Adult social care providers in England can apply for free help to put the Care Workforce Pathway into practice. Skills for Care announced the support programme on 20 October 2026, with applications for the January 2027 programme closing on 5 January 2027.
The Department of Health and Social Care funds the programme, which Skills for Care delivers. Participating organisations nominate a Pathway lead, attend three online workshops, develop an implementation plan and map at least one job role against the framework. The offer is for eligible providers, so managers should check the current application information before committing staff time.
Decide what you want to change
Before applying, identify one role where development expectations could be clearer. A manager might ask staff what they currently understand about progressing in that role, then compare those answers with the job description and supervision record. This creates a specific starting point for the person leading the work.
Give the proposed lead time to attend the sessions and discuss decisions with the people who can approve changes. That might include a registered manager, an HR colleague or a learning lead. Agree how staff in the chosen role will contribute, especially colleagues whose working patterns make it difficult to attend daytime meetings.
Turn a role description into a development conversation
Skills for Care’s career and development resources include skills assessments and a development-plan template. A supervisor could use these to discuss an employee’s existing strengths, a skill they want to develop and the support they would need to practise it.
For a first review, keep the question concrete. Can the staff member explain the agreed next step? Do they have access to the learning and support discussed? Has a review date been set? Record what the organisation has agreed to provide as well as what the employee plans to do.
Providers interested in joining should use the application route linked from Skills for Care’s announcement and allow time to check eligibility and nominate their lead before the January deadline.
Featured image: AI-generated illustration.
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