Training Development
The greatest asset of any care organisation is the people that work in it. It is important that the workforce is trained and competent to deliver high quality care.
Some training will be compulsory in order to meet legislation and Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulations. Many providers, who want to encourage and develop their staff and deliver the highest possible care, will provide additional learning and development opportunities. This part of the website will explain all the different training and qualifications and help you work out the best options for you and your team.
The Care Certificate
The Care Certificate is based on a set of minimum standards that all working in CQC regulated settings in health and social care work to. Those employed in the sector should be able to demonstrate competence in the 15 standards within the first 12 weeks of starting, and the standards should be covered as part of the induction process. The Care Certificate was developed by Skills for Care and Skills for Health. Skills for Care has lots of information about The Care Certificate you can access visiting their website.
Ongoing Development (Short Course)
To ensure you have the right skills within your teams to deliver your services, you must ensure that care workers have received the appropriate training, supervision and workplace assessment to provide safe and effective care and support. This training should be frequently refreshed however the CQC do not give prescriptive advice or guidance on this. Staff must be up to date and reflect current practice. Skills for Care has developed a guidance document on continued development and refresher training. You can also find a local training provider that delivers the short course using the button below.
Qualifications in Health and Social Care
There are a number of qualifications and training opportunities for staff working, or planning a career, in the health and social care sector.
Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF) Diplomas, Certificates and Awards
These are accredited vocational qualifications for carrying sizes that can be assessed on the job. The qualifications provide are flexible, with a range of compulsory and optional units to choose from.
- There are Level 1 pre-entry qualifications for people not yet working in social care, but interested in starting a career in the sector.
- The Diplomas at Level 2 to Level 5 demonstrate occupational competence and are undertaken by people working within a social care setting.
- The Level 2 and Level 3 Diplomas in Health and Social Care have options to take a generic pathway or a specialist dementia or learning disability pathway.
- The Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care enables experienced staff to develop their skills and specialisms.
- The Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care and Children and Young People’s Services has six pathways, three for adult services and three for children and young people’s services. The adult pathways are: Adults’ Residential Management, Adults’ Management and Adult’s Advanced Practice.
- There are a number of smaller qualifications (Awards and Certificates) which are subject specific such as dementia, diabetes or end of life.
Comprehensive list of all qualifications
Please note, the QCF is being replaced by the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) between now and December 2017.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeship is the name given to the selection of learning that enables someone to meet the apprenticeships standards as set by employers. In health and social care, this means it is a selection of qualifications that, when added together, make up an apprenticeship. An apprentice can be of any age and these qualifications are not restricted to young people. Apprenticeships can work very well for people new to the sector as it gives them a sound start to their career in care.
Changes to apprenticeships are taking place. There are changes to the structure of the qualifications from the current frameworks or standards and the way in which they are funded. For all the latest information on these changes please follow the link to Skills for Care’s website.
The Government have announced the first group of training providers who are accredited to deliver the new apprenticeship standards. To find out which training providers you can use for apprenticeships please follow this link to the government website
In this sector there are the following levels of apprenticeships:
- Intermediate Apprenticeship - Level 2
- Advanced Apprenticeship - Level 3
- Higher Apprenticeship - Level 5
More Apprenticeship Information
Choosing and Delivering Training
There are many different ways in which training can be delivered. It can be difficult to work out which options are best for your organisation and your learners. All of the different options have advantages and disadvantages, and the best way is often to use a mixture of them all. Everyone has a different learning style and it is advised that you assess and discuss your learners’ preference. The different options are:
- Classroom-based learning
- Distance learning
- E-learning
- On the job learning
Training can be delivered by in-house training staff or by using external training providers. Remember that Registered Managers are responsible for ensuring in-house trainers knowledge is up to date. Skills for Care has developed guidance on choosing workplace learning. This helps to work out what type of training, how it should be delivered and gives you helpful suggestions for when you discuss purchasing training from an external training provider.
Choosing Workplace Learning Guidance
Skills for Care has also developed an app which can be used in real time when talking to training providers. If you would like one-to-one support with this, staff at Care Development East are always available to help and support you and with workforce development in general. Please contact info@caredevelopmenteast.co.uk or 01449 720400 or look at our contact page.