WAJD Learning

Support workers

Mandatory training for care and support workers

Also called care assistants, care workers, domiciliary carers and supported living workers.

  • 13subjects on the list
  • 39.5CPD hours available here
  • Freefirst module of each

A support worker delivers personal care and support in residential homes, nursing homes, people's own houses and supported living services. The role is regulated indirectly: the Care Quality Commission inspects the employer, and Regulation 18 requires that staff receive the training, supervision and appraisal necessary to do their job. What that means in practice has settled into a recognisable core list, and this is it.

Everything on the list has a knowledge half you can learn here, free to start. Where a subject also has a hands on half that must be assessed in your workplace, the entry says so, because a certificate that pretends otherwise will not stand up at inspection and does not deserve to.

The training list

SubjectWhat it is forTypical refresherLearn it
The Care Certificate The induction standard for anyone new to care work, across all 15 standards. Once, during induction, then kept as evidence 12.0 hour course
Moving and handling of people
The practical assessment with your service's own equipment is face to face, always. 		Hoists, slides, and the law that says an unsafe technique may be refused. Typically every year 2.5 hour course
Safeguarding adults The ten categories of abuse, the signs, and the duty to act on a concern. Typically every three years Standard 10
Basic life support
Technique is assessed on a manikin in person. The knowledge is taught here. 		What to do in a cardiac arrest before the ambulance arrives. Typically every year Standard 12
Infection prevention and control Hand hygiene, PPE, outbreaks, and why care homes are where it matters most. Typically every year 8.0 hour course
Fire safety Horizontal evacuation and personal emergency evacuation plans. Typically every year 2.0 hour course
Food safety and hygiene Level 2 food hygiene for anyone preparing or serving food. Typically every three years 3.0 hour course
Medication awareness
Employers must also observe your competence before you administer alone. 		The six rights, MAR charts, errors and covert administration. Typically every year, with a workplace competency assessment 3.0 hour course
Mental Capacity Act and DoLS Capacity, best interests and deprivation of liberty in everyday decisions. Typically every three years 3.0 hour course
Dementia awareness Essential wherever people live with dementia, which is most care settings. Typically every three years 3.5 hour course
Health and safety Risk assessment, incident reporting and your own duties in law. Typically every three years Standard 13
Equality and diversity The Equality Act 2010 applied to care decisions and colleagues alike. Typically every three years 2.5 hour course
Handling information Care records, confidentiality and UK GDPR in daily practice. Typically every year Standard 14

Refresher intervals are the conventions carried in employer training matrices, not statutory periods. Your own employer's matrix is what an inspector reads. Figures for course length are our declared study hours.

Courses that cover this list

Questions

What training does CQC require for care workers?

CQC does not publish a fixed list. Regulation 18 of the 2014 Regulations requires suitable training for the role, and inspectors judge that against sector norms: the Care Certificate at induction, then refreshers in the core subjects on this page. What they actually check is your employer's training matrix and whether it is up to date.

Do I need to redo the Care Certificate when I change employer?

No. The Care Certificate is portable in principle, and Skills for Care is explicit that it should not be repeated wholesale. A new employer should verify it and assess you in areas specific to the new service, rather than starting from nothing. Some still do repeat it, which wastes everyone's time and is worth challenging politely.

Is online medication training enough to give out medicines?

On its own, no. The knowledge can be learned online, and ours is taught properly, but every credible framework, and CQC guidance, expects a workplace competency assessment before you administer unsupervised, and periodically after that. Any provider selling an online certificate as the whole answer is misleading you.