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Frequently asked questions

Use this page to view the questions asked the most! Simply click on one of the questions below to find out more…

Key Terms Explained

Key term Definition
Academy The Care Professional Academy.
Affiliate The Care Professional (employee, PA, member of staff) who have access to the Academy Portal.
HCPA Hertfordshire Care Providers Association.
Portal Sometimes referred to as Academy Portal or Provider Portal, this is the platform itself. And requires you to login.
Provider The employer (care organisation, DPH, service or site).
Rewards Care Professional Rewards, in the form of discounts, savings, and cashback. You have access to rewards through your Portal dependent on what tier you are on.
Tier As an Academy Care Professional you will be on a rewards tier from 1-5, depending on the training certificates and qualifications uploaded on the portal.

What does the Academy offer me as a Care Professional?

  • Your own portal that will move with you where ever you go, regardless of who you work for in the County
  • Your Passport to Progress – your own Training Passport to use in your 1:1’s, PDP and Appraisals.
  • You can also take this to interview with you to easily demonstrate your professional qualifications and transferable skills to current and future employers 
  • The more certificates you add the more you will move through the tiers
  • Each tier gives you access to perks in the form of exclusive rewards and discounts 
  • Identify potential career pathways  

How to Videos

How much does it cost to sign up?

If you are a Care Professional, you can sign up for free, subject to the platform being available in your area.

Is the Academy available to all Care Professionals in the UK?

The Academy is growing and our goal is to be a national platform. If you are unsure if your county has the Academy, please email us at contact@careprofessional.co.uk, or call us on 01707 937 990.  

What is a Care Professional?

Anyone working in Adult Social Care in any position. 

How do I register?

It’s simple, click here to complete your registration.

What does CPD stand for?

CPD’ stands for Continuing Professional Development.

Find out more here

I cannot find my organisation on the Care Professional Academy.

If you are unable to find your organisation under your county on the list, please click on the I can’t find my organisation and you will then be able to enter the name of your organisation. 

Find Organisation

How long does it take to have my application to be validated or declined?

Once you have registered and uploaded your certificates. We require a minimum of 6 hours training to validate your account. This may take up to 7 working days. Look out for our email from ‘contact@careprofessional.co.uk’.

I have moved to a new employer.

Please log into your portal and there will be a green pencil , next to ‘CURRENT EMPLOYMENT’, please click on the green pencil and you can edit your details to add an additional employer or remove your current employer and add a new one.

edit details2


employment

How can I edit my profile?

Once you have logged into your profile, next to your picture, employment and name there will be a green pencil . Click on the green pencil and it will allow you to edit your profile.

edit profile

What do you mean by validating a certificate?

All certificates uploaded to Care Professional Academy go through validation to include:-

  • Name matches your name 
  • No duplication
  • Date of achievement
  • Date of expiry
    • Stated or taken from Skills for Care Core & Mandatory guidance
  • Training Provider
    • LA approved, Skills for Care Endorsed or Centre of Excellence, Care Association approved – Nationally Recognised Awarding Body – E-learning – Internal Trainer (approved or not approved) – Foreign Studies – Other

We take our reference point from Skills for Care – Core & Mandatory Training guidance

If there are any concerns about the validity of a certificate, additional checks are carried out and we will make contact with you.

How do I know when my certificate has been approved?

Once your certificate has been validated, you will receive an email from the Care Professional Academy, look out for your email from contact@careprofessional.co.uk.

How many points do I get for each certificate?

The number of points for each certificate will be based on an internal algorithm and will factor in the following:

  • Is the learning approved by Local Authority, Skills for Care Endorsed or Centre of Excellence, Care Association. The reason for this is that we want to monitor the quality of training given to care staff. If the training is not approved, it will still accrue some points, but not as many as approved training. If you would like to find out about training being ‘approved’, please email contact@careprofessional.co.uk
  • Is the learning linked to an external awarding body for which you receive a full (or part of a) qualification?
  • What level is the learning?
  • How many hours have been spent directly on the training course?
  • Is the training face-to-face or e-learning?

Why do you need my date of birth?

Some of our perks will require your Academy ID number and your date of birth, as legislation where alcohol or sharps may be sold requires this. This information is not used for any other reason.  

I do not know what type of course my qualification is?

If you are not sure if your course is a CPD Training Course or an Academic Studies Course, please give us your best guess and we will ensure it is uploaded correctly.  

I need to have a certificate deleted from my profile.

If you require a certificate to be deleted from your portal please contact the Care Professional Academy team at contact@careprofessional.co.uk

Let us know the name and date of the course to minimise errors.

If I need help, how do I get in contact?

If you have any questions, you are welcome to email the Care Professional Academy Team on contact@careprofessional.co.uk or call on 01707 937 990.

Why should I use my personal email address and not my business email?

By using your own personal email address you will be able to access your portal at any time and from any device or computer. For example if you’re in the queue in a supermarket you can easily add to your digital wallet to access your discount, or grab a code easily to make a saving; rather than waiting until you are back at work. 

Are the benefits offered through CPA better than the blue light card?

The Academy benefits are Tier based, rewarding staff for their Continued Professional Development, which can be seen on the staff members own portal and in their training passports. The rewards and the portals work together which is unique to the Care Professional Academy, and not part of other benefits schemes such as the Blue Light Card. Academy benefits are akin to student discounts and focussed on learning in the same way as a college student has their student discounts and concessions.

The Care Professional Academy is available to everyone who works within Adult Social Care that works or lives in Counties funded by LA’, including volunteers and PA’s, so you don’t have to be CQC registered or produce a payslip. Just complete our Affiliate registration, upload 1 certificate of training (min 6 hours) to validate that you work in Adult Social Care

There are opportunities to combine BLC with Care Professional Rewards allowing additional discount i.e. Asda (correct as of Nov 23) :-

  • Purchase your voucher via Care Professional Rewards with 4% discount
  • Pay £96 and have £100 to spend on you r reloadable Asda card or in your digital wallet
  • If you have Asda Rewards link this to you BLC to receive 10% of your shopping in your Asda Reward ‘Cash pot’
  • Total savings 14%

This is one example, there are additional opportunities.

Care Professional Rewards, is a different platform and has different savings, offers and enhanced opportunities for savings.

 

BLC Care Professional Rewards
Tesco 2.5% e-card 4% digital wallet or reloadable card
Morrisons 3% e-card 5% digital wallet
M&S Not currently on BLC 7% digital wallet or reloadable card
Argos 3.75% e-card 7% reloadable Easy Saver Card
Botts 5% e-card 7% digital wallet
Avis Car Hire Not currently on BLC 10% CPR
Car MOTs & Servicing 10% 10% CPR
Halfords 7% 10% digital wallet
Pizza Express Does not accept 10% digital wallet
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