EPA Standard
Leader in Adult Care
Level 5 
£7,000 18 months
1. What the role entails
The Leader in Adult Care will guide and inspire teams to make positive differences in someone’s life when they’re facing physical, practical, social, emotional, psychological or intellectual challenges. They will be a leader of a care team and will develop and implement a values-based culture at a service or unit level. They may be responsible for business development, financial control, organisational resilience and continuity, as well as for managing risk and leading on organisational change. They have a responsibility to make sure the service is safe, effective, caring, well led and responsive to people’s needs. They may be a registered manager, deputy manager or assistant manager of a service or unit. They will be responsible for ensuring regulatory compliance with the care given, and also the values and training of staff with established standards and regulations. Leaders in Adult Care may work in residential or nursing homes, domiciliary care, community day centres, a person’s own home or some clinical healthcare settings. The role of Leader in Adult Care in this standard also covers Personal Assistants who work in a management role, but they may only work directly for one individual who needs support and/or care services.
Entry: undertake the Disclosure and Barring Service
process and provide the result.
2. On-programme assessment
Before entering Gateway, the apprentice must complete the following on-programme assessment requirements:
- Level 2 English and maths
- Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care.
3. Gateway requirements
The decision to take an apprentice through Gateway is made only when the employer is satisfied that the apprentice is consistently working at or above the level set out in the standard. The apprentice must complete all of the on-programme elements before entering Gateway.
4. End-point assessment
The EPA for Leader in Adult Care contains two methods of assessment:
Observation of Leadership
The Observation of Leadership must include the ability to demonstrate leadership to an organisational audience. It is expected that the apprentice will lead the activity, and have all necessary information and evidence prepared in advance.
Following the Observation of Leadership, there will be a 30 minute question and answer session to further probe any required areas that were not covered in the Observation. As part of the 30 minutes, the apprentice will be asked a minimum of four open questions to assess related underpinning knowledge.
The Observation should take 60 minutes with an additional 30 minutes for post-Observation questioning.
Grading: a Pass is gained by achieving all Pass criteria for the knowledge, skills and behaviours. There is no Distinction criteria for the Observation of Leadership.
Professional Discussion
The Professional Discussion is an in-depth, two-way discussion between the apprentice and the Independent End-Point Assessor (IEPA). The IEPA will undertake the Professional Discussion and will ask the apprentice questions in relation to knowledge, skills and behaviours as set out in the assessment plan. The Professional Discussion should take 90 minutes.
Grading: a Pass is gained by achieving all Pass criteria for the knowledge, skills and behaviours. A Distinction is gained by successfully achieving all Pass criteria and through meeting at least 21 of the 26 Distinction criteria.
5. Grade aggregation table
| Observation of Leadership | Professional Discussion | Grading |
| Fail | Fail | Fail |
| Pass | Fail | Fail |
| Fail | Pass | Fail |
| Fail | Distinction | Fail |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
| Pass | Distinction | Distinction |
6. Completion and certification
We’ll activate certification once the apprentice has successfully completed all EPAs, and the IEPA has verified this. Working with the apprenticeship certificate issuing authority, we’ll ensure the apprentice receives their certificate.
7. What next?
Completing the Leader in Adult Care EPA may lead to further opportunities such as foundation degree programmes or qualifications in social work, teaching, learning and assessment.
Why NCFE?
We’re an approved End-Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) specialising in EPA delivery across health, education, early years, digital, social care, finance and business apprenticeship standards. We offer flexible and reliable EPA solutions supported by sector expertise, guidance documents and proactive service and support.