The regulatory landscape for health and social care qualifications in England involves three key bodies: Ofqual (which regulates the qualifications themselves), Skills for Care (which maintains the approved qualifications register for the adult care sector), and the Care Quality Commission (which inspects care services and uses staff qualifications as evidence of quality and safety).
Why does the CQC care about Ofqual regulation?
The Care Quality Commission inspects all registered care services in England against five key questions: are they safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led? Staff qualifications feature prominently in the "effective" and "well-led" domains. During an inspection, the CQC will review training records and qualifications for staff at all levels — from care assistants to registered managers.
An Ofqual-regulated qualification is one approved for delivery under the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) by an accredited awarding body. The RQF replaced earlier legacy frameworks, including the old NVQ framework; all current health and social care diplomas are RQF-regulated. This matters because the internet is full of unregulated CPD certificates in health and social care that carry no formal recognition. The CQC does not count CPD certificates as evidence of qualification — only Ofqual-regulated RQF diplomas count.
The practical consequence for care providers is that employing unqualified staff — or staff whose "qualifications" are unregulated CPD certificates — is a risk during inspection. The CQC has the power to require improvement, restrict registration, or in serious cases close services. Ensuring staff hold real Ofqual-regulated qualifications is a core part of CQC compliance.
What is Skills for Care and why does it matter?
Skills for Care is the strategic workforce development body for adult social care in England. It does not award qualifications directly, but it maintains the approved qualifications register — the list of Ofqual-regulated qualifications that are appropriate for specific roles in adult social care. When the CQC or an employer asks whether your qualification is appropriate, they are effectively asking whether it is on the Skills for Care register.
The register includes Level 3 through Level 5 qualifications across all adult care roles, including the specific qualifications required for registered managers. Checking the Skills for Care approved qualifications list before enrolling is the single most important verification step for care workers.
Which awarding bodies offer health and social care qualifications?
- NCFE CACHE — the UK's largest awarding organisation for adult-funded health and social care; offers RQF-regulated qualifications from Level 3 to Level 5; all qualifications are Ofqual-regulated and on the Skills for Care register
- Highfield Qualifications — Ofqual-regulated; widely used for the RQF Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care and RQF Level 5 diploma; strong employer recognition across the independent sector
- City & Guilds — long-established awarding body; offers RQF-regulated qualifications at Level 3 through Level 5 in health and social care; the Level 4 and Level 5 Diplomas are both on the Skills for Care approved list
- Pearson BTEC — well-known for BTECs in health and social care at Level 3 and above; Ofqual-regulated and broadly accepted by employers
- ProQual — specialises in work-based RQF diplomas; assessment takes place entirely in the care setting; suitable for experienced practitioners
Does it matter which awarding body I choose?
For most employers and for the CQC, the awarding body does not matter as long as the qualification is Ofqual-regulated and on the Skills for Care approved qualifications register. The choice between NCFE CACHE, Highfield, and City & Guilds is largely a matter of assessor availability and employer preference.
Some large care providers have preferred awarding bodies because they have established relationships with specific assessors or because their in-house training aligns with a particular body's unit structure. If your employer has a preference, it is worth asking before enrolling. If your employer has no preference, NCFE CACHE and Highfield are the most widely used and recognised bodies in the independent adult care sector.
What you should avoid is any qualification that is not Ofqual-regulated. Many providers sell online health and social care "certificates" or "diplomas" that are CPD-only courses with no formal recognition. These will not be counted by the CQC, will not meet Skills for Care requirements, and will not qualify you for promoted care roles that specify an Ofqual-regulated diploma.