Supervisor or Leader
Supervisors or Leaders help people with personal care, daily living, and independence in homes, residential care, or supported living.
They ensure safe, person-centred care, mentor colleagues, and support learning and development. They also model professionalism, compassion, and flexibility. This role can lead to specialist practice or management opportunities.
We’ve mapped our qualifications below to the Supervisor or Leader role in the Care Workforce Pathway.
This will help you understand the skills and training relevant for the role and what learning can support learners' development. It also shows how leaners can progress to the next stage of their career in adult social care.
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NCFE qualifications for the Supervisor or Leader pathway
The following qualifications are the knowledge and competencies required to succeed in Supervisor or Leader roles.
Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care units that can support this role:
Unit: NCFE CACHE Lead communication in adult care settings D/616/6409*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Working in partnership with others A/616/6417*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Mentoring in adult care K/616/6400*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Lead learning and development in adult care F/616/6399*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Professional supervision in adult care R/616/6407*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Lead inclusive practice in adult care settings D/616/6412*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Specialist areas of care J/616/6324*
Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care units that can support this role:
Unit: Promote communication in care settings
Unit: NCFE CACHE Scope and responsibilities of an adult care worker Y/650/1374*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Mentoring in adult social care H/616/6380*
Unit: Supervision skills and developing and supporting others
Unit: NCFE CACHE Lead learning and development in adult care F/616/6399*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Promote equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights in care settings M/650/1371are J/616/6324*
*Unit available upon request.
Level 3 Certificate in Understanding Autism
Unit: NCFE CACHE Support individuals with autism spectrum condition (ASC) A/616/6353*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Understand how to support individuals with autism spectrum condition (ASC) F/616/6354/UNITCACHE*
*Unit available upon request
Level 3 Certificate in the Principles of End of Life Care
Unit: End of life care
Unit: NCFE CACHE Understanding the effect of dementia on end-of-life care R/650/5298*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Managing symptoms in end-of-life care T/650/5299*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Understand end-of-life care for individuals with specific health needs J/650/5301*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Support individuals during the last days of life K/650/5302*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Support individuals at the end of life (M/615/7326)*
*Unit available upon request.
Level 3 Award in Supporting Individuals with Learning Disabilities
Unit: Understand the context of supporting individuals with learning disabilities
Unit: NCFE CACHE Principles of supporting individuals with a learning disability regarding sexuality and sexual health (Y/616/6361)*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Support individuals with learning disabilities to access healthcare D/616/6362/UNITCACHE*
*Unit available upon request.
Level 3 Certificate in Understanding Mental Health
Unit: Promote mental wellbeing and mental health
Unit: NCFE CACHE Understand mental ill health M/650/5189*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Awareness of mental health legislation J/650/5294*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Understand the legal, policy and service framework in mental health F/650/5148*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Support individuals to manage their own recovery from mental health conditions H/650/5149*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Understanding suicide interventions L/650/5150*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Support positive risk taking for individuals M/650/5151*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Support individuals with mental health conditions to change patterns of behaviour using coping strategies R/650/5152*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Understand mental health interventions T/650/5153*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Effective communication and building relationships in mental health work Y/650/5154*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Enable mental health service users and carers to manage change A/650/5155*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Enable individuals with behaviours that challenge to develop strategies to manage their behaviour D/650/5156*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Understand care and support planning and risk management in mental health H/650/5158*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Understand the importance of personal wellbeing when working in mental health services M/650/5160*
*Unit available upon request.
Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Addiction Recovery
Unit: NCFE CACHE HSC S 31 Support individuals who are substance users (D/616/6376)*
Unit: NCFE CACHE HSC S 32 Test for substance use (K/616/6378)*
Unit: NCFE CACHE MH 12 Recognise indications of substance misuse and refer individuals to specialists (T/615/7277)*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Carry out assessments to identify the needs of substance users R/616/6374*
*Unit available upon request.
Unit: NCFE CACHE Understand sensory loss J/616/6369*
Unit: NCFE CACHE Support the assessment of individuals with sensory loss (F/616/6371)*
*Unit available upon request.
Skills for Care resources
Every journey will be unique. Use the Skills for Care assessment tools to evaluate skills, plan development and advance careers in adult social care:
Role profile
Oversees a team of care workers, ensuring quality and consistency.
Career path
Progression to Practice Leader or Deputy Manager roles, especially with leadership training.
Next steps:
Explore other roles across the Adult Care pathway.
Practice Leader Deputy Manager
