30 March 2026 · 7 min read · Arviteni
The DHSC has confirmed £10 million for the LDSS training fund in 2026/27. A practical guide to eligibility, what is covered, and how to claim.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed that the Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS) will continue for the 2026/27 financial year, with up to £10 million available for adult social care employers in England. If you employ care staff and invest in their training, this fund can help you recover those costs.
This guide covers who can apply, what the fund covers, the key changes for 2026/27, and how to make your claim count.
The LDSS is a DHSC-funded programme administered by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). It reimburses adult social care employers for qualifying training and development costs. The scheme has been running for several years, and the 2026/27 allocation of £10 million signals continued government commitment to workforce development in social care.
The purpose is straightforward: reduce the financial barrier that prevents care providers from investing in staff training. Given the ongoing challenges around recruitment, retention, and compliance, this is money that most providers cannot afford to leave on the table.
Eligibility is broader than many providers realise. You do not need to be CQC registered to claim. The scheme is open to adult social care employers in England, which includes:
The key requirement is that you must have an up-to-date Adult Social Care Workforce Dataset (ASC-WDS) account. If you do not already have one, setting this up should be your first step. The ASC-WDS account is also a prerequisite for accessing other workforce funding and benchmarking tools, so it is worth maintaining regardless.
The LDSS covers training costs for a wide range of roles:
This breadth is important. Many providers assume agency staff are excluded, but the scheme recognises that agency workers still need proper training to deliver safe care within your service.
One significant change this year is that only courses delivered by quality-assured training providers are eligible for reimbursement. This means you need to verify that your training supplier holds the appropriate quality assurance before booking courses. If you are working with an established training provider, they should be able to confirm their status. If you are unsure, NHSBSA can advise during the onboarding process.
This change reflects a broader push toward higher training standards across the sector, and it aligns with the updated Care Certificate framework.
The Care Certificate was updated in March 2026, expanding from 15 to 16 standards. This is relevant to the LDSS because Care Certificate training is one of the most common claims made through the scheme.
If your staff are currently working through the Care Certificate, or if you are onboarding new starters, make sure your training materials reflect the updated 16-standard framework. Outdated content could create compliance gaps and may not qualify for reimbursement under the new quality assurance requirements.
We covered the updated standards in detail in our post on the Care Certificate's 16 standards and digital training delivery, including how to structure the learning pathway for new starters.
The process is more straightforward than many providers expect:
Ensure your ASC-WDS account is up to date. Log in at the Skills for Care ASC-WDS portal and check that your workplace data, staff records, and training information are current.
Sign up for the LDSS via ASC-WDS. You can register your interest directly through the platform.
Complete the onboarding form. This captures basic information about your organisation and training needs.
NHSBSA contacts you to book an appointment. During this conversation, they will walk you through the claiming process, confirm eligible courses, and answer any questions about quality-assured providers.
Submit claims for eligible training costs. Keep records of training completions, invoices, and provider quality assurance documentation.
The earlier you begin this process, the better your chance of securing funding before the allocation is fully committed. With £10 million available across the whole of England, demand is likely to be high.
One of the most effective ways to stretch this funding further is by investing in digital training platforms. An LMS (Learning Management System) allows you to deliver, track, and evidence training at scale, which becomes particularly valuable when you are managing Care Certificate completion across multiple staff members or sites.
Digital delivery offers several practical advantages when paired with LDSS funding:
If you are considering an LMS for your organisation, CareGate LMS was built specifically for care providers managing compliance training, the Care Certificate, and ongoing professional development. It is designed around the workflows that care teams actually use, not generic corporate training models.
For providers who want to build internal capability around technology adoption, our guide on appointing software champions in care settings outlines a practical approach. Having a designated person to drive LMS adoption makes a measurable difference to completion rates and staff engagement. You can also see how this worked in practice in our Software Champions Programme case study.
Skills for Care launched new "Practical approaches toolkits" on 23 March 2026. These resources are designed to help managers and learning leads implement training in a more structured, evidence-based way. They are worth reviewing alongside your LDSS application, as they can help you identify training gaps and build a development plan that aligns with both the fund's requirements and your CQC inspection readiness.
When planning how to use LDSS funding, it is worth considering the total cost of your training infrastructure, not just course fees. If you are evaluating LMS platforms or other digital tools, our guide on IT licence costs for care providers breaks down what to expect and how to budget effectively.
The combination of LDSS reimbursement for course delivery and a well-chosen LMS for ongoing management can significantly reduce the real cost of workforce development, while improving the quality and consistency of training across your team.
The LDSS 2026/27 fund represents a genuine opportunity for care providers to invest in staff training without absorbing the full cost. Here is what to do now:
Funding is finite. Providers who act early and have their documentation in order will be in the strongest position to claim.
If you are exploring how to combine LDSS funding with a digital training platform, or if you want to understand how an LMS fits into your compliance and workforce development strategy, we are happy to talk it through.
Get in touch with our team to discuss your training needs and how to make the most of the 2026/27 funding window.