How to become a care worker or support worker in the UK

You become a care worker or support worker in the UK by applying directly to a care provider, passing the enhanced DBS check your employer arranges, and completing the 16 Care Certificate standards during your induction. No qualification is required to start, and the National Careers Service says employers usually train you on the job. Lift College's Care Certificate course covers all 16 standards for £19.99, pay once, with a CPD certificate issued by Lift College, so you can arrive with the knowledge element done; once you are in post, the TQUK Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care (£69.99 a month, 7-day free trial, no exams) is the route to a senior role. Here is each step.

Care worker or support worker: what is the difference?

The two titles overlap. "Care worker" or "care assistant" is used mainly in residential care homes and home care, where you help adults with personal care, meals, medication prompts and daily living. "Support worker" is used more in supported living, learning disability, mental health and community services, where the emphasis is on helping people live independently. The National Careers Service lists "support worker" as an alternative title under both its care worker and healthcare assistant profiles, and does not publish a separate support worker profile. The entry route, the DBS check and the Care Certificate are the same for both.

Step 1: check the requirements

According to the National Careers Service care worker profile:

• Qualifications: none required. Some employers ask for GCSEs in English and maths.
• Background check: you must pass enhanced background checks. In practice this is an enhanced DBS check with an adults' barred list check, which your employer applies for.
• Driving licence: not required, but helpful for home care roles where you travel between clients.
• Fitness: moving and handling is part of many roles.
• Hours: typically 35 to 45 a week, with evening and weekend shifts common.

If you have a conviction, do not assume you are barred; employers assess DBS disclosures case by case.

Step 2: choose a route in

The National Careers Service lists four routes:

1. Direct application. Apply to care homes, home care agencies, supported living providers or the NHS. The National Careers Service says employers usually provide on-the-job training.
2. College course. A Level 2 or 3 health and social care course or a T Level in Health, if you want a qualification before applying.
3. Apprenticeship. Care organisations and the NHS offer foundation, intermediate and advanced apprenticeships. Foundation apprenticeships are mainly for ages 16 to 21.
4. Volunteering. Care homes, hospices, charities and NHS volunteering count as relevant experience.

For most adults changing career, direct application is the quickest. Caring for a family member counts as experience, and the senior care worker profile says so explicitly.

Step 3: complete the Care Certificate

Once you start, your employer must train and assess you under CQC's Regulation 18. The recognised way to do that is the Care Certificate: 16 standards covering your role, duty of care, person-centred working, communication, privacy and dignity, fluids and nutrition, mental health and dementia awareness, adult and child safeguarding, basic life support, health and safety, handling information, infection prevention and control, and learning disability and autism awareness. You learn the knowledge, your employer observes your practice and signs the certificate. Skills for Care is clear that e-learning alone cannot achieve it and that the employer, not a training provider, awards it. Lift College's course gives you the knowledge element for £19.99, pay once, with a 14-day money-back guarantee and a free refresher every three years. The full list of standards and a provider comparison are in Best online Care Certificate courses.

Step 4: plan your progression

The National Careers Service says that with experience you can move into senior care worker or palliative care assistant roles, and with further qualifications into care team supervision or care services management. The qualification for senior care worker is the Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care: 59 credits, Ofqual-regulated, assessed by portfolio and observation while you work, typically 12 to 18 months. You must be working or volunteering in an adult care setting in England to take it, so it is the natural next step a few months into your first job. The route beyond that is set out in How to become a senior care worker, then a care home manager.

What care workers earn

The UK care worker pay 2026 guide has the full tables. For what is legally required against what is expected, see Do I need qualifications to work in a care home?, and for all Lift College care courses, the health and social care hub.

Official job profiles

• National Careers Service: Care worker
• National Careers Service: Senior care worker
• National Careers Service: Healthcare assistant (alternative title: support worker)