Adult Social Care Training Quality Is Moving Up the Agenda: What Providers and Managers Need to Know

Published 24 September 2026 · Last reviewed 24 September 2026

Introduction

Quality assurance of learning and development is becoming an increasingly visible part of England's adult social care workforce strategy.

The Quality Assured Care Learning Service (QACLS), delivered by Skills for Care, reviews eligible training providers and individual courses or qualifications against quality standards developed for adult social care.

Alongside this, the Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) provides eligible adult social care employers in England with reimbursement towards specified training courses and qualifications, subject to the scheme's eligibility requirements and available funding.

For providers and managers, these developments reinforce the importance of considering not only what training staff undertake, but also the quality, relevance and suitability of learning and development for their roles and services.

What Changed

The Quality Assured Care Learning Service provides a mechanism for eligible training providers, courses and qualifications to undergo quality assurance specifically within the adult social care sector.

Skills for Care also maintains a public list of training providers, courses and qualifications that have successfully completed this quality-assurance process.

Alongside QACLS, the Department of Health and Social Care continues to operate the Learning and Development Support Scheme. The official list of eligible training courses and qualifications was updated on 1 September 2026.

Only the specific training courses and qualifications included on the government's current eligible list qualify for LDSS funding, subject to the scheme's wider eligibility requirements.

The current government guidance states that the Quality Assured Care Learning Service does not currently affect the overall scope of LDSS. However, certain courses already have specific quality-assurance or approved-provider requirements.

The government also states that, in the longer term, courses eligible for reimbursement may be limited to those delivered by training providers that have been quality assured, with future changes to be communicated through official guidance.

What It Means

For adult social care employers, this means that the quality of workforce learning and development is becoming an increasingly important consideration alongside course content, cost and availability.

It does not mean that every adult social care course must currently be QACLS quality assured, nor does it mean that every course relating to adult social care qualifies for LDSS reimbursement.

Employers intending to claim LDSS funding should check the current official list of eligible training courses and qualifications before purchasing training and ensure that they meet the wider employer and workforce eligibility requirements.

Providers should also distinguish between evidence that an employee has attended or completed training and evidence that the employee is competent to carry out a particular workplace activity where competence needs to be separately demonstrated.

Why It Matters

Adult social care organisations invest significant time and resources in workforce learning and development.

Effective training should therefore contribute to staff knowledge, confidence, safe practice, person-centred support and continuous service improvement rather than being viewed simply as a requirement to obtain a certificate.

For registered managers and organisational leaders, this creates an opportunity to review how training decisions are made and how learning is followed through into workplace practice.

The LDSS may also enable eligible employers to recover some expenditure on specified workforce development. However, eligibility and reimbursement should always be checked against current government guidance.

Funding is limited, reimbursement is not guaranteed, and the list of eligible training courses and qualifications may change.

What Providers and Managers Should Consider

Adult social care providers and managers may wish to consider the following when reviewing workforce learning and development:

Training needs — Is training selected according to staff roles, responsibilities, service needs and identified development requirements?
Course suitability — Does the content appropriately address the knowledge and skills staff require for their roles?
Training quality — What evidence is available regarding course design, trainer competence, assessment, quality assurance and learner feedback?
Learning in practice — How will managers follow up learning through supervision, observation, competency assessment or other appropriate mechanisms where required?
LDSS eligibility — Where reimbursement is anticipated, has the organisation checked that the particular course or qualification appears on the current official eligible list and that the relevant eligibility requirements are met?
Evidence and records — Can the organisation demonstrate what learning was completed, by whom, why it was required and what appropriate follow-up took place?
Ongoing review — Is responsibility allocated for monitoring significant changes to workforce-development funding, quality assurance and relevant adult social care guidance?

A Certificate of Completion can provide evidence that an individual attended or completed a learning activity. It should not automatically be treated as evidence of workplace competence where practical competence needs to be separately assessed.

Official Sources

Last Reviewed

24 September 2026

GRREM reviews its Adult Social Care Insights content periodically to reflect significant changes in legislation, regulation, guidance and sector developments. Readers should always consult the relevant official source for the most current information.

GRREM Independent Information Disclaimer

GRREM Education Services & Management Consultancy Ltd provides independent education, training and consultancy support. GRREM is not the Care Quality Commission, the Department of Health and Social Care or Skills for Care and does not act on behalf of these organisations.

GRREM Adult Social Care Insights is provided for general professional information and development purposes and should not be treated as legal or regulatory advice.

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