There’s no denying that the last 12 months have been a challenging and demanding time, with many people looking to more holistic approaches to take care of their health and wellbeing.

Social prescribing is a term used to describe the practice of referring patients to social activities or community groups to provide treatment for practical or emotional support. In England, there is an ambition for social prescribing to reach over 900,000 people by March 2024, so there has never been a greater need to ensure the next generation of link workers will be there to support the general public.

Our Level 3 Certificate in Social Prescribing was the first national qualification in social prescribing made available to the sector, and we wanted to share with you the top 3 reasons why your learners should enroll:

1. Provides learners with a deeper level of knowledge and understanding

This qualification helps to identify issues faced by communities in relation to health and well-being, teaching learners how to overcome barriers and identify the opportunities by delivering community-based solutions. It has been designed to prepare learners for a role in social prescribing and provides those already working in this area with a deeper level of knowledge and understanding. This qualification will also increase their confidence in this field and assist them with work and study progression opportunities.

2. A variety of funding is available!

Not only does the qualification attract funding through the ESFA, but funding can also be acquired through the Workforce Development Fund which is disseminated by Skills for Care. This means that funding is available to support the cost of course fees (or employer contributions). It can be used towards any associated costs whilst training is being undertaken such as employee salaries, coaching and mentoring costs, venue costs and wage replacement costs.

3. Can be taken alongside other Skills and Education Group Awards qualifications

If your Centre is already delivering some of our other qualifications, or if this is something that may be of interest to you, this could strengthen the overall experience of learners wishing take the Level 3 Certificate in Social Prescribing. The following qualifications are complementary to our social prescribing qualification:

• Level 2 Award and Certificate in Community Organising
• Level 3 Award and Certificate in Community Organising
• Level 3 Award in Volunteer Management
• Level 4 Certificate in Volunteer Management
• Level 1 Certificate in Young Person Mentoring
• Level 2 Award in Preparation for Work in Community Interpreting
• Level 1 Award in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Awareness
• Level 1 Award in Safeguarding Awareness
• Level 1 Award in Mental Health and Wellbeing Awareness
• Level 1 Award in Workplace Health and Safety Awareness

To find out more, or to discuss which qualifications could support your provision, please get in touch with our Relationship Managers.