What inspectors expect
from your training.

When an inspector asks about training, they're really asking whether the people on shift today know what they're doing.

Training records are the quickest way to answer that, which is why they come up in almost every inspection.

Regulation 18 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requires providers to give staff the support, training, professional development, supervision and appraisal they need to do their jobs.

Under CQC's assessment framework, the “safe and effective staffing” quality statement looks at whether staff have the skills and training their roles need, and whether it is kept up to date.

In practice, inspectors expect to see:

• A live training matrix showing who has done what and when it is next due
• Induction records, including the Care Certificate for new staff
• Current refreshers for the essentials: safeguarding, moving and handling, medication, fire safety, infection control and first aid
• Supervision notes that link training to how people actually work

The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the Quality Standards require homes to make sure staff have the experience, qualifications and skills their roles need, receive induction and ongoing training, and get regular supervision and appraisal.

Care staff are expected to hold, or be working towards, the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare within two years of starting, and the registered manager a relevant Level 5 leadership qualification.

Under the Social Care Common Inspection Framework, inspectors look at how training shows up in practice with the children, not just at certificates in a folder.

• A training matrix that is kept up to date, not rebuilt the week before inspection
• Certificates that can be verified, so nobody has to take a PDF on trust
• Reflective notes or supervision records that show learning being applied
• A clear list of what is mandatory for each role and how often it renews

Certificates with no provider name or date. E-learning completed in bulk overnight. Training that expired months ago without anyone noticing. And certificates that can't be verified and turn out to be worth nothing.

Each of these is easy to fix once you can see it.