Understanding the Care Certificate

The Care Certificate is the most important piece of certification for anyone wanting to work in the care sector. It can be difficult to understand exactly what it is and what it includes, so the purpose of this article is to enable prospective carers to understand what they are required to study in order to be able to work in their field.

What is the Care Certificate?

The Care Certificate is a course undertaken by health and social workers as part of induction training in the care sector.

It is based on the set of standards that health workers and social carers are required to abide by as part of their daily routines in their work sector, and as such, it is a required qualification.

Gaining accreditation through the Certificate is the only way to advance in any care-based career, as it demonstrates your commitment to caring in a safe and healthy way.

The average time to completely demonstrate that candidates have the expected knowledge to pass the Care Certificate is around 12 weeks. If you are taking the Care Certificate course in conjunction with full-time employment, it will likely take you significantly longer.

Flexebee offers a subscription that allows you to take The Care Certificate training at your own pace over a 12 month period, more than enough time to complete all 15 required modules.

What are the Care Certificate standards?

The Care Certificate is split up into 15 different modules, each pertaining to a specific aspect of care work. Split up clearly, these modules are:

Understanding Your Role

Being able to articulate what your own role in the care environment is, working in ways that have been agreed with your employer, working in partnership with others, and understanding the working relationships with clients in a health and social care setting.

Related courses include:

• Care Assistant training
• Social Care courses
• Carers Awareness

Personal Development

Agreeing to a personal development plan that explains the importance of feedback and identifying sources of professional support, and a commitment to career-wide CPD constitutes this standard.

Related training includes:

• Customer Service Awareness
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Personal Development training

Duty of Care

Demonstrating knowledge of the doctrine of duty, and knowledge of how to deal with comments, complaints, criticisms, breaches of duty, errors, confrontations, and incidents.

Related training includes:

• Duty of Care Awareness
• Complaints Handling
• Conflict Resolution

Equality and Diversity

Describing the importance of inclusive practices, working in a way that promotes and demonstrates these values, having knowledge of appropriate legislation, and explaining how to access appropriate support related to this.

Related training includes:

• Equality and Diversity
• Preparing to work in care

Work in a Person-Centred Way

Vitally important for working in a care environment, care workers must understand person-centred values and work in a person-centred way. This can include making any necessary changes to environmental factors for the benefit of a patient, being aware of behaviours of others that may be causing distress to patients, supporting people in order to minimize pain, and helping them to maintain their individuality and self-esteem.

Related training includes:

• Person Centred Care Awareness
• Working in Care

Communication

Care workers must understand the importance of communication and demonstrate effective communication techniques with their team. This includes understanding how to meet communication requirements or preferences, and how to promote effective communication techniques.

You should also know how to support the use of appropriate audio/visual technologies, and verbal/non-verbal techniques.

Related training includes:

• Communication and Record Keeping
• Care Home Management

Privacy and Dignity

Knowing how to maintain the privacy and dignity of people, and understanding the underpinning principles of this, are vital. Supporting individuals in their care choices, including demonstrating support for active participation in a private or professional capacity, is of the utmost importance.

Related training includes:

• Dignity, Privacy and Respect 
• Confidentiality in Care

Fluids and Nutrition

You must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of hydration, nutrition, and food safety, ensuring access to hydration in accordance with people’s care plans.

Related training includes:

• Allergen Awareness
• Food Safety
• Diet and Nutrition Awareness

Knowledge of nutrition, hydration and food safety is part of one of the 15 Care Certificate standards.

Mental Health, Dementia and Learning Disability Awareness

This module requires an understanding of the importance of promoting positive mental health, and of the needs of people with the aforementioned conditions. You have to also demonstrate an ability to make any necessary adjustments to care practices for conditions such as psychosis.

Related training includes:

• Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberties Awareness
• Learning Disabilities Awareness
• Mental Health

Safeguarding Adults

Safeguarding adults requires knowledge of the main types of abuse, and of any particular definitions such as what constitutes harm. Understanding methods of risk reduction and crisis management is also key.

Related training includes:

• Safeguarding Adults

Safeguarding Children

The rules for safeguarding children depend on which sector the learner is working in. If it's in a health setting, they must meet the most recent minimum training standards. In social care, they must have knowledge of what to do if they suspect the child is being abused.

Related training includes:

• Safeguarding Children Awareness
• Child Safeguarding Advanced

Basic Life Support

Care workers are expected to be competently qualified to perform basic life support measures for their patients, which means meeting the UK Resuscitation Council’s Guidelines.

Related training includes:

• Basic Life Support

Health & Safety

Carers must understand their own responsibilities and the responsibilities of others in relation to health and safety procedures. You must understand the process and requirements of risk assessments, the procedures for reporting accidents and injuries, and the legislation around moving and handling.

There is an expectation that you promote good fire safety procedures, stress management techniques, and hazardous substance handling methods.

See our Health and Safety courses for related training.

Information Handling

It is required that care workers comply with all relevant data storage regulations, also reporting if any agreed ways of working are not being followed.

Related training includes:

• Data Protection in Care
• Record Keeping
• Confidentiality in care

Infection Prevention & Control

Describing the main ways infections can spread, and demonstrating knowledge of effective hand hygiene, health risks, soiled linen handling, as well as personal protective equipment usage, are all very important aspects of care work.

Related training includes:

• Infection Control Awareness

Taking a course that covers these aspects of care will enable you to achieve the standards of care required to work within any care-related field.

Flexebee offers health and social care training courses for all professionals in the care industry, including Care Certificate training. To learn more about the characteristics that make healthcare professionals successful in their care careers, read our article Personal Skills for a Care Worker - Interpersonal Skills in Care.