The European Care Cerficiate (ECC)
So
what is the ECC?
The
ECC is a certificate
that provides
independent proof of an individual’s minimum level of
knowledge of social care work. It is recognised across
much of Europe. The certificate is awarded after
passing a short, yet searching, multiple answer exam,
which must be taken under exam conditions.
What does ‘ECC Compliant’ mean?
Any
training programme (from a degree course to an in house
induction programme) can be recognised as ‘ECC
Compliant’. The content of an ‘ECC Compliant’ training
programme has been independently checked and confirmed
as covering (as a minimum) set of learning outcomes
known as the
BESCLO (Basic European Social Care Learning
Outcomes).
Training materials can be promoted as ‘ECC Compliant’
when their covering of the BESCLO has been checked and
agreed by a lead partner. TASS UK is a lead partner in
the UK.
Who
is the ECC aimed at?
It is
aimed at workers and students who want to work in any
social care setting. It is also aimed at employers who
might offer it to new workers as an induction process,
or find that someone applying for a job has an ECC and
so they need to know what that means.
What are the entry requirements for the ECC?
The
ECC is open to anyone. There are no academic or study
entry requirements and it has been designed to be
easily accessible and inexpensive. In practice there
are two simple requirements; we expect candidates to be
over 16 years old and they must be able to read and
answer the questions. The assessment tests
knowledge,
not competence. The knowledge tested is the
minimum
knowledge required
to work in social care. This does not mean it is simple
however. The questions are searching and require the
student to have a clear understanding of
all
the topics being
tested.
How
will it work in the UK?
There
is an ECC Board who manage the implementation and
development of the award across Europe. TASS UK is one
of the main Lead Partners operating in the UK. TASS
UK’s role is to promote the award in the social care
sector and oversee the quality assurance of training
programme accreditation and the exam. TASS UK works
with delivery partners who deliver the training and
invigilate the exams.
For more information contact us
now.