Why dementia training matters more than ever in adult social care

Find out more about why dementia training is so important in adult social care, and the support available.

Good dementia care isn't simply about understanding a diagnosis. It's about understanding the person.

For care workers, that can mean knowing how to communicate when someone is struggling to find the words they want, recognising when a change in behaviour may be communicating an unmet need, or finding ways to support someone to retain choice and independence.

Dementia affects everyone differently, which is why a one-size-fits-all approach to care doesn't work. Workers need the knowledge, practical skills and confidence to understand the person they’re supporting and respond to their individual needs, preferences and circumstances.

Effective dementia training helps turn knowledge into better everyday practice. It can help workers look beyond the diagnosis and understand more about what it means to live with dementia, building relationships that recognise each person's identity, strengths, choices and preferences.

For the person receiving care and support, those skills can make a meaningful difference to their everyday experience.

Building skills through nationally recognised standards

Consistency matters too. People living with dementia should be able to expect knowledgeable, person-centred support wherever they receive care.

The Skills for Care Dementia Training Standards Framework provides a foundation for consistent, high-quality dementia learning across health and social care. Commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care and reviewed in partnership with experts, organisations and people with lived experience, it sets out nationally agreed learning outcomes for dementia education and training. It’s a recommendation of the Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care in England that all workers should have dementia training aligned to the Dementia Training Standards Framework and roles within the Care Workforce Pathway

The framework is structured across different tiers so that learning reflects people's roles and responsibilities.

Turning dementia learning into everyday practice

Knowing the principles of good dementia care is important. Being able to put them into practice in a busy care environment is just as important. That's why effective learning needs to help workers connect knowledge with the situations, conversations and decisions they encounter every day.

The Training Hub by Skills for Care's new online course, Dementia (tier 2) in Practice, has been designed with this practical application in mind. Created specifically for adult social care staff who support people living with dementia, it brings together dementia awareness with practical skills that learners can apply in their everyday work.

Through eight to ten hours of self-paced learning, realistic scenarios, reflective activities and knowledge checks encourage learners to think about how they would respond in different situations and how their learning translates into their own practice.

Learners explore:

• understanding dementia and its impact on individuals and families
• person-centred approaches to supporting people living with dementia
• communication and relationship-based care
• recognising and responding to changes in behaviour and wellbeing
• promoting independence, choice and quality of life
• applying dementia care skills across different care settings.

At the heart of the course is the lived experience of dementia. Learners are encouraged to consider not only what support a person might need, but why, and how they can adapt their approach to the individual's identity, preferences and circumstances.

The course is suitable for care workers, support workers, personal assistants, domiciliary care staff, senior care workers, supervisors and team leaders. It can also support people who are newer to dementia care to develop their knowledge and confidence.

It is fully mapped and aligned to tiers 1 and 2 of the Skills for Care Dementia Training Standards Framework and reflects wider national guidance and CQC good practice.

Building confidence, improving care

Training alone doesn't create great care. But giving workers the opportunity to develop their understanding, practise their skills and reflect on their approach can help create the conditions for it.

For employers, good dementia learning can help build workforce capability and greater consistency in practice. For workers, it can develop the confidence to communicate effectively, make informed decisions and adapt their support to the person in front of them.

Most importantly, for someone living with dementia, a skilled and confident workforce can mean care that recognises who they are, what matters to them and what they can do, not simply the condition they are living with.

Find out more about Dementia (tier 2) in practice.

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