The Level 2 Care Certificate Qualification

In this article, we delve into the newly launched Level 2 Care Certificate Qualification, exploring its origins, the reasons behind its development, and how it stands apart from the existing Care Certificate standards.

In 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) commissioned Skills for Care to develop a new, accredited and portable qualification based on the existing Care Certificate standards.

This qualification is intended to complement and build on the current Care Certificate standards, improving the way care professionals are inducted and trained, while offering a formal, transferable qualification that supports career progression and movement between employers within the care sector.

Why has a new qualification been created?

The Care Certificate standards set out the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of specific job roles in the health and social care sectors. They act as a structure to help measure and check a worker's competencies during and following achievement of statutory and mandatory training and workplace induction when first joining an employer.

The Care Certificate standards lack formal accreditation, making it difficult for care workers to transfer their skills between employers. This has created a significant challenge for the sector, as it often results in unnecessary re-training. Many employers require new staff to complete the Care Certificate, even if they have already done so with a previous employer, leading to duplication process.

Additionally, 54% of direct care workers do not currently hold a level 2 or higher qualification. Our data also shows that turnover of staff is 9% lower where there is access to learning opportunities to gain skills and qualifications.

To tackle these challenges, a new accredited level 2 qualification has been developed, providing formal, transferable evidence for care workers across employers. This qualification creates additional opportunities for career progression and reinforces the view of social care as a professional and respected career choice. This qualification is optional and is intended to complement existing induction guidance and is called the ‘

How does it differ from the Care Certificate standards?

The Level 2 Care Certificate Qualification was stakeholders, to ensure that care staff possess up-to-date knowledge and essential skills. The new qualification differs from the Care Certificate standards in that it requires formal assessment to complete as it is an accredited qualification There is a greater depth of learning and also includes up to date content to better reflect the current needs and developments of the adult social care workforce.

The qualification is open to eligible non-regulated care staff. It does not replace the Care Certificate standards, but knowledge gained from new starter induction may be used towards gaining the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate via recognition of prior learning. The existing Care Certificate standards can continue to be accessed and used by the adult social care sector to support the induction process.

Learners are expected to require approximately six to eight months to gain their qualification, and, upon successful completion, will receive a transferable certificate recognised across employers.

Employers can access £1,500 of funding per learner for the Level 2 Care Certificate Qualification through the Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS), it may be to those eligible and registered with the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS).

Additionally, this new qualification has been integrated into the Care Workforce Pathway under the ‘New to Care’ category, supporting career progression and long-term development in the social care sector.

Qualification content

The qualification has been approved by awarding organisations, all regulated by Ofqual, ensuring the validity, reliability, and consistency of the content and delivery. It covers 15 key topic areas, similar to the original Care Certificate standards, but with updated content and assessment guidance.

These topics include:

1. Understanding one’s own role
2. Personal development
3. Duty of care
4. Equality, diversity, inclusion, and human rights
5. Working in a person-centred way
6. Communication
7. Privacy and dignity
8. Nutrition and hydration
9. Awareness of mental health and dementia
10. Adult safeguarding
11. Safeguarding children
12. Health, safety, and basic life support
13. Handling information
14. Infection prevention and control
15. Awareness of learning disability and autism

Each of these topics is broken down into sub-topics to help learners develop specific competencies.

Exploring the Level 2 Care Certificate Qualification further

The introduction of this new qualification is a significant step towards standardising the skill base of the adult social care workforce and making induction periods easier for organisations and staff. We hope to ensure that employers can trust that new recruits have received consistent, high-quality training, and workers themselves gain a qualification that recognises their competence and supports their career ambitions.

If you are interested in the Level 2 Care Certificate Qualification, s on our Level 2 Social Care Certificate Qualification web page. Alternatively, you can speak to a learning provider directly to find out more.

Care Certificate Standards update

The Department of Health and Social Care has commissioned Skills for Care, working with Skills for Health, to align the existing Care Certificate Standards with sector developments and the introduction of the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate qualification.

There is no action to take now. The current standards will remain available as a tool to support employers provide a robust induction programme and act as a platform to support progression onto the new Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate qualification. The updated Care Certificate Standards will be available in spring 2025.

You can find out more about our learning and development campaign by visiting our campaign landing page.

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