The N/SVQs that BB provides
The Boys' Brigade has been approved by City & Guilds to offer the following N/SVQs:
- Youth Work - Levels 2 & 3
- Playwork - Levels 2 & 3
- Assessors and Verifiers Award - Level 3 & 4
Youth Work, promoting young people's personal, social and educational development, offers both planned and spontaneous opportunities for young people to learn through experience, about self, others, society and the environment. The values that underpin Youth Work derive from a clear understanding of, and commitment to learning and development, equality of opportunity, social inclusion, and the educational and social importance of choice, freedom, responsibility and justice.
Youth Work takes place where youth workers and young people meet to engage in activities that are in line with its key purposes and reflect its key principles. It takes place indoors and outdoors, in the community and away from the community, in places set aside for young people and places where the community meets and goes about its business. These places may therefore include youth and community centres, mobile facilities, activities and trips away from home, and informal encounters in places where young people meet for reasons other than Youth Work.
Youth Work is conventionally understood to be, at its core, about young people's personal and social development. Youth Work is part of community-based, informal education provision, where young people's participation and active engagement with the wider community are important aspects of informal education and of Youth Work.
Taken from 'N/SVQs in Youth Work - Award Guidance and Record of Assessment'
Value statements
This qualification is underpinned by the Playwork Principles. These are outlined as follows.
These Principles establish the professional and ethical framework for Playwork and as such must be regarded as a whole.
They describe what is unique about play and Playwork, and provide the Playwork perspective for working with children and young people.
They are based on the recognition that children and young people's capacity for positive development will be enhanced if given access to the broadest range of environments and play opportunities.
1. All children and young people need to play. The impulse to play is innate. Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and well being of individuals and communities.
2. Play is a process that is freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated. That is, children and young people determine and control the content and intent of their play, by following their own instincts, ideas and interests, in their own way for their own reasons.
3. The prime focus and essence of Playwork is to support and facilitate the play process and this should inform the development of play policy, strategy, training and education.
4. For Playworkers, the play process takes precedence and Playworkers act as advocates for play when engaging with adult led agendas.
5. The role of the Playworker is to support all children and young people in the creation of a space in which they can play.
6. The Playworker's response to children and young people playing is based on a sound up to date knowledge of the play process, and reflective practice.
7. Playworkers recognise their own impact on the play space and also the impact of children and young people's play on the Playworker.
8. Playworkers choose an intervention style that enables children and young people to extend their play. All Playworker intervention must balance risk with the developmental benefit and well being of children.
Taken from 'N/SVQs in Playwork Standards and Assessment Requirements'
Becoming an Assessor
What does an assessor do?
Assessors first identify what new N/SVQ candidates are already able to do. They then agree an overall action plan that will be regularly updated. An important part of the assessor's work is to advise and support the candidate throughout.
Assessors may:
- visit candidates in their companies and observe their performance
- question candidates to assess their knowledge
- examine candidates' portfolios of evidence
- record candidates' progress and sign off units as they are completed
- give candidates detailed feedback after an assessment
- keep records of candidates' progress
- pass relevant information to the N/SVQ awarding bodies.
What skills/experience should an assessor have?
- be experienced in the occupational area that they are assessing (Youth Work and Children's Work)
- have strong communication skills, including writing, speaking and listening
- be able to encourage and motivate candidates
- enjoy working with people
- have an interest in promoting education and training.
What qualifications does an assessor need?
N/SVQ assessors must have an assessment qualification, which they usually gain while working. They must have either A1 Certificate (assesses candidates using a range of methods) or A2 Certificate (assesses candidates' performance through observation).
What career opportunities can this offer?
Experienced assessors can become internal verifiers or external verifiers. They may move into further education teaching, adult education tuition or training.
What will an assessor in the BB actually do?
The assessor would have candidates in their local area.
The first step with a new candidate is for the assessor to identify what the candidate is already able to do. The assessor can then decide what underpinning knowledge needs to be developed, and the assessor and the candidate agree an overall action plan that will be regularly updated. An important part of the assessor's role is to advise and support the candidate throughout.
N/SVQs are assessed in a range of ways. Assessors may:
- Visit candidates in their companies and observe their performance.
- Question candidates to assess their underpinning knowledge and to gauge how they would deal with non-standard situations.
- Monitor candidates' progress. This may involve examining their portfolios of evidence - evidence that records candidates' ability at work and demonstrates their knowledge and understanding. Evidence may be paper based, electronic or in the form of audio tapes.
You would also:
- record candidates' progress and sign off units as they are completed
- give candidates detailed feedback after an assessment and provide any necessary support and advice
- keep detailed records of candidates' progress and pass on relevant information to the N/SVQ awarding bodies.
Assessors would usually work with a number of candidates at the same time. They work as part of an assessment team with other assessors and at least one internal verifier. They attend regular meetings with other assessors to ensure they are working to standard practices. They would need to liaise with HQ staff to keep them informed of candidates' progress.
How does an assessor keep their qualification current?
Assessors may join The Institute of Assessors and Internal Verifiers (IAV) as Associate members once they have begun assessor training. When they have worked as an assessor for at least twelve months they can apply for Licentiate membership and be added to the IAV's National Register. They can apply for Fellowship when they have been qualified for five years.
Assessors must undertake Continuing Professional Development to keep up to date with developments in their particular occupational sector and in assessment practice. To do this they may attend workshops and courses.
