What Is the Care Certificate? 16 Standards and Assessment Explained

Understand the standards, online learning and workplace sign-off.

Applies to: England | Guidance checked: 4 October 2026

The Care Certificate is a set of 16 standards describing the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of health and adult social care support workers in England. It helps employers structure induction for staff who are new to care. Completing it involves assessment of both knowledge and practical skills; an online course alone does not complete the full Care Certificate.

The standards were updated in March 2025, when awareness of learning disability and autism became Standard 16. The framework was developed jointly by Skills for Care, Skills for Health and NHS England. skillsforcare.org.uk

Looking for online training? Caredemy’s Care Certificate course supports the knowledge element of learning across the 16 standards. Employers must arrange the required practical assessment and final sign-off.

View Care Certificate Online Training

Care Certificate: quick answers

Question	Answer
How many standards are there?	16, following the March 2025 update.
Who is it for?	Primarily health and adult social care support workers who are new to care.
Can it be completed entirely online?	No. Online learning can support knowledge, but practical skills must also be assessed.
Who arranges completion?	The employer arranges assessment and takes responsibility for the final award.
Is it the Level 2 qualification?	No. The Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate is a separate regulated qualification.

What are the 16 Care Certificate standards?

The table below lists the current standard names and a brief explanation of each. These summaries help you understand the topics; the official standards contain the full learning outcomes and assessment criteria.

No.	Care Certificate standard	Practical meaning
1	Understand your role	Know your responsibilities and limits.
2	Your personal development	Plan learning and review progress.
3	Duty of care	Respond safely to concerns and dilemmas.
4	Equality, diversity, inclusion and human rights	Respect rights and challenge discrimination.
5	Work in a person-centred way	Support individual choices and needs.
6	Communication	Adapt communication to the person.
7	Privacy and dignity	Protect privacy and respect independence.
8	Fluids and nutrition	Support eating and drinking safely.
9	Awareness of mental health and dementia	Recognise needs and respond appropriately.
10	Adult safeguarding	Recognise and report abuse or neglect.
11	Safeguarding children	Recognise and report concerns about children.
12	Basic life support	Demonstrate the required emergency skills.
13	Health and safety	Follow safe working practices.
14	Handling information	Keep records accurate and information secure.
15	Infection prevention and control	Apply precautions that reduce infection.
16	Awareness of learning disability and autism	Understand needs and adapt support.

These are the standards in the current official framework. skillsforcare.org.uk

Use the official Care Certificate standards when planning or assessing induction.

What changed from 15 to 16 standards?

The March 2025 update added Standard 16 and revised existing content. Changes included stronger coverage of inclusion and human rights, digital communication and information security, and expanded infection prevention and control content. Learning disability awareness moved from Standard 9 into the new standard alongside autism. skillsforcare.org.uk

Employers should check that their learning materials and assessment records reflect the updated framework. Adding one extra course to an otherwise unchanged set of older resources may leave gaps.

How is the Care Certificate assessed?

Assessment checks understanding and the ability to put learning into practice. Knowledge can be assessed through questions, written work or discussion. Practical performance normally requires observation during real work; simulation is permitted only where the official guidance allows it, such as for basic life support.

Assessors must be competent in the areas they assess. An assessor qualification is not compulsory for this framework, but the employer must be satisfied that the assessor can make sound decisions. Different standards may need different assessors.

The employer takes responsibility for awarding the Care Certificate once the required evidence and assessment decisions confirm that all standards have been met. skillsforcare.org.uk

Practical example: privacy and dignity

Consider a new care worker supporting someone to get dressed.

Knowledge: The worker explains how they would respect the person’s preferences and avoid unnecessary exposure.

Practice: With appropriate consent, an assessor observes whether the worker offers choices, protects privacy and supports the person to do what they can independently.

Record: The assessor documents the relevant criteria, their decision and any further learning needed.

Answering a question correctly provides knowledge evidence. The observation shows whether the worker can apply that learning. This is an illustrative example, rather than a complete assessment checklist.

Can you complete the Care Certificate online?

You can study its knowledge content online. This can help you prepare for induction, understand the standards and work through learning at your own pace.

However, passing an online test does not establish all the practical competence required for the full Care Certificate.

Caredemy’s Care Certificate online training course covers the knowledge components and provides resources to support assessment. Its CPD course completion certificate records completion of the online training. The employer must still arrange the required practical assessment and final Care Certificate sign-off. caredemy.co.uk

Before enrolling, ask your employer how the online training will fit into your induction and who will assess your practical skills.

Explore the Care Certificate Course

Who needs the Care Certificate?

The framework is intended primarily for workers new to health and adult social care support roles. Relevant roles can include care assistants, healthcare assistants, support workers and home care workers.

It can form part of induction in care homes, domiciliary care, supported living and healthcare services. It does not replace training specific to the workplace or duties. NHS Employers

For someone with previous experience, the employer should review existing learning and evidence of competence, then identify any gaps. Experience alone should not be treated as proof that every required outcome has been met.

Is the Care Certificate mandatory?

The Care Certificate is a recognised induction framework rather than a standalone statutory qualification that every care employee must hold.

Employers providing regulated care must ensure staff have the training, support and competence needed for their roles. The Care Certificate can help organise induction and demonstrate how relevant learning and assessment have been completed.

CQC’s staff training plan guidance asks providers to identify how they will meet the Care Certificate standards and align training with statutory and regulatory requirements. Completing online training does not, by itself, establish CQC compliance. Care Quality Commission

How long does the Care Certificate take?

NHS Employers sets out a 12-week completion expectation. Your employer should confirm the timetable and assessment arrangements for your role. NHS Employers

The time spent studying online is only one part of completion. You also need opportunities to practise, receive feedback and demonstrate the required skills.

When planning induction, agree learning time, observation dates and review meetings early. This helps prevent a worker finishing the theory but waiting unnecessarily for assessment.

What should managers record?

A practical approach is to keep a clear record for each learner showing:

The standards and criteria being assessed.
Previous learning reviewed and any gaps identified.
Knowledge learning and assessment completed.
Practical observations and assessment decisions.
The assessor responsible for each decision.
Further support needed and the next review date.
Final employer sign-off and the supporting evidence.

Track online learning and practical assessment separately. A dashboard showing that someone has finished a course should not automatically mark their full Care Certificate as complete.

For example, a manager could use three progress fields: knowledge completed, practice assessed and final sign-off recorded. This makes outstanding work easier to identify during supervision and evidence reviews.

Care Certificate versus the Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate

These are related but different routes.

Area	Care Certificate	Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate
Purpose	Supports induction and assessment of introductory care competence.	Provides a regulated qualification in adult social care.
Status	A standards framework; not a regulated qualification.	An Ofqual-regulated qualification.
Content	The 16 Care Certificate standards.	Builds on the same 16 standards with deeper learning.
Assessment	Knowledge and practical assessment arranged by the employer.	Assessment follows the awarding organisation’s qualification requirements.

The Level 2 qualification is a separate programme with its own qualification requirements. skillsforcare.org.uk

Completing a Care Certificate online course does not automatically award the Level 2 qualification. If you want a regulated qualification, check that the provider offers that specific qualification and explains its assessment arrangements.

Frequently asked questions

Are there 15 or 16 Care Certificate standards?

There are 16 standards in the updated framework. Materials referring to 15 standards may relate to the version used before March 2025.

Can I start online learning before getting a care job?

You can begin knowledge learning before employment. Completing the full Care Certificate requires arrangements for the necessary practical assessment and employer sign-off. Discuss how your learning will be used when you start a role.

Who can assess my Care Certificate?

Your employer must arrange assessors who are competent in the standards they assess. A job title alone does not establish competence to assess every area.

Does the Care Certificate replace local induction?

No. You still need induction covering your employer’s policies, the people you support, local procedures and your specific duties.

Start your Care Certificate learning with Caredemy

Build your knowledge of the 16 standards with Caredemy’s online Care Certificate training. Use it alongside employer-led induction, practical assessment and final sign-off.