Interested in a simple Skills Scan and Learning Progress Tracker tool for the Community health and wellbeing worker standard?
Knowledge
K1: the wider social determinants of health and their impact on the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of individuals, families and communities
K2: the causes of mental, emotional, and physical ill-health, long-term conditions, disability and premature death in the local community, their risk factors, and the opportunities for prevention and management
K3: the negative and positive impact that different agencies can have on improving health and wellbeing
K4: how psychological, behavioural and cultural factors contribute to the physical and mental health of people, and how these can impact on others
K5: health inequalities and how these impact on physical, mental, and emotional health and wellbeing
K6: the most up-to-date evidence base informing the creation of inclusive community development approaches that improve the health and wellbeing of communities
K7: the importance of building partnerships and connections with individuals, groups, and communities
K8: national guidance on the engagement and management of volunteers and how their rights and welfare are protected
K9: how to recognise the suitability of non-statutory community and voluntary groups and services to support people’s health and wellbeing needs, and local protocols for service appraisal and risk assessment
K10: the concepts and theories underpinning a strengths or asset-based approach
K11: the local and national statutory organisations and agencies that deliver public services (including education, housing, welfare, justice, health and care) and how they are funded
K12: the different local and national voluntary and charity organisations and their role in the provision of services available to the public for different issues, such as managing debt, reporting crime, domestic abuse, accessing government services online, tackling social isolation, bereavement support, promoting good mental health and wellbeing
K13: how to map services and other resources available to a community by taking a strengths or asset-based approach while also recognising gaps in provision
K14: local criteria for referring people into the service, signposting, and local referral systems and protocols
K15: relevant legislation, local policies and protocols regarding information governance, data security, data sharing and record keeping, to inform practice
K16: the nature and boundaries of the role when representing the interests of people using the service, and procedures for escalation or seeking advice for those at risk, including safeguarding protocols
K17: how to manage relationships in a referral pathway, the expectations of the referrer, and the person being referred
K18: how to build a rapport with people and groups to elicit information about their health and wellbeing concerns, and to offer further information to them
K19: how to acknowledge and respect an individual’s priorities in relation to their health and wellbeing, and understanding their right to refuse advice and information
K20: behaviour change principles and theories that underpin health improvement activity
K21: evidenced-based behaviour change tools and techniques (e.g. those that include capability, motivation, opportunity, and action planning) that can be applied to behaviour change interventions
K22: the concepts and theories relating to engagement, empowerment, co-design, and person-centred approaches and their importance for all aspects of mental, emotional and physical health and wellbeing
K23: the difference between enabling people to make their own changes and solve their own problems, and encouraging dependency
K24: different types of community and their defining characteristics, including cultural and faith-based factors
K25: national and local strategies and policies to improve health outcomes and address health inequalities
K26: the local demand on services based on health needs, and the different public and voluntary sector services available in the community to help to meet those needs
K27: the importance of the evidence base in forming strategies, policies and interventions to improve health and wellbeing
K28: how cultural and faith-based differences can impact the implementation of evidence-based interventions
K29: the current health messages aimed at the public and the evidenced-based rationale for those messages
K30: different components of interpersonal communication such as non-verbal, para-verbal, and active listening
K31: barriers to communication that may affect a person’s understanding of health messages and strategies for overcoming these (barriers could include sensory disability, neurodiversity, low levels of literacy or health literacy, language, or culture)
K32: the use of different communication methods in the promotion of health messages to a wide audience, including through social media and other digital technologies
K33: different population level or public health data and information used to identify priorities and measure community health outcomes
K34: the different tools and data used to measure changes in people’s health and wellbeing at an individual and community level
K35: the importance of gaining people’s consent and recording personal data and information securely in line with service protocols
K36: the different types of data and information and different types of evaluation used to assess the impact and effectiveness of services and interventions
K37: relevant legislation and how it influences policies and protocols, when promoting or protecting community health such as Health Protection legislation
K38: the importance of managing people’s expectations regarding the scope and availability of the service and how it can be accessed
K39: ethical implications and guidance relating to public health practice, such as the impact of public health measures on civil liberties
K40: the importance of keeping up to date with developments in population health and community health and wellbeing (continuing professional development)
K41: the importance of training in policies and protocols that ensure safety of self and service users, when work is often unsupervised or in remote locations
K42: the importance of appraisal, training and ongoing review including ways to give and receive feedback
Skills
S1: recognise, and help others to also recognise, the factors that impact on a person’s health and wellbeing that they can or cannot control or influence
S2: assist individuals, groups and communities to recognise their needs, what is important to them, and their strengths in relation to their health and wellbeing
S3: help people, groups and communities to identify and address barriers that can be overcome to achieve better health and wellbeing
S4: work with people and communities to identify and access local resources and assets that support their health and wellbeing
S5: work with people and communities so that they continue to make changes and solve problems on their own
S6: build partnerships and connections with local people, groups and organisations to reach shared solutions to local needs or issues
S7: work with, support or supervise people working as volunteers whilst recognising the boundaries of their roles
S8: recognise whether non-statutory community and voluntary groups and services are safe and sustainable to support people’s health and wellbeing needs, and escalate any concerns
S9: identify where different organisations collaborate successfully or interface seamlessly and build on these strengths to extend provision
S10: identify and highlight competition or conflict between services where this does not work in the interests of the local community or works against the best use of local assets
S11: research local provision, including online, for a wide range of interventions, projects and services that can support individuals and communities who are seeking to better manage their health and wellbeing
S12: keep information on local and digital provision up to date
S13: identify barriers preventing individuals from accessing local services, including how services are promoted or communicated
S14: receive and manage referrals, recognising appropriate and inappropriate referrals and how and when to escalate or refer on to a more appropriate service
S15: manage people’s personal data safely and securely when completing and storing records or sharing data
S16: recognise when someone is in distress or crisis and how to ensure that the right support is available for them at the point of need
S17: develop relationships with referrers and referring agencies to ensure appropriate referrals are made and the service offer is understood
S18: manage a caseload and potential waiting lists and be able to prioritise in line with service guidance
S19: help people to identify the key issues impacting on their health and wellbeing, actively listening to a person’s story without judgement
S20: work with individuals or groups to navigate health-related and service-related information to make decisions about their health and wellbeing
S21: work with individuals and groups who want to make changes to their behaviours and lifestyle choices to improve their health and wellbeing
S22: use behaviour change tools and techniques to develop and agree a plan of action, or set goals with a person to help them to address the issues and priorities they have identified regarding their health and wellbeing
S23: help people to review and access services relevant to them and their needs to optimise access and choice, including services that can address wider issues (such as social, financial or environmental) affecting their health and wellbeing
S24: review progress with an individual and agree an end point or closure regarding their engagement with the service
S25: deliver interventions that meet the needs of local communities including the consideration of cultural and faith-based factors
S26: support local communities through the implementation of strategies and policies that improve health outcomes and address health inequalities
S27: facilitate access to and promote services delivered by a range of public and voluntary sector agencies in the community, and services that are accessible digitally or online
S28: apply the most recent evidence to improve the effectiveness of strategies, policies and interventions
S29: communicate complex public health messages to people in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them
S30: communicate with people from a wide range of backgrounds, including professionals from different sectors, and citizens of different cultures
S31: facilitate consistent and helpful communications for people to make local services easier to understand and access
S32: facilitate communication and collaboration between people, communities and service providers where better connections and networks would support easier access and better provision
S33: act in accordance with relevant legislation, local policies and protocols regarding information governance, data security, data sharing and record keeping when handling people’s personal data and information
S34: use different types of data and information to identify priorities and measure health outcomes
S35: use recognised tools and data so that changes to people’s health and wellbeing can be measured or monitored at an individual and community level
S36: seek people’s consent to record and use their data, explaining to people who use services how their data and information will be used, and how it will be stored safely
S37: contribute to service evaluation by using different types of data and information and different types of evaluation
S38: work in partnership with people and groups when implementing policies and protocols in their communities
S39: recognise when the support needs of people or communities are beyond the scope of the role, and escalate in a timely manner particularly if a person is ‘at risk’
S40: represent the interests of people when engaging with service providers, while managing expectations regarding service availability and access
S41: identify and apply ethical frameworks and guidance relevant to practice in public or population health
S42: keep a record of training and development opportunities that have been accessed and how these have informed their practice
S43: maintain high standards of professional and personal conduct, including duty of care for the safety and welfare of self and others
S44: engage with performance appraisal and reflective practice in line with organisational procedures and management processes
Behaviours
B1: acts with honesty and integrity
B2: respectful of others
B3: non-judgemental regarding others' circumstances or decisions
B4: shows compassion and empathy
B5: takes responsibility for own actions
B6: seeks to collaborate (with individuals, communities and organisations) across sectoral, organisational and cultural boundaries
Duty 1
DUTY: use preventative approaches to promote the health and wellbeing of individuals, groups and communities, addressing the wider determinants of health and causes of ill-health
K1
K2
K3
K4
K5
S1
S2
S3
S4
Duty 2
DUTY: help communities to build local resilience and identify strengths, capacity and resources that support their health and wellbeing
K6
K7
K8
K9
K10
S5
S6
S7
S8
S9
S10
B6
Duty 3
DUTY: provide informed advice about local services and projects that support health and wellbeing
K11
K12
K13
S11
S12
S13
Duty 4
DUTY: manage referrals from a range of agencies, professionals and through self-referral
K14
K15
K16
K17
S14
S15
S16
S17
S18
Duty 5
DUTY: apply behavioural science to help people find practical solutions for better health and wellbeing
K18
K19
K20
K21
K22
K23
S19
S20
S21
S22
S23
S24
B2
B3
Duty 6
DUTY: implement actions set out in strategies and policies that promote health and wellbeing at community level
K6
K24
K25
K26
K27
K28
S4
S25
S26
S27
S28
Duty 7
DUTY: communicate public health messages and information to promote health and wellbeing at an individual, group and community level
K18
K29
K30
K31
K32
S29
S30
S31
S32
B4
Duty 8
DUTY: manage data and information and contribute to the evaluation of projects and services
K15
K33
K34
K35
K36
S15
S33
S34
S35
S36
S37
Duty 9
DUTY: operate within legal and ethical frameworks that relate to the promotion and protection of the public’s health and wellbeing
K16
K37
K38
K39
S38
S39
S40
S41
B1
Duty 10
DUTY: take responsibility for personal and professional development in line with organisational protocol
