§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of home care workers who have(a) obtained and (b) have yet to obtain NVQ level 2 in care. [171006]
§ Mr. HuttonThis information is not collected centrally. Since April 2004, the regulation and inspection of domiciliary care services has been the responsibility for the commission for social care inspection (CSCI). Information about the numbers of staff and their qualifications are provided to the CSCI as part of the registration process. Aggregate information is therefore likely to become available after March 2005.
§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of courses in NVQ level 2 in care; and if he will make a statement. [171007]
§ Mr. HuttonThe nature of the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 2 in care and its assessment precludes the provision of courses specifically designed to support study for this qualification. Candidates require access to specific educational or training courses according to their existing level of knowledge and skill. Such courses are provided locally and information about them is not collected centrally by the Department.
450WTopss England and the Learning and Skills Council have been working to ensure that social care employers have robust NVQ frameworks and increased number of NVQ assessors and verifiers in place so that staff can complete NVQs in care.