‘Groundbreaking’ new graduate diploma launches in children’s residential care

The Graduate Diploma in Residential Work (Children’s) will be delivered over 18 months through a combination of distance learning, in-person teaching and work-based study, the course will welcome its first cohort later this year.

Developed in partnership with children’s home providers, the diploma aims to raise the standard of training for residential care staff, moving from a level 3 to a level 6 qualification. The curriculum combines evidence-based learning with emerging technologies, including virtual and augmented reality and generative AI, to support simulation-based training.

Speaking at the launch event, Ms Trowler highlighted the programme’s significance in the context of current reforms to children’s social care. “One key shift we want to see across the practice system is much more skilled and knowledgeable direct work with families, underpinned by evidence and practice-based methodology,” she said. “This course can help systematise the individual brilliance we see across the 46,000 talented residential care practitioners in England.”

She also praised the partnership between Kingston University and Lighthouse Pedagogy Trust in bringing the initiative to life. “Both organisations have come together and decided to do something different, undeterred by the barriers that might be placed in their way – they’ve marched on regardless and are making change happen,” she said. “The first cohort of students that start could be the vanguard of a nationwide systemic shift in how we develop our practice alongside children and young people, and their families, and it’s incredibly exciting.”

Designed with flexibility in mind, the course allows professionals to continue working in residential care while studying. Its teaching has been shaped by input from care leavers, local authorities, government agencies and practitioners, with a focus on the most pressing needs of children in care.

Grounded in social pedagogy – a holistic model emphasising authentic relationships – the programme has been endorsed by the Social Pedagogy Professional Association for the UK and Ireland. Modules will cover child development, trauma-responsive care, relational practice, child protection, therapeutic intervention, advocacy and leadership.

Graduates will be able to pursue a range of roles including residential staff in children’s homes, social pedagogy practitioners and support workers for young people. A dedicated pathway is also available for those seeking to become registered managers.

Associate Professor of Social Work at Kingston University and co-creator of the course, Yvalia Febrer, said the diploma provides overdue recognition for the profession. “Staff undertaking this work are carrying out some of the most complex and important work in our society with some of the most vulnerable children,” she said. “This course recognises the incredible expertise the staff already have, harnesses it and delivers a much higher qualification - which they rightly deserve.”

Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang, Director of Lighthouse Pedagogy Trust, added that the programme is designed to equip staff to meet increasingly complex needs. “I want them to understand the changing needs of children growing up in residential care. We are seeing children come into care with increasingly complex needs, whether that be mental health needs or special educational needs. We’ll be training participants so they can respond and look after those children as effectively as possible.”