From 1st April 2025, the IAO Level 5 Award in Understanding Digital Leadership in Adult Social Care will be available, fully funded through the Department of Health and Social Care’s Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS).
This new qualification has been created specifically for experienced professionals working at a senior level who want to lead meaningful change, embed digital tools with confidence, and improve care outcomes across the board.
This qualification supports the national ambition for a more digitally confident and capable social care sector. It’s aligned to the government’s ‘What Good Looks Like’ (WGLL) framework and the Digital Skills Framework for Adult Social Care, which together set the standard for how technology should be used to enhance care and support.
For someone already responsible for shaping care delivery, this qualification gives them the knowledge and leadership tools to put those frameworks into practice — whether it’s introducing digital record keeping, using data more effectively, or leading a team through digital transformation.
If you’re a registered manager, non-registered manager, senior practitioner, team leader, or work in an operational or strategic role in adult social care, this course is for you.
You’ll need a solid understanding of the sector and the opportunity to lead on digital initiatives in your workplace. You should also be ready to study at Level 5, so if you already hold a Level 3 qualification (or equivalent experience), you're in a strong position to get started.
You don’t have to be directly delivering care to benefit, as this qualification is also relevant for professionals in supporting roles (like local authority commissioners, digital leads in ICSs, or those working in housing and voluntary services) who are helping shape digital strategies across the sector.
Thanks to the Learning and Development Support Scheme (LDSS), your organisation can claim up to £1,000 per learner when staff complete this qualification between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026.
The scheme was set up by the DHSC to support professional development in the adult social care workforce. It's designed to make it easier for employers to invest in the skills and specialisms their teams need — without worrying about the financial burden.
This Level 5 Award is one of several Innovate Awarding qualifications eligible for LDSS funding, alongside training in dementia, diabetes care, adult care diplomas and more.
The qualification is structured into three mandatory units, totalling 120 hours of learning:
The Use of Technology and Data in Adult Social Care
Implementing Technology in Adult Social Care
Leading Change, Learning and Improvement in Adult Social Care
Across these modules, learners explore how to select and implement digital solutions, make sense of data to inform care decisions, and lead their team through change.
Learners will build a portfolio of evidence showing how they meet the learning outcomes, using case studies, reflective accounts, projects, and presentations based on real-life work. A work-based project is strongly encouraged as a central summative assessment, offering learners a meaningful opportunity to apply their learning through the planning and implementation of a digital initiative in their own organisation.
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