Care and Support Planning
Course Overview
A care plan that nobody reads is not a care plan. It’s a liability.
When care plans are generic, outdated or written to satisfy an audit rather than guide actual care, they fail the people they’re supposed to support. Staff can’t rely on them. Needs get missed. Risks go unmanaged. And when a CQC inspector or a safeguarding team starts asking questions, the gaps in the paperwork tell their own story.
Care and support planning done well is something different. It is an active, working tool that reflects a real person’s needs, preferences and goals. It gives staff clear direction. It changes when the person changes. It is written with the individual, not about them.
Our care and support planning training is designed to help staff make that shift. It builds the knowledge, skills and confidence to write, use and review plans that genuinely guide care, not just record it.
The course goes beyond process and form-filling. It connects care planning to its legal and regulatory foundations, to the people it exists to serve, and to the wider system of safeguarding, risk management and documentation that surrounds it. Staff leave with a clear understanding of not just what to write, but why every element matters. Training aligns with the Care Act 2014 and its statutory guidance, CQC Regulation 9: Person-Centred Care, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and guidance from Skills for Care on person-centred approaches in health and social care.
Course Details
- Duration: Half day or full day, depending on requirements
- Delivery: In-house, Remote (Zoom or Microsoft Teams)
- Certificate: CPD-accredited Care and Support Planning certificate
- Validity: Refresher recommended in line with organisational policy, regulatory changes and staff development needs
- Group size: Flexible, tailored to your organisation
Who the Course Is For
This course is suitable for:
- Care assistants and support workers
- Senior care staff and team leaders
- Care coordinators and key workers
- Health and social care managers and supervisors
- Staff involved in writing, updating or delivering care plans
It is appropriate for both new and experienced staff working across residential care, domiciliary care, supported living and community-based services. It works equally well as part of induction for new starters and as a structured refresher for teams where planning standards need strengthening.
Why This Care and Support Planning Training Is Important
Care and support plans are the backbone of safe, consistent, person-centred care. They tell staff what a person needs, how they want to be supported, what risks exist and what outcomes the person is working towards. When they are written well, they guide every shift, every visit, every interaction. When they are not, the consequences show up quickly.
The Care Act 2014 places wellbeing at the heart of care and support. Its statutory guidance is clear that the assessment and planning process must be a genuine conversation about people’s needs and how meeting those needs can help them achieve the outcomes that matter most to them. That is not a box-ticking exercise. It is a legal expectation.
Under CQC Regulation 9: Person-Centred Care, providers must ensure that care and treatment is personalised specifically for each individual, based on assessment of their needs and preferences. Providers must involve people and those acting on their behalf in the planning, management and review of their care. Assessments must be reviewed regularly, and records must be kept of all plans and decisions made. Under the CQC’s Single Assessment Framework, inspectors now look for evidence that care plans fully reflect people’s physical, mental, emotional and social needs, including those related to protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. With the CQC targeting 9,000 published assessment reports by September 2026, the likelihood of your service being assessed in the coming months is higher than it has been for several years.
Regulation 17: Good Governance adds a further layer: systems and processes must support accurate, up-to-date records, and providers must be able to demonstrate quality and improvement. A care plan that is out of date or doesn’t reflect what is actually happening in practice is a governance failure as much as a care failure.
Skills for Care reinforces that effective care planning requires staff to build a picture of each person’s individual strengths, preferences, aspirations and needs through genuine conversation, not assumption. The planning process should start with what matters to the person, not what is convenient for the service.
Where individuals lack the capacity to make specific decisions, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 requires that any decisions made on their behalf are in their best interests and use the least restrictive option available. Care plans must reflect that process.
Poor or generic care plans can lead to:
- Unmet needs and inconsistent care delivery across shifts and staff
- Missed or poorly managed risk
- Safeguarding concerns where needs have not been properly identified
- Regulatory findings during CQC inspection
- Legal exposure where a provider cannot evidence person-centred practice
This course helps staff move from completing care plans to genuinely owning them.
What You Will Learn
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Explain what care and support planning is and why it matters
- Understand person-centred and strengths-based approaches
- Identify what information should be included in a care plan
- Support individuals to be involved in their own care planning
- Understand the importance of consent, capacity, and best interests
- Recognise the role of risk assessments within care planning
- Contribute to the review and updating of care plans
- Use care plans effectively to support safe, consistent care
Course Content
The course typically covers:
- What care and support planning involves and why it exists
- The difference between needs assessment and care planning
- Legal and regulatory framework: Care Act 2014, MCA 2005, CQC Regulation 9
- The CQC Single Assessment Framework and what inspectors look for
- Person-centred and strengths-based approaches in planning practice
- Writing SMART, outcome-focused objectives
- Key features of a good, usable care plan
- Roles and responsibilities in writing, delivering and reviewing plans
- Involving individuals, families, advocates and multi-agency partners
- Consent, capacity and best interests in care planning decisions
- Balancing risk and rights: positive risk-taking within a care plan
- Confidentiality, data protection and information handling
- Reviewing, updating and ensuring continuity of care
- Common documentation errors and how to avoid them
- How care plans support safeguarding and safe care delivery
Content is adapted to reflect the specific care setting and organisational context of your service.
How the Course Is Delivered
Training is delivered by experienced Prima Cura Training instructors using clear explanations, real-life examples and reflective discussion. Sessions are practical and interactive, encouraging learners to connect the learning directly to their own roles, the people they support and the care settings they work in.
Delivery options include face-to-face group training at your workplace, live online sessions via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, and blended learning formats.
We do not use generic examples that bear no resemblance to real care practice. Discussion is grounded in the kinds of situations staff actually face: people whose needs change, individuals who are reluctant to be involved in planning, care plans that have drifted from reality, and teams where documentation standards have become inconsistent.
Certification and Validity
Learners receive a CPD-accredited Care and Support Planning certificate on completion.
There is no fixed legal renewal period, but refresher training is recommended to support:
- Consistency in care delivery
- Updated knowledge
- Improved documentation standards
In-House and Bespoke Training
All training is delivered in-house or remotely and built around your organisation. We can:
- Align training with your care planning documentation systems and formats
- Support teams with mixed experience levels, from new starters to senior staff
- Focus on specific areas identified during CQC inspection or internal audit
- Incorporate real documentation examples from your service where helpful
This isn’t a course about care planning in the abstract. It’s training built around the planning systems, the individuals and the regulatory expectations your team is accountable to.
Course Location and Service Areas
We deliver in-house training at your workplace or chosen venue, which means staff learn in the context they actually work in, applying what they learn to the care plans they actually write.
Our trainers work across Manchester and Greater Manchester, with regular delivery throughout the North West. We also deliver nationwide, covering the North East, Midlands, London, Surrey and across South England via our experienced associate network.
Every session, wherever it’s delivered, is held to the same Prima Cura standard.
FAQs
What is care and support planning?
It is the process of identifying an individual’s needs, preferences, strengths and outcomes, and documenting how those needs will be met in a way that is personal to them. Under the Care Act 2014, the planning process must be a genuine conversation with the individual, not a professional assessment done to them. A well-written care plan guides day-to-day care in practice. It tells staff what the person needs, how they want to be supported, what risks exist and what matters most to them. It is a working document, not an archive.
Why is care planning important for CQC inspections?
The CQC looks closely at care plans under Regulation 9 and the Single Assessment Framework’s person-centred care quality statement. Inspectors assess whether plans are genuinely personalised, clearly documented, regularly reviewed and actively used to guide care. Under the updated framework, they also look for evidence that plans reflect protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. Generic, outdated or staff-centred plans are a consistent source of inspection findings and can affect ratings across the Safe, Effective and Responsive key questions.
Who is responsible for writing care plans?
The individual receiving care should be at the centre of the planning process, with support from staff, family, advocates and other professionals as appropriate. While senior staff or managers typically lead on writing formal plans, every member of staff who delivers care has a responsibility to contribute to and follow them. That includes recording observations, reporting changes and raising concerns when a plan no longer reflects someone’s needs. Accountability for care planning sits with the whole team, not just with whoever holds the pen.
How often should care plans be reviewed?
Under CQC Regulation 9, assessments must be reviewed regularly and whenever needed throughout a person’s care. That includes when needs change, when the person transfers between services, after incidents, and following any significant change in health, behaviour or circumstances. Regular reviews prevent care plans from drifting away from reality. A plan that was accurate six months ago may no longer reflect what is actually happening, and that gap is itself a risk.
How does this course improve documentation?
The course helps staff understand what must be recorded, how to write clearly and objectively, and why accurate documentation matters both for care quality and for regulatory compliance. It supports better communication between staff and ensures care plans are meaningful, usable and legally defensible. For teams where record keeping needs dedicated focus beyond care planning, our Reporting and Record Keeping Training addresses this directly
Can this training be tailored to our organisation?
Yes. The course can be adapted to reflect your documentation systems, care planning formats, the needs of the people you support and any specific regulatory feedback you’ve received. Whether you run a care home, a domiciliary care service, a supported living service or a community-based setting, the principles are consistent, but the application is different. We make sure the training reflects the world your staff actually work in.
Related Courses
- Care Certificate Training
- Person-Centred Care
- Record Keeping in Care
- Mental Capacity Act & DoLS
Book or Enquire
To book Care and Support Planning training or discuss a tailored option for your organisation, get in touch using the enquiry form on this page or contact us directly. We are happy to advise on delivery formats, group sizes and how the training can be adapted to your setting.
Our Commitment to Quality and Compliance
At Prima Cura Training, all courses reflect current UK guidance and best practice.
All trainers are experienced professionals with relevant qualifications and ongoing CPD. Because many of the organisations we support work with vulnerable individuals, all trainers hold Enhanced DBS checks.
Training is regularly reviewed against updates from the Care Quality Commission, Skills for Care and UK legislation, including the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014.
You can read more on our Quality Assurance and Compliance page.
Reviewed by Stephanie Austin – Owner & Lead Trainer, Prima Cura Training
25+ years in health and social care | 15+ years as a trainer
Last reviewed: March 2026 | Next review: March 2027
This course guides care and support planning principles and practice. It does not replace organisational policies, supervision or regulatory responsibilities. Providers remain responsible for ensuring care delivery meets current UK legislation and CQC expectations.
