How to navigate the minefield of finding a good social care trainer

By Andy Tilden

Nicki Bones (The Care Certificate should improve staff quality – but not on the cheap, October 12) is right to argue that finding high-quality learning providers can be a minefield.

As she points out, we can’t hope to create a training marketplace where consistency is the watch word if companies are out there making claims they can arrange Care Certificate training for team members for just £20 a head.

It’s for that reason Skills for Care is growing its Endorsement Framework, which is exactly the sort of benchmarking scheme Nicki is calling for.

An answer to demands for consistency

We think the Endorsement Framework will help answer repeated demands for achieving a consistent level of training provision by Nicki and many others across the sector.

Similar to a ‘kite mark’, the endorsement logo stands for quality and offers assurance to employers that this provider can deliver and has met specific delivery standards.

The framework recognises and endorses training providers who can demonstrate that their provision:

1. is aligned to the Leadership Qualities Framework, which sets out the skills required of leaders throughout social care;
2. is evaluated and has a direct impact on those who attend their training courses.
3. is planned and delivered in a way that best supports the workforce needs within social care.

Training providers who wish to differentiate themselves in the highly competitive social care learning and development marketplace can upload their courses (including the Care Certificate) in the Endorsement Framework directory, which currently receives a healthy share of the 74,000 visitors to the Skills for Care website each month.

Quality check

Some training departments use the endorsement process as an internal quality check only, and an opportunity to review and acknowledge their achievements within their own organisation. They are still acknowledged in our directory.

It’s that sort of flexibility that I hope will give employers much needed peace of mind as they choose a training provider to meet their requirements and I hope Nicky will be able to use it as she supports the learning and development needs of her 500 strong workforce.

For more information about the Endorsement Framework visit the Skills for Care website.

Andy Tilden is director of sector development – skills at Skills for Care.