Guidance for managers and employers

The All Wales Induction Framework for Health and Social Care (AWIF) has seven sections, each section has a progress log and a workbook.

Your workers can find help and advice on how to complete the AWIF on guidance for workers.

The sections are:

• Section 1 and 2: Principles and values of health and social care
• Section 3 and 4: Health and well-being
• Section 5: Professional practice as a health and social care worker
• Section 6: Safeguarding individuals
• Section 7: Health and safety in health and social care.

Each section:

• identifies the knowledge, understanding and skills new workers need to gain in their induction period
• identifies the principles and values of health and social care that workers need to show includes the core knowledge learning outcomes that all workers
• identifies the knowledge and skills that apply across all health and social care settings, as well as those that are specific to their role and workplace.

Social care workers and healthcare support workers who are new to the sector, organisation or job role should complete the AWIF.

Workers new to the sector

Workers who are new to the sector should complete five of the seven sections (1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 for those working with adults; and 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 for those working with children and young people).

Those working with both adults and children and young people are advised to complete all seven sections. All new workers should complete all of the core knowledge learning outcomes, but the practice elements are specific to the worker’s role.

For example: Those who do not support people with foot care would need to complete the core knowledge outcomes but will not be expected to show their practice in this area.

Workers new to an organisation

Health and social care workers who are new to an organisation but have evidence they have previously achieved a relevant qualification and/or completed an induction framework, will not need to complete the whole induction framework.

Accredited evidence (e.g. from a qualification) can act as a ‘passport’ and give you confidence that the core learning areas have already been covered.

However, to make sure that they can meet the outcomes, you may want to have further discussions with the worker. The worker should also be observed how they apply their learning in practice as part of the induction process

You must still take new workers through the organisation’s policies and procedures for your workplace or their role.

Workers new to a role

You should find out what learning new workers with previous experience in a different sector or workers taking on a new role have already completed as part of their qualification or previous induction framework.

The learning should then be mapped against the requirements of their new role to identify any gaps. An action plan on how and when any additional leaning needs to be developed to meet the identified gaps.

For example: An adult social care worker moving to work with children and young people would need to complete sections 2 and 4 to top up their learning.

You should complete the progress logs for each section with the worker, making sure that there is evidence to support the workers knowledge, understanding or practical outcomes.

Evidence to complete the progress logs can be gathered from a range of assessment methods that can be used to judge a worker’s understanding of their role and responsibilities, and their practice.

The types of evidence that can be used to support the AWIF

• completion of the workbooks
• follow up questions
• written or verbal questioning
• supervision
• team meetings
• assignments
• case studies with questions
• presentations
• tests
• direct observation of practice
• feedback from others – for example, individuals, carers, other workers
• self-assessment / reflective accounts
• completion of probation
• completion of organisational induction procedures
• contributions from learning providers
• reflection on attendance of training evidence of accredited learning / qualifications.

Your workers can find help and advice on how to complete the AWIF on guidance for workers.

A range of people can contribute to the assessment of the AWIF core knowledge and practice learning outcomes, they include:

• direct line manager
• team leader
• mentor
• supervising social worker
• qualification assessor.

Responsibility of the registered manager

If you are a regulated service, it is the registered manager’s responsibility to sign off the evidence, confirm that the learning outcomes have been achieved and that the worker has completed the AWIF to a satisfactory standard.

Workbooks

Workbooks have been developed for each section to help put the induction into practice and to support new workers generate some of the evidence needed to achieve the core knowledge learning outcomes in the progress logs and to prepare for the formal assessment of the Core Qualification.

Sample answers

We have developed some sample answers that may help you judge whether the new worker has completed the workbook activity to a satisfactory standard.

Support from regions

The regions in Wales are available to help you support workers to complete their AWIF.

Learning resources

There is also a set of comprehensive learning resources that have been developed by WJEC and City and Guilds that you may find useful as an additional resource.

Glossary of terms

There is a glossary of terms that covers the AWIF and provides some definitions of the terms used. Anything marked in bold in the progress logs will be included.

Resource and legislation links

See resources and legislation for helpful links and references. These will be updated periodically. Some of the publications we ask the new worker to look at may have been published either by us or NHS Wales. Unless stated otherwise, these will apply equally to both health and social care workers.

If you have a question or if you can't find what you are looking for get in touch with us.