European Care Certificate
The European Care Certificate (ECC) is a basic certificate for the social care sector. It is awarded after passing an exam which is the same in all European countries.
History of the ECC
The ECC has been developed during a project funded by the Lifelong Learning Programme in 2006. Today there are 15 European countries using and working on the further development of the ECC.
Countries involved
The ECC is at the moment offered in the following countries of the European Union:
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- Ireland
- Italy
- Austria
- Portugal
- Rumania
- Slovenia
- Czech Republic
- Hungary
- Cyprus
- Poland
- Latvia
Content of the exam
The BESCLO (Basic European Social Care Learning Outcomes) covers 8 topics of the social care sector, which are:
1. The values of social care
2. Promote life quality for the individuals you support
3. Working with risk
4. Understand your role as a care worker
5. Safety at work
6. Communicating positively
7. Recognise and respont to abuse and neglect
8. Develop as a worker
Results within the UK
- We have two Lead Partners TASS UK and ARC. TASS UK provides technical assistance to the entire CCFC Partnership for the online version of the ECC exam.
- The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) is promoting the ECC and providing the Partnership with advice on best practice and monitoring our effective partnership working
- We have had groups of candidates taking the ECC exam since 2007, with candidates from private organisations, charities and local authorities.
- At the current time, with all the changes to the Qualifications structures in the UK with the imminent arrival of the Qualification and Credit Framework, we are waiting to see how the ECC may best fit into the new structure. It is most accurately mapped against the Common Induction Standards in England.