Dr Richard Dune

10-1-2024

Care Certificate vs statutory and mandatory training: Key differences

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What is the difference between the Care Certificate and statutory and mandatory training in health and social care?

Some of the most common questions our Customer Care team receive are:

‘What is the difference between the care certificate and statutory/mandatory training?’, ‘How often should the Care Certificate be renewed?’, ‘Who should complete the Care Certificate?’

Understanding the distinctions between the Care Certificate, statutory training, and mandatory training is crucial in health and social care. Each type of training serves a unique purpose in ensuring safe, compassionate, and compliant care delivery. In this blog, Dr Richard Dune explores the differences, purposes, and practical implications of each type of training.

The Care Certificate - Foundation for excellence

Purpose of the Care Certificate

The Care Certificate was introduced in 2015 following the Cavendish Review, highlighting training inconsistencies for unregulated health and social care workers after the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust scandal. It aims to ensure that all new health and social care staff possess foundational knowledge, skills, and behaviours to provide safe and effective care.

What the Care Certificate includes

The Care Certificate consists of 15 standards:

• Understand Your Role - Recognising responsibilities and adhering to codes of practice.
• Your Personal Development - Reflecting on and planning professional growth.
• Duty of Care - Understanding responsibilities to service users and managing conflicts.
• Equality and Diversity - Promoting inclusive practices.
• Work in a Person-Centred Way - Respecting individual preferences.
• Communication - Building effective communication skills.
• Privacy and Dignity - Safeguarding individual dignity.
• Fluids and Nutrition - Supporting nutritional and hydration needs.
• Awareness of Mental Health, Dementia, and Learning Disabilities - Developing awareness of specific needs.
• Safeguarding Adults - Protecting vulnerable individuals.
• Safeguarding Children - Ensuring child safety.
• Basic Life Support - Responding to emergencies.
• Health and Safety - Minimising workplace risks.
• Handling Information - Managing data securely.
• Infection Prevention and Control - Reducing infection risks.

Click here to see the Care Certificate e-learning package.

Who is the Care Certificate for?

The Care Certificate:

• It was designed for new entrants to the health and social care sectors in unregulated roles, such as care assistants and support workers. It is also applicable to health and social care workers who do not hold relevant qualifications.
• Excludes regulated professionals like doctors, nurses, and social workers.

Care Certificate regulatory framework

While not a statutory requirement, the Care Certificate is considered best practice and is endorsed by Skills for Care, Skills for Health, and Health Education England.

Format of the Care Certificate

The Care Certificate must be completed within the first 12 weeks of employment. It involves theoretical learning, workplace assessments, and practical demonstrations.

Statutory and mandatory training - Ensuring compliance

Purpose of statutory and mandatory training

Statutory training ensures compliance with legal obligations, while mandatory training addresses organisation-specific risks. Both are critical for safety, effectiveness, and legal adherence.

What statutory and mandatory training include

• Statutory training - Legally required training, e.g., health and safety, risk assessment, fire safety, first aid, and manual handling.
• Mandatory training - Organisation-specific needs, e.g., safeguarding, infection control, data protection.

Click here to learn more about the differences between statutory and mandatory training.

Who is statutory and mandatory training for?

Statutory training applies to all staff, regardless of role or experience. Content is tailored to job-specific risks.

Regulatory framework for statutory and mandatory training

• Statutory training is enforced by laws such as the Health and Safety at Work Act, etc. 1974.
• Mandatory training is guided by internal risk assessment, employee needs analysis, policies and external recommendations from professional and regulatory bodies.

Format of statutory and mandatory training

• Regular refreshers based on organisational needs and risk assessments.
• Delivered through e-learning, classroom sessions, or practical workshops.

Key differences - Care Certificate vs statutory and mandatory training

The table below outlines the key difference between the Care Certificate and statutory/mandatory training.

Key misconceptions - The Care Certificate and refresher training

One common area of confusion is whether the Care Certificate requires renewal. The Care Certificate does not need to be refreshed. It's important to note that the Care Certificate standards cover most statutory and mandatory training requirements. Where additional mandatory training requirements are identified, they must be completed within the first year. Once the Care Certificate is completed, organisations must shift focus to statutory and mandatory training refreshers aligned with recommended intervals or specific needs.

FAQs - Care Certificate and Statutory/Mandatory Training

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about the Care Certificate and its relationship to statutory and mandatory training. Click each question to reveal the answer.

Conclusion

The Care Certificate provides a solid foundation for new staff, while statutory and mandatory training ensures ongoing compliance and safety. Together, they create a robust framework for delivering high-quality care. By understanding their distinctions, organisations can better tailor their training strategies to meet legal, organisational, and professional standards.

Explore our innovative ComplyPlus LMS™ platform - a comprehensive health and social care training and compliance solution for more information on streamlining your training requirements.

Looking for comprehensive Care Certificate resources?

Understanding the differences between the Care Certificate and statutory/mandatory training is essential for health and social care professionals. Ready to get started? Explore our Care Certificate e-learning courses to equip your team with foundational skills, or access our Care Certificate assessor resources to support assessments and workplace training.

Ensure excellence in care - start your training journey now!

Last updated on 23 November 2024

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