By Lisa, Tracey, Nat and Georgia, July 2025.

From Dream to Approved Training Centre

It all began with a glint of ambition in Carol’s eye: “Let’s become an accredited training centre!”. Cue putting a team together, a whirlwind of paperwork, forms, and an enthusiastic brainstorming session.

We decided on the NCFE as the awarding body and dived into their requirements to become an approved training centre. We submitted our application and waited….then came the grilling by their QA team – the team gathered, and we got through the meeting with some very complimentary comments from NCFE.
 

Then came the moment: approved! Brilliantly, we are now officially recognised to deliver an NCFE accredited Level 3 Diploma in Residential Child and Family Support. This qualification is hugely important, and it’s eventually going to be the required standard for RFC’s. It covers everything from safeguarding to well-being, resilience to promoting positive relationships.

Crafting Units That Actually Work in the Real World

Next came the fun part – designing units that resonate with everyday life in residential family settings.

We carefully blended mandatory syllabus (like safeguarding, health and safety etc) with bespoke real-world examples – roleplays based on real scenarios, quizzes, observed sessions, assessments such as communication with multi‑agency teams, and strategies to understand the role and the importance of doing what we do.

Collaboration and Team Spirit

This wasn’t a one-person show. Big shout-out to colleagues who…

• Shared stories from front‑line care – great fuel for realistic case studies.
• Helped with shaping the units needed to make this meaningful.
• Did the real detailed graft writing policies and content.
• Helped with tech – we are a brilliant team but not experts at the tech stuff!  

Hard Work…

Behind the fun lay dedication:

Sitting through NCFE quality assurance visits….drafting unit guides aligned with NCFE’s requirements, guided learning hours, and all the content needed for this bespoke qualification.
 

There was also a lot of focus on finalising internal assessments – training assessors to evaluate portfolios, practical demos, and workplace assignments.

The Big Impact

And now, we are ready to open the door to learners – they will emerge with certification that empowers them to work as qualified Residential Family Centre Support Workers and Key Workers —ready to make a tangible difference to children and family’s lives.

Heartfelt Thank You

To every team member: you made it happen. Your energy, drafting, test‑run enthusiasm, and laughter under pressure turned a bold idea into a fully approved, high‑quality training programme. And the ripple effect? Supporting children, families, and communities for years to come.

It’s been an exciting rollercoaster and a genuine pleasure to be involved with. On to the next…!

Lisa Edwards, Georgia Shaw, Tracey Strangeway, Nat Firth-Cook