Common myths you need to know about Care Certificate

Myth #1: Some e-learning providers claim they have been ‘licenced’ or are ‘accredited’ by Skills for Care to award the Care Certificate.

Fact: Skills for Care says;

‘No provider has been licensed to award the Care Certificate, Such a licence does not exist and furthermore no providers are accredited to deliver the Care Certificate.’

That’s pretty clear… right?

So what’s the problem?

Well, we have met many organisations who believe their training provider is offering access to accredited training. In reality, the truth might be slightly different. Some training companies, including e-learning providers, use the words ‘licensed’, ‘accredited’, ‘endorsed’ etc in a rather fluid, some might say cavalier fashion, when in fact their actual meaning is quite different.

For example, many training providers claim they are accredited, giving the impression that their learning material is somehow superior. This may lead to organisations assuming the material has been quality assured by an external third party. In the worst-case scenario, some suggest that the third party is actually Skills for Care -which it can’t be (see above). Others fail to mention that it’s actually their business processes that are accredited, not their learning content – that’s a big difference. Anyone can get their business processes accredited (within reason). There are plenty of CPD/accreditation services that will provide this service for a fee. Clearly, it’s highly unlikely that these types of services will have any Subject Matter Experts reviewing the content and assessment criteria – it’s just not practicable or part of their remit.

Why is this important?

Any organisation searching online for a potential e-learning provider is likely to be faced with a potential minefield of options. When phrases such as ‘accredited Care Certificate‘ are being thrown into the mix it only increases confusion. At worst, this may well be deliberate misinformation or at the very least, the result of sloppy marketing communications. Either way, the potential outcome for the client could be the same – engaging with a training provider based on a false sense of security. It really is a case of buyer beware!

Does this really matter?

It depends. We had a client a few years previously who unfortunately had serious disciplinary issues with a member of staff. Following an internal investigation, their insurance company required sight of the training records. This included access to the actual learning and assessment provided by our Care Academy system. We had nothing to fear and all our material passed with flying colours. But it was an uncomfortable experience for both us and the client. Had there been any issues with the quality of the training, the outcome might have been significantly worse for all concerned. Admittedly this is a somewhat extreme example, but a real one nonetheless. It’s also the reason we are able to offer our unique warranty. If a learner completes any of our training programmes we guarantee that they will meet the learning outcomes applicable for the course or qualification – no excuses, exclusions or small print to worry about – just total peace of mind.

So what should you do?

If you are thinking of engaging with an e-learning provider we would recommend the following:

• Check whether they claim to be licensed or accredited to deliver the Care Certificate by Skill for Care. If they do, either walk away or challenge them to explain.
• If they claim to be accredited, check with whom and ask what the accreditation actually covers. If it doesn’t specifically include the learning and assessment, then you have to question the value of the accreditation.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or would like to chat through our thoughts presented in this short article.