C&SW Workforce Development Fund PARTNERSHIP

The WDF scheme has been extended until May 2021. Register by February 28th.

We are delighted to report for the second year running Care & Support West is your main access to the Workforce development Fund 2020/21 via Care and Support West WDF Partnership for the South West (primarily Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire). Administered by Care and Support West.

Karen Holley will be your main point of contact at C&SW and her role is to help you to access and claim funding.

You can contact the Partnership by completing this FORM, someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

• The table below shows the period for which you can claim; This date has been extended to 31st May 2021.

• Training recognised by the Workforce Development Fund Funded qualifications and learning programmes 2020-21completed by your staff since 1st January 2020 is eligible.

• You have until 28th February to register with Care and Support West WDF Partnership and until the 31st May 2021 to complete and update your ASC-DS ASC-WDS and WDF requirements 20-21.

*1: Training must be within the qualifying list and accredited by a qualifying body. The list is below

*2: You can access the Declaration Form below. It is a PDF so you will need to print, complete and either scan to e-mail or post back to Karen. Please note you are classed as a ‘Member’ of the partnership: Our official name is the Care & Support West WDF Partnership

*3: Entering data into the new ASC-WDS database (replacing NMDS) is a crucial part of qualifying for funding. Users report that the new system is more user friendly and easier than NMDS. Skills for Care are also trying to improve the advantages to providers of using the data set. The new Training and Qualifications section enables you to:

• access a summary view of your staff’s training and qualifications

• quickly identify which staff have training that has expired or will soon expire

• access each staff member’s training and qualifications record, add and edit data

• update staff training.

Once you register with the ASC WDS, you will get a reference number which you use in your Declaration and any Claim Submissions.

WHAT CAN BE FUNDED?

You can claim funding towards the cost of qualifications and learning programmes completed between 1 January 2020 and the 31 May 2021. This includes money towards the cost of course fees (or employer contributions) and associated costs such as: employees’ salaries whilst they are undertaking training; coaching and mentoring costs; venue costs for the training; wage replacement costs. Remember this also covers Apprenticeship Standards

All costs must be incurred before WDF is claimed and employers must ensure that they have records in place to evidence the costs of any funding claim they make.

Employers can claim from more than one source of public funding but you must ensure that you aren’t claiming the same cost from more than one source. For example, if the course fee has been covered from one source of public funding, or paid for by the apprenticeship levy, it cannot be claimed via WDF.

For more information about Skills for Care Funding for training here.