risk banding a qualification, Agored Cymru considers:

• the construct of the qualification
• any related professional standards for the qualification
• any evidence associated with the sector and/or qualification to suggest that a particular CASS approach may be necessary.

Agored Cymru determines the most appropriate CASS approach for each of its qualifications to ensure that regulatory minimum requirements are fully met. All centres delivering and assessing Agored Cymru qualifications will receive an Annual Centre Review.

Agored Cymru is confident that this will give additional assurance to sector specific bodies and protect the integrity of the qualification(s), creating better outcomes for learners.

It may be necessary to make changes to an assessment to accommodate the needs of a single or small group of learners. This may in response to a disability or difficulty that places the learner at a substantial disadvantage in the assessment process. Reasonable adjustments to the assessment process must not affect the readability and validity of the assessment outcomes and must be as rigorous as assessment methods used with other learners. All reasonable adjustments must be recorded and be approved by the internal verifier before use.

In some instances it may be necessary to consider applying special considerations for adjustments for a learner or group of learners as part of the assessment process. This may be applied if a learner’s performance in an assessment is affected by circumstances beyond the control of the learners e.g. recent personal illness, accident, bereavement, serious disturbance during the assessment; or if part of an assessment has been missed due to circumstances beyond the control of the learner. All special considerations must be recorded and be approved by the internal verifier before use.

Assessors must remember that a reasonable adjustment and / or special consideration must not give the learner an unfair advantage. The learner’s result must reflect his/her achievement in the assessment and not necessarily his/her potential achievement.

Further guidance about the types of and process for applying reasonable adjustments and / or special consideration can be found in the Agored Cymru Reasonable Adjustments to Assessment Policy and the Agored Cymru Special Considerations for Assessment Policy.

Centres must keep all learner evidence and assessment records safe and secure to ensure that they are available for external quality assurance and regional standardisation events. Up to date, securely stored assessment records also help to minimise the risk of assessment malpractice, or potential issues if an assessor leaves during a course.

Centres must:

a) store all assessment records securely and safely;

b) maintain records of learner achievements that are up to date, regularly reviewed and tracked accurately;

c) have all current learner evidence available for external quality assurance;

Additionally, in line with Agored Cymru and regulatory requirements, Centres must retain sufficient evidence of learners’ work, assessment decisions and internal verification records to monitor standards over time. For further guidance please see the Agored Cymru Retention of Assessment Materials Policy.

As an Agored Cymru recognised centre, you are required to attend Standardisation workshops. The workshops offer you an opportunity to meet with fellow assessment and quality assurance professionals with the aim of developing a common understanding of Agored Cymru standards and to share expertise and leading practice.

Standardisation workshops are supportive, interactive sessions where you will review examples of assessment materials and learner evidence and make judgements on whether:

• assessment materials are valid and fit for purpose;
• learner evidence is authentic, reliable and sufficient;
• assessment practice and internal quality assurance is effective and fair;
• standards are consistent across centres;
• standards are comparable over time;
• the sample includes any leading practice.

Current information on Agored Cymru standardisation workshops can be found on our website.

Certificates will be made available within Service Standards

Centres are required to distribute certificates to all learners promptly.