The Department of Health has recently commissioned Skills for Care to support the delivery of a national learning and development programme for the adult social care workforce supporting people with dementia.

Skills for Care will make £2.4 million available to employers through the Workforce Development Dementia Fund to support the completion of relevant accredited qualifications by those members of the workforce who support people with dementia.

This new funding is open to all adult social care employers who support people with dementia, whether this is in the early stages of the illness following diagnosis, or at a later stage.

This funding is offered as part of the Workforce Development Fund (WDF) and the usual qualification criteria apply:

• The fund can only be accessed by adult social care employers in England.
• Employers accessing this funding must meet the National Minimum Data Set for Social Care (NMDS-SC) requirements for WDF.
• Employers accessing the funding must complete and submit a membership/organisation declaration form to Skills for Care, via the contract holder. For existing WDF contract holders, please note that you/your members accessing this fund must complete an additional membership/organisation declaration form which is specific to the Workforce Development Dementia Fund.
• This funding will support completion of dementia qualifications. It will also support completion of qualifications in activity provision and end of life care for services and members of the workforce that provide support to people with dementia.

The closing date for applications is 14 August 2012 and more details can be found at www.skillsforcare.org.uk/dementiafund.