Care Certificate Standards

A knowledge refresher for practitioners already working in health and adult social care, covering all sixteen standards as updated in March 2025.

Overview

The Care Certificate is the agreed set of induction standards for the non-regulated health and adult social care workforce in England. It was introduced in 2015 and updated in March 2025, when a sixteenth standard on learning disability and autism was added and several others were revised. Most practitioners completed the certificate early in their career and have not returned to it.

This course goes back through all sixteen standards at the level an experienced worker needs: what each standard asks for now, what has changed, where the law sits, and what good practice looks like on a busy shift. It is organised into eight modules, each pairing two related standards and ending with practical actions and reflection questions, with a 20-question quiz at the end.

Every figure used is sourced and dated, for example 1.69 million adult social care posts in England (Skills for Care, June 2026) and 640,240 adult safeguarding concerns raised in 2024 to 2025 (DHSC).

Who this course is for

Not for people who are new to care and need the Care Certificate itself, who should complete it through their employer. Registered professionals such as nurses and social workers cover equivalent ground in their professional training and do not need the certificate.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course you should be able to:

Career path

This course does not qualify you for any role. It supports the knowledge expected in the roles below. Progression depends on experience, employer assessment and, for most senior roles, regulated qualifications. Qualification titles are those commonly used in England; Wales has its own framework, set by Social Care Wales.

This is continuing professional development. It does not assess workplace competence, it does not meet Standard 12 (basic life support needs practical training), it does not meet the statutory learning disability and autism training requirement referred to in Standard 16, and it does not replace your employer’s policies, which always take precedence over course material.

Course structure

Each module pairs two related standards, has an illustrated opening slide, teaching slides including one ‘Watch and read’ slide of video and article links, and an Apply and Reflect slide with practical actions and reflection questions. Module 6 covers mental ill health, dementia and avoidable harm to people with a learning disability and autistic people; Module 7 covers abuse and neglect of adults and children. Neither contains graphic detail, and both are pitched at recognition, response, escalation and referral, not clinical or investigative procedure. Each opens with a support note and a prompt to check your own employer’s policies first, and learners can step out without explanation. Support routes named in the course: line manager or supervisor, occupational health or an employee assistance programme where one exists, a GP, NHS 111, Samaritans on 116 123, and the NSPCC helpline for concerns about a child; in an emergency, 999. A 20-question quiz closes the course, with a trainer-only answer key and rationales.

Frequently asked questions