RoSPA Level 3 Award for Safer People Handling Trainers – (4 days)

What’s Involved

This is a rigorous, practice-focused programme delivered in a classroom and practical setting by experienced moving and handling sector specialists. The qualification is structured across three units, each building on the last.

Unit 1 – Understanding the Principles and Practices of the Safer Movement of People

Learners develop a comprehensive knowledge of:

• The importance of safer handling and factors contributing to staff injuries and ill health
• Current legislation, including the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, and employer and employee responsibilities
• How organisational policies support safer, person-centred handling practice
• Physical, cognitive and behavioural indicators that determine when optimised (one-handler) handling may no longer be safe
• Duties relating to the use of moving and handling equipment, including hoists, slings, standing aids and optimised handling aids
• Risk assessment types — generic, dynamic and individual — and how to monitor and review their effectiveness
• The impact of poor posture, repetitive handling and heavy loads on muscles, spinal discs and ligaments
• How applying efficient movement principles reduces the risk of musculoskeletal injury

Unit 2 – Application of Safe Practices to the Movement of People

Learners build hands-on competence across a wide range of practical techniques and equipment, including:

• Conducting pre-transfer assessments and ability checks before any moving or handling activity
• Safer optimised handling for weight-bearing tasks — with and without equipment, and with one or two handlers
• Assisting a person to stand, walk and sit, using handling belts and standing aids (powered and non-powered)
• Safer optimised handling for non-weight-bearing tasks — turning and repositioning in bed, with and without equipment
• Use of in-bed management systems and slide sheets for repositioning
• Fitting and removing hoist slings in bed and in a chair or wheelchair
• Hoisting transfers between bed and chair using a passive hoist
• Pre-use checks of equipment including wheelchairs, hoists, slings and standing aids
• Passive recovery of a person from the floor using appropriate equipment

Unit 3 – Deliver an Inclusive Safer People Handling Training Session

Learners develop the skills to plan, deliver and evaluate effective training, including:

• Developing a session plan with learning outcomes, session contents, teaching methods, resources, timings and assessment of learning
• Applying teaching methods and learning strategies to meet individual learner needs
• Creating a physical and emotional environment that supports effective learning
• Using resources appropriately to support inclusive learning and assessment Implementing good communication techniques and delivering constructive feedback to learners
• Evaluating training session effectiveness through self-reflection and learner feedback
• Completing an action plan for areas of improvement

Who is This Course Suitable For?

This qualification is designed for experienced health and social care professionals who are ready to develop their skills as safer people handling trainers. Learners should have a background in people handling, experience of working within a health or social care environment, and the confidence to train others.

This course is ideal for:

• Moving and handling practitioners and leads
• Occupational therapists and physiotherapists
• Nurses and allied health professionals
• Clinical leads and senior care staff
• Learning and development teams
• Workforce trainers and educators

Entry requirements: There are no specific formal entry requirements, however learners should have a minimum of Level 2 in literacy and numeracy (or equivalent), experience of working within a people-handling environment, and the confidence to train others. On completion, learners are qualified to deliver safer people handling training within their organisation and are eligible to progress to delivering the Level 2 Award in Proportionate People Handling, supporting wider workforce transformation and the embedding of person-centred, sustainable care models.