What accreditation means
An accredited course has been reviewed against this standard, and its provider is approved to issue CareCPD certificates for it.
Courses from organisations linked to CareCPD go through the same review, carried out by someone who had no part in making them.
Accreditation isn't a qualification, and it only covers training for people working in UK social care.
The six criteria
Every course is reviewed against these six criteria. Under each one is what we look at.
Useful and clear
The course meets a real need in care work, is pitched at the people taking it, and says what they'll learn.
What we look at: the course outline and learning outcomes.
Accurate and current
Content reflects current law, guidance and good practice, and is checked at least once a year.
What we look at: the course content and how you keep it up to date.
Learners show understanding
Learners have to show what they've understood, not just that they attended.
What we look at: how learners are assessed.
Competent trainers
Trainers have relevant care experience and know how to teach.
What we look at: trainer CVs or profiles.
Supported learners
Learners can get help when they need it, and reasonable adjustments are made.
What we look at: your learner support and complaints arrangements.
Honest claims and certificates
The course never implies a qualification and states its CPD hours truthfully. Every learner who successfully completes it gets a certificate with correct details and a unique code anyone can verify. Any certificate issued in error, or later found to be invalid, is withdrawn.
What we look at: how you describe the course, its stated hours, and a sample certificate.
Review and decisions
We start with a desk review of your course materials, assessment and a sample certificate. Where it helps, we may also watch a session or a recording, or talk to you.
Three outcomes
- Approved
- Approved with conditions
- Not yet approved
Every decision comes with reasons. If a course isn't approved, you can resubmit it once, free, within 60 days. If you think we've got something wrong, you can ask us to look again.
Staying approved
Each approved course is reviewed once a year, as part of its renewal, and we may carry out occasional spot checks. While a course is approved, we ask you to:
- Tell us about any big changes to the course
- Use the CareCPD seal only on approved courses
- Keep learner records so certificates can be checked
If a course stops meeting the standard, we'll work with you to put it right. Withdrawing approval is the last resort. If we do withdraw it, certificates that depend on it show as withdrawn on the verifier.
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