Activity Co-ordination

Activity Co-ordinators help people who draw on care and support to lead full, meaningful and healthy lives through personalised activity provision.

The role involves planning, delivering and evaluating individual and group activities that promote wellbeing, engagement and independence. Activities may support physical health, emotional wellbeing, cognitive stimulation, creativity, social connection and reduced isolation.

Activity Co-ordinators work closely with the people they support, families, colleagues and external professionals to make sure activities are person-centred and reflect individual interests, abilities, life histories, cultures and preferences.

The role can exist across residential care, supported living, day services, rehabilitation services and community settings.

Although Activity Co-ordinators work closely with people receiving care and support, DHSC defines this as a role focused on activity provision rather than frontline personal care.

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What may already transfer from your care experience

If you already work in frontline Adult Social Care, you may have developed many of the foundations needed for Activity Co-ordination.

These can include:

Person-centred working
Understanding someone's preferences, routines, abilities, history and what matters to them.

Communication
Adapting the way you communicate for people with different needs, including people living with dementia, learning disabilities, autism, sensory impairments or communication difficulties.

Building relationships
Developing trusting relationships with people receiving support, families, colleagues and other professionals.

Understanding wellbeing
Recognising how social interaction, independence, stimulation, movement and meaningful activity can affect physical and emotional wellbeing.

Safeguarding and risk awareness
Recognising risks, escalating concerns and supporting people to participate safely.

Care documentation
Recording information, observations, outcomes and changes accurately.

Teamwork
Working with colleagues and other professionals to support people's individual needs.

Equality, diversity and inclusion
Respecting cultural, religious and personal differences and adapting support accordingly.

Supporting independence
Encouraging people to participate, make choices and retain control rather than doing everything for them.

These strengths align closely with the official Activity Co-ordinator framework, which emphasises person-centred practice, communication, collaboration, safeguarding, inclusive activity provision and supporting independence. DHSC's own persona also gives an example of an experienced care and support worker moving into an Activity Co-ordinator role.

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This section is Iyebiye's practical interpretation of the official DHSC knowledge and skills requirements.

Moving from frontline care into Activity Co-ordination may mean developing stronger skills in areas such as:

Activity planning and design

You need to understand how to create structured and spontaneous activities for individuals and groups, rather than simply supporting activities planned by somebody else.

Understanding meaningful activity

You should understand why activity provision matters and how it can support:

• physical wellbeing
• emotional resilience
• mental stimulation
• independence
• social interaction
• reduced isolation.

Adapting activities

You may need to strengthen your ability to adapt activities for different needs, including dementia, physical disability, sensory impairment, autism and learning disability.

Evaluation and feedback

The role goes beyond organising activities. You need to be able to assess whether activities are actually working, gather formal and informal feedback and use it to improve future provision.

Risk assessment

You may need more experience planning activities alongside appropriate risk assessments rather than only following existing risk-management plans.

Programme planning and documentation

You should be able to develop activity plans, maintain activity records, track participation and progress, and use information from the wider team.

Resource and budget management

Some roles require you to manage an activities budget and make creative use of limited resources.

Working across teams

Activity Co-ordinators may need to initiate collaboration with care teams, families and external professionals rather than only participating in it.

Digital confidence

The pathway expects digital competence and points to the Adult Social Care Digital Skills Framework. Digital tools may be used for communication, activity delivery, documentation and engagement.

Condition-specific knowledge

Depending on the setting, you may need additional knowledge in areas such as dementia, autism, learning disabilities, mental health or end-of-life care.

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A realistic route from frontline care into Activity Co-ordination could look like this:

1. Use your current role to build activity experience

Ask to become more involved in:

• individual activities
• group sessions
• resident/service-user events
• outings
• celebrations
• reminiscence activities
• wellbeing initiatives.

Do not only participate. Where possible, start helping to plan, deliver and evaluate them.

2. Build evidence

Keep examples of activities you have helped organise and what difference they made.

For example:

• how you adapted an activity for someone with dementia;
• how you supported someone who was socially isolated to participate;
• how you changed an activity following feedback;
• how you worked with families or colleagues;
• how you managed risk.

That becomes evidence for applications and interviews.

3. Learn the theory behind activity provision

Understand why different activities work, how activities support wellbeing and how they should be adapted to individual needs.

4. Develop the specific skills you are missing

Use the DHSC framework as a checklist. Pay particular attention to:

• activity programme development
• risk assessment
• evaluation
• documentation
• communication
• digital skills
• managing resources.

5. Consider an activity-specific qualification

For someone already experienced in care, an activity qualification can show employers that you have deliberately developed beyond general care experience.

6. Look for internal opportunities first

If your employer has an Activities Team, ask about:

• shadowing;
• supporting sessions;
• temporary cover;
• volunteering for activity projects;
• internal vacancies.

DHSC's official persona demonstrates exactly this type of transition: an experienced care and support worker moved internally into an Activity Co-ordinator position and then built specialist qualifications afterwards.

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DHSC currently specifically identifies the following qualifications for Activity Co-ordination:

Level 2 Award in Supporting Activity Provision in Social Care

This can help develop knowledge and practical skills for planning, delivering and evaluating activity provision.

Level 3 Certificate in Activity Provision in Social Care

This provides further development for someone looking to deepen their expertise and potentially take greater responsibility for activity provision.

DHSC also identifies relevant additional learning such as:

• dementia awareness / dementia Tier 2 training;
• positive behaviour support;
• falls prevention;
• infection prevention and control;
• basic food hygiene;
• preventing injury and ill health;
• mental health first aid.

The official framework also points to specialist standards relating to dementia, autism, learning disability, end-of-life care and mental health.

Setting-specific learning will depend on the needs of the people you support.

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Progression

Activity Co-ordination does not have to be the end point.

The official DHSC examples show several possible progression directions.

One Activity Co-ordinator progresses through:

Activity Co-ordinator → further activity qualifications → leadership development → Regional Activity Lead

with responsibility for influencing activity provision across multiple services and supporting other staff.

Another progresses from:

Care and Support Worker → Activity Co-ordinator → Occupational Therapy Assistant

and then explores an Occupational Therapy apprenticeship as a potential route towards becoming a registered Occupational Therapist.

Depending on your interests and experience, longer-term progression may therefore include:

• Senior / Lead Activity Co-ordinator
• Activities Lead
• Regional Activities Lead
• Wellbeing or Engagement roles
• specialist activity provision
• Occupational Therapy Assistant
• further study or apprenticeship towards Occupational Therapy
• wider leadership or service-development positions.

Pay

Pay varies by employer, location, setting, experience and level of responsibility. Check current vacancies in your area for an up-to-date picture of salaries. Senior, lead and regional roles may attract higher pay as responsibility increases.

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