We have been informed by Skills For Care that the Workforce Development Fund (WDF) will not be continuing in its current form beyond the 2023/24 funding year.

The WDF will be scaled down in 2024-25. It will only be possible to claim WDF for learning on qualifications and apprenticeships which start on or before 31 March 2024 (as long as the learner completes), and the certificate is issued by 31 March 2025. Courses and qualifications which start on or after 1 April 2024 will not be eligible for funding through the WDF.  Any claims will be done directly with Skills for Care not through WMCA.

WDF will be replaced with a new fund called the Adult Social Care Training and Development Fund

This will no longer be administered through Skills for Care.

ASC employers can get reimbursement for:

• care skills funding, including for the newly developed Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate
• revalidation funding

Guidance is now available on our website on the government’s offer, ahead of the launch of the digital online claims service, with the aim of enabling the adult social care workforce and ASC employers to be able to start to plan their training and development for the financial year 2024 to 2025.

The fund is made up of 2 elements:

• care skills funding
• revalidation funding

Claims for reimbursement will be made through a digital online claims service, which will go live in summer 2024

In the meantime, we are still here to answer WDF queries you have until the end of May, and we will communicate further details of the new Adult Social Care Training and Development Fund when we have them.