1. Verify the Exact Level 5 Adult Care Diploma
Check the exact award before you choose a course. Similar care leadership names can describe different qualifications. Confirm the awarding body, number and pathway.
Highfield’s course information gives these details for the adult care award:
- 90 credits.
- 900 hours of Total Qualification Time, or TQT.
- At least 599 Guided Learning Hours.
- Assessment through a portfolio of evidence.
These hours show the size of the course. They are not a fixed number of months or hours on placement.
This guide covers adult care services. For a children’s residential role, compare HHF’s children’s care leadership course. Its units and work evidence differ.
2. Check Age, Skills and Workplace Suitability
For HHF’s Level 5 Adult Care Diploma, you must be 19 or over. You need a suitable adult care role that lets you show management practice. Highfield recommends Level 2 reading, writing and maths skills. HHF reviews your experience and learning needs before you enrol.
Write a short outline of your role. Include:
- The team or work you help to lead.
- The decisions you make.
- Your role in staff support and supervision.
- The service reviews or changes you take part in.
A job title alone does not show whether a course fits. One deputy manager may have the right duties. Another may need more experience or wider tasks. Ask HHF to review your actual work.
3. Understand the Mandatory and Optional Route
HHF’s current route requires all 21 mandatory units. Together, they are worth 80 credits. You also need at least 10 credits from Optional Group B. The rules allow up to 5 extra credits from Optional Group A.
Agree your choices with your assessor. Each optional unit must fit your work and the course rules. Do not choose only by the unit title.
The core units cover topics such as:
- Leading staff and managing a service.
- Safeguarding and mental capacity.
- Supervision, communication and working with others.
- Checking quality and making improvements.
Read the full course unit table. Check the exact number and title of each unit in your agreed plan. Different Level 5 care courses do not all use the same units.
4. Plan Real Workplace Evidence
Your work must show that you can manage in a real adult care setting. Written tasks can show what you know. They cannot replace practical evidence when a unit requires you to perform at work.
Your assessor agrees suitable methods for each criterion. A criterion is a requirement your work must meet. Evidence may include:
- An assessor watching your work.
- A professional discussion about your decisions.
- Work records that show your own actions.
- A suitable witness account.
For example, a staff supervision record could show the actions you agreed. A discussion could explain why you chose them. A later review could show what changed. A policy on its own does not prove that you used it well.
5. Build a Manageable Portfolio
Build your Level 5 Adult Care Diploma portfolio around the criteria. The aim is clear evidence, not a large number of pages.
Keep a simple record for each planned task:
- The unit and criterion.
- The work you plan to do.
- The method your assessor has agreed.
- The file or record that holds the evidence.
- Feedback and any work still needed.
Agree dates, access and workplace permissions before an observation. Keep your files in a clear order and use names that make sense.
One work activity may support more than one criterion. Ask your assessor to check the links. Do not assume that one record meets every requirement. Keep the final version easy to find after you make changes.
6. Protect Information and Explain Your Reasoning
Agree how to share work records before you submit them. Remove names and other private details where needed. Use only the channels approved by HHF and your employer.
Share the part of a record that supports your work. Do not upload a whole care file if a short extract is enough. Ask your assessor about a safe option if records cannot leave the workplace.
At Level 5, explain why you made a decision. Use relevant policy, research, guidance and law to support written work. Add in-text citations and a clear Harvard-style reference list.
Sources support your reasoning. They do not replace evidence that you did the task. Make clear which decisions were yours and which actions were taken by other staff.
7. Understand Assessment, Feedback and Certification
HHF provides online learning, tutor guidance and portfolio assessment. Your assessor checks your work against the unit criteria. They explain what you have met and where you need more evidence.
You receive the award after you pass the assessment and all required quality checks. Ask HHF how the process works and who to contact for help.
Before you pay, confirm:
- Your course access period and study plan.
- How workplace assessment will take place.
- The support and services included.
- Any extra costs that apply to you.
Check the live course details and fee or ask for a suitability review. If you do not yet have management duties, compare the Level 4 Adult Care course. The care career guide can help you plan experience and study together.