Guidance

Learning and Development Support Scheme for the adult social care workforce: a guide for employers

Updated 19 March 2025

Applies to England

Introduction

This guidance for adult social care (ASC) employers outlines the criteria and process for accessing the Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS).

The LDSS was launched in September 2024 by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The scheme supports the non-regulated ASC workforce to advance their careers, develop new skills and specialisms and gain recognition for their existing expertise. It does this by allowing eligible ASC employers to claim towards costs they have incurred when putting their staff on certain courses and qualifications.

The overall funding pot is limited. Once this has been exhausted, claims submitted will not receive reimbursement.

Claiming from the LDSS in the financial year 2024 to 2025

The deadline to claim from the LDSS in the financial year 2024 to 2025 is 11:59pm on 21 March 2025.

Contact the scheme administrator, the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), if you are concerned about meeting this deadline: asclearninganddevelopmentsupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk. We will consider late claims submitted between 22 March 2025 and 31 March 2025 on a case-by-case basis.

The deadline is applicable to:

• claims for training courses started and completed between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025
• ‘qualification start’ claims for qualifications paid for and started between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. (‘Qualification completion’ claims can be submitted in subsequent financial years, providing the claim is submitted within 3 months of completion)

In addition to this guidance, employers should refer to the following documents published alongside this guidance:

• a comprehensive list of training opportunities eligible for funding from the LDSS
• grant determination letters detailing the scheme terms and conditions. You should refer to:
  • the grant determination letter for 2025 to 2026 for claims relating to training courses or qualifications paid for between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026 (inclusive)
  • the grant determination letter for 2024 to 2025 for claims relating to training courses or qualifications paid for between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 (inclusive)

Where courses or qualifications have been paid for in instalments, the grant determination letter applies according to the date that the first payment was made.

Eligibility criteria

Who can apply for funding

LDSS funding must be claimed by an eligible employer, towards the cost of eligible training courses and qualifications undertaken by eligible staff. To qualify, the employer (including local authorities) must meet all of the following criteria. They must:

• provide an ASC service
• directly employ care staff in England
• have an up-to-date account on the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS)

Who can undertake the training and qualifications eligible for LDSS funding

Staff undertaking eligible training courses or qualifications must be:

• non-regulated care staff in England, including deputy and Care Quality Commission (CQC)-registered managers and agency staff. Eligible employees must be employed by an eligible employer (see above) to qualify for funding
• legally employed in England and have a UK National Insurance number

There is no requirement for non-UK nationals to have resided in the UK for a specific period of time to qualify for funding.

There are no restrictions on the number of working hours that care staff must be contracted for to be eligible for this support.

LDSS funding is not available for:

• regulated members of the ASC workforce (including registered nurses, nursing associates, allied health professionals and occupational therapists)
• personal assistants, whose employers may not meet the criteria above. These employers should seek funding for training through the Individual Employer Funding scheme administered by Skills for Care
• courses and qualifications completed as part of an apprenticeship. These employers may wish to seek funding through the apprenticeship levy

Eligible training and qualifications

Funding from the LDSS is only available for eligible courses and qualifications listed in ‘Eligible training courses and qualifications’, published alongside this guidance. Note that this list may be subject to change. We recommend that employers check the course list prior to booking training for their staff.

Eligible training courses or qualifications must be paid for before reimbursement can be claimed, and proof of payment must be provided to support each claim.

Employers can claim reimbursement for the evidenced payment, up to the maximum reimbursement amount per item. Maximum reimbursement amounts are published in the list of eligible training courses and qualifications. These amounts have been updated for courses and qualifications paid for in the financial year 2025 to 2026. Ensure that you are referring to the correct maximum reimbursement amount, depending on the financial year in which the training course or qualification was paid for.

Qualifications must be awarded by an eligible awarding organisation, as set out in the list of eligible training courses and qualifications. Employers may wish to refer to Skills for Care’s list of quality assured training providers when deciding which eligible training they wish to book (see the section ‘Quality-assured care learning’ below for more information).

Any pre-conditions of enrolment for courses and qualifications are set out by awarding organisations and training providers.

LDSS funding can only be used for the cost of the course or qualification. The funding cannot be used to cover backfill pay, travel costs or any other associated costs.

There is a cap on the total value of claims that can be reimbursed per claimant organisation. Details can be found in the Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme grant determinations.

The overall funding pot is limited. Once this has been exhausted, claims submitted will not receive reimbursement.

Funding for training courses and qualifications delivered internally

Employers may submit claims for reimbursement for eligible courses and qualifications that are delivered and assessed internally (‘in-house training’), provided that these claims are supported by appropriate evidence as outlined in the ‘Evidence requirements’ section below. This must include proof of payment.

Appropriate evidence for internal training claims could include proof of payment to an awarding organisation for learner registration and certification fees, or proof of payment to a third-party training subsidiary.

How to claim

To use the online claims service employers must first sign up using the onboarding form. NHSBSA will then contact employers who have expressed interest as soon as possible to book an onboarding appointment.

Following the onboarding appointment employers can submit claims using the online claims service, supported by the evidence outlined in the ‘Evidence requirements’ section below.

The claims process differs depending on whether you are claiming for a training course or a qualification.

Claims for training courses

Claims for eligible training courses can only be submitted once the training course has been paid for and completed. These claims must be submitted within 3 months of the training course being completed.

Claims for qualifications

For eligible qualifications, a ‘combined claims’ model applies. You must claim 60% reimbursement when the qualification has started and been paid for (‘qualification start’). You must claim the remaining 40% reimbursement when the qualification has completed (‘qualification completion’).

Note that an approved qualification start claim must have been submitted before a qualification completion claim can be made.

Qualification start claim

Employers must submit a qualification start claim within 3 months of an eligible qualification being paid for and started, whichever is the later date.

Qualification completion claim

Employers must submit a qualification completion claim within 3 months of an eligible qualification being completed.

Evidence requirements

Evidence of eligibility

For each claim, ASC employers are required to:

• confirm the employee is employed in an eligible non-regulated care role (defined in the ‘Glossary of terms’ section below) and that the information provided is correct to the best of their knowledge.
• provide the employee’s UK National Insurance number for identity verification purposes
• confirm the employee has started the course or qualification
• confirm that the training is eligible (see the list of eligible training courses and qualifications)
• provide 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
  • certificate of completion (except in the case for the qualification start claim for qualifications that have been paid for and started, but not yet completed)

Evidence of payment

Employers must demonstrate that the training has been paid for, including providing:

• proof of payment (which must 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 (if the total cost is for more than one learner, ensure you are including the cost per learner. If this is not detailed on the invoice or receipt, include a covering letter as additional evidence, stating the cost per learner)
• valid VAT number (if not exempt)
• the date of payment (the date on the evidence should match the date inputted onto the claim page)

Forms of evidence that can be provided to show proof of payment include:

• a receipt
• a receipted invoice (an invoice on its own is not sufficient as this does not show proof of payment)
• a redacted bank statement (a bank statement on its own is not sufficient as this will not meet all the above requirements. A remittance on its own will not be accepted as proof of payment but can be uploaded in conjunction with a bank statement)

Where possible, ASC employers should also retain any evidence of an employee starting a course as this may be requested as part of post-claim assurance processes carried out by NHSBSA.

ASC employers will be required to sign a declaration of adherence to the rules and conditions set out in the appropriate Adult Social Care Learning and Development Support Scheme grant determination before claims will be processed.

Costs paid out in error or fraudulent claims will be recovered. Further action including criminal proceedings may be taken if a fraudulent claim has been made.

Quality-assured care learning  

The quality-assured learning service does not currently impact the scope of LDSS.

For the financial year 2025 to 2026, ASC employers can claim reimbursement for eligible courses and qualifications delivered by any training provider, provided that, in the case of qualifications, the qualification is awarded by an accredited awarding organisation. Eligible awarding organisations are set out alongside each item on the list of eligible training courses and qualifications.

In the longer term, the courses eligible for reimbursement may be limited to those delivered by training providers that have been quality assured. Any changes will be clearly communicated in this guidance publication. We recommend that employers check the latest guidance before booking training for their staff.

About the quality-assured care learning service

The quality-assured care learning service reviews the quality of individual courses and qualifications delivered by training providers. It enables ASC providers to more easily identify high-quality learning and development opportunities, and trust that courses and qualifications funded by the government will meet their needs. 

This service is funded by DHSC and delivered by Skills for Care. There is no cost to training providers to apply for quality assurance.

Guidance on the quality-assured care learning service has been published on the Skills for Care website. This includes detailed information on the quality standards and the application process for training providers to be quality assured.

Enquiries and further updates

This guidance, including the list of eligible training courses and qualifications published alongside it, is subject to change. Those with accounts registered on the online claims service will be notified of any changes to this guidance or course list.

If you have a query about using the new digital online claims service, email asclearninganddevelopmentsupport@nhsbsa.nhs.uk or phone 0300 330 0522.

For any other queries about the Learning and Development Support Scheme for 2025 to 2026, email ascreimbursement@dhsc.gov.uk.

Glossary of terms

Adult social care services

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

• adult residential (care home services with nursing, care home services without nursing, sheltered housing or other adult residential care services)
• adult day (day care and day services or other adult day care services)
• 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)
• 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)

Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set

ASC-WDS is a free online data collection service hosted by Skills for Care. ASC-WDS covers the ASC workforce in England. It can also provide access to the Workforce Development Fund.

Care Quality Commission

CQC is the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

Non-regulated care staff

Non-regulated care staff are non-regulated members of the ASC workforce, including agency staff, employed in:

• direct care roles (for example, advice, guidance and advocacy, care worker, community support and outreach work, employment support, nursing assistant, senior care worker and technician)
• managerial roles (for example, first line manager, managers and staff in care-related but not care-providing roles, middle management, registered managers, senior management or supervisor)

Note that CQC-registered managers and deputy managers, as well as agency staff, are considered in scope of funding.