Care workforce pathway for adult social care
The care workforce pathway outlines the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours people need to work in adult social care.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
The care workforce pathway sets out the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours needed to work in adult social care. It provides a universal career structure for the sector’s 1.5 million workers - the first of its kind.
The pathway is co-developed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in partnership with Skills for Care, care providers, workforce representatives and people with lived experience of care.
The pathway now covers ‘direct’ and ‘supporting’ role categories. Together, these incorporate nearly all of the unregulated workforce who contribute to the quality of adult social care, whether directly or indirectly.
The 11 direct role categories are:
- new to care
- care or support worker
- activity co-ordinator
- enhanced care worker
- care technologist
- personal assistant
- supervisor or leader
- practice leader
- deputy manager
- registered manager
- nominated individual
The 7 supporting role categories are:
- corporate management
- learning and development practitioner
- quality assurance lead
- administration
- catering
- domestic
- maintenance
There is also an easy read version of care workforce pathway. This currently has the first 8 role categories. We will add easy read versions of the latest 10 role categories shortly.
Updates to this page
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Added 10 new role categories: 'Activity co-ordinator'; 'Care technologist'; 'Nominated individual'; 'Corporate management'; 'Learning and development practitioner'; 'Quality assurance lead'; 'Administration'; 'Catering'; 'Domestic'; and 'Maintenance'; and amended the 'Overview' to add information about the adult social care workforce transformation, neighbourhood health and links with the government’s skills strategy, and to update the information on 'next steps'.
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Amended 'deputy manager' and 'registered manager' role categories to note that the Management and Leadership Code for Health and Social Care (draft version) is now expected to be published in 2026.
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Updated the 'deputy manager' and 'registered manager' role categories (in 'The behaviours people must show' section) to say: the Management and Leadership Code for Health and Social Care (draft version) is expected to be published later in 2025.
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Added a link to the easy read version of the care workforce pathway.
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Added 4 new role categories to the pathway: enhanced care worker, personal assistant, deputy manager and registered manager. Updated the overview document to reflect the development of the pathway.
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First published.