What is a Skills for Care Endorsed Training Provider?

A Skills for Care Endorsed Training Provider was an organisation in the United Kingdom that had been awarded a recognised quality mark from Skills for Care for delivering high-quality training in adult social care. Skills for Care is the strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England, and its endorsement framework was used to identify training organisations that met high standards for learning, development, and staff support in the sector.

As of 2024, the Skills for Care Endorsement Programme has been closed to new applications and renewals. While many organisations still hold the badge, the scheme is no longer actively available to new providers. However, the principles of quality assurance and sector-specific training remain central to Skills for Care’s wider work.

The Role of Skills for Care

Skills for Care works to support adult social care employers in recruiting, developing, and retaining their workforce. This includes:

• Providing guidance and tools to help with workforce planning
• Setting standards for learning and development
• Offering funding opportunities for training
• Running quality recognition schemes, including the former endorsement framework

Even though the endorsement programme has closed, Skills for Care continues to provide resources and guidance to help employers identify dependable training providers.

The Purpose of the Endorsement

The Skills for Care endorsement was designed to give confidence to those buying training. It showed that a provider had demonstrated value and quality — not just in the content of their courses, but in the way they supported learning in practice.

Endorsement mattered because adult social care carries high levels of responsibility. Training directly affects the quality of care people receive. Poor training can lead to bad practice, safeguarding failures, or harm to those who receive care. The endorsement scheme helped reduce that risk by highlighting providers with a proven track record.

How a Provider Achieved Endorsement

A training provider could not simply claim endorsement; they had to apply and pass an assessment. Skills for Care reviewed areas such as:

• The relevance and currency of training content for adult social care
• Evidence that learning improved practice and outcomes
• Quality of delivery methods and trainers’ competence
• Feedback from learners and employers

Although this programme is now closed, the published criteria still provide useful benchmarks for employers evaluating training quality today.

Why Endorsement Mattered to Employers

Employers in adult social care have legal and professional responsibilities to ensure staff are trained to do their jobs safely and effectively. Choosing a Skills for Care Endorsed Training Provider:

• Saved time spent checking quality
• Gave reassurance that training met sector standards
• Supported staff in achieving recognised qualifications
• Contributed to better care outcomes for people using services

While endorsement is no longer available, employers are still encouraged to use Skills for Care’s guidance when checking the quality of training providers.

What Training They Offered

Endorsed providers offered a wide range of training for the social care workforce. Common areas included:

• Care Certificate and induction programmes
• Safeguarding of adults
• Dementia awareness and care
• Moving and handling
• End of life care
• Leadership and management for care services
• Person-centred planning

The exact range varied between providers. Employers are still advised to check directly whether a provider covers the specific training needs of their workforce.

Ongoing Standards and Monitoring

Once endorsed, providers were expected to:

• Keep training content up to date with law, policy, and best practice
• Use competent and knowledgeable trainers
• Collect and act on learner feedback
• Provide evidence of impact on care practice

With the closure of the programme, this structured monitoring has ended. However, Skills for Care still stresses the importance of these practices for any training provider.

The Benefits for Learners

For learners working in adult social care, training from an endorsed provider was often:

• More relevant and realistic, delivered by sector-experienced trainers
• Practical, not just theoretical
• Supportive in applying skills in the workplace
• Helpful for career progression and Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

These benefits remain important benchmarks when choosing any training provider today.

Funding and Endorsed Providers

Skills for Care sometimes linked access to the Workforce Development Fund (WDF) with the use of endorsed providers. This meant employers could reclaim some training costs.

Now that endorsement is closed, funding arrangements may differ. Employers should check the latest WDF or learning and development support scheme guidance on GOV.UK and Skills for Care’s own website.

Differences Between Endorsed and Non-Endorsed Providers

While non-endorsed providers could still offer good training, endorsement gave an extra layer of assurance:

• Independent verification by Skills for Care
• Ongoing monitoring and feedback processes
• Demonstrated positive impact on practice

Since endorsement is no longer available, employers now need to carry out their own quality checks, guided by Skills for Care’s published criteria for choosing a learning provider.

The Endorsement Badge

Endorsed providers were allowed to display the Skills for Care Endorsed Provider logo in their marketing. This badge was widely recognised and reassured employers that training had been externally verified.

Although no new badges are being awarded, many providers continue to display the mark to demonstrate their past recognition.

How Endorsement Supported Quality in Care

Good quality training contributes to safer services, better communication with service users, and higher morale among staff. The endorsement scheme helped raise standards across the sector, and even though it is no longer running, it left behind a framework that employers can still use when evaluating providers.

Advice for Choosing a Provider

If you are an employer or manager in social care, you can still use Skills for Care’s guidance when choosing a training provider. Consider:

• Whether courses meet your staff’s needs
• The training format (in-person, online, blended)
• How the provider measures training impact
• Feedback from other care organisations

Endorsement is no longer a live scheme, but the quality principles behind it remain valuable.

The Experience for Service Users

People receiving care ultimately benefit from well-trained staff. Training that follows the quality standards once required for endorsement helps ensure:

• Care is person-centred
• Risks are managed more effectively
• Communication is respectful and clear
• Staff are confident and competent

Final Thoughts

A Skills for Care Endorsed Training Provider was more than a company running courses — it was an organisation recognised for high standards in adult social care training. Although the programme is now closed, its legacy continues. Employers should still use Skills for Care’s guidance to choose training that supports safe, high-quality care.