Qualification Options

We currently offer the following City & Guilds Health & Social Care qualifications:

  • Level 2 Diploma in Health & Social Care – Northern Ireland
  • Level 3 Diploma in Health & Social Care – Northern Ireland

The level 2 & Level 3 Diplomas are competence-based qualifications for individuals who work in Adult Care and are designed to be assessed in your place of work, as part of your normal work role.

The qualifications support learners to develop their knowledge and practical skills required for employment and/or career progression in a Health & Social Care or Adult Care in Northern Ireland. Progression through the levels of qualifications requires learners to be able to demonstrate their skills and practical ability, which increase in complexity, depth and breadth of required knowledge and/or levels of autonomy, as the level of the qualification increases.

These qualifications consist of mandatory units, covering core knowledge and skills competencies plus a number of optional specialism units, which can be combined in flexible ways to reflect the real working context of each learner and their work setting.

Age Group – 16 +

(Northern Ireland)

These qualifications are appropriate in a range of settings, where services support individuals with different needs, such as;

  • domiciliary care worker
  • support worker
  • care assistant
  • day care worker
  • adult residential care worker
  • family support worker.

You will need to complete nine mandatory units, these are:

  • 24 credits from the mandatory units in Group A
    • Introduction to communication in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
    • Introduction to personal development in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
    • Introduction to equality and inclusion in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
    • Introduction to duty of care in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
    • Principles of safeguarding and protection in health and social care
    • The role of the health and social care worker
    • Implement person centred approaches in health and social care
    • Contribute to health and safety in health and social care
    • Handle information in health and social care settings
  • a minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 7 credits from the optional units in Group B
  • at least 15 credits from the optional units in Group C

Full qualification guidance - Level 2 Diploma in Health & Social Care – Northern Ireland – v3.0 (Mar 20) – 3086-02

46 credits / 460 TQT

You will need to complete nine mandatory units, these are:

  • 28 credits from the mandatory units in Group A
    • Promote communication in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
    • Engage in personal development in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
    • Promote equality and inclusion in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
    • Principles for implementing duty of care in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
    • Principles of safeguarding and protection in health and social care
    • The role of the health and social care worker
    • Promote person centred approaches in health and social care
    • Promote and implement health and safety in health and social care
    • Promote good practice in handling information in health and social care settings
  • a minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 7 credits from the optional units in Group B
  • a minimum of 23 credits from the optional units in Group C

Full qualification guidance - Level 3 Diploma in Health & Social Care – Northern Ireland – v3.0 (Mar 20) – 3086-032

58 credits - 580 TQT

All learners vary on the timescale to complete their qualification.
When you register, you will be given a specified target date in which to achieve your qualification, you can complete your qualification sooner than the target date if you are able to submit work regularly and at a good pace. Specific target dates can be discussed and agreed with your Assessor.

Total Qualification Time (TQT) is set at 460 hrs (L2) & 580 hrs (L3), this is based on the average amount of time taken to achieve this qualification, over an average completion period of 18 months.

Complete qualification (including Registration, Learner Pack, Assessment and Certification) prices start from:

  • Level 2 Diploma in Health & Social Care – Northern Ireland – £2,019.
  • Level 3 Diploma in Health & Social Care – Northern Ireland – £2,179.

These prices are reduced significantly for learners and organisations with their own in-house assessor support.
Registration only:

  • Level 2 Diploma in Health & Social Care – Northern Ireland – £759.
  • Level 3 Diploma in Health & Social Care – Northern Ireland – £759.

*ARC members benefit from reduced costs

To register for any of these qualifications, you need to complete the necessary registration forms. This will prompt support for you to consider all the aspects involved in undertaking the qualification and ensure the right one is selected for you. You will also need to seek permission from your organisation to collect evidence in the workplace.

To find out more about registering please click here ‘How to Register’.

All ARC learner documentation is included in our learner portfolios, these can also be accessed via our ‘’Documentation, Guidance & Policies’ section in word and .pdf format.

Awarding Organisation guidance is available via the same page.