Important announcement on the future of the Workforce Development Fund

We have been informed by Skills For Care that the Workforce Development Fund (WDF) will not be continuing beyond the current funding year

The DHSC is planning a new, learning and development fund for adult social care which will be claimed through a new digital service. The new fund will not be administered by Skills for Care but instead by NHS Business Services Authority(NHS BSA) on behalf of the DHSC. This also means that WDF funding will no longer be available through WMCA once this funding year is completed

Further details about the new scheme will be announced by DHSC in the spring.

The introduction of the new fund will have implications for the WDF which will be scaled down in 2024-25. In 2024-25 it will only be possible to claim WDF for learning which is already in progress. This is to ensure that employers who have already paid for learning and development are not left out of pocket.

What does this mean for you as care providers?

The WDF is still open until the end of May 2024 but as it will not continue after that we advise all of you who have pending claims to get them in as soon as possible as unlike previous years we will not be able to carry them over if you miss the deadline.

For those of you who have learning in progress which will not complete until after 31 May, new claim procedures will be announced but it will not be through WMCA. All residual claims for 24/25 will be handled centrally through Skills for Care.

In the meantime we are still here to answer WDF queries you have until the end of May and we will communicate details of the new DHSC Learning Fund when we have them

Details of the current Workforce Development Fund can be found on these webpages  www.wmca.care/wdf