Early Intervention Strategy
Schools’ Parenting Toolkit
Work with Parents City and Guilds
Qualifications - Summary
Work with Parents City & Guilds courses
These are a suite of nationally recognised qualifications based on the National Occupational Standards
for Work with Parents which aim to help practitioners increase their skills, knowledge and competencies.
They are awarded by City and Guilds, and those doing the training should be working with parents or
families in a paid or voluntary capacity, as the courses combine training days with evidence of workplace experience.
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Level 2 Award in Work with Parents.
Level 3 Award in Work with Parents.
Level 3 Certificate in Work with Parents.
Level 4 Award in Work with Parents (Intense support for families with multiple and complex
needs).
Level 4 Unit 400 only (managers and supervisors)
Full details are available in the City and Guilds qualification handbooks.
A brief overview:
Course
Which course is best for the role?
Level 2
Award
Working as a co-facilitator or volunteer
alongside more experienced workers,
offering universal support services
under supervision.
Working with parents to offer universal
and targeted support, run groups, do
home visits, individual work, etc.
As for the Level 3 Award, but with the
opportunity to explore a wider range of
topics to link with specific roles.
For managers or supervisors of family
or parenting workers.
Experienced parenting practitioners,
working intensively with targeted
families who have multiple and
complex needs.
Level 3
Award
Level 3
Certificate
Level 4 Unit
400 only
Level 4
Award
Credits
Training
days
Guided
learning hours
12
5
70
12
5
50-70
30
12.5
140-170
6
3
24
12
5
60
Level 2 Award in Work with Parents (City and Guilds reference 3599-01/91)
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One mandatory unit – Unit 200 Build and maintain relationships with parents (Level 2) (6 credits)
Choose 2 from a range of 4 optional units at Level 2 each providing 3 credits.
Level 3 Award in Work with Parents (City and Guilds reference 3599-02)
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One mandatory unit – Unit 300 Build and maintain relationships with parents (Level 3) (6 credits)
Choose 1 or 2 from a range of 16 optional units at Level 3 each providing 3 or 6 credits.
Level 3 Certificate in Work with Parents (City and Guilds reference 3599-03/92)
Five mandatory units:
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Unit 300 Build and maintain relationships with parents (Level 3) (6 credits)
Unit 301 Work with parents to meet their children’s needs (3 credits)
Unit 302 Enable parents to develop ways of handling relationships and behaviour that
contribute to everyday life with children (3 credits)
Unit 303 Enable parents to reflect on the influences in parenting and the parent-child
relationship (6 credits)
Unit 304 Effective communication with parents (3 credits)
Choose 2 or 3 from a range of 12 optional units at Level 3 each providing 3 or 6 credits.
Level 4 Award Work with Parents (Intense support for families with multiple and complex
needs) (City and Guilds reference 4338-04)
Three mandatory units:
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Unit 400 - Build and maintain relationships with parents (Level 4) (6 credits).
Unit 401 - Understand and use persistent and proactive intervention methods when working with
families with complex and multiple needs (4 credits).
Unit 402 - Work with families with complex and multiple needs to reduce and prevent anti-social
behaviour and increase positive behaviour (2 credits).
Additional information
Learners will be required to demonstrate their competencies in the workplace and build a portfolio of
evidence to gain the award or certificate. This will include the completion of written assignments between
sessions, reflective practice and putting together examples of work products; so will need a few hours
additional study time per month, which could be in work or personal time as agreed with their managers.
Assessment of qualifications
The trainers are likely to also be assessors, so as well as delivering the training days; they will mark and
give feedback on written assignments, do a work place observation, offer tutorial sessions and times to
help learners put their portfolios together to gain their qualification. Managers are also asked to complete
a form detailing their employee’s competencies. If trainers are not assessors, then the assessment
centre will link an assessor with the trainer.
All learners will be registered with a City and Guilds centre. Completed portfolios will be sent to an
internal verifier at the centre who will check that the assessments are correct and will send some sample
work to an external verifier for final confirmation. This process will take several months. When it is
complete the qualification is awarded. If the verifier decides that some additional evidence needs to be
added, then they will let the tutor and learner know, so that this can be done.