CPD Standards Office accreditedCare Certificate
This online Care Certificate course teaches the knowledge behind all 16 Care Certificate standards in 16 short modules and 12 hours, with a final test at an 80% pass mark. You get a CPD Standards Office accredited certificate the day you pass. Your employer then observes your practice and awards the Care Certificate itself.
- £19.99, pay once
- CPD certificate the day you pass
- Free refresher when it is due
- 14-day money back
Accredited CPD activityThe CPD Standards Office, provider 51289. Verify accreditation
14-day money back · Pay once, no subscription
Care Certificate
You can do Care Certificate training online in the UK with Lift College's Care Certificate online course, which teaches the knowledge behind all 16 Care Certificate standards published in March 2025. It is 12 hours of learning in 16 short modules, ready for your employer to observe your practice and sign you off. It costs £19.99, pay once, and your CPD Standards Office accredited certificate is ready the same day you pass. Lift College recommends a refresh every 3 years, and the refresher is free.
The Care Certificate is the set of standards new care and health support workers are expected to meet. Skills for Care, NHS England and Skills for Health published the updated standards in March 2025. There are now 16, including awareness of learning disability and autism.
This course teaches and checks the knowledge for all 16 standards, with a knowledge check after each one. The knowledge can be learnt online. Anything the standards ask you to demonstrate is observed in your real work. Your employer then signs you off on the national Care Certificate template. You finish with a CPD Standards Office accredited certificate to show your employer.
The Care Certificate standards have two parts. Knowledge can be learnt and checked in many ways, including online. Anything the standards ask you to demonstrate, show or use must be observed in your real work by an assessor. When you have met all 16 standards, your employer awards the Care Certificate, usually on the national template. A training provider cannot issue it for them. This course covers the knowledge for every standard, so you are ready for the observed part. Many care employers also ask new starters to complete Moving and Handling of People Training, Infection Prevention and Control Training and Dementia Awareness Training.
- Describe your role, duty of care and agreed ways of working
- Work in a person-centred way that respects privacy, dignity and rights
- Recognise abuse and neglect in adults and children, and report concerns
- Explain safe practice in health and safety and infection control
- Support people with fluids, nutrition, mental health needs and dementia
- Handle information securely and communicate clearly
- Make reasonable adjustments for people with a learning disability or autism
- Prepare to show your employer these standards in your everyday work
16 short modules, 12 hours in total.
Understand your role
Your job description, working to agreed ways of working, and working in partnership with others.
Knowledge checkYour personal development
Agreeing a personal development plan, reflecting on your practice and using feedback to improve.
Knowledge checkDuty of care
What duty of care means, handling dilemmas, and responding to comments and complaints.
Knowledge checkEquality, diversity, inclusion and human rights
Treating people fairly, avoiding discrimination and respecting each person's rights and beliefs.
Knowledge checkWork in a person-centred way
Putting the person's wishes, preferences and wellbeing at the centre of their care.
Knowledge checkCommunication
Communicating clearly, adapting to people's needs and respecting confidentiality.
Knowledge checkPrivacy and dignity
Protecting privacy, supporting choice and helping people stay as independent as possible.
Knowledge checkFluids and nutrition
Supporting people to eat and drink well, and food safety basics.
Knowledge checkAwareness of mental health and dementia
Common mental health conditions and dementia, and how they affect the people you support.
Knowledge checkAdult safeguarding
Recognising abuse and neglect in adults and knowing how to report concerns.
Knowledge checkSafeguarding children
Recognising signs that a child may be at risk and knowing who to tell.
Knowledge checkBasic life support
The knowledge behind basic life support. Your employer arranges practical training and observes your skills.
Knowledge checkHealth and safety
Risk assessment, moving and handling, hazardous substances, fire safety and security at work.
Knowledge checkHandling information
Recording, storing and sharing information securely and accurately.
Knowledge checkInfection prevention and control
Hand hygiene, personal protective equipment and how infections spread.
Knowledge checkAwareness of learning disability and autism
Understanding learning disability and autism, and making reasonable adjustments to support each person.
Knowledge checkFinal test and your certificate
Multiple choice, 80% to pass, unlimited attempts. Your CPD Standards Office accredited certificate is issued the day you pass.
This course is for you if
- You have just started as a care worker or support worker
- You are a health care assistant or support worker new to the NHS
- You are a personal assistant supporting someone at home
- You are moving into care from another job and want to learn the standards first
- Your manager wants you to study the knowledge before they observe your practice
- You completed the Care Certificate before March 2025 and want to cover the updated standards
Your CPD accredited certificate, issued the day you pass.
Your CPD Standards Office accredited certificate records the knowledge for all 16 standards, 12 hours of learning, your completion date and a refresh date. Your employer awards the Care Certificate itself.
- One price, £19.99. One payment, one learner, no subscription.
- Short modules with a knowledge check after each one and a final test. Instant results.
- 80% to pass, with unlimited free retakes.
- Human tutor support with every CPD course.
- A CPD accredited certificate as a PDF the same day you pass, carrying the CPD Standards Office mark, our provider number 51289, a unique number and a verification link.
- Access for as long as Lift College offers the course, and never less than 3 years from the day you buy.
- A free refresher when your recommended refresh date arrives. Changed your mind? Ask within 14 days of paying and we refund you in full.
LC-CPD-SAMPLECertificate numberAccredited continuing professional developmentCertificate of CompletionThis is to certify thatAlex Johnsonhas successfully completed the CPD course
Dr Kate StrohmManaging Director, Lift CollegeSample certificateAn example only. It has no numberand cannot be verified.LC-CPD-SAMPLELift College Limited is a CPD Standards Office accredited provider (number 51289). This course is an accredited CPD activity.This certificate confirms completion of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course. It is not an Ofqual-regulated qualification.Lift College Ltd · Registered in England and Wales, Company No. 17337303 · Unit 3 E/F Suffolk House Business Park, Ashwells Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 9SG · liftcollege.co.ukA sample. Yours carries your name, the date you pass and a unique certificate number with a QR code anyone can scan to check it, or check a certificate at liftcollege.co.uk/verify.
Which online Care Certificate training do UK employers accept?
Your employer decides the induction training you need for your role, observes your practice at work and awards the Care Certificate itself on the national template. Employers look for knowledge training that covers all 16 standards published by Skills for Care, NHS England and Skills for Health in March 2025. A good certificate records the course, hours, completion date and refresh date, and can be verified. The content should reflect the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Lift College's certificate does each of these: it records the knowledge for all 16 standards, 12 hours of learning, your completion date and a refresh-by date 3 years on, with a unique number and verification link.
Read our guides to free vs paid Care Certificate courses online and the best online Care Certificate courses in the UK.
What this certificate meets
- CQC: CQC calls the Care Certificate the benchmark for staff induction and expects providers to show that new health care support workers and adult social care workers have, or are working towards, the skills it sets out ("Our position on the Care Certificate", cqc.org.uk).
- The knowledge for all 16 Care Certificate standards published by Skills for Care, NHS England and Skills for Health in March 2025.
- CQC Regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014: staff must receive the training needed for their role.
What it does not replace
- The observed part. Anything the standards ask you to demonstrate is observed in your real work, and your employer awards the Care Certificate itself, usually on the national template.
- A qualification. The Care Certificate is a set of induction standards, not a qualification on the Ofqual register.
- Topics your employer adds for your role, such as moving and handling of people or medication.
Coming to the UK to work in care? Read our guide to the UK care certificates you can earn online before you arrive.
The law this course supports
Care Act 2014
In England, the council must make enquiries when it suspects an adult with care needs is at risk of abuse or neglect. This applies when the adult cannot protect themselves. Each council must also set up a Safeguarding Adults Board.
Read the legislation →Mental Capacity Act 2005
Sets out five principles. A person is assumed to have capacity, must be helped to decide and may make unwise decisions. Any decision made for them must be in their best interests and least restrictive.
Read the legislation →Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
Section 7 says every employee must take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others. They must also co-operate with their employer on safety.
Read the legislation →Pay in adult social care
Skills for Care publishes the pay recorded by care employers in England. These are the latest medians for the independent sector, where most care jobs are.
How the cost compares
High Speed Training charges £24, CPD Online College £28.80 and Caredemy £30 for the course. Lift College is £19.99, pay once.
| Provider | Course fee | How you pay |
|---|---|---|
| Lift College Lowest cost to start | £19.99pay once | Pay once, no subscription. Training a team? £16.99 a course on a free organisation account |
| Caredemy | £30 | £30 |
| CPD Online College | £28.80 | £28.80 |
| High Speed Training | £24 | £24 |
Prices as shown on each provider's own website.
Buying Care Certificate for a team?
Open a free organisation account, buy places and give each person their own login. The price falls the more places you buy.
Multiple enrolment discounts
The price of a place is set by the places in one order, on this course or any mix of our CPD courses. Saving against the £19.99 single place.
| Places in one order | Price a place | Saving |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 places | £16.99 | 15% off |
| 10 to 49 | £14.99 | 25% off |
| 50 to 99 | £12.99 | 35% off |
| 100 to 249 | £10.99 | 45% off |
| 250 or more | £9.99 | 50% off |
What would your team cost?
Training each person on several courses? A sector pack or the annual plan can cost less. Your quote compares all three for you.
Prefer to talk first? Request a call back
Team speaks Polish? Care Certificate is also available in Polish for orders of 10 or more places.
- 1
Your own training portal in 2 minutes
Open a free account with your work email. No sales call, and no minimum order.
- 2
See where everyone stands
A progress dashboard, a training matrix and an Excel progress report for your records.
- 3
Reminders sent for you
Welcome emails, nudges for anyone who stalls, and refresher dates so nobody goes out of date.
- 4
Pay by card or invoice
Card, or invoice on 30-day terms with your PO. Places stay valid for 3 years.
- 5
A human tutor with every course
Real tutor support for your staff, unlimited free retakes and a certificate the day they pass.
- 6
Accredited by the CPD Standards Office
Provider 51289. Every CPD course is an accredited CPD activity.
Check any learner's certificate in our register →
What our learners say
Stories from Lift College learners on our qualifications, in their own words.
“I had been a care assistant for four years without a formal qualification. Lift College made the whole process straightforward, my assessor visited regularly and I completed my Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care in just over a year. I was promoted to senior care worker the month after I qualified.”
“My employer was clear, I needed GCSE English to move into a supervisory role. Lift College helped me find the right exam board and an exam centre five minutes from home. Passed grade 4. Got the promotion.”
“My employer needed me to have Level 2 maths before they could register me on the Level 3 apprenticeship programme. Lift College was fast, the tutor was brilliant, and I resit my maths once after a near-miss and passed the second time. The whole thing took twelve weeks.”
Questions about Care Certificate
Is this course CPD accredited?
Yes. Care Certificate is an accredited CPD activity with the CPD Standards Office, the UK's research-led CPD accreditation body. Lift College Limited is a CPD Standards Office accredited provider (provider number 51289), and your certificate carries the CPD Standards Office mark and our provider number so an employer or professional body can check it.
What are the 15 standards for the Care Certificate?
The Care Certificate had 15 standards until March 2025: understand your role, your personal development, duty of care, equality and diversity, work in a person-centred way, communication, privacy and dignity, fluids and nutrition, awareness of mental health, dementia and learning disability, safeguarding adults, safeguarding children, basic life support, health and safety, handling information, and infection prevention and control. The March 2025 update by Skills for Care, NHS England and Skills for Health added a 16th standard, Awareness of learning disability and autism, which reflects the learning disability and autism training requirement in the Health and Care Act 2022, and standard 9 became Awareness of mental health and dementia. So there are now 16 standards, and this course has one module for each.
Will I get the Care Certificate at the end of this course?
You get a CPD Standards Office accredited certificate for the knowledge across all 16 standards. Your employer awards the Care Certificate itself, on the national template, once they have observed your practice.
Who signs off the Care Certificate?
Your employer. Skills for Care says the certificate can be awarded by the employer, and external learning providers must not sign and issue it. This is why the observed part happens at work.
How much does a Care Certificate course cost online?
Lift College's Care Certificate course costs £19.99, pay once, for one learner. There is no subscription and nothing added at checkout, and you can ask for a full refund within 14 days of paying. Caredemy charges £30 for its Care Certificate Course, CPD Online College £28.80 for its Care Certificate course and High Speed Training £24 for its Care Certificate Course, from their own websites on 22 October 2026.
Free Care Certificate online vs paid: which should I choose?
Free training, such as NHS England's elearning for healthcare, suits people who can register for it. A paid course is worth it if you want short modules, unlimited free retakes, tutor support and a certificate your employer can verify. Lift College's course is £19.99, pay once, with human tutor support. Either way, your employer observes your practice and signs you off.
Is the Care Certificate mandatory?
Not by law: no Act or regulation requires the Care Certificate itself. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) calls it the benchmark for staff induction and expects providers to show that new health care support workers and adult social care workers have, or are working towards, the skills it sets out, and Regulation 18 says staff must receive the training their role needs. That is why most care and health employers make it part of induction for new starters. This course gives you the knowledge for all 16 standards and a CPD Standards Office accredited certificate; it does not replace your employer's assessment of your competence at work, and your employer awards the Care Certificate itself.
Is this CPD care certificate the same as the Care Certificate?
No. This course gives you a CPD Standards Office accredited certificate that records the knowledge for all 16 Care Certificate standards. The Care Certificate itself is awarded by your employer, usually on the national template, after they have observed your practice at work.
Safeguarding Adults Level 2
For staff in regular contact with adults at risk. Recognise abuse, respect capacity and report concerns under the Care Act 2014.
Safeguarding Adults and Children Training
Spot the signs of abuse and neglect in children and adults, and know exactly how to respond and report.
Safeguarding Children Level 2
For staff who work with children. Recognise abuse, handle a disclosure and report concerns in line with KCSIE 2026.
CPD certificate or regulated qualification?
This course gives you a CPD Standards Office accredited certificate for the knowledge across all 16 Care Certificate standards. It is not a regulated qualification, and the Care Certificate itself is not one either. When you are ready for a care qualification on the Ofqual register, the route is the Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care (RQF), studied online with a named UK tutor.