The Social Care Council works collaboratively with the social care sector, awarding organisations, and other key stakeholders to regularly review and develop work-based/competence qualifications and frameworks to support social care, children and young people’s services. The reviewed qualifications are approved for delivery by CCEA Regulation, Northern Ireland’s qualification regulator.
This social care vocational qualification review work supports the Social Care Workforce Strategy’s vision to “develop a highly motivated, skilled, confident and value driven social care workforce who are recognised and valued for the contribution they make to service users and to society.”
The Social Care Workforce Strategy 2025-2035 has seven priorities including:
- Priority 3: Social care practitioners will have access to qualifications and opportunities to develop and progress through on-going learning relevant to their role and function.
To support delivery of the above priority, the Social Care Council, in partnership with the Department of Health and in collaboration with the sector, developed the Care in Practice (CiP) Framework, launched in December 2024. This Framework supports social care practitioners and managers to develop professionally by providing two interlinked pathways:
- a continuous professional learning pathway, and
- a qualification pathway to support your career progression.
In this section you will learn about:
- Work-based qualifications relevant to the social care sector.
- The newly reviewed vocational work-based qualifications, launched on 19 August 2026.
- The Northern Ireland Apprenticeship Framework.
- National Occupational Standards (NOS).
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Why work-based/competence qualifications?
Work-based/competence qualifications are designed to develop practitioners knowledge, skills and capabilities to work in the health and social care sector.
The qualifications available in Northern Ireland are the RQF (Regulated Qualifications Framework). RQF classifies qualifications according to their ‘level’ and ‘size’.
The Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) requires awarding organisations to meet the General Conditions for Recognition in order to maintain a consistent approach to the level and size of all regulated qualifications.
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Do social care practitioners need a qualification to work in social care?
Registered managers in regulated services are the only current group of social care staff where there is a mandatory requirement for a qualification.
A new entrance level, work-based qualification aligned to the Care in Practice Framework – the Level 2 Certificate in Safe and Effective Practice in Health and Social Care is now available but not mandatory at this stage. As part of your induction process, your employer may support you to undertake this new qualification within the first six months of working in the social care sector.
Go to Care in Practice (CiP) Framework to learn more.
See also the Qualifications Guide for Social Care (August 2020) which provides guidance on relevant qualifications that are essential and/or desirable in developing the required knowledge, skills and competency, to ensure support and care is provided to the highest standard.
NB: In light of the Care in Practice Framework qualifications (for adult services) review, this guidance will be updated in due course. Please direct any qualification-related queries to the following email address: Workforcedevelopment@niscc.hscni.net
Completing qualificatoin and/or learning and development can be used to evidence Post Registration Training and Learning or PRTL
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Is there funding that employers can access to support practitioners to complete qualifications?
The NI Apprenticeship Frameworks offer employers funding to support staff to gain qualifications. These are available to staff working in private, community and voluntary sectors, who are in new employment less than six months, to get started in social care and develop their career pathway.
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What are National Occupational Standards (NOS)?
These are essential guidelines in the UK. The NOS are UK-wide, evidence-based benchmarks for competent performance. There are NOS for virtually every job role in every sector in the UK including health and social care (HSC) and children’s care learning and development (CCLD).
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More information and guidance
Click on the links below to learn more:
New social care qualifications launched in August 2026
The NI Apprenticeship Framework – guidance for individuals
The NI Apprenticeship Framework – guidance for employers
National Occupational Standards (NOS)
See Associated Resources for quick access to key guidance documents and other relevant links.