What you need to know: Applying for funding for the Level 2 Certificate in Safe and Effective Practice
If you are applying for funding from the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (the Social Care Council) in the funding round to end 5pm 10 January 2025 this information is for you.
- We seek to ensure that opportunities for funding support for the Level 2 Certificate in Safe and Effective Practice are made available to independent sector (private and community and voluntary) organisations through communications to social care employers and/or social care managers. This is being done using direct communication and posting information on our website.
- Funding opportunities are not available to the statutory sector at this time.
- Calls for applications will be communicated with deadline stated for employers to make applications. Applications received after the deadline will be placed on a reserve list.
- Only applications that have been fully completed will be initially considered for funding support. Where incomplete, the Social Care Council will reject or request further information.
- Funding is available for qualification fees only. Funding is not available to cover staffing costs and/or absences while qualifications are completed.
- Applications for funding support must be signed off by a CEO, Director or a Senior Manager in an organisation with the understanding that learners will complete the qualifications, and the employer will provide support for their employees, for the duration of the course.
- Applications will only be considered for staff with an active Registration on Part 2 of the Public Facing Register (the Register) and who have been in employment for at least one calendar month at the time of application.
- Social care organisations at the initial stage (December 2024) can apply for funding support for a maximum of two members of staff.
- The Social Care Council will fund successful social care organisations. It is the responsibility of employers to source the training provider/s.
- Applications must be received by the Social Care Council by 5pm on 10 January 2025. We will aim to inform social care organisations of the outcome of their applications by 17 January 2025.
- Decisions on the allocation of funding support will be taken by a Social Care Council panel. Value for money and benchmarking will determine how much funding is available per organisation.
- Appropriate applications not successful at initial stage, due to the limit of available funding, will be held on a waiting list/funding pool. These applications will take priority over those referred to at point 3 above.
- Successful organisations may not receive the total amount requested; the Social Care Council will not exceed a maximum amount payable to any individual organisation.
- Successful organisations must confirm that registrants they apply for have registered for, or have started, the Level 2 Certificate in Safe and Effective Practice before funding is released. This must occur by Friday 28 February, 2025. Additionally, employers must agree to ensure that successful applicants complete this qualification no later than 30 September 2025.
- Incomplete qualifications may result in employers having to return funding.
- Successful organisations must provide an appropriate invoice to the Social Care Council before funding is released. This must occur by 5pm on 28 February, 2025.
- Coaching and mentoring opportunities will be made available by the Social Care Council to help social care staff, employers and/or line managers complete this qualification. By accepting funding, social care employers are agreeing to have contact details of candidates passed over to the coaching and mentoring professional contracted by the Social Care Council.
- Successful organisations, in accepting funding, are agreeing to respond to requests for information from the Social Care Council on updates about funded qualifications.
- We will aim to pay invoices to social care employers before 31 March 2025.
To apply for Level 2 funding click here.