What to know about carers: training, checks and standards

Most families meet their first professional carer at a vulnerable moment, and very few know what standards that carer should meet. This guide sets out what a well-run agency should have in place behind every carer who walks through your loved one's door, and the questions you are entitled to ask.

None of this is about catching agencies out. Good agencies are proud of this work and answer these questions easily. That, in itself, is the test.

The checks before a carer ever starts

Before working with vulnerable adults, a carer employed by a CQC-registered agency should have:

An enhanced DBS check

This is the highest level of criminal record check, which for care roles also searches the adults' barred list, the register of people legally prohibited from working with vulnerable adults [4]. Agencies must be able to confirm a carer's DBS status and when it was last checked.

Confirmed right to work in the UK

A legal requirement for any employer, and one that responsible agencies document and track, including visa expiry dates for sponsored workers [5].

References

CQC's regulations on fit and proper staff (Regulation 19) require agencies to obtain satisfactory evidence of conduct in previous care roles, including references, and to hold a full employment history [3]. You can ask an agency whether they hold a complete recruitment file for each carer; a well-run one will say yes without hesitation.

The Care Certificate: the induction standard

The Care Certificate is the recognised induction standard for care workers in England, developed by Skills for Care, Health Education England and Skills for Health [1]. New carers are expected to complete it, and it covers 15 standards:

  1. 1.Understanding your role
  2. 2.Your personal development
  3. 3.Duty of care
  4. 4.Equality and diversity
  5. 5.Working in a person-centred way
  6. 6.Communication
  7. 7.Privacy and dignity
  8. 8.Fluids and nutrition
  9. 9.Awareness of mental health, dementia and learning disability
  10. 10.Safeguarding adults
  11. 11.Safeguarding children
  12. 12.Basic life support
  13. 13.Health and safety
  14. 14.Handling information
  15. 15.Infection prevention and control

The Care Certificate is not a legal licence, and a carer without it is not breaking the law. But CQC expects providers to induct staff to this standard or an equivalent [1], and an agency that cannot say how new carers are inducted is telling you something important.

Mandatory training and annual refreshers

Beyond induction, agencies run what the sector calls mandatory training: a rolling set of subjects that carers refresh regularly, typically every year. There is no single legally fixed list; each agency sets its own based on the care it delivers [2]. In practice, most cover a common core: moving and handling, safeguarding, medication administration, infection prevention, basic life support, fire safety, food hygiene, health and safety, first aid, mental capacity and consent, and record keeping. Agencies supporting specific conditions add specialist modules, such as dementia care, catheter and stoma care, PEG feeding or end-of-life care.

The number matters less than the tracking. Training expires. A carer whose moving and handling refresher lapsed two years ago is a risk no matter how good their induction was. The question worth asking any agency is not "are your carers trained?" but "how do you track when each carer's training is due for renewal, and what happens when it lapses?" Agencies on CareAH maintain a live training matrix for exactly this reason, alongside DBS and right-to-work records.

Supervision, appraisals and spot checks

Training is what a carer knows. Supervision is how an agency knows the carer is applying it. Under CQC's staffing regulation (Regulation 18), providers must give staff appropriate supervision and appraisal [2]. In practice, good agencies do three things:

  1. 1.Regular one-to-one supervision, typically every two to three months, where a supervisor and carer discuss the people they support, any concerns, and development needs.
  2. 2.An annual appraisal reviewing the year and setting objectives.
  3. 3.Unannounced spot checks, where a senior member of staff observes a carer during a real visit. This is the strongest quality signal on this list, because it tests actual practice rather than paperwork. Ask any agency how often they spot-check and what they look for.

What you are entitled to ask

You are not being difficult by asking any of the following, and the manner of the answer tells you as much as the content:

  1. 1.Whether every carer has an enhanced DBS check, and how recently checked.
  2. 2.How new carers are inducted, and whether to the Care Certificate standard.
  3. 3.Which training subjects are refreshed annually and how expiry is tracked.
  4. 4.How often carers are supervised and spot-checked.
  5. 5.Whether the same small group of carers will attend, and how cover is handled.
  6. 6.How the agency records what happened at each visit, and how you can see it.

What carers are entitled to from you

It works both ways, and care arrangements go best when families know this side too. Carers are entitled to a safe working environment, which can mean asking for equipment such as a hoist before certain tasks are safe to do. They follow a care plan and cannot safely go beyond it on request, so changes should go through the agency rather than being negotiated at the door. And a carer who declines to do something outside the plan, such as giving an extra dose of medication, is doing their job properly, not being unhelpful.

Checking an agency's standing

Every agency providing personal care in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission [7], and you can look up any agency's registration and inspection history on the CQC website [6]. CareAH lists CQC-registered home care agencies across England, free for families, and you can browse home care agencies by city and county or read our guide on what to do when your loved one needs care.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a legal list of mandatory training for carers?
No single legally fixed list exists. CQC requires that staff receive training appropriate to their role, and each agency sets its own mandatory training programme. Most cover a common core of around 10 to 15 subjects, refreshed annually, and the important question is how the agency tracks renewals.
What is the Care Certificate?
The recognised induction standard for new care workers in England, covering 15 standards from safeguarding and basic life support to privacy and dignity. CQC expects providers to induct new staff to this standard or an equivalent.
What DBS check should a home carer have?
An enhanced DBS check with a search of the adults' barred list. This is the highest level of check and is standard for roles involving personal care of vulnerable adults.
Can I ask an agency to see proof of a carer's training?
You can ask how training is recorded and tracked, and a good agency will explain its system readily. Individual training certificates are employment records, so agencies may summarise rather than hand over documents, but they should never be evasive about whether training is current.
What is a spot check?
An unannounced observation of a carer during a real visit by a senior member of agency staff, checking practice, timekeeping, dignity and record keeping. Regular spot checks are one of the strongest signs of a quality-focused agency.
Who do I raise concerns with about a carer?
The agency's registered manager first, who is accountable to CQC for the service. If concerns are serious or unresolved, you can contact the local council's safeguarding team or CQC directly. In an emergency, always contact emergency services first.

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