Continued funding for adult social care learning and development in financial year 2026/27

The Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed the Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) fund will continue in the financial year 2026/27, with up to £10 million available to support eligible adult social care employers to invest in training courses and qualifications for their staff.

The LDSS is available to non-regulated care staff, including deputy and CQC-registered managers and agency staff within the adult social care workforce.

The LDSS guidance and grant determination have been updated to include information on making claims for the Oliver McGowan Training, including the:

• Eligibility criteria
• Maximum reimbursement rates
• Evidence requirements

To read the full guide to employers, please click here.

To read the full grant determination for 2025/26, please click here

We encourage members to review the full employer guidance, which sets out when funding will be available, how it can be used, and the process for submitting claims.

In addition to LDSS, the following funding streams will continue:

• £2.3 million for the Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) for newly qualified social workers
• Up to £1 million for the User-Led Organisations (ULO) fund, supporting learning for those working in more personalised care arrangements, including personal assistants

Impact on providers

The continuation of the LDSS into the financial year 2026/27 provides ongoing support to providers by enabling them to reclaim eligible expenditure on staff training and qualifications. This is a valuable contribution towards workforce development at a time of increasing cost pressures.

Furthermore, the specific guidance on the Oliver McGowan training offers members greater clarity on how this new training expectation across the sector will be funded.

We encourage all providers to familiarise themselves with the updated guidance to ensure they submit claims, to help ease workforce cost pressures, correctly.

If members have any questions or reflections on this update, please contact the policy team at policy@careengland.org.uk. Member feedback is invaluable in informing our ongoing engagement with the Department of Health and Social Care on this programme.