For Organisations

There are two stages to the Endorsement Framework for organisations:  

• Recognition Award: Recognised providers who demonstrate that their organisation takes a professional approach to education and training in adult social care.
• Excellence Award: Training providers who are ‘Centres of Excellence’ demonstrate exemplary commitment to meeting the needs of learners in adult social care, to compliance with the social model of care, and to understanding and measuring the impact of their provision on the lives of the people who use services.

This page will help you understand what’s involved for organisations (there’s a separate page if you are an individual social care training provider seeking endorsement).

With an endorsement from the Skills Academy, your organisation will be listed with other Endorsed Providers or Centres of Excellence on this site and in our marketing materials, putting you in front of employers looking for quality social care training.

The Skills Academy will promote the availability of endorsed training and will provide enquiries for training with access to our database of individual social care trainers across England. As commissioning budgets tighten, we are frequently asked for lists of recommended social care training providers.

You will also receive a certificate and can use the Skills Academy ‘Recognised Provider’ or ‘Excellent Provider’ quality mark (top right) in your marketing materials.

The endorsement process is:

• Based on peer review and evaluation (find out more about the review panel).
• Developed, agreed and piloted with employers in the adult social care sector.

The requirements for Recognition are based on other key quality marks used in education and training. Where you’ve already received awards from certain other schemes, we’ll accept these judgments, allowing you to fast track to Recognition.

The quality marks which can help you fast track are:

• Overall grade of 1 or 2 in the latest Ofsted inspection
• Training Quality Standard Part A, Part B (Adult Social Care) or Part B (Health and Social Care)
• Matrix
• Investors in People
• If applicants have existing quality marks to fulfil all Recognition dimensions they can fast track. If applicants hold existing marks which fulfil over half of the Recognition dimensions then this is a partial fast track. If the applicant has to complete more than three of the six dimensions this qualifies as a full application.

Please see the 'Endorsement Overview' below for more details.             

There is also a £300 a year renewal fee. Endorsement is valid for three years, after which full resubmission is required. If you are unsuccessful in your application a reapplication will be priced at £300. Please contact us to find out how we can support you through this process.

Fees are subject to 20% VAT.

Any organisation that delivers education, training or learning and development to the adult social care sector can apply for endorsement. This includes:

• Private training providers
• Higher and further education institutions
• Voluntary organisations
• Internal learning and development departments