Skills for Care Ltd

Skills for Care Ltd, established in 2001 as an independent charity (evolving from TOPSS England), serves as the strategic workforce development body for adult social care in England. Its mission is to equip the sector with the right people, skills, and support for high-quality care, fostering a fair society where everyone accesses needed advice and support. Guided by values of collaboration, evidence-led improvement, and continuous learning, it leverages sector intelligence from the Adult Social Care Workforce Data Set (ASC-WDS) and builds partnerships with employers, government, health, and housing services. Uniquely positioned as England's sole dedicated adult social care workforce body, it drives national-scale improvements with regional delivery across all 151 local authority areas.

It funds targeted workforce interventions, including recruitment, induction, retention, leadership development, staff wellbeing, equality/diversity, and mental health initiatives, primarily through reimbursements for approved training, qualifications (e.g., Care Certificate, Level 5 Digital Leadership), and programmes like Olivers Training or registered manager networks. Beneficiaries are adult social care employers—charities, local authorities, voluntary groups, and private providers of all sizes—and their staff, from frontline workers to managers, ultimately enhancing care quality for service users.

Eligible applicants are England-based adult social care employers employing care staff, with an up-to-date ASC-WDS account; no income/size thresholds apply, but operations must align with workforce development. Funding does not accept unsolicited applications; access structured schemes like the Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) via an online portal for post-completion claims (within 3 months, or up to March 2026 for some). Rolling basis, first-come first-served; 2025/26 opened April 2025, with typical per-learner grants of £400–£1,540. Excludes core costs, capital projects, or non-sector activities outside England.