2025 Care Sector CPD Developments: Learning Support, Workforce Pathways & Funding Reform

The adult social care sector in England is undergoing one of its most significant reform periods in recent memory. From funding boosts and digital innovation to workforce pathways and updated qualification standards, these changes are designed to strengthen the workforce, modernise training, ensure people receive better, more personalised support, and shift the system’s focus from treatment to prevention.

Here’s what’s been happening so far in 2025:

Accreditation Partners and Supporting Members: Care England

The CPD Group is proud to be Accreditation Partners and Supporting Members to Care England. As a leading voice for independent adult social care providers in England, Care England engages directly with Government, providers, and stakeholders to influence policy, raise standards, and develop person-centred care.

Our partnership reinforces a shared mission- to ensure care workers have access to trusted, accredited development opportunities that improve quality of care across the sector .

Learning and development Schemes

Funding for adult social care training has been extended into 2025-26, allowing employers to claim reimbursement for eligible training courses that begin and are paid for between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. Claims can also still be submitted for courses from the 2024-25 period and must be made within three months of a course starting or completing (Gov.UK, 2025).

A £12 million funding pot is available, with individual providers able to claim up to £400,000 each. Courses eligible for funding include:

• TheLevel 2 Adult Social Care Certificate
• Leadership and management
• Dementia and autism training
• Healthcare interventions

Training is available through approved awarding bodies, including FutureQuals, ProQual, RoSPA, and Focus Awards.

In addition, a new Level 5 Digital Leadership course has been launched for care managers. While designed to build digital capability across the sector, concerns remain that its £4,000 cost significantly exceeds the £1,000 reimbursement cap, limiting accessibility (Gov.UK, 2025).

The Care Workforce Pathway: A National Framework for Career Progression

The Care Workforce Pathway, developed by the Department of Health and Social Care in collaboration with Skills for Care, is the first universal career structure for adult social care in England. Launched in January 2024 and expanded in April 2025, the pathway sets out eight core role categories- from New to Care through to Registered Manager- each with clearly defined skills, knowledge, and behaviours. It provides a consistent framework for progression, whether someone is just starting out or looking to advance their career (Gov.UK, 2025).

The pathway is designed to:

• Recognise care workers as skilled professionals
• Promote adult social care as a respected, long-term career
• Support recruitment and retention across the sector
• Drive up the quality and consistency of care

To support development, the framework includes tailored learning opportunities aligned to each role. This ensures that training and progression are meaningful and help improve outcomes for the people receiving care.

The pathway significantly embeds a set of co-produced universal values- kindness, honesty, respect, and courage, to reflect what matters most to the people who use care services. These values guide recruitment, training, and workplace culture, helping build a more compassionate, person-centred sector.

The Care Workforce Pathway is also a key component of broader system reform. It aligns with goals in the NHS Long Term Plan and wider health and care integration strategies, ensuring the workforce is skilled, supported, and able to deliver safe, effective, community-based care (Gov.UK, 2025).

Care Certificate Standards Modernised for the First Time in a Decade

As of March 2025, the Care Certificate Standards have been updated for the first time since 2015 to reflect modern care needs .

The revised standards introduce a 16th standard focused on Learning Disability and Autism Awareness, while expanding and refreshing learning outcomes across the original 15 modules. These important updates are due to be fully implemented by the end of July 2025 .

The CPD Group has explored these changes in detail via our News Blog, highlighting how they enhance care worker capability and align with broader workforce reforms.

Government Reform Package: Funding, Technology & Career Development

In a major policy shift, the UK Government has announced a comprehensive reform package to strengthen adult social care, support the workforce, and reduce strain on the NHS.

Key measures include:

• An £86 million boost to the Disabled Facilities Grant, helping over 7,800 people adapt their homes for independent living and reduce hospital demand.
• A new shared digital care platform and national tech standards, giving care professionals faster access to patient information and improving service quality.
• Training for care workers to carry out basic health checks- like blood pressure monitoring, enabling more care to take place at home rather than in hospital.
• A clearer career path for care staff, with new roles, skill development, and pay progression to help attract and retain talent.
• A Fair Pay Agreement in development to improve wages and working conditions across the sector.

Investment Breakdown:

• A refreshed Better Care Fund, directing £9 billion toward shifting care from hospitals to the community and focusing more on prevention than treatment (Gov.UK, 2025).
• Up to £3.7 billion in additional social care funding for 2025-26, targeted at improving services, easing NHS pressure, and supporting unpaid carers (Ibid).

To drive long-term change, the government has established an independent commission, led by Baroness Louise Casey, to shape a new National Care Service. The commission will deliver its initial reform recommendations in 2026, followed by a full blueprint by 2028, which will include a sustainable funding model and national care standards.

To Summarise

With major funding boosts, updated standards, and the introduction of the Care Workforce Pathway, 2025 marks a turning point for the adult social care sector. From clearer career progression and accredited training to long-term structural reform, these changes reflect a growing recognition of the vital role care workers play in the health and wellbeing of our communities.

By investing in people, values, and preventative care, the government’s strategy aims not just to support the workforce- but to transform how care is delivered: more personalised, more professional, and more centred in the community.

As these reforms take root, the sector moves one step closer to a more joined-up, sustainable, and values-led system- where care workers are supported to thrive, and those receiving care are empowered to live healthier, more independent lives.