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Lift College's TQUK Level 5 Diploma in Leading and Managing an Adult Care Service is the qualification Skills for Care lists for registered managers and deputies in England, operational from April 2026. Study online with a named UK tutor and assessor and evidence your leadership practice in the service you work in.
| Qualification | TQUK Level 5 Diploma in Leading and Managing an Adult Care Service (RQF) |
|---|---|
| Level | Level 5 |
| Awarding body | TQUK (Training Qualifications UK) |
| Qualification number | 610/7004/X |
| Exams | Portfolio of evidence, no exams |
| Price | £79.99 a month, or £815.99 in total |
| Typical duration | 18 to 24 months |
| Age | 19 or over |
| Who it suits | Are a deputy manager, team leader or senior practitioner moving into a registered manager role |
Registered managers, deputies and proprietors of residential, day and domiciliary services are one group in the Office for National Statistics survey. The middle half of the range is shown as well as the median.
SOC 1232 covers managers and proprietors of residential, day and domiciliary services. Skills for Care's pay report does not publish a registered manager figure.
Full 2026 tables, including the National Living Wage rise and Fair Pay Agreement timeline, are in our care worker and care manager pay in 2026.
There is no course fee to find, no finance agreement to sign and no debt to worry about. Your first 7 days are free, then you pay for the month you are in, and every payment is covered by the 14-day money back guarantee. Prefer to start now? Pay today instead of taking the trial and every payment is 15% lower for life, with the same 14-day guarantee.
You never sign a credit agreement with us, so there is no debt and nothing for anyone to chase. If you stop paying, you simply stop studying. No finance company, no loan and no letters.
Most learners arrive via the Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care.
This is a work-based qualification. Learners must be in paid or voluntary employment within an adult care setting, either part-time or full-time for the duration of the qualification.
Each step is a separate qualification and, in adult care, a separate role.
Looking for the "NVQ Level 5 in Health and Social Care"? This is its current name: read what changed.
You do not need a Level 4 adult care diploma before Level 5. If you already hold Level 3 and have supervisory experience, go straight to the Level 5. Our guide to Level 4 health and social care explains when Level 4 still makes sense as a lead-practitioner stop.
95 credits: 75 from the twenty-one mandatory units, plus at least 20 credits from the optional units, chosen with your tutor.
There are no exams. This Ofqual-regulated TQUK diploma is a portfolio for knowledge, observation of leadership and management practice in the service, and a professional discussion. It is marked internally and quality assured by TQUK. Grading is pass only. You study it alongside a management role.
Portfolio for knowledge; observation of leadership and management practice in the service; professional discussion. Internally marked, externally quality assured by TQUK.
Work through the unit online with your named UK tutor.
Observation, witness statements, work products and reflective accounts from your real workplace.
Marked in 5 to 7 working days. Pass or refer. Resubmit until every criterion is met. Your certificate comes from TQUK.
Yes. You study this Ofqual-regulated TQUK diploma online with a named UK tutor and assessor, alongside a management role. The typical study time is 18 to 24 months. You must be in an adult care service, part time or full time, for the whole course.
Training Qualifications UK issues the certificate. Lift College teaches the course and TQUK awards it.
TQUK's stated goal: Be number one in technical education
certificates issued since 2013
qualifications across more than 20 sectors
employers use TQUK for apprenticeship assessment
Figures from tquk.org, September 2026. TQUK, Crossgate House, Sale, Manchester. Recognised by Ofqual, the qualifications regulator for England.
TQUK approves the centre, the tutors who assess you and the way the course is delivered before a single learner is registered.
An external quality assurer from TQUK samples assessed work from Lift College learners. Your result stands because TQUK has agreed it, not just your tutor.
Your certificate is printed by TQUK with a unique number. Any employer or university can confirm it is real on TQUK's certificate verification service. TQUK certificate verification
The same UK tutor supports you from enrolment through to your certificate.
Marked in 5 to 7 working days.
Your dashboard shows what you have completed and what comes next.
If a unit is referred, you resubmit at no extra cost until every criterion is met.
One price for the full course, with every fee included. Try it free for 7 days, or start now and every payment is 15% lower for life.
Employer paying? This TQUK diploma is eligible for Skills for Care LDSS claims. See how funding works.
Full access for 7 days. Your first payment is on day 8, and you can cancel any time before then from your account.
£79.99/month from day 8
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“After completing my level 3, Lift College guided me straight into the level 4 lead practitioner qualification. The progression was seamless, same assessor, same platform. I am now a team leader at a residential home and…”
PriyaLevel 4 Lead Practitioner in Adult Care“I had been a deputy manager for two years waiting to take the level 5. Lift College's support team sorted my enrolment quickly and my assessor was genuinely expert in care home management. Achieved the RQF diploma in 14…”
DamianLevel 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care (RQF)“I changed careers from retail to care at 42 and was anxious about returning to study. My Lift College advisor was honest about the workplace observation requirements and helped me find a part-time care role alongside my…”
TrevorLevel 3 Diploma in Adult Care (RQF)The Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Adult Care is the Ofqual-regulated qualification for senior care staff moving into management. Equivalent to foundation-degree level, it is the qualification CQC expects registered managers to hold or be working towards. Study is online over 18 to 24 months while working in a care setting.
The Level 5 Diploma in Leading and Managing an Adult Care Service sits at RQF Level 5, the same level as a foundation degree, an HND or the second year of a bachelor's degree. It is the qualification Skills for Care lists for registered managers and deputies in England.
At Lift College the Level 5 Diploma costs £79.99 a month for the full course with every fee included (named UK tutor, marking, AI Study Support and your TQUK certificate), or £815.99 a year if you pay annually and save 15%. The typical study time is 18 to 24 months. There is a free 7-day trial and 14-day money back on every payment.
Skills for Care lists the TQUK Level 5 Diploma in Leading and Managing an Adult Care Service for registered managers and deputies. This page uses that registered title and qualification number.
The typical study time is 18 to 24 months, studied online alongside a management role in an adult care service. There are no exams; you build a portfolio of evidence, with observation of your practice in the service and a professional discussion.
The default is a free 7-day trial with your first payment on day 8. If you would rather start now, you pay today instead and every payment is 15% lower for as long as you study. Your 14-day money-back guarantee still applies: change your mind for any reason within 14 days and we refund the full payment.
An enhanced DBS check is normally arranged by the school. Your setting may require you to be 18 for an enhanced DBS check or lone working.
Yes. Annual billing saves 15%: £815.99 for the year instead of £79.99 a month. The 7-day free trial and 14-day money back apply either way.
You need a role with leadership and management responsibilities in an adult care service, paid or voluntary, for the whole course. Deputy and team leader roles usually qualify; ask an adviser if you are not sure.
This page does not say Level 5 is a legal requirement on its own. It is the Ofqual-regulated TQUK diploma Skills for Care lists for registered managers and deputies, and the one providers and CQC inspections ask about. You need a leadership role in an adult care service while you study.
Yes. The course is studied online alongside a management role, and the typical study time is 18 to 24 months. You must be in paid or voluntary work in an adult care service, part time or full time, for the whole Ofqual-regulated TQUK diploma.
Registered manager, deputy manager, service manager and senior practitioner roles in adult care services such as residential, day and domiciliary care. It is the Level 5 diploma Skills for Care lists for registered managers and deputies, and the one providers and CQC inspections ask about.
No. Portfolio for knowledge; observation of leadership and management practice in the service; professional discussion. Internally marked, externally quality assured by TQUK. Grading is Pass only, no grading.
One price covers the full course with every fee included: a named UK tutor, marking in 5 to 7 working days, AI Study Support, and your TQUK certificate. There is nothing extra to pay.
You need to be 19 or over. No specific entry requirements. Level 2 literacy and numeracy or equivalent. Must be in a role with leadership and management responsibilities in an adult care service. Your setting may require you to be 18 for an enhanced DBS check or lone working.
This is the qualification for leading and managing an adult care service. The Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care is the step before it.
Training Qualifications UK (TQUK) issues the certificate. Lift College is a TQUK recognised centre.
A UK adviser calls you back within 2 working hours, Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm. No sales script.
Last reviewed 1 October 2026
