Guidance

Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme grant determination: 2024 to 2025

Updated 12 September 2024

Applies to England

Grant determination letter

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (‘the Secretary of State’), in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 149(1A) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 makes the following determination.

1. Citation

1.1 This determination may be cited as the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme grant determination (2024 to 2025).

1.2 The Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme is referred to within this document as ‘the scheme’.

2. Purpose of the grant

2.1 The purpose of the grant is to provide financial assistance to any eligible adult social care employer (‘recipient’) engaged in the provision, in England, of certain adult social care services.

2.2 Assistance is provided by way of reimbursement to the recipient towards evidenced recipient costs for eligible training courses and qualifications in respect of:

• a) non-regulated care staff
• b) Care Quality Commission (CQC)-registered managers and deputy managers
• c) agency staff

3. Determination

3.1 The Secretary of State determines that, subject to there being sufficient funds remaining in the grant scheme (see section ‘8. Scheme exhaustion conditions’ of ‘Grant conditions’ below), a recipient to which this grant is to be paid is any adult social care employer.

3.2 Pursuant to section 149(1A) of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the Secretary of State determines that the grant will be paid subject to the recipient complying with the grant conditions below.

3.3 Guidance on how to comply with the conditions was published alongside this grant determination letter at ‘Learning and Development Support Scheme for the adult social care workforce: a guide from employers’ (the ‘scheme guidance’) on 6 September 2024. This guidance will be updated from time to time. Any prospective recipient is advised to check the current scheme guidance applicable at the time of committing to the training or qualification for which it intends to claim reimbursement.

3.4 The scheme administrators will notify the recipient if this grant determination or conditions change, and when updated scheme guidance is published. Notifications will be to contact email addresses provided by the recipient within the reimbursement service. 

3.5 Claims made in reliance on scheme guidance that was applicable at the time of booking training courses or qualifications will be honoured, except in cases where the scheme is exhausted or where the grant conditions have not been satisfied, if evidence of booking can be provided as stated in section ‘4. Evidence requirements’ of ‘Grant conditions’ below.

3.6 The recipient solely, or in combination with any, or all, of its other parent organisations or subsidiaries, cannot be reimbursed more than £400,000 from the scheme for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. To avoid breaching this cap, the recipient must track their own reimbursements from the scheme, as any claims over the £400,000 cap will not be reimbursed.

3.7 The grant paid to the recipient under this determination may be used only for the purposes set out above in section ‘2. Purpose of the grant’. Further detail is set out in the scheme guidance.

4. Grant clawback

4.1 Any breach of the grant conditions will trigger clawback as set out in paragraph ‘6. Clawback conditions’ of ‘Grant conditions’ below.

Signed on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care by:

Tom Surrey, Director of Adult Social Care Workforce and Policy
12 September 2024

Definition of terms

1. Adult social care employer (the recipient)

1.1 Adult social care (ASC) employers (including registered charities and local authorities) with non-regulated care staff that are directly employed in England to deliver adult social care services and have an up-to-date account with the Skills for Care Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set.

2. Adult social care services

2.1 Adult social care services include the services outlined below, or services which are similar to such services:

• a) adult residential (care homes services with nursing, care home services without nursing, sheltered housing or other adult residential care services)
• b) adult day (day care and day services, or other adult day care services)
• c) adult domiciliary (domestic services and home help, domiciliary care services, extra care housing services, live-in care, supported living services or other adult domiciliary care services)
• d) adult community care (carers’ support, community support and outreach, disability adaptations or assistive technology services, information and advice services, occupational or employment-related services, Shared Lives, short breaks or respite care, or social work or care management)

3. Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set

3.1 An online database hosted and administrated by Skills for Care within which the recipient can create an account to enter and store information about its workforce.

4. Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme

4.1 The government is making funding available to ASC employers of non-regulated care staff, including deputy and CQC-registered managers and agency staff, to claim reimbursement for training courses and qualifications that are detailed within the latest published scheme guidance. See ‘Learning and Development Support Scheme for the adult social care workforce: a guide for employers’.

5. Non-regulated care staff 

5.1 Non-regulated members of the ASC workforce engaged in providing ASC services, including agency staff, employed in:

• a) direct care roles (advice guidance and advocacy, care worker, community support and outreach work, employment support, eligible personal assistant (see paragraph 1.6b of ‘Grant conditions’ below), nursing assistant, senior care worker and technician, any other roles where staff work with people who need the care and support of the adult social care workforce in England)
• b) managerial roles including deputy and CQC-registered managers (first line manager, managers and staff in care-related but not care-providing roles, middle management, registered managers, or senior management and supervisors)

5.2 For the purpose of this grant determination, deputy and CQC-registered managers are considered non-regulated care staff.

6. Eligible training courses and/or qualifications for the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme

6.1 Eligible training courses and/or qualifications for the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme include:

• a) eligible training courses - those training courses set out within ‘Eligible training courses and qualifications’ and applicable at the time of training course payment or booking, whichever is the earliest
• b) eligible qualifications - those qualifications set out within ‘Eligible training courses and qualifications’ and applicable at the time of qualification payment or booking, whichever is the earliest

6.2 Claims made in reliance on scheme guidance that was applicable at the time of booking training courses or qualifications will be honoured, except in cases where the scheme is exhausted or where the grant conditions have not been satisfied, if evidence of booking can be provided as at section ‘4. Evidence requirements’ of ‘Grant conditions’ below.

7. Directly employed

7.1 Directly employed means “engaged in employment where the recipient is responsible for controlling the deployment of the employee and/or pays the salary of the employee”. In the context of the scheme, this means that claims from the scheme made through the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme online digital claims service should be submitted by an ASC employer.

7.2 Where an employer is part of a group of companies (for example, as a parent or subsidiary company), claims can be submitted by employees of either parent or subsidiary companies.

8. Scheme administrators 

8.1 The scheme will be administered by NHSBSA on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

9. Senior responsible officer

9.1 An officer of the recipient (nominated by the recipient) having sufficient authority, direct or delegated, to confirm that the Secretary of State’s grant determination has been read and understood, and that the recipient agrees to comply with the grant conditions.

10. ‘Start’ or ‘Start date’ for eligible training courses and qualifications or activity

10.1 For eligible training courses and qualifications, this is the date that non-regulated care staff begin the first day of the eligible training course or qualification for which the recipient is claiming.

11. Combined claim

11.1 A reimbursement model is available for all eligible qualifications, wherein employers should claim 60% of the reimbursement value upon their employee starting the qualification, with the remaining 40% reimbursement provided upon proof of qualification completion.

Grant conditions

1. Eligibility requirements

1.1 The recipient must provide at least one or more ASC services as set out in section ‘2. Adult social care services’ of ‘Definition of terms’ above.

1.2 The recipient must have an up-to-date account with the Skills for Care-hosted Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set.

1.3 All claimed training or qualifications for the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme must be eligible, as set out in the latest scheme guidance, and applicable at the time of eligible training course or qualification payment or booking, whichever is the earliest.

1.4 Claims made in reliance on scheme guidance that was applicable at the time of booking training courses or qualifications will be honoured, except in cases where the scheme is exhausted or where the grant conditions have not been satisfied, if evidence of booking can be provided as at section ‘4. Evidence requirements’ below.

1.5 The non-regulated care staff, whose eligible training courses and qualifications are claimed for by the recipient, must be directly employed by the recipient at the point of undertaking and completing the training, and making a claim.

1.6 Under the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme, the recipient may make claims for reimbursement for:

• a) subject to paragraph b) below, eligible training courses and qualifications in respect of non-regulated care staff employees, including agency staff and CQC-registered managers and deputy managers
• b) eligible training courses and qualifications in respect of personal assistants, provided the personal assistant is directly employed by the recipient

1.7 Training courses and qualifications completed by regulated members of the ASC workforce are not eligible for funding from the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme.

2. Claim requirements

2.1 Claims must be supported by evidence of prior payment to training providers for training courses and/or qualifications for which reimbursement is being sought.

2.2 Claims must be made through the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme online digital claims service. Employers must follow the steps outlined in the scheme guidance to make a claim through the digital claims service. Where employers require additional support to access the service, they may be assisted by the scheme administrators.

2.3 Claims cannot be repeated for the same non-regulated care staff employee for the same eligible training courses and qualifications.

2.4 Staff backfill pay, travelling costs and/or other expenses ancillary to eligible training courses and qualifications are not reimbursable from the scheme.

2.5 Claims will only be reimbursed if the claim declaration set out at section ‘7. Declaration requirements’ below has been signed at the point of claim submission.

2.6 Claims can be inclusive of any VAT costs incurred for eligible training courses and qualifications except where the recipient intends to recover the VAT from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in their VAT return. If VAT is reimbursed by the scheme, it cannot be reclaimed from HMRC - to knowingly do so may constitute a criminal act.

2.7 With regards to funding for non-regulated care staff, including agency staff and CQC-registered managers and deputy managers, claims:

• a) for completed eligible training courses or qualifications must be supported by evidence of completion as set out in section ‘4. Evidence requirements’ below
• b) will be reimbursed at the rates set out in the latest scheme guidance. Where the cost of the eligible training course or qualification is less than the maximum rate set out in the scheme guidance, the recipient will only be reimbursed the amount it paid for the eligible training course or qualification
• c) can only be made for non-regulated members of the ASC workforce who have started and/or completed the eligible training courses or qualifications in the timeframes as set out in ‘3. Timeframe requirements’ below
• d) can be made for eligible training courses or qualifications where the non-regulated care staff employee has attended all of the learning but failed an exam, as long as evidence of course completion can be provided

3. Timeframe requirements

3.1 Only costs for eligible training courses or qualifications that have been both paid for and started between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 (inclusive) can be claimed.

3.2 For eligible training courses, claims must be submitted upon course completion by 21 March 2025 (inclusive). Late claims submitted between 22 March 2025 and 31 March 2025 (inclusive) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

3.3 For eligible qualifications, a combined claims model is available. In these cases, 60% of the applicable capped reimbursement rate can be reimbursed once training has started, and 40% upon proof of completion. The initial 60% reimbursement claim must be made by the earliest date of either 21 March 2025 (inclusive) or within 3 months of the qualification start date. The 3-month rule does not apply where eligible qualifications were started between 1 April 2024 and the launch of the scheme (6 September 2024). Late claims submitted between 22 March 2025 and 31 March 2025 (inclusive) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

3.4. Where claims are submitted for eligible qualifications that are started and paid for between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 (inclusive), but completion extends beyond 31 March 2025, claims for the second (40%) payment made on course completion can still be submitted up to 31 December 2026 (inclusive). After this date, claims will not be accepted by the scheme administrators.

3.5. Note that the condition at section ‘8. Scheme exhaustion conditions’ below applies where the entirety of scheme monies is spent prior to the payment close date.

4. Evidence requirements

4.1 Evidence for eligible training courses and qualifications for the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme must include the following:

• a) confirmation that the employee is employed in an eligible non-regulated care role (this is defined in section ‘5. Non-regulated care staff’ of ‘Definition of terms’ above as well as in the ‘Glossary of terms’ at the end of the accompanying scheme guidance), including deputy and CQC-registered managers and agency staff, and that the information provided is correct to the best of their knowledge
• b) the employee’s UK national insurance number for identity verification purposes
• c) confirmation that the employee has started the course or qualification
• d) confirmation that the training course or qualification is eligible (see ‘Eligible training courses and qualifications’ published alongside this grant determination)
• e) the following evidence that the training course or qualification is eligible:
  • the name of the awarding organisation
  • the name of the training provider or learning centre
  • the name of the training course or qualification
• f) the following evidence that the training has been paid for, including:
  • proof of payment (which should include the name of the organisation that made the payment and the name of the organisation that received the payment)
  • the name of the training course or qualification paid for
  • the amount paid
  • VAT number (if not exempt)
  • the date of payment
• g) a dated certificate of completion (except for in the case of qualifications, whereby 60% of the reimbursement value should be claimed when the employee starts the course)

4.2 Where the recipient claims in reliance on a previous version of the scheme guidance that was applicable at the time of booking eligible training courses and qualifications, evidence of booking must be produced. This information must be provided in addition to the evidence requirements for claims detailed under paragraph 4.1 above. Evidence of course booking must include either written, visual (such as a screen grab or screenshot) or other documentary evidence of:

• a) the training course or qualification that was booked
• b) the name of the organisation that made the booking
• c) the name of the organisation that received the booking
• d) the date the booking was confirmed

5. Other requirements

5.1 The recipient must consent to allowing the sharing of non-personal data with DHSC and the scheme administrators. DHSC will receive non-personal data relating to any single or cumulative reimbursements received, which may be required by statute, regulation or otherwise prescribed by lawful authority, to be published within the public domain. Personal data usage will be covered by separate agreements between the recipient, Skills for Care and the scheme administrators. DHSC does not intend to request personal data directly from the recipient and will only be receiving non-personal data from the scheme administrators.

5.2 The recipient must consent to allowing the sharing of personal data between the scheme administrators and the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set administrators, Skills for Care.

5.3 Payments to the recipient will only be made into a business banking account. No payments will be made to personal accounts.

5.4 The recipient must co-operate with the scheme administrators and DHSC in any matter relating to the latter’s statutory, regulatory or other public duty obligations in relation to the scheme’s financial management and accounting.

5.5 The recipient solely, or in combination with any, or all, of its other parent organisations or subsidiaries, cannot be reimbursed more than £400,000 from the scheme for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. To avoid breaching this cap, the recipient must track its own reimbursements from the scheme, as any claims over the £400,000 cap will not be reimbursed.    

5.6 DHSC reserves the right to change the cap value. The scheme administrators will notify the recipient if changes are made to the cap. Notifications will be to contact email addresses provided by the recipient within the reimbursement service. 

5.7 Claims made in reliance on the cap that was applicable at the time of booking training courses or qualifications will be honoured, except in cases where the scheme is exhausted or where the grant conditions have not been satisfied, if evidence of booking can be provided as stated in section ‘4. Evidence requirements’ above.

5.8 Use by the recipient of the online reimbursement service provided by the scheme administrators must be in accordance with its end user agreement and privacy policy.

5.9 The recipient shall update the scheme administrators of any changes to personnel who have, when required to do so to continue using the service or asked to agree to a variation in the conditions of the grant agreement, met either of the following criteria:

• a) digitally ‘signed’ this grant determination agreement
• b) been granted delegated authority to use the service on the recipient’s behalf

6. Clawback conditions

6.1 The Secretary of State may reduce, suspend or withhold grant payments, or require the repayment of the whole or any part of the grant monies paid, as may be determined by the Secretary of State, and notified in writing to the recipient. The sum notified will immediately become repayable to the Secretary of State.

6.2 This will occur if the recipient meets one or more of the following criteria:

• a) breaches any of the scheme conditions or acts otherwise than in accordance with the scheme guidance
• b) receives any overpayment under this grant in error or by reason of fraud
• c) ceases to trade, becomes insolvent or declared bankrupt, or is placed in receivership, administration, or liquidation

6.3. The Secretary of State may pursue remedies against any recipient that fails to return owed grant monies for any of the reasons above, through civil or criminal proceedings as applicable, according to the facts.

7. Declaration requirements

7.1. A senior responsible officer of the recipient will be required to (digitally) accept that the Secretary of State’s grant determination with the grant conditions has been read and understood, and that the recipient agrees to comply with the grant conditions.

7.2 Where the senior responsible officer of the recipient has delegated authority to use the reimbursement service to other named recipient staff, before any claim for reimbursement from the scheme will be processed, the person with delegated authority submitting the claim on behalf of the recipient will read the grant determination letter and grant conditions, and confirm the following declaration:

“I declare that the information I have given, and supporting evidence provided, is correct and complete. This claim meets the grant conditions set out in the accepted grant determination letter.

“I understand that all information provided may be subject to:

• verification checks
• audit review
• counter-fraud checks

“I understand that if I provide false or misleading information, I may be liable to civil or criminal proceedings, and clawback provisions may apply.”

8. Scheme exhaustion conditions

8.1 Claims will be reimbursed in the order of receipt by the scheme administrators. No payment can be made from the scheme once the scheme monies are exhausted.