Qualifi Level 5 Unit CO504 Professional, Ethical, and Sustainable Principles within Aesthetic Practice (T/651/7024) Assessment Example 2026

Qualifi Level 5 Unit CO504 Assessment Example 2026

Unit Aim and Aesthetic KSBs

• Aesthetic practitioners will understand why and how to comply with professional standards and ethical and sustainable principles within aesthetic practice.
• This unit is based on the 2025 Level 5 Aesthetic Practitioner – Skin Rejuvenation apprenticeship occupational standards: https://www.instituteofapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship- standards/st1238
• This unit has also been mapped to the JCCP and CPSA standards and codes of practice regarding the application of legal, ethical, clinical and professional guidelines.
• Aesthetic Practitioners will maintain current and valid First Aid at Work qualification or equivalent and be able to carry out the functions of Basic Life Support (BLS), infection control and complication management.

Aesthetic Occupational Standards – KSBs

Knowledge

• K1: Legal and organisational requirements: equality, diversity and inclusion, health, safety, infection control for aesthetic skin rejuvenation procedures, management of and safe use of products, storage, handling and disposal of skin rejuvenation products, tools and equipment, informed consent, storage and maintenance of client records, advertising and marketing.
• K2: The scope, structure and requirements of the aesthetic sector: different types of role and organisations, business risk management and risk control systems, licensing and regulatory requirements, aesthetics standards quality assurance, voluntary and statutory requirements for professional practice.
• K3: Ethical, environmental and sustainability principles relating to the provision of aesthetic procedures for skin rejuvenation.
• K50: Use of reflective techniques, research and feedback to plan professional development and to inform future procedures and recommendations.
• K51: Strategies used to promote business growth, increase retail sales, and encourage clients to book additional procedures and services.

Behaviours

• B1: Works collaboratively with other professionals.
• B2: Works professionally and ethically within own level of authority, responsibility and competence and recognises when to seek support or assistance.
• B3: Embraces and values equality, diversity and inclusion, treating everyone with dignity and respect.
• B4: Adapts communication style to the audience to build rapport and positive relationships with colleagues and the public.
• B5: Embraces industry codes of conduct.
• B6: Aware of ecological footprint, motivated and committed to environmental sustainability

Learning Outcomes, and Assessment Criteria

Indicative Content

Professional Principles

• professional roles and boundaries
• evidence-based practice
• client-centred care
• integrity and honesty
• confidentiality
• informed consent
• accountability
• professional image and conduct
• collaboration and referral
• competence and continuous development

*Role, powers and requirements of:

• General Medical Council (GMC)
• General Dental Council (GDC)
• Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
• Care Quality Commission (CQC)
• Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS)
• Health Inspectorate Wales (HIW)
• Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority Northern Ireland (RQIA)
• European standard EN 16372 Aesthetic Surgery Services
• Health Education England Guidance
• Cosmetic Professional Standards Authority (CPSA)
• Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners (JCCP)
• The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008
• Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982
• The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP)
• Advertising Standards Agency (ASA)

Ethical responsibilities

• informed consent
• professional competence
• client autonomy and respect
• do not harm (non-maleficence)
• act in the client’s best interest (beneficence)
• confidentiality
• honest marketing and communication

*Informed consent

• Information to be provided to the client before providing aesthetic procedures
• details of the aesthetic practitioner’s qualifications and experience to perform the procedure
• the healing time, benefits and risks of the proposed procedure.
• evidence-based information about the products and equipment to be used
• the pre and post-procedure requirements for optimum results
• clear information about the costs and the ‘cool-down’ period

Social responsibilities

• promote positive body image
• safeguarding vulnerable clients
• environmental sustainability
• inclusivity and non-discrimination
• accountability

*Safeguarding

• A legal framework for safeguarding practices and procedures are drawn up within a legal framework. Local Authorities have clearly laid out responsibility for making provision for these to be carried out. This includes the provision of a designated safeguarding lead professional who is available to support with enquiries or reported cases of disclosure, or where there is reasonable cause to suspect significant harm. This is available to the general public and to all professionals including those working in private practice or working alone. Local authorities can provide details of the local Safeguarding Officer.

*Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

• fairness and justice
• ideas and perspectives
• teamwork, trust and collaboration
• morale and wellbeing
• reputation and compliance

Environmental Sustainability

• Biodegradable
• Compostable
• Consumption
• Cruelty free
• Ecological footprint
• Ecosystem
• ESG – environmental social governance
• Fairtrade
• Global warming
• Green washing
• PETA-approved
• Reduce, reuse, recycle
• Sustainable
• SDG – sustainable development goals
• Waste management

Insurance

• Indemnity and liability insurance appropriate to the scope of practice, including any training, assessment, oversight, managerial or other role/s.

Safe premises standards

• CQC – Care Quality Commission, England
• HIS – Healthcare Improvement Scotland
• RQIA – Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority Northern Ireland
• HIW – Health Inspectorate Wales

Marketing services responsibly

• don’t make unjustifiable claims about interventions, abilities qualifications, training and experience
• don’t trivialise the risks involved
• don’t use unethical or irresponsible promotional tactics that might encourage clients to make ill-considered and/or uninformed decisions.

Guidelines

• ASA – Advertising Standards Agency
• JCCP – Joint Council for Cosmetic Practitioners
• CPSA – Cosmetic Practitioners
• CQC – Care Quality Commission
• HIS – Healthcare Improvement Scotland
• HIW – Healthcare Inspectorate Wales
• RQIA – Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority Northern Ireland

Glossary

Ethical concepts

Autonomy – refers to a client’s right to make an informed voluntary decision about their own body and treatment without coercion.

Beneficence – the ethical obligation to act in the best interest of the client to promote their well-being

Justice – treating others fairly and equitably and ensuring access to care is nondiscriminatory.

Non-maleficence – ‘do no harm’ the duty to avoid causing physical, psychological, or emotional harm to the client. Working within one’s level of competency and knowing when to refer clients on to other professionals.

Transparency – communicating openly about risks, incidents and corrective action.

Environmental sustainability

Biodegradable – substance or material that can breakdown naturally by microorganisms(bacteria, fungi) into non-toxic components, without harming the environment.

Compostable – a material that can break down into nutrient-rich compost (usually in a composting facility) leaving no toxic residue. All compostable items are biodegradable, but not all biodegradable items are compostable.

Consumption – the use of natural resources, goods or energy by individuals, communities or industries. Sustainable consumption aims to reduce waste and environmental impact.

Cruelty-free – products that are not tested on animals at any stage of development. Sustainable and humane alternatives, often associated with cosmetics, personal care and household products.

Ecological footprint – a measure of how much natural resources (land, air, water) a person, organisation, or country uses to support their lifestyle or operations, compared to what the Earth can generate.

Ecosystem – a community of living organisms (plants, animals, microbes) interacting with each other in their non-living environment (air, water, soil) in a specific area.

Environmental sustainability – the responsible interaction with the environment to avoid depletion or degradation of natural resources, ensuring long-term ecological balance and the well-being of future generations. Environmental sustainability places emphasis on how businesses can achieve positive economic outcomes without doing any harm, in the short or long-term, to the environment.

ESG – Environmental, Social Governance – a framework used to evaluate how a company or organisation performs in terms of:

• Environmental impact (e.g. emissions, resource use)
• Social responsibility (e.g. labour practices, community engagement)
• Governance (e.g. ethics, transparency, diversity)

Ethical – acting in a way that is morally right or principled, fairness, justice and respect for people, animals and the environment.

Fairtrade – a certification and movement that ensures ethical and sustainable production by supporting fair wages, safe working conditions, and environmentally friendly practices for producers, especially in developing countries.

Global warming – the long-term rise in the Earth’s average temperature, primarily due to human activities like burning fossil fuels, which increase greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

Greenwashing – a deceptive practice where a company falsely markets products or policies as environmentally friendly to attract eco-conscious consumers, without making meaningful sustainable efforts.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions – gases like carbon dioxide (CO2 ), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) that trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere, contributing to climate change

Net Zero – achieving a balance between the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and the amount of greenhouse gases removed from the atmosphere, resulting in no net increase in emissions.

PETA-approved – a certification by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) indicating that the product is cruelty-free.

Reduce, reuse, recycle:

• Reduce – minimise waste consumption
• Reuse – extend the life of products by using them multiple times
• Recycle – convert waste into reusable material to conserve resources and reduce landfill

Sustainable – capable of being maintained over a long term without depleting resources or causing severe ecological damage. Often used in the context of business and agriculture.

Sustainable Development Goal – one of 17 global goals set by the United Nations to address key issues like poverty, inequality, climate change and environmental degradation by 2030.

Waste management – the process of collecting, transporting, processing, recycling or disposing of waste in a way that reduces its environmental impact and promotes sustainability.

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