This apprenticeship is in the process of being revised or adjusted. In the meantime, the version below remains approved for delivery. Further details of this and other apprenticeships being revised or adjusted are available in the revisions and adjustments status report.
Providing therapeutic play interventions for sick infants, children and young people, service users, carers and families of all ages, throughout their healthcare journey.
This occupation is found in Hospital, Community, Hospices, NHS, Private and Voluntary Sector. The broad purpose of the occupation is Health Play Specialists (HPS) provide therapeutic play interventions for sick infants, children and young people, service users, carers and families of all ages, throughout their healthcare journey. Play strategies are used to support children and young people in the understanding of their medical conditions and treatments, to adopt life styles changes that are required to manage long term conditions. Play is the tool used to gain informed consent from children and young people and to continue this work as the child and young person’s condition improves, deteriorates, their cognition develops, to transitional to adult services or end of life.
The purpose of play and recreational provision within a healthcare environment is to facilitate access to normalising play in an appropriate and safe environment where developmental norms and goals can be achieved and maintained. Without the provision of skilled play interventions, opportunities for normal growth and development can be limited, leading to restriction or regression in development.
The HPS is a key member of the multi-professional team supporting diagnosis and treatment plans, assessing, developing and implementing complex communication plans with children and families. Communication can be verbal, written, non-verbal or technology assisted and delivered often through play and recreational techniques.
The HPS will assess, observe, play, evaluate and report the relationships in families, skills and behaviours of children and provide professional reports for the safeguarding process. They may be required to provide evidence in the family court. A non-judgement approach is required as children are admitted to hospitals at a time of family crisis which has resulted in an injury or significant neglect to the infant child or young person.
An essential requirement of this role is professional annual re-registration with the Health Care Play Specialist Education Trust (HPSET) demonstrating continuous professional development, practising within the scope of the Professional Code of Conduct and Professional Occupational Standards.. In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with Health Play Specialists interact on a daily basis with:
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for providing therapeutic play techniques to prepare the child for medical, surgical and invasive interventions and procedures, seeking to promote informed consent. Distraction and alternative focus activities provide autonomy through choice and control, augmenting the child’s coping strategies prior to and during procedures. Post procedural play supports children to make sense of health procedures and regimes. The HPS works collaboratively with other professionals at all times and especially when a life limiting diagnosis is made; through to end of life care.
Examples of common work activities include:
Duty | KSBs |
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Duty 1 Organise, initiate and supervise play facilities, appropriate to the age, ability, medical condition and background of the child/young person ensuring all children have access to play and recreation. |
K1 K3 K5 K6 K7 K8 K10 K12 K13 K14 S1 S2 S3 S6 S7 S9 S10 S11 S13 S14 S15 S17 S20 S21 S23 S24 S25 S26 S28 S29 |
Duty 2 To use play and recreation as a tool to communicate, build a rapport and engage with children and young people throughout their healthcare journey |
K1 K3 K5 K6 K7 K8 K10 K12 K13 K14 K15 K17 K19 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 |
Duty 3 To plan, implement and evaluate individual therapeutic play interventions to include preparation for invasive and non-invasive procedures, distraction therapy and post procedural play. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K10 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K19 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S9 S10 S11 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 S28 S29 |
Duty 4 Work with other professional teams to prepare children and young people prior to admission, and for specific procedures and to familiarise them with the environment, including pre-operative assessment during their healthcare journey. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 |
Duty 5 To advocate patient centred care by communicating for the child/young person and family as part of the multi-professional team (internal and external), to facilitate their wishes and expectations. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K10 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S20 S21 S22 S23 S24 S25 S26 S28 S29 S30 S31 |
Duty 6 Form a supportive professional relationships with family members and carers, enable them to participate in play/recreation and assisting the developing needs of their child/young person during their healthcare journey. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 S1 S2 S3 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 S23 S24 S25 S26 S28 S29 |
Duty 7 Devise and be accountable for the assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of individual play/recreational sessions using relevant play documentation. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K10 K11 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K19 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S9 S10 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S20 S21 S23 |
Duty 8 Through play interventions provide emotional/psychosocial interventions for children/young people and their families facing life changing circumstances. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S22 S23 S24 S25 S26 S27 S28 S30 S31 |
Duty 9 Educate and demonstrate value, importance and benefits of specialised and therapeutic play to healthcare professionals/students. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S22 S29 S30 |
Duty 10 Provides highly specialised recommendations regarding the holistic care and play interventions to other professional teams, families and carers. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 S23 S24 S25 S26 S27 S29 S30 S31 |
Duty 11 Uphold the Code of Professional Conduct and Standards of Proficiency meeting requirements for continuing professional registration. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 S23 S24 S25 S26 S27 S28 S29 S30 |
Duty 12 Ensure that the play/recreation environment is risk assessed and actioned therefore maintaining a safe and appropriate environment. |
K1 K2 K3 K5 K7 K8 K10 K12 K17 K18 K19 |
Duty 13 Through observation recognise and act on the signs and symptoms of potential safeguarding (e.g. abuse) in line with local policy. Analyse, interpret and evaluate the relevant information, concepts and ideas. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 S1 S2 S3 S4 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S14 S15 S16 S18 S19 S20 S21 S22 S23 S24 S25 S26 S29 S30 |
Duty 14 Be able to practise as an autonomous professional, exercising own professional judgement. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 S20 S21 S22 S23 S24 S25 S26 S27 S28 S30 S31 |
Duty 15 Be able to practise within the legal and ethical boundaries of their profession. |
K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S19 S20 S21 S22 S23 S24 S25 S27 S30 |
K1: The Code of professional conduct and standards of practice and behaviour for registered health play specialist (HPSET, 2019), and how to fulfil all registration requirements
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K2: The professional responsibility to adopt a healthy lifestyle to maintain the level of personal fitness and well-being required to meet people’s needs for mental and physical care through play
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K3: The relevant legal, regulatory and governance requirements, policies, and ethical frameworks, including any mandatory reporting duties, to all areas of practice
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K4: The meaning of resilience and emotional intelligence, and their influence on an individual’s ability to provide play
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K5: The established principles for working with sick children, young people and their families
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K6: The Child development theory and research related to specialised play and recreation
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K7: The best practice in health play, based on current theoretical, legal and local policies
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K8: How discriminatory behaviour is exhibited
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K9: The principles and processes for making reasonable adjustments
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K10: The principles of research and how research findings are used to inform evidence-based practice
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K11: The principles of health and safety legislation and regulations and maintain safe work and care environments by undertaking risk assessments as per organisational policy
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K12: The importance of early years and childhood experiences and the possible impact on life choices, mental, physical and behavioural health and well-being
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K13: The contribution of social influences, health literacy, individual circumstances, behaviours and lifestyle choices to mental, physical and behavioural health outcomes
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K14: How and when to escalate to the appropriate professional for expert help and advice
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K15: Where and how to seek guidance and support from others to ensure that the best interests of those receiving play are upheld, know and understand strategies to develop resilience in self and know how to seek support to help deal with uncertain situations
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K16: Own role and the roles of all other staff at different levels of experience and seniority
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K17: The roles of the different providers of health and care
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K18: The principles of human factors and environmental factors when working in teams
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K19: The influence of policy and political drivers that impact health and care provision
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S1: Act in accordance with the Code: Professional standards of practice and behaviour for registered health play specialist (HPSET, 2019), and fulfil all registration requirements
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S2: Keep complete, clear, accurate and timely records
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S3: Recognise and report any factors that may adversely impact safe and effective play provision
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S4: Take responsibility for continuous self-reflection, seeking and responding to support and feedback to develop professional knowledge and skills
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S5: Safely demonstrate evidence-based practice in all skills and procedures required for entry to the register: (HPSET, 2019)
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S6: Act as an ambassador for their profession and promote public confidence in health play services
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S7: Knows a range of communication skills and strategies and how and when to apply the method most suitable to the situation
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S8: Recognise signs of vulnerability in self or colleagues and the action required to minimise risks to health
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S9: Develop, manage and maintain appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers and colleagues
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S10: Provide, promote, and where appropriate advocate for, non-discriminatory, person-centred and sensitive play at all times, reflecting on people’s values and beliefs, diverse backgrounds, cultural characteristics, language requirements, needs and preferences, taking account of any need for adjustments
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S11: Report any situations, behaviours or errors that could result in poor outcomes
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S12: Challenge or report discriminatory behaviour
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S13: Promote behaviours and provide information to support children, young people and their families to make informed choices to improve their mental, physical, behavioural health and wellbeing through play strategies
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S14: Apply knowledge, communication and relationship management skills required to provide children, young people, families and carers with accurate information that meets their needs before, during and after a range of play interventions
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S15: Recognise when capacity has changed and how a person’s capacity affects their ability to make decisions about their own care and to give or withhold consent
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S16: Recognise people at risk of abuse, self-harm and/or suicidal ideation and the situations that may put them and others at risk
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S17: Monitor the effectiveness of play in partnership with children young people, families and carers, documenting progress and reporting outcomes
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S18: Take personal responsibility to ensure that relevant information is shared according to local policy and appropriate immediate action is taken to provide adequate safeguarding and that concerns are escalated
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S19: Work in partnership with other professionals, to encourage shared decision making, in order to support individuals
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S20: Meet children and young people’s needs for safety, dignity, privacy, comfort and play
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S21: Support people with commonly encountered symptoms including anxiety, confusion, discomfort and pain
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S22: Work collaboratively and in partnership with professionals from different agencies in interdisciplinary teams
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S23: Maintain safe work and play environments
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S24: Act in line with local and national organisational frameworks, legislation and regulations to report risks, and implement actions as instructed, following up and escalating as required
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S25: Accurately undertake risk assessments, using contemporary assessment tools as per organisation policy and procedures
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S26: Respond to and escalate potential hazards that may affect the safety of Child, young people and adults
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S27: Participate in data collection to support audit activity, and contribute to the implementation of quality improvement strategies
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S28: Prioritise and manage own workload, and recognise where elements of care can safely be delegated to other colleagues, carers and family members
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S29: Support, supervise and act as a role model to health play specialist students and members of other professional teams and those new to care roles, review the quality of the play they provide, promoting reflection and providing constructive feedback
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S30: Contribute to team reflection activities to promote improvements in practice and services
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S31: Access, input, and apply information and data using a range of methods including digital technologies, and share appropriately within interdisciplinary team
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B1: Treat people with dignity, respecting individual's diversity, beliefs, culture, needs, values, privacy and preferences
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B2: Show respect and empathy for those you work with, have the courage to challenge areas of concern and work to evidence based best practice
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B3: Be adaptable, reliable and consistent, show discretion, resilience and self-awareness
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Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
Level: 5
This standard aligns with the following professional recognition:
This is a regulated occupation.
Health Play Specialist Education Trust (HPSET)
Training Provider must be approved by regulator body
EPAO does not require approval by regulator body
5
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this apprenticeship will be reviewed in accordance with our change request policy.
Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date | Latest end date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1.0 | Approved for delivery | 30/09/2019 | Not set | Not set |
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