Skills for Care and Development (SfC&D) has released updated Shared Assessment Principles, developed in collaboration with UK-wide partners and awarding organisations. The principles set out the minimum requirements and approaches for assessment and internal quality assurance of qualifications for the social care, social work, early years and childcare workforces.
Key updates include:
- clear expectations for robust initial assessment, recognition of prior learning, and reasonable adjustments, alongside strong evidence-based decisions and accurate documentation.
- an emphasis on direct observation of practice, assessor competence and knowledge, appropriate use of technology (including AI), and rigorous internal quality assurance.
The principles aim to support consistency, quality, sector values in assessment practice, and maintain the voices of individuals who use services at the heart of learning. Read the full Shared Assessment Principles here.
Additional information:
Who are Skills for Care and Development?
Skills for Care and Development (SfC&D) is an alliance of key organisations from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Ireland with varied roles across social work, social care, children and young people, early years and childcare, with remits across workforce development and regulation.
What are Skills for Care and Development Shared Assessment Principles?
The Skills for Care and Development Shared Assessment Principles set standards for assessor competence, assessment methods, and quality assurance in social care qualifications.
Who are these SfC&D Shared Assessment Principles for?
The SfC&D Shared Assessment Principles are, primarily, for Awarding Organisations, Assessment Centres, Internal Quality Assurers and Assessors who deliver social care vocational qualifications. They ensure that assessments are consistent, thorough and reflect real work competence.
The Skills for Care and Development (SfCD) Shared Assessment Principles are also relevant to social care employers because they ensure quality and regulatory compliance in workforce training and qualifications.
For more information on the updated SfC&D Shared Assessment Principles, please see the Care in Practice interactive web resource, Resource Library.